Moselle

Well said, TM. Disappointing attitude SBT123.

My sentiments exactly ;) .

bloody fantastic - they'll watch the burglers come in, and watch them leave with your stuff Well, that is one breed of dog that believes in sharing :D . Totally selfless and generous

My postie was initially a bit put off by 2 big dogs launching at the front door for cuddles Their size might be a deterrent but mine don't bark at people walking past (though bark when the guy down the road walks his greyhounds past the house). Why get off a bed if you are comfortable? Nothing beats a warm, soft and comfy bed and greyhounds are only too aware of that :D . Photos are adorable, lucky pooches.

I would love to own a gh one day, something about them, they look so soft and gentle, their eyes have a softness and sweetness about them.

:D Good one, GM

Yes you are so right in saying that in Christianity animals are considered not to have a soul, that is sad. ;) I was brought up with Christian beliefs but have matured to believe otherwise. So sad to read about the donkeys. ;)

That's even more heart breaking ... now the poor dog will live out his life without the owner who obviously loved him immensely How tragic. May that poor man find peace wherever he may be (I personally believe there is life after death). I do so hope that his dog will find a beautiful home where he will be loved just as much as his previous owner so obviously loved him.

No, but they can be very, very inhumane. I have a friend serving in Afghanistan at the moment, he asked a local why none of the dogs have ears, apparently it makes them more aggresive having their ears cut off. The dog fighting problem s endemic in many muslim countries and in Afghanistan it is a public holiday for the biggest dog fighting day of the year, apparently by the end of the day 100,s of dogs are killed and maimed. Religiously sanctioned animal abuse is stil abuse. When the taliban came to power in Afghanistan, the pets were rounded up and taken from peoples houses and burned on a large pyre by the religious zeolots. I read a book about a family who managed to smuggle their dogs out just before the dog killings began. The koran however has a subclause about dogs, it says about all dogs being unclean except Salukis, who are classed as the hound of Allah and not really dogs but something very special and quite okay to share a tent with. I have no time whatsoever for any society that is so cold and cruel towards defenceless animals. I do agree that "religious sanctioned animal abuse is still abuse!" I abhor China for what they are doing and I guess the islamic society is a close 2nd, that is for the extremists. Just read other posts here about some muslims treating dogs as members of the family so as per usual there is always someone or other that isn't so blinded by their supposed faith.

Are female cavaliers prone to barking when viewing hairy objects on the television? lol. I have owned a couple of cavaliers who always made a point of barking when seeing any animal on tv, both were females. I now have another cavalier (female) who also barks at the tv; it doesn't matter whether its a dog, bear or whatever, if its of the animal kingdom she has to have her say, lol.

Any breed of cat raised from an early age will learn to adapt. Some older cats (moggies) can be easy going without running for dear life. I have a soft spot for ragdolls and birmans, beautiful to look at and easy going although there is always the exeption to the rule, lol. I think you will have your hands full with your sibe whom you say is a hunter. I personally feel that in order to trust a dog completely with a cat or any other smaller animal you should raise it with such from puppyhood otherwise there will always be an element of risk.

WOWWWW...what a dog! What a touching story...that was one amazing dog.

So sad, goes hand in hand with owning a pet or two.... Cooper is lucky to have had such a caring and loving home and I hope that he is allowed to go without suffering any longer. Hugs to Cooper.

I would not be willing to leave them alone together given that this has happened on a couple of occasions already. The cattle dog may be fine with the pom on occasion but she is already showing signs of aggression, better to be safe than sorry.

I have had both GR and GSD. Both were intelligent, loving, doting and obedient dogs. It really depends on whether you are wanting a dog with a guarding instinct and if so obviously your choice would have to be the GSD. There can be biters in all breeds so selecting a breeder that is passionate about its breed and breeds primarily for temperament is the way to go. Spend time with the breeder's dogs and see how they interact with people. As for pups having to be raised with kids to make great pets - not necessarily. If you obtain a pup from the age of 8 weeks and raise it with kids they should become accustomed to children providing that the experience is a positive one. I know of 2 maremmas that ended up being shot by the owner simply because they started displaying aggressive tendencies towards the family children and I could see why. The kids were teasing the dogs and instilling fear into the dogs and unfortunately the dogs ended up paying the ultimate price; those dogs had a fabulous temperament to begin with but were ruined.

Sorry that this has happened. I don't know if they are allowed to mingle together when there is noone there to supervise? if so, maybe it is best to separate them as your pom may not be so lucky next time if there is noone around to save him.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DEAR PORTIA. :D

Walking at dawn would probably be cheaper. The idiots seem to llike to sleep in. Or walk in heavy rain - only for the truly dedicated Slightly off topic but on the same theme a friend of mine who has a DA dog who is on leash at all times and only street walked has had to resort to walking at 5.00 am or in bad weather because we have a number of owners in our area who think it is their right to walk their dogs off leash on the streets. She actually struck up a conversation at a distance with one woman who had her dog on a lead as she is trying to desensitise her own dog. The conversation went something like, "My dog is DA I am trying to desensitise him, this is helpful to chat at a distance", the other lady's reply "Oh my dog is a bit DA and a bit HA you are lucky as I was about to let him off the lead (this is on a suburban street where there could be young children, dogs, old people etc)". When my friend questioned this she said it is my right to do what I like with my dog. I mean what is in these people's heads - Rocks? That is the very kind of response that would make me use every 4 letter word I could muster. Such people have no brains, only shit for a brain!!! :D I'd like to see if they were to be the victims of a dog attack...how would they feel to be on the receiving end? I really need to exercise on patience, something that I don't possess when it comes to such idioticy!

That day has come and gone.. a long time ago. I think the behaviour I find the most objectionable is that those owners who express concern for the safety of their dogs are somehow held to be "over protective" or the inference is given that if the dog can't cope, there's something wrong with the dog or its upbringing. Advice like "don't pick your dog up" neglects to face the reality that a dog on lead, on the ground is a sitting duck for aggression. It can't fight and it can't flee. My advice is if you can't pick your dog up, let the leash go and give your poor dog a chance to defend itself. Arr no, poodlefan, lol. Letting the leash go and hoping that one's dog has a chance of running away and having more of a chance of defending itself, imo, is not giving the dog a chance at all. If the dog that is let loose happens to be a swf and the aggressor is a larger dog....what chance will the swf stand of running away?

I tried to answe this from work on my iPhone but it doesn't do edits very well. Firstly, I don't believe breeders who are selling pups should be asking about peoples work circumstances......it's not relevant in the vast majority of cases (Xolo's apparently excepted). It's not withholding important information, it's someone asking irrelevant questions. If I were seeking a puppy from a breeder I'd never met before, I would expect to be asked about where the pup would be housed, what it would be fed, what activities I had in mind (dog sports, showing etc), previous dog owning history etc. And these are questions I was asked when I bought my dogs. I would not expect to be asked about my work, my income, my employer, my friendships, my relationships....because that has absolutely nothing to do with the level of care I can and do provide a dog. Any dog (Xolo's excepted). There are loads of people who don't work, who own dogs and never let the dogs inside, never take them anywhere, feed them cheap crappy food, don't groom them. I am not one of them. Nor are a lot of other fulltime employees. It's not about being evasive, it's about relevant details. I agree. I have come across people who are well off financially yet choose to buy the cheapest food and would be baulking at spending a few dollars at the vet. There are no guarantees in life unfortunately.

The breeder I bought Benson from asked me exactly this question. My reply...."My last dog died two months ago, she was 14 years old and it was nowhere near long enough". I think that clinched it. The small problem with pop quizzes is that people who lurk on forums know what to answer even if it isn't the truth. If I were ever to source a dog from rescue, or some breeders, for example, I would never admit to working full time. Firstly, it's none of their business, and secondly in some cases, it's an immediate dismissal. That is exactly what went through my mind. Some people are very capable and cunning liars and know exactly how to say the very things they know you want to hear. It still pays to ask questions and hope that you are dealing with the truth.

Good news in that Morrison hasn't sustained any internal injuries, poor boy. Hope he doesnt have any broken bones either. Oh no sooner had I posted that I read your post, doubly glad that Morrison does not have any broken bones, good news. I can just feel your sense of relief when Morrison showed his typical self when trying to make a run for it, good for you Morrison.

Always good to know the pros and cons of every product. I have never used nylon bones, well I should say my dogs have never had nylon bones. I have given them rawhide bones and sticks but no longer as after being chewed and softened they can be swallowed whole besides the fact that alot of rawhide products are imported and noxious ingredients are used.

Dogs can sulk and how . One of my dogs when reprimanded (doesn't happen often as she is such an angel) gives the appearance of sulking. If I am in bed and I am being stern to her she comes even closer placing her head on my neck with that really sad look on her face, she looks as though she is about to cry.

I do believe in the raw food diet SBT and my dogs get to chomp thru a chicken wing or two or three along with necks and everything else on a daily basis. Pumpkin, the chin gets to enjoy the wings as well providing that my eyes are firmly glued onto him, takes an awful lot of patience on my part though. Pumpkin has never had the pleasure of chewing a chicken neck, they look too risky so he will have to make do with shanks and wings along with soaked dry food. Love to see your little shih tzu chomping her way thru her chicken wing, how cute.