~Anne~

Yes, and you get the oddest reasons - such as "they live all the way over ....." or "I want to be able to see the dog again"(like is the breeder going to make it invisible?) Somehow it was possible for you to get off your butt and phone the breeder when you wanted the puppy, but when you don't want the dog or can't have the dog any more the breeder lives tooooo far away to make a phone call! GGRRRR I had many Pugs surrendered and the breeders were not cotnacted by the owners because the owners wer concerned they would be looked upon poorly for being in the position of needing to surrender their dog and they were too embarrassed or concerned about being abused or looked down upon. I think it is really important that breeders let their puppy buyers know that they will not be judged regardless of why they need to surrender the dog. If there is a sense that they will be, the same with rescue, then you have buckley's chance of ever being told that one of your pups needs to be re-homed. Sadly though, the majority of people will judge someone who needs to surrender their dog. You only need to read the comments in threads on this forum about dogs being surrendered,given away and re-homed to see that.

Leave the partner at home ;)

Well said!

It would be great to have Shmoo there, we had a great time in Brissy together at the first one. Although... Shmoo was a little worse for wear the next morning but we can blame that on Reddog! The countdown has begun too - it is only 17 days away!!

Each state has slightly different laws, but yes, it is illegal to my knowledge in both NSW and Vic to sell a pup under 8 weeks (although, from memory I think that private sales are different and this law applies only to bet shops and commercial operators I think??) There is a document that you can obtain that gives the requirements.

Sentinel is only good when you have fleas under control as it doesn't kill them, it only renders them sterile. However, if your dog is going into flea infested areas regularly, or you have lots of fleas in the environment, it isn't any good. We use Capstar in conjunction with Sentinel when required, which luckily for us, is rare.

Good luck for tomorrow.

Old Pugs re-home just as well as young Pugs. Maybe Pugs are of a particular easy going nature though. They don't fret, they don't stress. As long as there is food and attention, they're happy and the transition from home to home never worries them a great deal. Overall, with the Pug breeders I contacted while running my rescue, I had very positive experiences and most were very willing to help or to take back the dog. I can only recall one breeder who answered with "yeah.. and what do you expect me to do about it" when told one of their dogs had come into rescue. Several breeders willingly went out of their way to assist me both financially and with time. Jenny Stimson from Kabova Pugs paid fees to collect Pugs from pounds several times and transported dogs across the country for me and Amanda from Bathurst fostered, collected and delivered Pugs and still to this day keeps a look out for Pugs in need. Philippa from Yarrowfell has also gone out of her way to assist Pugs in need in rescue situations. Overall, I would say that Pug breeders are very responsible with caring for Pugs that end up in difficult circumstances in my experience.

Yep, in the US, many Pug owners declaw their cats. I think it is really sad. There are alternatives if one was really overly concerned and that is placing wax or rubber tips over the cats claws. You can buy these tips in large pet supply places and at vets. Personally, I wouldn't bother. As I said, I have owned cats and Pugs all my life and have only ever had one damaged eye in all that time. In the l;ast 5.5 years or so I have had in excess of 50 Pugs in rescue and each one of them met my resident moggy. None of them were harmed either. She is a gentle cat though and I was sensible with the intro.

I have always had cats and Pugs and I have been lucky to have never had an issue with scratched eyes. I have had a rescue Pug's eye badly scratched by a very dominant cat though. If you introduece them properly, and they are both only babies, I am sure you will be fine. I would be very careful on the kind of kittne you get though. If you get a fiesty, dominant or skittish kitten you will have more problems. Look for a kitten that is laid back, cool, xalm and relaxed more often than not. I would perhaps invest in a pedigree kitten of a breed known for it's calmness. To my knowledge, Ragdolls and Burmese are two such breeds although best that you speak to a cat breeder about this. Whatever you do, if you get them both and the situation occurs where the cat scratches the Pug's eye - GET IT TO THE VET URGENTLY! If the eye is seen to immediately, you will have a good chance of saving it. If you leave it, you will end up with a blind Pug. Eye scratches MUST be attended to immediately.

*bump*

Love the banner. The colours look great!

Pugmum, Olivia had the same thing. Recurrent infections but she also had stones. I firmly believe, and to this day it seems our theory is correct as we now haven't any infections, the the infection is what causes the stones and not the other way round. She should be put on long term anitibiotics to ensure the infection is totally gone. I have spoken to so many people who have also come to the same conclusion. People always seem to concetrate on the stones and think it is the stones that cause the infections when I (and my Vets) now seriously doubt that theory. However, it is very much the chicken and egg debate. Is the ph of her urine normal or out of balance as well?? This can be tested even by yourself by buying the dipt sticks from a chemist and catching her urine to test. Simply stick the 'stick' under her bum when she wees is enough. If the ph balance is out, you may need to talk to the Vet about prescription dog food. We still have Olivia on Prescriptives CD and she will stay on this for life.

Is it definitely no tickets at the door steve?

It seems it is an infection after all then? I am so glad to hear she is improving and was only wondering about her the other day. PS - Guc's Dad - nice free plug... I gather it is your business?

Maybe Pugs should be classified in a different category. I'll qualify my post right here - I know nothing about training dogs and my only knowledge comes from living with them all my life and some gained knowledge through reading etc. I have never taught a dog to play tug. They just do it. I have never had an issue with any of my dogs by playing tug. I am not even sure what issues I should look out for? Currently, I have a crazy little Pug girl who adores playing fetch and tug. She plays tug, I win, I throw the tug toy. She fetches, brings it back and we go through it again. She shakes her head like crazy from side to side and I worry she'll do damage while I firmly hold onto the toy and let her go for it, then I'll shake the toy imitating whats he does. I can almost lift her off the ground while she clamps down on the toy before she finally lets it go and I throw it again. If I don't want to play, I ignore her when she brings the toy up to. Sometimes I end up with a collection of 5 or 6 toys at my feet though when I do this. I have no issues with her behaviour at all. Is what I am doing wrong or am I not understanding this whole thing of tug being 'bad'? One of my boys will even make growl sounds while I play tug with him. Same thing though, no issues with behaviour. The girl will often make growly sounds when she plays with the toys by herself while she shales her head from side to side.

Maybe you or the owner should take the liberty of sending them information on what a restricted breed is. I would.

I can only echo this. You should have any bites and scratches seen to as cat scratch fever can be very serious. RIP little cat. How horrible for you all to have to deal with this. Nature says that dogs chase cats, and not to play with. It is sad that the cat's owner didn't heed the first close call and stop the cat from wandering. I feel for you. I hope they do not now cause you trouble in their grief.

Yes, speaking with your Vet is always the best option. If there are not other breathing related issues, then I doubt it will be a problematic soft palate but your Vet can confirm that. I should also add that even if he does have an elongated palate, he will most likely still goosehonk after having a resection. Every rescue I have had soft palate resections on, still goosehonks.

You can't 'fix' goosehonking. If the dog has an elongated palate, you can have this resected and it will cost you anywhere between $500 and $1500 to have done. Also, they can't assess the palate without putting the dog under a full GA and any GA carries risks. Does your dog have trouble breathing, particularly after activity? Do they snore alot? Is their breathing noisy?

It isn't caused neccessarily by an elongated soft palate either, to correct those who have stated this. An elongated soft palate will cause it to happen more often, but it also happens in dogs without this. It is caused by irritation.

You don't need to do anything when the dog reverse sneezes. If you feel the need, simply give them a reassuring pat. They won't stop breathing and they won't collapse. It is harmless and is thought to be an irritation to the soft palate. It can happen more often in allergy season and after eating. I agree that the idea of holding their mouth shut and forcing them to breathe through the nose is only going to frighten them. Pugs and other short faced breeds are renown for it. I ignore it more often than not as it happens with my lot very regularly. I will often offer a drink if it persists and this will help the palate sit flat and it will hopefullly wash away any irritants in the throat.

Poor little dog. Sadly, it may be poor big dogs too... and all because they did what was natural and normal for a dog... the whole 3 of them. Can we please go back to allowing dogs to be dogs and stop trying to turn them into controlled and model citizens. They're animals for chissakes.

Low blood sugar?

Are you still sending them (the nominations) by email steve?