Pretty Miss Emma

I'm currently mixing nutro with supercoat. It is just because I had a massive bag of supercoat from when i was making a last ditch effort to get my previous dog to eat anything when she was sick. Anyway, it doesn't seem to have any effect at all. I won't necessarily buy more to keep mixing but I don't see it being an issue for my dog.

Put in a cruelty complaint to RSPCA , it may not be something they can act on now but it gets a papertrail started incase it's needed. You could also just ask if the dog's ok if you see your neighbour and just say you heard it yelping and were worried it had hurt itself somehow (no need to say it was following what you assume was some sort of abuse). But make sure you start a papertrail of some sort at least if you think this will be ongoing.

I'm lucky in a way I guess, Kenzie is generally reactive when on-leash. Off-leash we have very few problems, but I'm still very cautious and generally don't let her off-leash unless I'm really sure of the situation. So some of our strategies... She has a great group of friends she plays really well with. So we try to have play dates so she can have that interaction in a safe way. I take her to private fenced areas (Kepala) that I can hire for my own use. Trick training!!!! I have to say this has worked to my advantage in many ways. She loves learning. She loves doing tricks! And if a situation becomes stressful for her so long as we are below threshold she calms down very quickly by breaking into a tricks routine. Depending on the level of distraction it may just be simple obedience tasks with a few hi-5's, etc thrown in. But it has helped her decrease the distance that she can cope with between her and other dogs and has also immensely increased her confidence in new situations - she loves tricks she knows she can do them and then she figures out she can do them in certain situations and it calms her (ok a bit of anthropomorphising, but if it were me that would be my feelings!! And it is what I see in her body language!!).

I'd check with the vet and see if there is a human equivalent that is safe to use in dogs. When I had my dog with eye problems all her eye drops were human ones as my vet refused to support pharmaceutical companies charging more for the same drug just because it was labelled for dog use. So you may find there is an equivalent you can get from a pharmacy that will cost significantly less.

We're on a mix of nutro & supercoat dry, just because that's what i had! Normally it's just the nutro dry. But the mix doesn't seem to be a bad thing. As for wet, I've always given either natures gift tinned or beneful. Natures gift is a good price, looks good, smells as good as dog food is going to and it's Australian (unless anything has changed since I researched it!). So it's my preferred option, and really it's just added to make dinner a bit more interesting so about a tablespoon or so. Beneful looks good but lots of gravy, more expensive, so it's just every so often if I feel like getting it or if it's on special!

Have to say when I got Kenzie i never wanted to leave her because she was so adorable!! But even though I had 5 weeks off work at the time i made sure I left her every day for varying periods. It seems to have worked for us. I now have a dog who enjoys her alone time as much as her time with me. We've just spent 2 weeks together 24hrs a day, and I think we're both happy things are back to normal now and she has days home on her own and I have my space but we also do stuff together and probably enjoy it more! But I agree there is so much info out there and ur can get overwhelming. I was able to filter through it and pick and choose which bits I liked, throw in some common sense and it seems to have worked! But if you take everything you read as gospel then it's a minefield!!!

Agree with JulesP and Jumabaar, not necessary but good for peace of mind, general check and so you know what is normal for future reference. Unless you'be had bloods done recently in which case i definitely wouldn't bother. But I'm all for peace of mind!

My old girl was the same, she developed cataracts very quickly (she was diabetic); however, she stressed out about it (totally shutting down and she just wasn't the same old dog) and that made me not cope so great. She just about 12 years old when this happened. So I skipped seeing my normal vet and just made an appointment straight away with the specialist to get their opinion. Em was a great candidate for surgery and it was early enough in the progression of the cataract development (if it is too far along they harden and then it's not an easy task getting them out etc etc). So because of all this and the stress levels both of us were experiencing I went ahead with the surgery. Surgery went really well, but unfortunately Emma ended up with a lot of complications a couple of weeks later (in the form of uveitis/glaucoma). They were totally unexpected and I can't sing the praises of the eye vets and nurses ( ;) ) enough with how they dealt with Emma and persisted right til the end in treating her and doing everything they could both to make her comfortable and try to retain her vision. I absolutely adore both my eye vets and my normal vets for Em's treatment!! But because all of this Em was on the way to losing her vision totally again, but then very suddenly had renal failure so she is no longer with us . So, would I do it again? If I had the money or the dog was insured; if I felt the dog wasn't coping with the loss of vision; if the prognosis was good; if I was dealing with the same vet staff again - then yes. I might just deal with any complications a bit differently to how I did last time. If my dog was coping with the loss of vision I would probably think very very hard about it as they do cope really well when they are blind (after the surgery Em was losing her vision again but gradually and she coped so well with it then, as did I). But like Kirty said you still need to watch out for other associated issues. I guess probably the thing I would say is really important is just go visit an eye specialist, normal veets are great but they really don't know anything about eyes. My normal vets learnt heaps from me about eyes because of Emma's problems (as she was in and out with them for other problems and they had to monitor her eye pressure etc so were following my instructions of what to do as after several months of dealing with it I could see things immediately that they didn't know about!). It's worth paying the consult fee just to have a chat with the specialist and get some really good accurate information about your dog. Good luck!! Feel free to PM if you want to know anything else about some of the things I've mentioned above!!

If you're happy with bush and a river beach, head up to Burke's Bend up on the Murray near Yarrawonga. We always take dogs up. Sometimes it's busy often you don't see too many people, but even when it's busy there's a few camp sites so you can get some space. But it's real bush camping, 1 beach has a pit toilet but that's it you need to take everything in and out with you.

I agree go with tricks. There's lots to do that don't involve moving or moving very far. The usual obedience things, then.. wave/shake/hi-5 with both paws, sleepy (lie on your side - both sides), nose between paws, head held up while in a drop, sit with nose pointing to the sky/nose pointing to the ground, nod your head, hold ___ (I taught my dog how to hold a stick the other day, as in sit stationary and hold the stick!), how to stack and nest kids stacking cups, targeting, show your teeth (as in open up for the dentist), smile, sneeze, shake head... and I'm sure there's heaps more. Actually I should start on a few here that I haven't started just for fun! Or maybe I should keep a few in reserve just in case I end up having to keep the ratbag confined!!!

Border Collie Aussie Shepherd Sheltie Finnish Laphund (now that I know what they look like!) Schnauzer (not sure what size)

About rehoming, I agree with what many said above. Most people have the best of intentions, but sometimes circumstances change and it is the best option for the dog. A friend of mine had to reluctantly rehome their dog, but I think they did a great job of it. Their family situation changed, they weren't coping and the dog just wasn't getting what it needed socially and exercise wise. They tried hard to make it work, but it just wasn't. So they chatted with me about what to do, i recommended speaking to some breed rescues to get help, which they did. They kept the dog while trying to find it a new home. It was taken and returned by 1 family (the old owners specified the dog was to be returned to them if it wasn't working and they would continue to try and find a home for it). Another person came to meet him, and ended up taking him. He now lives the high life and is doted over and goes for runs on the beach every day! I was really proud of my friends for being able to recognize they couldn't give their dog what it needed and put its needs ahead of their wants (they didn't want to give him away). But like others said it's about how it's done. I really hope I'm never in the situation as it breaks my heart just to even contemplate that someone else would have to care for my dog. Mind you I have several back up plans should I not be in a situation to care for her. I'll be doing everything I can to try and make sure I never need to resort to them!!! It's just awful when the reasons aren't genuine though. And I really can't stand it when people surrender them as strays rather than just being honest about it. My philosophy is - I'd rather hear a bad truth than a good lie.

Depending on whether it was work experience or structured work place learning the responsibilities and requirements differ. However, it sounds like they have probably breached the contract they would have signed to take the student on, particularly in reference to not listening to and actioning her concerns (ohs issue). I once had a student placed in a dog day care. Interesting learning experience for all concerned. The owner did not employ enough staff for the number of dogs and so she counted the work exp student in her ratios. She didn't like dogs, so got everyone else to deal with the dogs (why open a business for dogs if you don't like them!!). But our biggest concern was that she would go to lunch for 1.5 hours and lock my student inside the dog day care in her own with the door locked from the outside (so the student was unable to get out and she wad the only person on the premisis with about 20 dogs!). Unfortunately we only found this out at the conclusion of the students work placement, and due to a variety of things it was left to the family to take action if they felt they wanted to. But the school did blacklist the place, we got the word out to others in the area organising placements and had a stern informative chat to the owner. Unfortunately there are some really dodgy employers out there that don't take work exp seriously, it can be such a great thing for kids to try before they go in to years of study or training in an area to find they don't like it. Hope she isn't put off and tries again and gets a good employer!

I got my beautiful Emma because her owners were getting divorced. They surrendered 2 9 year old border collies, but kept the cats! When the breeder found out that she had been surrendered she was livid, she'd had the owners sign a contract saying they'd return her if their circumstances changed!

Kenzie will curl up on my bed while I'm pottering getting ready for bed. The moment I get in bed she jumps off and hops in to her bed!! Then in the morning about 30-60 minutes before it is get up time she will often come up for a cuddle, although some morning she misses that bit (and so do I!!!). But she lurves her bed!!

He's so cute!!!! As for his reactiveness, the main thing I would say is I wish I had started training the "Look At That" game sooner. Which means you'll have lots of things going on! But the dogs seem to catch on to LAT pretty quickly. The main thing I find is that threshold is different for different types of dogs (we can go much closer to working dogs, JRT's and GR's than other breeds - but that is because they are the dogs we socialise with most). Oh, and when Kenz was a baby she thought she had a right to jump up on the couch. So I taught her "up" and "off" so turned it in to a game. If she jumped up with out being asked she was immediately asked to get "off" and then do something else. Then I would later ask her to come "up". It's a strategy that worked for her!!

Thinking of you and sending Enjoy your cuddles, she looks pretty in the picture!

Well, yesterday she was here on her own for about 8 hours or so. I left her in the back yard, but this time I left her with... raw bone bone inside a dog popsicle dog popsicle with liver treats, dry food, yoghurt drops scattered meaty "chunkers" around the yard and left her with a wading pool to play in I'm going to assume it was ok - haven't had the neighbours knocking on the door, and when I arrived back here all was quiet. She was awake but not barking. Oh and we had an hour long walk in the morning before I left. So I'm just hoping and assuming it was ok!!! Have already prepared the dog popsicles for tomorrow!!! Although, I am thinking the neighbours are probably serial whingers. When I was putting stuff out for her yesterday she was in the house and barked maybe 5 times (had not barked at all at anytime in the morning and only a few times the previous day seeing as though I have put my life on hold to stay with the dogs and not upset the neighbours!!!) and the neighbours were already screaming at her from behind the fence. It's just unfortnate as when they do that it makes her happy - she stops for a few moments and then starts again until they yell at her again!! But I guess this will be good for mine and Kenzie's fitness as we are doing double long walks!!! And I'm so happy that I don't have a dog that does this attention barking thing!!! But I think she is becoming a bit more settled and manageable. Only a week to go til some of her family are home!! Thanks for asking!!

I love that you all love your dogs for different reasons!!! Aren't they great that they're all so different but so great!! ;)

Currently I'm a 1 dog and 2 cat household and then throw in a few foster kittens every so often! Used to be a 2 dog and 2 cat household. Have to say for a while there it was difficult being a 2 dog household - dealing with an adolescent dog and an old sick dog. Unfortunately because Emma was sick Kenzie probably didn't get everything she needed at that time, but such is life and I can't change that. There was no other way to manage it, there was lots of running back and forth to hospital so Kenzie had more time on her own and missing out on structure than I would have liked. I'm lucky I have some good friends though who were able to help me out in terms of keeping her entertained. Am starting to put out feelers for another pup, which will come along when the time is right. Having babysat a variety of dogs since Em died that didn't need the level of care that she did, 2 is well and truely manageable. So I think it will be good having 2 in the house again when the time comes. Of course then I'm also thinking that I wouldn't mind 3!!! Which would be good for work days when 1 of the dogs is at work, there will still be company for those at home!!! Will just have to wait and see about that one though!!

I love Kenzie to bits, of course! :D But I'm also pretty honest about the fact that I'm quick to pick up on her problems rather than focus on her wonderful bits. As many of you would know she is reactive although she is coming leaps and bounds (and that I am really thankful for!!). But now that I've been looking after another dog (of a breed I would never choose to have, although they are nice) I'm really able to focus on all her wonderful bits!!! So why I love/appreciate/am thankful for my dog... She is the prettiest dog on the planet!! :D She is rarely demanding of me. She will generally make friends with most other dogs (so long as everyone is off lead!). She barks for a reason, not just to get attention. She listens to what I ask of her. She can keep herself occupied, even if there are no toys around. She has very good clear signals (if other dogs choose to see them). She is very tolerant (I didn't think she was but now I'm seeing she really is). She learns really quickly!!! She is adaptive. She loves me and being with me (but not to a point of unhealthy behaviour!). She is perceptive and sensitive to me. She is very maternal (even though she is desexed, but she is the one who I put in charge of socially raising all my foster kittens!!). She works really well with me (we make a good team!). Her coat dries really quickly after she goes swimming (I know it's not that important, but I reckon it's a good thing!!). She is very loving once she gets to know you. She is who she is with her own special personality that has great bits and a few bits to keep working on, but she just is who she is!! So if you'd like to share with everyone why your dog is the best dog in the world and why you love them to bbits then feel free - I'd definitely love to hear what you have to say!!

Yeah, he strikes me as someone who will complain about anything (so far other than the dogs I've also heard him complaining about the birds in the trees and general noise on the street!), but I reassured him that I would do my best with her. I think the walks will help, I've bought her a treat ball to dish out her dry food & I'll also give her a yummy bone when she has to stay home. There is little visual stimulus in the yard. I think she is just barking to get attention, which she unfortunately gets if he yells at her. As for management plans etc, the owners are what I would call your standard dog owners not dog people; so I have quite a bit of info from them but not really problem solving info, but I also think they may not have expected this as I know she has been minded by somone else before and this isn't one of the issues anyone mentioned (heard lots about jumping and lead pulling!!). So maybe this is a newer issue, even according to the neighbours comments. Thanks!

So, I'm house sitting for just over a week. I'm here because there is a 3yo choc lab who needed looking after. Anyway I've been here less than 24hrs and one neighbour has already been at me because the dog has been barking all day apparently while I was at work. As I told them it isn't my dog and I don't know if it is usually inside during the day or not. He reckons she's been barking every 30 min since 630 (i didn't leave for work until after 8 and she didn't bark much before I left so who knows!!). When I'm here with Kenzie she whimpers a bit and barks every so often for attention, but any time either of the dogs bark at all I can hear him yelling to shut up. In all honesty she's not a bad barker when I'm here, although she has an exceptionally loud and annoying sounding bark! Part of me doesn't care as I'm only here for a little while, it isn't my dog or my house so many of the things I would try at home I can't really do (eg leave inside, buy bundles of toys, etc). But I also get that it would be annoying if she really is that bad. He was complaining about the millions of dogs in the neighbourhood and how noisy they are, I have heard very few, I think he wants the streets to be completely silent!! So if anyone has ideas that can get me through the next week or so, particularly when I have to leave her home alone it would be most appreciated!! Thanks in advance!! Oh, and as of tomorrow she will be getting a walk every morning and every evening as a minimum.

I had a dog who was on propalin for quite some time, it was the best thing for the incontinence. Never had any problem with it affecting the grass though, sounds a bit odd. You could look in to trying stilboestrol instead. It is a tablet and if I remember correctly wad taken twice a week. Although for us it wasn't nearly as good as the propalin.

Love you Miss Emma. Happy birthday for yesterday, wish you had been here to celebrate it. We miss you every single day. And so do so many others. Both our lives are better for you having been a part of them. Love from Me and Kenzie