lilli_star

Yes Watching Sky News at the moment- I can't even begin to imagine what they must be going through. Niques, I hope you and your family managed to get over the border. It's flooding in Grafton (northern NSW) now too ;)

Ahhh yes, the guilt of leaving one's pet while one goes away Tell me about it. The cat has not shut up since I brought him home on Saturday, and Ruby is still sulking I think :p She has played with next doors dog each afternoon, but I still feel guilty. She still has an upset tummy too, so that hasn't helped wipe away the guilt. I even went to the supermarket and bought 1/2 a BBQ chicken especially for her yesterday too! I hope she's back to normal soon. Glad to hear Kuma is doing better. Yet another cause of guilt is going back to work after holidays, isn't it? Hope he's staying out of the rain. No rain here yet (although it's forecasted), but it's really windy. Niques, are you staying dry? Poor Queenslanders just can't get a break

Poor Ava I don't imagine it's slowing her down much ;), but I hope it heals quickly.

Hi everyone Seems it's been pretty quiet in here this week. I've been away at my dad's- he'll be moving down this way at the end of the month/early Feb, so we now have the not so fun task of clearing out/boxing up/sorting out a farm full of stuff that has been sitting around there since we moved there in 1989. Quite overwhelming really, especially for Dad. While I don't feel we did much more than just scratch the surface, at least we made a start, and I managed to cook and freeze him enough meals to last him pretty much until he moves, so at least I know he will eat (which I'm sad to say I don't think he was doing much of lately). I'll go up again in a week and try to get through another section. While I was away, Ruby stayed with her mama dog and had a great time by all accounts. Except maybe when my niece accidentally fed her the wrong dog biscuits (the working dog biscuits instead of hers) and I shudder to think how big the portion may have been as well . It resulted in a very upset stomach She seemed fine when I went over there yesterday- playing and having a great time, but it made a terrible mess of her bedding apparently. Just as well they were just old sheets We went to dog school today- got there a bit late because I was coming from my brother's place and miscalculated how long it would take to get there (Roo slept the whole way). Not that it mattered, since there was only one other person there! ;) No idea what happened to the other 5 or 6 people that are usually there, and no phonecall apparently either. Next week is graduation, so I hope they come then. These 2 classes were held over from last year as it was getting so busy with Xmas parties etc. I guess they forgot Ruby was very calm during the class (I wasn't sure if she was tired or sulking), and is now fast asleep on the grass outside. On the way home from dog school, I stopped to chat to one of my work colleagues for about 15 minutes, and Ruby met her dog through the fence and then flopped down on the footpath to sleep! The cat yowled loudly during the drive home from where he was boarding- thank goodness it was only a 5 minute drive! He was not happy, and has reminded me of that pretty much since we got home a couple of hours ago I feel bad because it's been a pattern of a week home, almost a week boarding, then home again since school finished for him, but unfortunately there's not much I can do about that right now, and it will continue at least for the next few weeks Maybe even for the first few weekends when school goes back while we're tidying up the loose ends at my dad's. Cats are resilient though, right? Now for a bit of sad news with a happy ending though. Yesterday afternoon my brother came home with a new dog. He found her curled up asleep near the gate of their other property- terribly skinny, dreadfully fly bitten ears and an infection around her neck from being tied up???? To be honest we're really not sure, but it is definitely a case of abandonment and mistreatment. We assume she's been dumped, and/or maybe escaped from being tied up for a long time. She's only young- maybe 4 or 5 months old, and looks to be a blue Cattledog cross (maybe with Kelpie as she has a long tail), and all things considered, is really a sweet little doglet. We gave her a wash yesterday afternoon in an antiseptic wash and gave her an antibiotic. Poor thing just stood there while she was washed- it's probably been the only kindness she's seen. Starving hungry too obviously My brother has named her Lucky. When she's recovered a bit, they'll train her and see if she'll make it as a work dog. She was a bit smelly poor thing from the infection around her neck- they're going to clip the hair later so that it will dry out hopefully and bathe it in salty water. It's amazing that after being so mistreated, she was still so trusting of us, and so sweet natured I'll post a pic later.

Hope you have a safe trip home, wuffles :D KTB- Roo loves ice cubes. On Christmas Day we were sitting outside under the pepper tree (which was dropping its flowers everywhere and those things taste dreadful! It was also when I got really sunburnt) before lunch and Roo had flopped under the table where I fed her ice cubes every now and then from the esky I feel sorry for you all of you with dogs shedding at the moment. I took Ruby to my brother's this afternoon for her little holiday, and their Tenterfield Terrier kept leaving white hair all over me! And he's only a little dog. Ruby's mama dog wasn't around when we got to my brother's, and there was no one home, but Roo went around everywhere looking- including all the rooms in the house! When her mama dog and the TT (or 'half-dog' as my dad calls him lol) eventually turned up, Ruby got so excited she jumped over her mama dog! :D I doubt Roo even realised I had gone when I eventually left. I know she'll have a great time, but I'm not looking forward to the sulks she'll have when she's back home again!

Awww! Looks like they had a great time, Niques

Happy new year everyone! And a very special to Roo's long lost twin, Master James! :D I'm looking forward to seeing photos of his playdate with Ava and Satch. It sounds interesting! Minxy, I read in the Dear thread that you had an, ahem, interesting time at the dog park today? ;) KTB, Cleo and KA- sounds like a whole lot of Star Wars nerds, uhhh I mean fans all had a great yum cha together ;) After so much cold weather, it's been a bit of a rude shock to have normal summer weather, and I have to say, I'm not enjoying it as much as I thought I would when it was cold! Mainly I've worried that Ruby has been too hot, so I've been making iceblocks for her too. The last couple of nights I've had to put the fan on for the first time, so I made sure that it's angled and oscillates towards her. The other morning when I woke up, she was lying on her back fast asleep! Her and her best dog friend next door have been having long plays (mostly wrestling/body slamming each other up against the fence or their owners!) most evenings, and if for some reason he can't come over, they amuse themselves by playing bitey face with each other under the fence. They're working on a tunnel, but his owner doesn't seem to mind at all. We had a storm here this afternoon and it's cooled down a lot now. Roo doesn't seem to be worried by thunder thankfully. Hope everyone is well

Ruby has Orca too...unfortunately, after the other night, he is now down one flipper She chewed it almost off, so I cut it off and threw it away.

where did you get turkey wings from? I want! From the IGA here. They come prepacked in the meat section. I think they're Ingham brand. They're 'wingettes' if that makes sense- separated into the drumette and the other bit. I buy the drumettes and they look like a big chicken drumstick. I think they're about $5 for 4. They were actually the first bone Roo ever tried to bury :D The other day when she had one though there was nothing left

Hee hee! Looks like they all had a great time Ruby has just come in after having a big play with her best dog friend from next door. They play just like Ava and Razzle did in the first video- only a lot more pushing and shoving goes on

I had to look carefully for her itty bitty teeth! Ruby has only been swimming a few times- all at my brother's place since he has creeks and dams (all very full at the moment. In fact, some of his dams have holes in them that will need to be patched up after a big storm they had a few weeks ago. Made a huge mess- lots of fences need to be fixed/replaced and are covered in debris), but this was the first time she has been swimming in a pool. Thankfully my brother and sister in law are pretty easy going about everything- I'm sure a lot of people would not appreciate dogs in their pool I laughed so much at my sil's dad's dog though- he jumped into the pool, did a couple of laps, and then got out again! My sil's sister has a Cav that also came for Christmas. Her kids put the dog in the pool and she was so lady-like as she did her lap before getting out again :D It made me think of Miss G, Wizzle. It's been a warm day here today. I went and did some shopping in the next town, but didn't see much that caught my fancy, so came home again. Hope you're all having a good day

Not too sure the 2nd time around In! Tired doglets Is it dinnertime yet?

Finally got the pics off my camera of Christmas and thought I'd share a few Ruby's first swim in the pool Her 2nd (or maybe 3rd) swim in a dam- and boy, was she ever stinky afterwards! Ruby and her mama dog The crew (Ruby, her mama dog, and my s-i-l's father's Lab boy at the back). Ruby would not smile for any of these!

I have seen a cat choke on a cooked chicken bone, not something I would ever want to see again in a cat or a dog. Some people are just lucky and others are plain stupid. I agree. I remember as a kid seeing an episode of A Country Practice I think where a dog started to choke on a cooked chop bone and being horrified that it could happen to one of our own dogs, and telling my parents not to ever let our dogs get the leftover lamb roast bone again. I really don't know why they insist on cooking their dog's food- seems like a waste of time and energy to me, not to mention a potential choking hazard.

I know that cooked bones are a definite no-no, yet I know someone who regularly cooks chicken wings (I know! ) and other bones on the BBQ for their dogs. I have mentioned to them several times that it is really not a good idea, but that's what they do. Had to hide a smile recently when they expressed disapproval to me about feeding my dog a frozen turkey wing (in an attempt to stop her inhaling it)

:D Laughing at Wizzle's dream ;) How dare KTB not come and get her home-delivered Subway! So like everyone else at my brother's house, I too have now picked up my dad's cold ;) I'm taking antibiotics for my tooth/gum, so it just goes to show that antibiotics don't fix a cold. Sadly, they also don't help sunburn. Gosh I'm mad at myself for that :D I was thinking about going and checking out the sales, but think I'll lounge on the couch instead once I've hung out the load of washing that's in the machine. Maybe watch a downloaded tv show or a dvd. Ruby is either still really tired, or sulking about not having lots of dogs to play with. She slept in her crate from about 8pm to 11pm last night when I took her outside to the toilet, then took herself off to bed not long after that. I took her for a walk this morning and now she's stretched out on the grass asleep. I'll take her Kong and Buster cube out for her when I hang the washing out in a bit. Hope everyone has a lovely day Ye olde worlde threade is a wee bit quiet these days... :p

Do these ideas work for slugs too? I have great big huge mutant spotty slugs that come out at night and hang out in Ruby's shed. Mostly it's not such a big deal as Ruby isn't outside at night, but on those rare occasions when I am out, and Ruby has to be outside, it would be good if she didn't have to share her shed and kennel with the disgusting creatures. They truly are gross.

Hi everyone ;) Hope your Christmases were good and Santa managed to find you. Roo had a great first Christmas. She had lots of doglets to play with at my brother's house- her mama dog, their other dog the Tenterfield Terrier, plus s-i-l's sister's Cav and s-i-l's dad's big Lab boy (and I mean BIG! :D ). Roo swam in the pool and the very stinky dams, ran around with the other dogs, got complimented on what a gorgeous looking doglet she is, and when all that wasn't happening, slept under the table at Christmas lunch and at the back door the rest of the time. She had a ball! I'll post some pics when I've worked out how to get them off my new camera. She slept the whole 45 min drive home and has beensleeping whenever I've checked up on her outside. I feel a bit sorry sorry for her though, since she's had 4 days of playing with other dogs, and now it's just her No doubt she'll have a play with next door's GSD soon, but still. In other news, my tooth (or gum to be more accurate) is fine. I lived on custard on Christmas Eve, but managed to nom my way through a few prawns Christmas Eve night and Christmas lunch ;) (If eating at around 2:30 can be considered 'lunch' ) Unfortunately, my choice of outfit on Christmas Day and where I had to sit during lunch has left me with sunburnt lower arms and sunburn around my shoulders/neckline (courtesy of my t shirt with a low scoop neck and not having a wider brimmed hat with my hair up). I'm very annoyed with myself. It's hurting more today for some reason. I'm sitting here with wet towels on me ;) Cool collar and lead, Raven . How did you make it?

You know how my wisdom teeth weren't playing nice? Well, I gave in this week and rang some dentists to try and get an appointment. Obviously I was on some serious drugs (or should have been) to think I could get in before Christmas. Thankfully, luck was on my side, and I managed to get a spot after someone else cancelled. So into town I toddled today with my dad- did a bit of shopping (got a new camera for my birthday 5 months late! ) and then went to the dentist. He took an xray and afterwards said to me "You're missing some teeth" I must have looked at him blankly because then he said "You've still got some baby teeth, you didn't get your *insert technical term here* molars". To which I blushed and said "Ahhh, yes, well, when I was 12, I was supposed to get some teeth taken out, but I was scared, and my mum said okay, and I didn't". Dentist man gave me a look of disdain, then said that the wisdom teeth are a problem, and they'll have to come out. Then we went back to the room to continue the consultation. He had a look in my mouth and decided then and there to take out the top wisdom tooth since that was the one causing the problems (I thought it was the 2nd one). I was very brave. It didn't hurt, but the noise is dreadful! I have to go back in a month to see how the rest of my teeth are going, plus discuss getting the 3 other wisdom teeth removed. In the meantime, my jaw hurts and I have to eat soft, cold food. At Christmas! ;)

I walk Roo on a normal collar and leash. I tried the front leading harness, and all it did was encourage her to grab the lead. Then I tried the Sporn harness which seemed magical, but she really doesn't like it. We haven't used it in awhile. She does pull at times though- still need to work on our LLW We don't meet many other dogs when we walk- lots bark at us though from their yards Thankfully, Ruby doesn't bark back.

So, a trip outside with Ruby (with no actual toiletting- the silly goose is obsessed by crickets at the moment and digs frantically in search of them *eyeroll*) and I'm back, but can't actually remember what I was going to post about... wuffles- Hope you and Mr Wuffles and the doglets have a safe trip to Queensland. Do Satch and Ava sleep most of the way? Roo travels pretty well now, but I haven't taken her on any trips more than about an hour each way. betsy- I love that photo of Ziggy looking through the middle of the toy. Very Romper Room looking through the magic mirror I thought ;) Wizzle- I hope Miss G didn't suffer any ill effects from the chocolate :D She's a wild woman. KA- How is Master Kuma tonight? Miss Roo has just put a hole in yet another soft toy! Argh! I really need to get her a tuffy toy. I just gave her a Nylabone that I bought a couple of weeks ago but hadn't given her yet. She seems to like it, though I'm watching her like a hawk because it says only bits the size of rice are supposed to be ingested KTB- thinking of you

Yes, I'm going to double post. Just thought I'd let you all know first My sister (she with the crazy doglets) sent me this e-card today. Apologies if you have seen it already, but it is very cute. Click me

Wrong family member Niques, but easy to mix up since I have 2 sisters (1 older, 1 younger) and 2 brothers (both older)! My older sister who I house sat for has a Jack Russell and a Puggle....errr a Pug X They are both slightly mad, but extremely cute, even if Mojo (Pug X) has an underbite :D I was a bit shocked at how small they are compared to my black monster! Though I was a bit chuffed that their cousin Ruby can do way more tricks than they can...because that's really what it's all about, right? ;) :D They haven't actually met Roo yet, but I think I recall my bro-in-law saying they don't like Labradors...hope he was just stirring me :D . They're coming up for our big family Christmas bash, though not sure if the dogs will actually come over to play with the other dogs or stay at the other farm. Said bash is happening at my older brother's house- it is his dog that is Ruby's mama dog. I was the only family member that got one of their pups- although one did go to the bf of my s-i-l's niece. The rest went to their friends I think. I saw Ruby's mama dog today- such a sweetie. Will do anything for pats and loves her belly rubbed. I'm looking forward to the time when Roo is content just to lounge around at my feet...which she is doing now actually. My dad is here for the next few days before Christmas, and he has picked up a cold or something ;) Every time he coughs in bed, Roo gets up to find out where that noise is coming from :D I loved that photo of James snorkelling, Niques I forsee lots of pics of Roo swimming over Christmas bombarding you all in the near future ;) Provided the weather warms up :D KA- poor Kuma-bear ;) Hope his toe heals quickly. Raven- I saw Bon Jovi in 1995...it was my end of Year 12 present from my parents....hard to believe that was 15 years ago! :D

Whoa Uhhh, that is all.

Whoa! Which one???? I just read the last page. I think if I read the rest, my blood may boil. In other news, I'm glad it was just a false alarm KTB. Though nonetheless frightening Thinking of you *hugs*