Sydoo

I had to do an early airport run with OH but Billie took me to a nice park on the way home for a picnic breakfast. I hurt my back last week and can't throw properly but the kindly thing lowered her standards and made a big show about fetching a stick only metres away. She even took care of her own bath by hurling herself off an embankment into a stagnant pond.

My dog would just climb over us and sit on top of a back cushion like an enormous cat. Of course her weight squashes the cushion down and the poor person ends up half buried under cushion, fur and paws...if the person then decides to move out of the way, it's hardly her fault.

I don't drop my dog off at the park to run with strange dogs unsupervised, so why would I pay a kennel to do the same thing? My BC doesn't seem to care for most other dogs so it's not something that would improve her stay even if it was well supervised. I don't take her to doggy day care for the same reason.

Took one BC pup to eat the lightbulb here...and one human to take her to the vet clinic (where they did not need help changing any bulbs).

If I forget to thaw out in the fridge, I just run some warm water over it to take any frost off the outside and serve frozen. Takes her about 30 seconds longer to eat a frozen bone.

If pounds/shelters are an option, 'Banjo's Choices' is a regularly updated list of BCs. http://www.sophies-choice.com/banjoschoices.html

If you don't like cutting up meat, you may well be able to buy organs roughly diced for you. I have bought diced heart, kidneys and liver from supermarkets here.

:laugh: So much better than the texts I get from my dog...all she ever sends is reminders about worming and flea treatments.

I keep a different bag of kibble handy for dispenser toys and general novelty value. The latest is a salmon variety that she goes crazy for...OH says it has a much stronger smell than her usual food. This way I always have spare food if her usual supply runs low, have a good idea of what might work for her if I want to change foods and don't have to worry if OH decides to feed her all 'treats' and no dinner. Happy Paws are also very popular here.

It's got me beat. Maybe they let the dog drive the car. I couldnt understand the comment that dogs are 'the new children'. What on earth does that mean? Private school? Music lessons? My dog would eat a violin given the opportunity so I'm going to give that a miss.

I'd offer to help dig-proof the fence (both sides if necessary) rather than pay vet bill/s.

Billie 'bounces' kongs on the ground to dislodge the food so I try and cram large items in that involve more work to get out. Sizeable pieces of meat work well if you can get them in there in the first place...she bounces and bounces (from progressively higher places) before resigning to chewing the food out.

Me too. Palm fronds are a specialty here.

Owww hope you aren't too sore today (from the injuries or the wine ;) ). Billie tripped me over at the top of a flight of concrete stairs once and continued to descend at pace...was a slow hobble home with a considerable section of my upper thigh/hip exposed.

Taking the dog out of the equation - what sort of person thinks it is okay for a child to shove a complete stranger? I am appalled that the adult didn't intervene.

and then leave the house for the next 2 hours because of the smell But the kids love it Is that roughly how long the smell lingers? I can't smell so can happily do odourful preparations while OH is away...however I've always worried the smell might hang around for a week and I can't judge when it is safe to close the kitchen windows again. Sorry to hijack SecretKei but another quick question...roughly how long does oven baked liver last (how it keeps, not how quickly your dogs finish it off ;) )

Billie loves tissues too...but only used ones. I have a box of tissues on the coffee table that she couldn't care less about until someone takes one and uses it...then she watches carefully for a chance to snaffle the 'spoils'. She will thieve a crumpled one from my pocket if I'm not paying attention but quickly discards it when she realises it hasn't actually been used.

My old boss boards a small dog in the 'suites' at Samford Pet Resort as necessary. They have been very happy with the service. ETA: He doesn't take extended holidays so would have only used them for short stays (1-3 weeks).

Probably only 4 nights with both of us away (because of our work schedules, not the dog). MIL stayed at our house and took care of everything. Longest stint OH has been away since we've had the dog would be 4-5 weeks.

I have had Billie's nails trimmed at a vet surgery for $20. I'd be happy for one of the nurses to do it (and expected this) but each time I've taken her in our vet has done them herself. I've seen grooming ads for $10-$15 but stick with the vet as it is a convenient location and Billie seems to love going there for any reason.

Do you have any child restraint anchor points in your cargo area floor? I attach Billie's harness to one of those if there are no seat belts available. Her harness came with two sorts of attachments - one for seat belts and another for anchor points/latch bars.

Good to see they leave clean seeds behind Kirislin! The only vegetable I've seen Billie spit out is raw mushroom. Fruit is all go. Nectarines and grape tomatoes are particular favourites.

I chose other as it depends on what time of day we are away. Day time: loose in the backyard (unless the weather is really awful). Night time: loose in the house

What an awful thing to go through. Exactly why I'd prefer my dog be blissfully unaware (pretty unlikely) or keep away from an intruder if she was alone. If I was home during an intrusion, I should be the one protecting her.

I just feed Billie the whole egg. She knows to crack it open by taking it outside and dropping it on the deck then happily eats the insides and shell together.