Bob

Hi Jac, Very sorry to read of your loss. Best wishes to you, Sean, William and Genevieve.

Hi Minigirl, While it is not uncommon for the bitch to carry on a bit I would have her checked. With one of my girls she was obviously not enjoying the tie for her third litter, no complaints for the previous two. Had her checked and she had a vaginal mass, Not malignant luckily all removed post litter during spay operation.

Hi All, I have invested some time (and money) in expanding my interest in fish (Discus in particular) and feel that I am finally getting the hang of using macro and various lighting techniques to take some half decent shots. These are a couple of pics of some recently hatched fry with dad. Regards, Bob

Hi SwaY, We have had the same thing happen. We had another litter available shortly afterwards and negotiated a replacement pup and a significantly discounted price. It didn't go free as the owner wouldn't accept a freebie. Regards,

I has sumpin to arks ewes awl, What is this thread all about?

Hi Bokezu, I am well aware that there are many breeding for the wrong reasons, or just for the $$$. How many of them sought help and there was nothing forthcoming. We can't have it both ways. We have to help those that are asking for it and take them on good faith. Regards,

Hi KC, I am very happy to see you here being upfront and honest in regards to your plans. I am sorry that there only seem to be nay-sayers with plenty of negativity rather than good breeders/members offering you encouragement. Everyone knows that we have far too few new people coming into the fancy with the desire to "further the breed". I do hope that some of the longer serving, less negative people we have on here who do have the long term interest of your chosen breed at heart contact you and provide some positive encouragement. Stay true to your dreams. Regards,

Hi Ellz, Regardless of the breed and the number of cycles per year, I would probably not look at breeding a maiden bitch at older than four. In regards to the stud, if I was happy that he had matured and that I was happy with him I don't see that 15 months would be too young. In regards to DNA testing I would be wanting to see certificates for testing for ALL the health issues that tests are available for both for the bitch and for the proposed stud. I probably would not accept clear by parentage unless I had evidence that the dog was actually the progeny of the "identified" parents. Regards,

Hi Fordogs, I am aware that not everyone has a stud in their yard and that there are times when it may be necessary to progesterone test for "readiness". I am not sure what the situation was with Oakeydoak last time but as you can see she both AI'd and did a natural mating. One would assume if it was a Vet AI that they would do the test as a matter of course. Personally, we have sent bitches interstate both when in heat and when due to come into heat. The one we sent prior to being in was sent so that she had an opportunity to become familiar with the "new" surrounds and the prospective sire. We have friends who had a bitch in season for over a week. They drove for 500 km, put her on the plane and when she got off she was not in heat. I just don't see that taking a bitch to the Vet on a regular basis for testing on a regular basis is more convenient than taking her to a local dog. Regards,

Hi All, I am never sure why people go to all the trouble of testing. I guess there may be a reason if you are flying the bitch off to stud or if the stud dog you are using is only going to be "allowed" a couple of shots. Having the stud here I allow them together from day 10 to see if we get a tie. I continue to allow them together every second day until I have had two good ties. It always seems to work and I think if the dogs can't work it out then what's the point? Regards,

Hi Jed, Very good to see you this evening. Now a I have a face for the name. Wishing you a speedy recovery. Regards,

It seems to me that our girls only want to be in whelp so that they can have the placentas once the nine weeks is up. Regards,

Hi Lovely Lady, So good to see you back. Erica is thrilled as well. Stay well. Regards, Erica & Bob

Just did a search of the council (Alice Springs) by laws regarding registration of dogs. Not a dollar sign to be seen anywhere so I can't tell you how much. You can however register your dog for life if fitted with a chip. As mine come with chips I pay a very small amount for initial "life" registration. Last time I went through this process a little over $100 from memory. I have to pay $100 for an annual licence (more than the allowed two dogs) but with my mob that works out very cheap on a per dog basis. What I had trouble coping with was the 165 articles in the domestic animal by-laws and as I said, no mention of cost, fines for failure to comply, animals at large, pound fees or release fees. Bloody amazing.

Apologies to all. In regards to a clear to carrier mating I stated "Obviously, that also means that a mating can produce all affected dogs". I had meant to put this in another para and state "carrier/carrier" mating. I also stated that I was aware of a carrier clear mating that produced 8 clear pups, an unlikely result. Yes, it was an unlikely result but verified through DNA testing. And no, it was not a mating I did. Sorry,

My understanding was that any breeding capable of producing affected pups, ie, carrier/carrier were not permitted under the code. That is the case for Bedlingtons and CT anyway. In regards to carrier to clear matings I am aware of one that produced eight pups, all clear, a very unlikely result. Obviously, that also means that a mating can produce all affected dogs. Colour wise I mated a blue (dominant carries gene for liver) with a liver dog expecting a mix of blue and liver pups. I got one blue out of seven. Regards,

Hi Poodlefan, As with all breeds you do get variation in temperament across the breed and even to some extent within litters. Some dogs today are still quite fiery though many breeders now seem to be breeding for a quieter temperament. The biggest problems we have had with our pack are when the bitches are in season and competing for a dog. You can get quite nasty bitch fights and you do need to step in and separate in this situation. Generally they are fine again with each other within a short time and it doesn't seem to carry over into "out of season" fights. In regards to trainability, as with temperament you do have variation in "independence". Even a dog that is generally reliable on recall may "have other things to do right at this time". We have found them to be quite good at basic obedience, we have had one girl complete the normally 8 week obedience course in just over 4. They also enjoy agility and jumps. The girl that was enrolled unexpectedly came into season about half way through the course. It is strongly recommended that they are not allowed off lead unless in a safe, confined area. They are way too quick to catch should something take their attention and require investigation. Regards,

Hi All Just thought that I would add some information on colour and colour inheritance for those interested. Colours are blue, liver and sandy, with or without tan markings. Dogs with tan markings are known as bi-colour dogs. Though many of todays Bedlingtons are "white" in appearance "white" is not a Bedlington colour. Indeed the standard states that "darker pigmentation is encouraged". In regards to inheritance patterns, blue is the dominant colour, then liver, then sandy. A liver or sandy dog cannot carry "blue lines" despite the claims of some breeders. If a dog has the "blue" gene then it will be "blue". The genetic colour coding for blue dogs may be blue/blue, blue/liver or blue/sandy. The genetic colour coding for liver dogs may be liver/liver or liver/sandy. Sandy dogs will be sandy/sandy. Bi-colour dogs have the genetic coding for tan markings on both strands of DNA. Regards,

I have heard a couple of similar "ideas". Just tried the cartilage one on three of the girls, it just doesn't seem to be working for me (or the girls). Regards,

Hi Trisven, Ken Bounden in his book the Bedlington Terrier states; "The reason, then, for trimming is to present the dog in a smart, business-like manner, minimising the faults and accentuating the virtues. The judge, if he knows his job, will find the faults anyway and not be deceived but no dog is perfect and a well turned out exhibit is boung to create a good impression." Early preparation of the Bedlington for show was merely a "tidying up process witht eh finger adn thumb plucking out the odd, untidy dead hair." In the 1880's a Mr A N Dodd "sarcastically registered one of his dogs as Hairdresser" and shortly thereafter "gave up showing his dogs as he was so disgusted with the faking". Bounden also quotes from Mr Harding Cox (Dogs of Today) who described the dogs of the day as "grotesque fakements" with the head trimming as being "deplorably ugly". My feelings are that the traditional Bedlington trim was developed for the purposes bolded in the initial quote. This trim would certainly not assist the Bedlington in his working capacity working in heavy undergrowth in frequently inclement weather. Hi Koemi, We have sold a number of pups to people in Victoria in the Melbourne and surrounding area though none of them are in show homes. The dog you saw is probably a Piperdene dog (Robyn Bates, Tasmania) which is beautifully prepared and shown by Sarah Hills. I don't think that breeders are particularly worried about "oodle" or designer breeding though we do know of an "accidental" mating involving a Maltese with the resultant litter advertised as "Bedtesers". We don't know what the outcome for any of those pups has been. Most Bedlingtons that we know are no more prone to fighting with other dogs than other breeds. A Bedlington should be confident and friendly. He won't look for a fight but neither will he back down from one. Our first Bedlington (at 8 months) took exception to a four year old Staffordshire marking in his territory and had him on his back in very short order, the conflict went no futher than that though. No intervention was needed on our part. We have taken a number of Bedlingtons to obedience and there seems to be a tendency to "buddy" up with the bigger dogs. One young bitch was particularly taken with the Anatolian Shepherd that was going to obedience at the same time. A number of our pups/dogs are happily living with other breeds including Boxers, Border Collies, as well as some smaller breeds. If there is any futher information you would like don't hesitate to contact me either by PM or e-mail. You might also want to visit our website here, http://www.dogs.net.au/wurroit/ or access by going to the Bedlington terrier breed page on Dogzonline. Regards,

Hi All, It's taken me some time to get around to this (end of year, work commitments, etc.) 1. What is my relationship with the breed? (ie breeder, first time owner etc) We acquired our first Bedlington in '97. It was love at first sight. We felt that we had to share this breed with others. Commenced breeding and showing in 00. 2. Where and why was the breed first developed? Bedlingtons originated in the top end of England and have been named for the town of Bedlington where much of the early breed development occured. 3. How common is it in Australia? It is not a common dog though probably on a slow increase. 4. What is the average lifespan? We lost our first dog just short of his 8th birthday due to an hereditary illness which can now be tested for. We currently have our original bitch (almost 11 and her oldest son, 10 in the middle of next year). We have had a couple of people contact us for a replacement pup as they had just lost their 18 year olds. It is much more common to hear from people losing 14 - 16 year olds though. 5. What is the general temperament/personality? These dogs are very friendly and loyal. They do however have the typical terrier attitude, they have been described as "among the gamest of the terrier breeds". They are unlikely to go looking for a fight but if one comes their way they will not step aside. When our first dog was 8 months old a neighbour with a four year old Staffordshire asked if he could bring his dog over for a play. We thought that would be a good idea from a socialisation perspective. The dogs were introduced to each other and all was good for a few minutes. The staffy then thought he should be marking the new territory. He was very quickly put on his back but that is where it stopped and the stop was not due to our intervention. 6. How much daily exercise is needed for the average adult? We try to give the dogs at least 1/2 hour walk per day and allow plenty of exercise opportunities in the backyard. Having said that the dogs are just as happy to be lying quietly at our feet. 7. Is it a breed that a first time dog owner could easily cope with? The Bedlington was the first breed of dog that we had owned as a family. Beasley was very easy to get along with, a good solid temperament and excellent with the kids (8 & 10 at the time). They do however require a significant amount of time for grooming/maintenance. 8. Can solo dogs of this breed easily occupy themselves for long periods? Our dogs often spend long periods of time inside the house in small groups, apparently they rest quietly when no-one is at home. We have lost a few books to young pups over the years when we haven't put them (the books) away properly. 9. How much grooming is required? As mentioned earlier they do require some grooming and this is especially so if you wish to keep them in the typical Bedlington "Show Clip". Grooming requirements are much reduced if you just wish to give them an all over clip, which many people do. 10. Is it too boisterous for very small children or for infirm people (unless the dog is well trained)? We have sold pups on to families with very small children and to older people. We have no doubt that some pups may be too much for these people and it is more a matter of selecting a pup with an appropriate temperament for these families. Of course sometimes this means that while a breeder has a litter it may be that there is no pup within the litter that is suitable for such a family. We feel that it is imperative that we get the best fit between family requirements and pups temperament as possible. 11. Are there any common hereditary problems a puppy buyer should be aware of? In the late 90's a declaration was made by the ANKC that all Bedlingtons in Australia were affected by Copper Toxicosis (CT) unless tested clear either by liver biopsy, test mating or DNA marker tests. Since that time breeders have developed breeding practices and followed guidelines that SHOULD ensure no further registered Bedlington terrier pups will develop this disease. There are some other diseases that have been indicated as affecting the breed by PETA however we have not heard any evidence of these problems within Australian bred dogs and only very rarely overseas. 12. When buying a puppy, what are the things you should ask of the breeder? (eg what health tests have been done (if applicable) and what is an acceptable result to those tests so the buyer has an idea of what the result should be) All Bedlingtons that are used in breeding programs must have been tested for CT, depending on the test used the results should be 1,1, clear or normal. Some breeders use a variety of tests to try to ensure that their breeding dogs are clear of this disease. Apart from CT the Bedlington terrier seems to be a very healthy breed and we have seen no evidence of HD, ED or Lucating patellas among our dogs. Our old girl (almost 11) is starting to develop cataracts and we did have one of her mammaries stripped when she was neutered as it was producing mild and blocking up every time she came into season. We are aware of some dogs that have mild allergies. Some dogs have a tendency to develop hot spots and yeast infections if not properly groomed (ears plucked, hair trimmed from between pads, etc.) If you would like any further information regarding the Bedlington terrier please visit our website here; http://www.dogs.net.au/wurroit or contact us by e-mail, pm or phone. Regards,

Probably doesn't really fit the landscape category. Here is (approx) 144 square inches of Simpson's Gap sand complete with................................. Amphibious life form. Regards,

Hi TLC, Born & Bred Warrnamboolian, ran away to sea as a 16 year old in '72. I am now teaching in Alice Springs. There is some beautiful country side around there and it is looking the best I have seen it in several years. I was down to visit the folks about a month ago with the kids and grandie. Managed to catch up with a couple of hometowners (Donna & Terri), at our shows in July. We are hoping to catch up with more of you next July. Hi TD, Thanks, sadly you don't really get any idea of the power generated by the water that came through there from a pic. It really is a nice place to visit. During most of the day it is in shade and you frequently see Black Footed Rock Wallabies, lots of birdlife including Zebra Finches and there are usually fish in the permanent water, more after the rains. Also green tree frogs and burrowing frogs. I'll bang in a couple of pics shortly. Regards,

Hi TLC, Just confirm for me that that is the old Woolaston Bridge at Warrnambool. We used to jump off that into the river when we wuz kidz. Regards,

Another one at Simpson's Gap. I like this one as it almost seems as if you could slide the two sides of the gap together. Regards,