Little Gifts

Can I ask another related question from those in the know? I used to have an sbt who killed a few small things at unexpected times and I ended up managing it by controlling her environment. I lived on acreage when she came to me as a foster (quickly a foster failure) at a year old. She was fine around the chickens, duck and geese. She was fine around the silky bantams and cat next door. She was a good ratter and mouser and that was encouraged. She used to be at the compost heap eating with the chickens and she used to groom the next door neighbours cat till it was dripping. But if she came across one of my chickens laying and it made a racket she was on it and it was dead. When the neighbours moved some of their chickens in a crate and they were flapping and cackling she was trying to bite them through the wire. She killed a brown snake sunning itself in the yard. She attacked a 6 foot monitor lizard (it beat her up pretty badly in return and it died before I could get anyone to come and help it). I don't know what it was doing but she had been spooked by it before in our backyard. She found a baby crow on the ground and screamed and ran away when it pecked her on the face (it didn't flap or crow). When my sister got two kittens I made sure they were put away before we visited (because they had not been socialised around dogs) but one night when we arrived mum was carrying a little grey kitten, it hissed and jumped from mum's hands and my dog grabbed it then released it but it died at the vet. I'm not sure if she thought it was a rat but the damage was done. A couple of years after that we were living here in the suburbs and had a neighbours deaf cat who was always sunning herself on our verandah and it used to drive the dogs crazy because she couldn't hear their barking. One day we opened the side gate to our then vegie patch and she was asleep next to the compost bin. The dogs went to her and she went nuts. One dog backed straight off while this girl didn't. I eventually got the cat and rushed it to the vet but it was too late. So what's the deal with a dog like this who under normal, calm conditions with a non-reactive animal is perfectly fine? She obviously has some prey drive given her love of rat and mouse catching and she identified the snake as a threat and killed it (not sure if she felt the same about the big lizard). But then an animal in distress or who reacts to her gets the big chomp. I think the lizard and deaf cat were the worst - I had a lot of trouble getting her to obey me to leave them. They were clearly fighting back quite intensely and that over rode her brain. This issue is partly why we moved to the suburbs where I could control what other animals she was exposed to as it is horrible to own an unpredictable dog like this. She was fine with other dogs and if we walked by a cat that wasn't worried about her she was fine and she never tried to chase the birds, possums or blue tongues in our yard here because they were minding their own business. Do some dogs get their prey drive kicked into gear with particular stimulus? Was controlling that stimulus and keeping it out of her environment really my only option?

I'm feeling like the worst mother ever! I am so focussed on my parents these days - remembering their appointments, monitoring their support schedule, paying their bills on time, etc that I forgot Stussy's birthday! She turned 8 on 22/10 and whilst I remembered to pay mum's credit card bill I forgot about poor Stussy! Since she doesn't need any more treats in that chunky monkey belly of hers I am just going to have to love her to pieces until the guilt goes away. I guess that means I will be doing lots of inner thigh rubbing this week!

Fantastic news! Can't wait to check out the calendar! He really is a fine specimen of a pei! Don't forget to add a link to their webpage so we can find the calendars! I did a google but there are lots of clubs!

I wondered about this or if it was a reaction to us not being home as much but it seems more about what she wants to do than what I might need! I wish I'd had my camera near the bed this morning. She spent the entire night sleeping in my arm pit. I had hoped when I got into bed and had to pretzel round her that she would move but nope, I was the one who woke up with the dead arm this morning. Usually she likes to take over my leg space but last night she decided she needed a proper night long cuddle. This is all from a dog that up until late last year didn't like to be cuddled or touched while she slept at all. She's an odd duck.

Tempeh does full butt wiggles but only with certain people. She seems to do it when uber excited and her body just wants to dance! She wiggles right from the middle, twisting herself in half. I've never seen her do it in relation to another dog, food or a toy - just people.

Where's the LOVE button!

I think Temp was here almost a year before she got on my bed. She really suffered from the cold and Stussy got her up there and snuggled with her to keep her warm. But if we came into the room or tried to touch her she jumped off. Second winter and we got her used to blankets on and around her and this winter you couldn't peel her off me in bed at night. And she would cry until I put her coat on. Fast forward to now and here's a pic for you Powerlegs. I was unwell last week and having a nap but woke up because I couldn't find anywhere to put my legs. I sat up and found out this was why.

I feel the same about Temp, FM, happy she is more open to everything we have to offer. As I'd consider her a submissive dog I wasn't sure how she would go with a change in pack dynamics as the oldest girl got past it but I'm wondering if it has had the opposite effect and allowed her the room to grow and feel more useful? Mind you, most of the time she doesn't even seem to speak dog when it comes to the other two poor dogs that have to share the house with her! She really has a lot of quirks and she likes to change them regularly. I just realised today that she no longer demands to inspect all incoming mail either. I'm not exactly sure when that changed but she used to be a stickler for inspecting everything!

Tempeh is our shar pei girl. She has been with us since she was 5 months old - now about 3.5 years old. She was a foster until she was about 8 months old. We've obviously had Tempeh for the majority of her life but she is not like any other dog I've ever owned. I swear her personality and behaviours change from year to year! As an example - up until this winter she used to put herself to bed after dinner every night. A few times a night (after going to bed) she would stick her head in the doorway to see what we were up to then promptly go back to bed. Other times she might come down for an evening snack then take herself straight back to bed. But since last winter she spends every night down in the lounge room with us bed hopping. She doesn't have a spot like the other two because she never used to hang out with us. Now we are constantly rearranging ourselves to accommodate her new 'hanging out with my homies' habits. Another new behaviour that started last year and has grown is she has decided she likes to spoon and snuggle. For the first year of her life if you touched her she would jump off the bed and sleep elsewhere. Now I'm struggling to find somewhere to put my limbs at night as she can't get close enough to them (even though we are now coming into the warmer months)! Another new thing is her morning rituals. I've always given my dogs a massage every morning while we are still in bed. I only used to be able to do it to Tempeh if she was in the mood as she is usually starving hungry and as I mentioned has not been a huge fan of a lot of touching. Now she gets up on one side of me (even if I'm not yet awake and ready) and as I massage she leans in to me and goes all floppy. What the hell? Where did this new dog come from? And she used to like to give me kisses but now she wants to lick me too - hands and face are her preference and she has even lain on top of me to do it! Another thing is her lying on the bed here in the computer room. She hasn't done it since she was a young puppy but now she is hogging it all the time and I've had to bring an extra bed in for her. Previously she'd stay on my bed keeping watch (which is what I think she was doing at night too). Other changes are I no longer have to chase her to put a coat on or clean her ears. She still plays statue but there is no real panic in her eyes. Has anyone else had a dog who continues to change? I am happy for her as these changes are positive ones for a dog that has had some uptightness and lots of rules she operated by but you'd think it wouldn't take 3 years to see the changes appear! She's lived in the same house with the same dogs, humans and routines for all this time. The only thing I think might be happening is she has stopped doing her role as alert dog. I'm not sure why as the most senior dog in the pack (our guard dog) is ageing and you'd think she'd feel more pressure to be doing her job? And if she is no longer doing her job who the hell gave her permission to slack off? Maybe she has just developed new found confidence in herself and realises she can have a bit of fun and keep us all safe? But again, why has it taken her so many years to feel this way?

I agree that dogs don't think and feel the same way as human beings (it's impossible). But sometimes it seems they know they have done something that will displease us humans and they also seem to know in a multi human house which human is going to be the least pleased. And if they don't know right from wrong then why do they do their naughty stuff when we aren't watching? Surely if they really didn't care they'd do it right in front of us? I can go and have a shower and come back to find my doona and pillows eaten. Just my doona or pillows - none on the other beds or the pillows on the lounge. And the culprit will just lie at the other end of the bed, trying to distance herself from the carnage like she never even noticed what happened. If she didn't care wouldn't she still be ripping it apart when I walked into the room again?

I don't think some breeders charge enough in comparison to the quality of puppy they are providing a new owner and ongoing support offered, particularly when you compare it to puppy farm dogs sold in pet shops for a ridiculous amount of money that come with absolutely no guarantee or ongoing support. How come people don't question retail prices but think good breeders are a rip off? Do people really think just because it comes from a shop it should cost more? Or do they think that the mother dog does all the work anyway so puppies shouldn't cost much to raise? How come the last puppy in the window encourages people to whip out their credit card while the last puppy in a breeder's litter is considered the dodgy one no-one else wants and should be discounted? Genuine questions. I really don't understand how people are happy to drop a wad of cash at a pet shop on a whim but are iffy about how quality breeders run their businesses. To me a good breeder is like a craftsman and good craftsmanship should be applauded and rewarded. And good craftsmanship lasts a lifetime while you can dress anything up in a window to make it look pretty. People are strange.

Yeh I know to stay away from Andonas. Blue is just my personal preference. Some people prefer black, some brindle, some red etc. not sure why everyone always feels the need to take a big dump and "educate" you on colour preference. I've owned staffs my hole life and my parents are registered breeders of an other breed. Im not exactly going to rock up to a puppy farm or pet shop to purchase a dog. My question was mearly price related. Thank you???? I will be honest, this is what concerned me the most about your original post and lead me to believe you didn't know much about the breed and the whole 'rare blue' issue. If I was in the market for a dog my approach would be to find a breeder who bred dogs I liked the look and behavioural feel of. Then I would wait for a litter to come along that had a pup in it that the breeder and I felt was just right for me. Sure I would have some price parameters and personally I am a little weak for pied staffords, but the starting point to finding a pup sound in body and behaviour is the breeder and the breeding stock they are using. This is a pure bred dog forum and you have been given some good advice from people in the know who were just trying to make sure you got a quality pup at a reasonable price. Not only for your sake but for your future pup's who doesn't deserve to live a life of misery with health ailments. It would be negligent if they didn't make sure you knew that blue can and does come with a myriad of health issues that many good breeders would be breeding to avoid. So if good breeders are avoiding it what does that say about the breeders who are specifically breeding to produce the colour????? Ah yes, we are back to good old money....

I lost a friend to PTSD (she was not in the armed forces) and it is a hideous mental health issue and difficult to get the right treatment for through the public system. I have always admired people who set off on long treks for a purpose and often wish I was brave enough to attempt something of this nature as I think you would learn a lot about yourself and human kindness during the journey. If he comes to my part of the world I'd love to give them a place to stay, do their washing, cook their favourite foods, whatever to show what they are doing is appreciated and important. And it's strange but I purchased something that was donated to Soldier On for fundraising late last week and then this week discover Royce's links to them. It's a small world.

This came up on my feed today and oh it made me cry! What an amazing thing to do! I hope people will follow Royce and Trigger's travels and donate to his cause. https://www.facebook.com/Afghanistanveteranwalkingforothers?fref=ts

But that is good Mrs RB! Until the people doing the right thing are the majority nothing will change! We do need to be creating environments where peer pressure forces others to acknowledge they are doing the wrong thing so they will seek information or assistance to 'fit in' and become the norm. Sure we don't want people getting aggressive or abusive but if someone takes a pet ferret to a dog park and 10 dog owners tell them it is not a safe place to let their ferret run around then perhaps it might encourage them to find somewhere safer? But if that same person took their ferret to a dog park and a dog killed it and both owners got into a barny about who was at fault they would learn nothing. The ferret would be dead and the dog would be labelled pocket pet aggressive for the rest of its life. Neither owner would go back to that park. No winners.

Good on you guys for recognising the problem and offering a solution!

I think it is clear that a lot of pet owners either don't care or are complete idiots when it comes to taking their animals out in public. These public places cost money to set up and maintain by local councils. Perhaps we should be lobbying them to run some education programs (in conjunction with other recognised bodies) on some basic pet in public safety and etiquette. Perhaps it could be as simple as printed pamphlets in with our dog and cat rego renewals and posters issued to vets in their LGA? Maybe an interactive social media campaign for kids and young adults? I know it wont reach every pet owning knob but perhaps some might be enlightened about the risks they are taking and impact they are making on others.

I've done it only once. I had to leave my OES when I went travelling and when the heartworm tabs ran out my parents never got any more. I got home and had her tested and not only did she have heartworm but she went downhill very quickly and wasn't well enough for the treatment options used back in the early 80s. I think the vet staff actually told me to wait in the waiting room and that they'd bring her body out when it was done. I don't even recall walking into the consult room with her or even being invited to do so - I think I just handed her over. I had no idea what to expect and she came out with the same blanket that she was wrapped in just loosely draped over her, so her legs were flopping out. I was in shock and it was all over quite quickly. They did carry her to the car for me. But since then I have always stayed and then left the room when I was ready so they could be wrapped in a plastic bag and calico. I always leave a bright coloured towel or blankie to be wrapped around them first. I don't know why. And I never bury them wearing a collar or tags because I want them to be truly free. Weird rituals but they make me feel better. As for a 16 year old dog being left, well I think some people are capable of simply owning a dog for that long without ever actually bonding with it.

Apologies - your response wasn't there when I typed mine - I must've taken a loooong time to write it. Glad you had a successful outcome (except for your poor cat).

I would wait till their dog is roaming again and tell them that the last time their dog was on your property you later found your cat mauled by a dog and say how much it cost at the vet. Tell them you can't prove their dog did it but that it is highly likely and that if they continue to let their dog roam you wont be talking to them about it anymore - you will simply be calling the pound. If they care about their dog and what it gets up to while loose they will make an effort to contain it and avoid any other animal injuries.

Oh this is heartbreaking. I know this was a concern when you took him on but you just didn't get long enough together. I'm so very sorry. Run free now Rupert knowing you were so much loved even if it was only for a short time.

My sister bought a Solvit two days ago for the three stairs to and from our loungeroom. They will be there permanently - there is enough room for us humans to walk down the other side. So far not one canine paw has set foot on it! I think we might have to get out the treats and make it an obstacle course kind of fun thing! Tempeh prefers to fly when it comes to stairs anyway so no point training her.

The lady who surrendered Tempeh said she was 3 months old but the vet said her adult teeth indicated she was 5 months old. I always forget the actual December date she became a foster failure (because doggy Christmas presents are not good!) but gave her her own made up birthdate (based on vet estimations) so I tend to remember that rather than her gotcha date. We were lucky with our other two - their original owners had at least given them their first vaccinations and the cards had their DOB's on them.

As soon as daylight peaks over the horizon Tempeh sticks a leg in the air and goes for it. It is a very special sound to be woken up by. I used to gently tap her and she would stop for a second but then she would start again from the beginning - like her automatic deep cleaning program had been interrupted. Given she is normally using me to lean against I've started to move away quickly and topple her and she gets the huffs and jumps off the bed. Poor Stussy has never been limber enough to lick her bits naturally so I have been known to hold her in position so she can gnaw on some pesky itch. It's what we do for those we love!

My SBT girl is the same. She's only caught three in 16 years but having your skull ripped from your head cannot be a nice way to die. She has perfect response to the leave command but it always happens when we are not home.