Pretty Miss Emma

Some sort of glucosamine might help. I found that fish oil capsules also helped a bit. But I would be asking for a full blood screen if he hasn't had one recently just to make sure there is nothing lurking. Have you considered taking him to a chiro or massage therapist? It may just make him a little more comfortable with what he can do. When I spoke briefly to a vet chiro it was recommended that short burst of 5-10 minutes of walking several times a day was better for dogs in this sort of condition just so as to maintain muscle mass and not to over-exert them. Also have you considered if there is an alternative way you can get him out and about. I know he's big, but some sort of trolley maybe? At least then he can have the mental stimulation of a walk. Also if you can drive him to a park so that he can at least hang out and sniff and see what is going on. Before I lost Em that's what we were doing, she was blind so providing her places where she could sniff and have a little wander was really important and I was lucky enough to be able to get to a park where she only needed to walk about 100m to get to a spot where I could let Kenzie have a good run and she could just hang out with me or potter about some trees.

Adorable!!! :D

In regaards to poo - always pick up what you can, the only thing worse than stepping in dog poo is stepping in runny dog poo. It makes a good impression on everyone else if you do the right/legal thing and hopefully gives dogs a better profile. As for pulling on the lead, I play red light green light. If the dog is walking nicely on lead it has a green light (go, keep walking), if they start pulling then they get a red light (stop, there is no movement until they stop pullin). As soon as they stop pulling then you start walking, of course you may only get 1 or 2 steps to start with!!! If they keep pulling when you've stopped I usually wait for a little bit to see if they will choose to stop pulling, but if they don't then I call them and turn and take 3 or 4 steps in the opposite direction and then turn around again to head the way I was wanting to go. It's a slow process, but you do start to see improvement quite quickly. My puppy school trainer told me that she spent 1 session with her pup walking around an oval using red light green light, it took her 2 hours to get around the oval - but after that she had a dog that didn't pull on the lead!!!

Have a look at this one... ebay I was going to get the trailer version for my bike. Much more affordable and might do the job.

Don't worry you're not being mean! She will get it soon. Just remember the rule of consistency. Do you use a word/command when she toilets? I found that helped us a bit. I always just say "go wees" (it goes for both wee and poo) and while Kenzie was a baby she always got a treat every single time for probably about 6 months if she went. Then we started tapering it off. If she always needs to go at 3 in the morning have a think about what time you are feeding her - this is from something I read in another thread a while ago, and I think the advice was to feed later so that way they didn't need to go during the night - but don't quote me I'm going on memory about that one!! YOu might be able to find that post in amongst the millions of things on toilet training!! Good luck.

Emma wasn't able to walk her last Million Paws Walk so we created a trolley for her, she loved it because she could speak to everone still and got to smell all the smells and hear what was going on. A bit easier for me because she wasn't in a position to jump out (she did try once, but then figured it was just easier to sit!!). So if your dog will sit in a cart of some sort this can be excellent. Em in her trolley

I have a 36" that lives in my living room. But my living room has a slightly narrower section that "real" furniture wouldn't fit in to and it sits nicely against the wall and isn't in the way. Kenzie can see what's going on if she chooses to go in there. But really it's there just so she can go in if she wants and then it gets packed up to come to training, etc. Emma only ever had a crate as a "hospital ward" and that was a huge soft one that I pushed up against the wardrobe doors in my room, but it was really easy to move around when she wasn't in it and my room has heaps of space to leave it in the middle when I needed the doors!!

Rides in the car? At least then she can get out and about without having to walk. I don't have any, but have heard good things about the Nina Ottosson toys/puzzles. So maybe something like those (or even some homemade things that are problem solving/puzzles) might at least keep her brain happy. Maybe do training with scent work type things???? I don't envy you! Good luck and hope the wrist heals up.

Sorry about your loss. I guess this reinforces the need to have good identification on animals and make sure they are microchipped.

While I didn't have Emma for anywhere close as long to what I wanted, at least I can seek solace in the fact that she was an old dog. She had a good life, just not enough of it with me. So in some ways I get what you're feeling because they were around for a short time, I just get to add on "but she was old" to make myself feel a bit better about it all. I'm so glad I've got little Kenzie here. But she is making me a bit sad tonight. She is sad. She doesn't want to play, she doesn't want to hang out, she jjust wants to sleep - and that's just not like her. I think it maybe has hit her today that this isn't like the other times we left Em at the hospital. I think when my next fur-baby arrives is going to be much more about her than it is about me. But I guess that also makes it about me! I just want Em back, that can't happen. So I'd at least like my happy Kenz back.

I like that as a thought. I think that is probably what will drive me!

Feeling exactly the same. But today the puppy I'm babysitting goes home and it's going to be a bit of an empty household - not used to being a 1 dog house . But completely agree with the last hing you said - that's how I ended up with Em in the first place and look how good that ended up being .

So, as many of you know I've had a horrible week losing my beautiful girl Emma. And there are a few others here who have oddly enough been in the same position - there was something funny going on this week with dogs in dog land and putting their humans through the toughest test I think! Anyway, when you lost your dog when did you consider getting another one? Actually doesn't have to be dog specific does it, when did you consider getting a another furry family member? I find this interesting as for me at the moment it is not something I really want to think about. I will get another dog, I can't be without and I want Kenzie to have a friend to live with again. And I know that I will know when the time is right for both of us. But a friend's parents also lost their dog (I think 2 weeks ago), and they brought home a new arrival yesterday. He is adorable and they look so happy with him . I know there is no "answer" to this, but I'm just interested in people's experiences about when they felt they were ready to get a new furry family member and how did you know (or how were you thrust into the situation!!!)?????

I haven't yet applied for a prefix, but think I probably will as I think that is a direction I'd like to take. But I will be getting as many ideas as possible from here. I already have come up with one that to be honest my heart is set on, but the brains of DOL often come up with many good ideas - at the moment maybe better than mine!!! But the one I'm thinking of comes from my dogs names and my nicknames.

For the last 6 months my dogs were walked separately due to differing needs (one young ratbag and one older blind with health issues) - they don't like it at first and then they get over it because they each get to spend special time with just you. I usually left the one at home with something to "do" - buster cube, pig snout, etc. When I wanted them to be together I would try to find an off lead park I could drive to that didn't require too much walking so Em could just hang around with me and potter about sniffing trees etc and Kenzie could have a good run around doing the things that insane youngsters do! A mix of both these each week kept them happy plus I would do some living room training with them (well mainly Kenzie but Em came along for the free treats!!).

No good that it was malignant. Fingers crossed that he will be ok now, and also that you don't get too stressed about it.

I don't even know what to say about that, speechless and appalled.

I call myself an animal person. My first pets were cats, followed by goldfish. Made friends with every animal that crossed my path (every neighbourhood dog was also my dog!! And when I visited my friends in the country I was sometimes the only kid that some horses and cows would come and talk to!). After leaving home the first animals I got were reptiles, then a bunny, then rats, did some wildlife stuff, got some poultry and goats at work and then finally along came the dogs!!! I have to say, I'll never live without a dog now!!! It is a different relationship. I love all animals but I really like some of the things I can do with dogs. I can't really afford (nor have space) for the larger animals so I love my love of them through other avenues!!! So I'm an animal lover!! Oh, spiders... not my favourite!! Generally they must go!! Although I did have a house spider who has been living with me for 2 years but she's suddenly disappeared!!

Then maybe throw some sort of terrier in also! It sounds like he is an adorable size then!!!

I'd just move out of home so I could have whatever I wanted - oh I did!!! That's why I ended up with long haired dogs that shed and run lots and cats and rats and reptiles!!! No way known they were going to be allowed with mum and dad (well, that was before. Now they also have dogs!!!).

He's adorable!!! BC x ACD x Kelpie (ie lots of fun breeds!!!!)

Kenzie's breeder loves to hear her adventures. I don't send emails often, but always eventually get a response to everything I send (usually it's only a week later or sooner). Emma got to meet her breeder about 2 months ago, after 12 years having not known where each other were. I'm really glad they got to "see" (Em was blind!) each other one last time seeing as she was PTS on Tuesday. I let her breeder know and I think she was glad to know. I think if someone is a good breeder they see each puppy as one of their babies, and I know that I would want to know what was going on with my babies. I still get updates about my foster kittens I rehomed last year and I love it!! But it is nice to at least get a "thanks for the update" reply.

Have to say when I was looking for Kenzie I let all the breeders I spoke to know what I wanted to do with her. When it came down to it Kenzie was chosen by my breeder for me, and she was chosen based the activities I wanted to do with her but also on how she interacted with older dogs seeing as though she was coming into a house with an 11 year old dog and the breeder discussed with me that she did not want to place a puppy with Emma that was going to constantly hassle her and not "listen" to what she was saying. She chose perfectly as Kenz was beautiful to Em. So as she was my first puppy I was more than happy to have her chosen for me (particularly seeing as though the breeder discussed with me the reasons behind her selection). In the future and now that I am getting to know more about the breed and dogs in general I think I would want more choice. But I would still be looking for that pup that falls somewhere in the middle not timid not too boistrous. Probably would like to spend time with them to see who has a bit of focus (as much as a pup does!!). But I would still be relying on the opinions of either breeder or people who are in the know about what puppy traits to look for!

No one's asked yet (unless it was elsewhere!!)... do we get to see some piccies of pup!!???? Does pup have a crate? She might feel a bit happier and settled if she has a little house to call her own. If she doesn't come when called (and agree with others this is probably because she no idea what you're saying just yet!!) i would be thinking don't chase after her as it may actually make her a bit scared. With so many dogs I've met who haven't want to said hello to me I find if I ignore them then suddenly I'm interesting and they want to know why I'm not paying attention to them. Maybe with pup spend some time just hanging out in the same room, sit on the floor so she can approach you, have her kibble and maybe some other exciting treats (you'd probably be pretty safe with little bits of boiled chicken) and if she comes near you I wouldn't even look at her I'd just have the food there for her to eat out of your hand. Take it slowly, her world just fell apart and she just needs gentle encouragement for it to be rebuilt!! You never know in a couple of days you could be wondering what to do with a pup that is pestering you all the time! ETA - I was also thinking if she does have a crate then keep that near by where you spend your time so she's in her happy safe place which is near you.