Little Gifts

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/oct/05/reuniting-the-pack-it-took-16-months-and-a-journey-through-six-cities-to-bring-our-dog-luna-home?fbclid=IwAR2ZVWnlAvn_NttZoYnK9SEji7xVDtsYks1vsn80CWzsJSow1KzlAsqtL9g

I always used to bury my dogs but knowing I was having a house move my last girl was cremated. I'm surprised how comforting having her there is. No regrets with switching to cremation for me.

When I was a toddler we had some kind of black furry terrier. I would be left sitting in the sun on the back steps nomming on my vegemite bread. Chimmy would often sit on the step beside me at eye level and steal the bread from my hands causing me to cry. Apparently I would sometimes bite Chimmy on the ear after he stole my food and make him cry too. My mother (always watching this from inside the house) thought it was all quite funny and never intervened. It's like dumb luck that some of us weren't mauled by family pets!

Just saw on FB and wondered whether you would post in here. She was a DOL Dog after all! I just went looking for her original thread and couldn't find it but I did find some puppy photos of her when one of her siblings (Persia) got adopted. I suddenly had a desire for story time with pictures so I could reminisce. Your threads of your foster pups were always the highlight of my day and there was a lot of Pickles action! Thank you for taking her on and loving her and allowing her to be herself. She was a wobbly fur ball of love and she will be sadly missed. XXX

I don't know you would ever get over something like this if it happened to you. Steve from K9 Pro posted about it and wishes there was an opportunity to discover why this happens before the offending dog is pts and the evidence is lost. I get where he is coming from. This one is just all tragedy and no learnings. https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/baby-killed-mauled-to-death-by-family-dog/news-story/3ccdf75df6016e0e004030105447d64f

I saw the dogs and they looked more lab mixes to me - definately just a large cross breed if anything. I noticed none of the news reports I heard or saw mentioned breed so I was interested to see what they were. One of them had saggy boobies like she'd not long finished feeding a litter. I wondered while watching the report if it was some kind of protective attack if the pups were still there? Very sad.

I wonder if Indi might also benefit from some mental stimulation to tire her out too? You can use things like snuffle mats and other food puzzles you can purchase (Nina Ottosson makes a few good ones) to give your dog all their kibble based meals (as well as just treats). I used this approach for one of my dogs and she was quite disappointed if her food ever came in a regular dog bowl. I googled DIY ideas I could make and bought some puzzles second hand so didn't spend a lot of money to set my collection up.

He is gorgeous!!!!!! Need lots more photos as he grows please!

Pers I am so sorry. Some animals just fill holes inside us that we never knew we even had so of course when they leave us those holes become glaringly obvious. But she is still there in your heart doing what she does best. Take time to listen out for her - she wont be far away. X

I am so sorry you have lost another of your beautiful oldies LMO (just saw the news so apologies for lateness). You have dedicated yourself to your doggos in every way so I know the hole in your life that losing even one must leave. What an impossibly hard 12 months to lose 4 you have shared your life with. Take care of yourself and do what you need to do to get through this.

@Dogsfevr I am pretty sure something not very good happened practice wise. I'd never used them before - they were part of a large pet supplies store and I shopped while it was happening. They were really angry at her when I picked her up and my very happy and complaint dog was a mess. I asked what happened and they were really sketchy with any details. I don't like to blame people without really knowing (my dog is not an angel all the time!) but had to trust my intuition on this one. I just really feel something happened and was not handled well and because there had never been an issue for the years before I never even considered I needed to be more discerning in what groomer I used (nail cutting is not my thing so I've always paid someone as needed). After that I'd get them done by lovely vet nurses who know her until I found a great groomer. That groomer closed last year but I have found another. With all of them they let me hold and comfort her and we have a process of which foot gets done in what order and that helps reduce the level of anxiety she gets to. And unfortunately as she has gotten older her nails have become fast growing (she skip walks) so sometimes she needs them done once a month. Finding the right groomer who worked around her needs was important - that experience has not put me off groomers - there are some amazing ones out there! But Stussy has a foot touching fear for life from that one incident. I can't even lightly stroke her paws and I certainly can't hold any scissor like items in my hand and go near her. She goes straight to panting and panicking. We did try to desensitise her with some exercises from our behaviouralist but we made no progress. There is no other part of her body that I can't poke and prod either. Just feet and nails. I guess it is around 10 years of the fear now.

Stussy is 13 (a stafford) so lumps and bumps are appearing. She had a large MCT removed in 2019 but my vet aspirates any new ones and we haven't had any more scary ones. There will come a time when I stop bothering getting them checked unless they are affecting her as I've been through this before with another oldie and it comes a time when there is no point doing all the poking and prodding because your treatment plan just becomes more conservative anyway.

I owned a dog that I believe was harshly corrected during that second fear period as a pup. She was forever changed by it. Went from being independant and normal inquisitive puppy to being terrified of strangers, people she'd met but didn't live with and of leaving the house (the incident happened away from my home). A pup that would sleep on car rides became a leash chewer, crier and a vomiter if she went somewhere she'd never been to before. The change was extreme and life long. I believe the incident happened because she was scared/outside her comfort zone and being submissive and vocal. Instead of being comforted she was verbally chastised and threatened with punishment. That's all it took for her world to be changed. Also my current girl Stussy was fine with getting her nails done until one incident. I wasn't with her and came back and she was panting and very stressed. She is a pretty easy going dog so they did something to scare her. Perhaps they clipped too close and when she struggled she was restrained rather than comforted and calmed down? I don't know but 10 years on and she remains terrified of having her nails cut. I don't even understand the need for harsh punishment in an adult dog. What will that change after the event? The dog wont connect the dots. But why not set a dog up for success in the first place rather than punish for wrongs? Dogs love to please us but they are not mind readers. I think it is perfectly fine for a dog to express how they are feeling and since they don't speak words we have to interpret it through their barks, cries and behaviours. Why does a dog have to love everything we want them to? As long as there are no safety issues does it really matter if your dog hates say going to large dog friendly events? And why do we have to quash some of their natural instincts? You can't get a terrier breed and get upset if it wants to eat your free ranging chooks. Many of us make sacrifices to achieve a happy dog human life balance without having to resort to anything super restrictive or harsh.

Funny isn't it - some vets would consider us neurotic while others are thankful that we are vigilant and compliant with everything they suggest. Stussy (now 13) is at the vet tomorrow because she has started some behaviours that are not normal. She is a dog that doesn't show pain so my concern is her dragging all the mats and dog beds around the house and trying to lie in very weird spots with them could simply be that she is in pain and finding it difficult to find a comfortable spot to lie. If it is not and her brain is getting fuzzier then at least I will know that too. My 2 main vets will think it is perfectly normal for me to take her in there on this evidence!

My oldest ever dog was just short of 17 when we let her go. She still thought she was head of the pack and even though she had lots of old age issues she was still incredibly active and involved. No lying around and sleeping for her! But she was getting unpredictable - that is what made me make my decision - the risk of her hurting herself on an adventure with reduced mobility, sight, hearing and brain functioning got too high for me to feel comfortable with. It took me a long time to feel ok about the timing but I know had she hurt herself I would be kicking myself for leaving it too late. She went out on a good day rather than a bad one. I know I am facing it again now. Stussy is now 13 and her brain is not what it used to be. She's already started doing some repetitive and non-sensical things. It is going to break me to lose her brain before her body. I am planning a vet visit soon to see if there are some supplements we could give her to boost that capacity and maybe even a behaviourist to help us understand how to better manage some of the strange stuff she's recently started doing. I'm not ready to lose any of her but I know it's happening.

I am on quite a few shar pei pages on FB (worldwide membership) and common posts for the past 6 months are about first time ownership issues. The ages of some of these puppies going to their homes (in the US in particular) is very concerning. That has also resulted in issues for new owners too with crying pups, pups not toilet trained, pups who haven't learnt the skills from mum they need (like aggression and biting). These people are asking very basic questions like what to feed their pup and how often to bathe them. Obviously they are coming from backyard breeders or puppy farmers as any quality breeder would provide a puppy pack with the relevant care information (plus there wouldn't be the unbelievable stories about why the pups had to go to their new homes 'early'). About the last month the posts have started about returning to work and how to manage their dog crying all day or toileting all through their house while they are gone. There's also been an increase in rehome call outs for young pei - changed circumstances and all that. And even though there is no selling on FB the number of people (including where I live) just casually adding photos of their new litter to attract sales is becoming very difficult to ignore. One page I am on has just had a very intense discussion about puppy photos in general because some money hungry people cannot help themselves and are ruining it for everyone. And there have been more posts about scam sales here (mainly in Vic) and OS. And this is all just one breed which I don't even think is super popular or common. The next couple of years for pounds, shelters and rescue could be quite difficult.

Apollo's face is so expressive!!!! I'm in love!

I'm very sorry for your unexpected loss. I guess it depends on what kind of breeder you purchased from as they are not all created equal. Did you have a contract? What terms are in that? Document everything while it is still fresh in your mind. I am in QLD and I know there are law groups who you can call for a free consult. If they have the same in your state they can advise where you stand legally. Animals are considered property and property needs to be fit for purpose. Usually if your product 'breaks' you contact the seller and can claim under the warranty on the item. But obviously when a living creature 'breaks' the seller will be wanting to know if it is a fault in their product they are responsible for or whether it happened from 'misuse'. I would think an ethical breeder would try to assist you through this very difficult time even if they weren't at fault but I think you will have a difficult time proving where the water bead was ingested (unless autopsy was able to provide evidence of how long it had been in the puppies system?). A back yard breeder or puppy farmer who is only in it for the money will likely not give a toss about your tragic situation. Again, I'm sorry you are going through this.

I second the vet. Their stools are not normal and given their age the risk of them all getting very ill very quickly is quite high. You risk losing the litter without proper diagnosis and relevant treatment. Some pups suffer horribly from these infections and just aren't strong enough to survive. Both coccidia and giardia are highly infectious and difficult to eradicate from your environment too. I don't think 2 months is long enough for the same environment to be considered safe from potential new infection (someone else might be able to shed some light on that though) regardless of what strategies you are using.

Instead of an umbrella consider an actual walking or hiking pole as it is easier to wield than an umbrella and easier to walk with in general. I got mine from Anaconda. Around the corner from my old house there was a stafford who was always loose and who always rushed us. So I simply had to stop going around that part of our street. The couple of times it did start coming for us I would yell and get crazy at it as soon as I saw it come out and that usually made it change its mind. It remains a fear of mine to experience a random dog attack so I am always on the lookout and will immediately detour/cross roads if I see anything potentially concerning (don't even like dogs rushing at fences in case they manage to get out). I suspect my 2 strong dogs would defend both themselves and me if they felt that threatened so breaking up a fight with at least 3 dogs makes me anxious to even ponder.

I house/puppy/dog sat for Sandra Smid and her hubby from Blackshot. They are out near Ipswich in Brissie. Very well raised and bred dogs. Their details are here on DOL. Also Best Friends Rescue in Brissie started out as a stafford rescue so get a lot come through and have a soft spot for them.

Now I know what to feel and how to 'attempt' to do it myself I will give it a try as soon as I see signs of her obsessing with her bottom again. I've been giving her more vegies at present and will get some psyllium husk with my next grocery order. It's a new issue for us and I certainly don't want her feeling uncomfortable or developing additional problems from it. As it is she will scoot on the coarsest things she can find outside (our carpet doesn't cut it) so I do wipe her bottom and have had to put some neocourt on a scratch as I was very worried about an infected wound developing in that area from it. Anyway, everything is good at present since it was expressed again earlier in the week and I can keep on top of it now. Thank you for all the advice.

I've had one for donkeys that has endured a lot. Pretty sure I bought it online from Horseland but I just googled and they don't seem to stock them now. Looked all over the crate and bag and no brand name so can't help. Soz.

Thank you jemapelle!

In the words of Meatloaf "I will do anything for love...but I wont do that!". Nope! Happy to pay my vet to stick his fingers into Stussy's anus (I did apologise to him)! This is a new issue for her and it seems to be mostly on one side. I'll source some psyllium husk and hopefully that helps lengthen the time she needs it done. I just found a useful link about how much to use too. And thank you Powerlegs for that advice too!