Leelaa17

I am getting my next tattoo when I have enough money and am asking for any and all opinions.... (except for 'don't get one' ) I was thinking of getting: Max, my best friend Jenna, my baby in the font 'French Script MT'. The reason I was thinking of this was because I have such a different relationship with Max and Jen. Max is very independent but is always there when I need him, and jenna is too of course - she gets quite distressed when I am crying or upset - which makes me stop crying quite quickly because I don't want her to be sad! lol But Jenna is still very much my baby. I'm not sure whether this is the best thing to show my love for them though. Should I get something different? What do you guys think?

OMG THOSE WERE HILARIOUS!!!! I have a funny youtube clip but its actually about cats?? I won't post it, its just called something like 'funniest cats ever' or something, and its hilarious!

I should also note that both dogs are now living with me (OH and I live separately)... even though they were OH's breed of choice! And Max chose me and I chose Jenna. lol

I have always wanted a little dog because I had grown up with them. I actually wanted a shih tzu x maltese because I think they are beautiful looking (just my opinion ). OH was always adamant he wanted GSD. He has always loved the breed and thinks they are incredible dogs and he doesn't particularly like little dogs. So we were stuck for a while. The thing that changed was that I realised that I would love any dog that I obtained. I think all dogs are beautiful in their own ways etc and so one day we went online and I was looking up small dogs and OH asked me to check prices of GSD... that day we came home with Max. Next time I am sure we will take more time in getting a dog lol but it worked out well. And now? I couldn't imagine having any other breed. They are so incredibly smart and such beautiful dogs that I have fallen in love. I think labs and GR's are beautiful dogs but I probably wouldn't ever have one, whereas OH would LOVE either/or. Maybe you should look do some research into dogs that you would both like? I think it is sort of like baby names - you WILL eventually come to an agreement, whether that is someone compromising or not ;) Good luck!

It's funny Leelaa17, but you don't notice how many dogs are there after a while, they all got on pretty well together, all the boys were desexed after their show days were over, and we all lived happily. Head count was done when we shut the house before we went to bed, as they were so good even if they were shut out they would never let you know. It took more getting used to only having the 8 than living with all 17. 3 of mine had dementia which can be managed well, but it eventually takes it's toll on them. Would do it all over again if I was younger. That's amazing. See, I would love to have that many dogs but OH would murder me. lol Plus I really don't think I could handle them all - not until I was older! maybe we should swap ages and see how we go! hahaha

Wow! Very cool! Good for you for putting so much time and effort in! Last year I worked permanent part time, i was a full-time uni stduent, and I did two days of work experience a week. I know what it feels like, but again, so worth it! leeLa- a looong time ago hahaha! oh good. I didn't want to offend you if you were talking about another life - some people believe that sort of stuff which I think it pretty cool but I didn't know how to phrase the question! hahahahah Oh beautiful! What kind of pup is it??

You are very welcome. It is quite fascinating for me too - as you can see I have replied to every single person on here asking them questions! I'm sad to hear that your wrist is screwed (for lack of a better word!!) but maybe this is your chance to find another passion! Have you thought of going to TAFE? (I'm not sure what others think, are there courses in TAFE that would be suitable to get into the dog industry or are a lot of the employers focused on uni students?) Also, uni isn't THAT bad And if you find something that you REALLY want to do then go for it. You are still young and have plenty of time to find your passion. Think about what you want to do and no matter what you have to go through to get to the end I say do it. I wanted to be a journalist and I had to start from the VERY BOTTOM to get to where I am now, and it was worth every second Let me know what you're interests are!

And what do you study when studying zoology? I have always wanted to ask someone that... does it mean you have knowledge in ALL animals? Or do you pick one to study? Or.... something? lol Corvus got it quite spot on, we also got to study spider behaviour (yay.....feeding spiders with tweezers) and learning how to catch and wrangle kangaroos. My all time fav (insert sarcastic smilie) assignment was to do ethology maps for the dingos at the zoo for a day...in the rain. 9am sleep, 9:10am sleep.....3:40pm sleep. Oooohhh yay 3:50 pee LOL I love it. That would've been cool to see spider behaviour. For uni I had to photograph someone whose job was 'weird'... I chose to photograph a 'spider milker'... I went and got VERY up close and personal with funnel webs... (before this I should note I wasn't a huge fan of spiders.. they still give me the heebiejeebies sometimes... especially when they run over the hood of your car and disappear under the bonnet... but that story is for another time lol)... Anyway... it really did give me a new appreciation of spiders... It was absolutely fascinating and I found them quite beautiful TBH. I then went and looked at the other much larger spiders they had with quirky colours and spiders the size of your entire hand... they were also beautiful... and there went my slight aracnophobia... It really does show that if you face your fear, theres a chance you will get over it!

why will the dog parks website always be a work in progress? And you do a lot with your dogs! What do you do as part of 'sledding' with your husky? Because councils are notoriously unhelpful and it's a massive job visiting all of the ones I know about to get photos and check out their facilities. It will be a search engine when it's done and will allow people to search for a fenced park with a barbeque in a certain council. I've been working on it for a good six months now and it's nowhere near done! And I've only done dog parks in Adelaide so far, haven't even thought about interstate yet! And sledding is run by the SA Sled Dog Club and is basically racing where your dog pulls a "sled" - actually a scooter, because we have no snow here. Any medium sized breed can join in, but Huskies and Malamutes are the most common ones there. It's run in the winter months. Oh very cool! That would be great fun I would think! And I am your baby would absolutely love it! Oh! What are you thinking of getting? Is there any particular breed you will be looking for or will you go to a rescue place and just pick one that you fall for?

Oh what a bad year!!! But I am sure they are all happily running around with each other wherever they are!!!! I cannot believe you have 11 TT's at one time! That's extraordinary!! I couldn't even begin to imagine what that would be like! lol I try to do my best with two large, and very energetic, gsd... i just couldn't imagine! hahah I had two dogs growing up, they were cav x chinese crested powder puffs... only one left, he's 16 and going quite strong, although he has dementia . The other passed last year at 15 years of age. ccpp are beautiful dogs though! I love them!

I work in lab when needed processing cells for dogs with osteoarthritis, did a lot of lab work at Uni. Work with our trial vet a fair bit and mainly manage the vets around Sydney who use us. Its amazing some of the things I see at work, it gives me goosebumps. We still have so much to learn about biology. In the next few months some of the diseases we are going to be able to treat will excite every dog owner. It's tough though breaking through the skepticism but the results will start doing the talking that is incredible! I love to hear about the behind-the-scenes things people are doing to treat diseases in dogs. It's the same with humans actually, I don't think people get enough credit for the amount of work they put in to find a simple treatment, let alone a cure for something!! Have you ever photographed for the RSPCA? I used to volunteer at the Yagoona shelter and chatted to a photographer for quite some time! I would love it if you could photograph my dogs! I would love some awesome pictures of them but it's difficult because they never sit still! lol why will the dog parks website always be a work in progress? And you do a lot with your dogs! What do you do as part of 'sledding' with your husky?

And what do you study when studying zoology? I have always wanted to ask someone that... does it mean you have knowledge in ALL animals? Or do you pick one to study? Or.... something? lol You learn taxonomy, the basic biology of all the major groups of animals, physiology basics, ecology, genetics basics, often the basics on plant structure, function and diversity, conservation, and a lot about interactions between species and within species. I learnt a fair bit of behavioural ecology as well as that's what I did my honours project in. Behavioural ecology is a way of looking at animal behaviour in terms of evolution. That's what you learn in undergrad. Where you go from there just depends on your interests. I learnt HEAPS about animal ID and ecology and conservation when I worked as an environmental consultant, but my strong point is still birds, mostly because I was into them before I started my degree, and all the behaviour gurus in our department worked on birds. Now I've crossed over into dog cognition and personality and it's so freaking interesting I can barely contain myself at times. Who am I kidding, I can't contain myself at times. There were so many big words in there that I did not understand but it sounds fascinating!!! And what are still birds? I love birds... my OH does too actually... He absolutely adores Cockatoos and falcons - he's obsessed with them. I think they are beautiful creatures.

Yes, I feel very lucky to be able to do this. Fortunately, I can afford to not earn much (cos neither job is on the high end of the pay scale ) . I did also do a very short stint as a vet nurse, but that didn't work out. I feel blessed to be able to do what I am doing and to really enjoy my work; I have learned so much (and continue to learn all the time). Thats awesome! I am continuing to learn too through this forum. I have learnt so many valuable things! That's why I am on here every day. It's good to get an opinion that is different to your own and it is so good to actually get proper answers from professionals! What is your business name?? I would love to look at some of the stuff you have! I wonder why people choose to be accountants, I just assume that you guys love numbers! Apparently you dont? lol What kind of rescue do you do? Like do you work for a pound or do you have your own rescue business? And how come your opinions of kennels have changed? I have never been, or sent my dogs to, a kennel so I can't comment on them

How long have you been working there Maverick? And i love the fact that you work at a low kill shelter! That is fabulous!!!!!!!!!

I have to admit, although I absolutely love my job, I would love to work with animals as well. Particularly dogs. being able to work so closely with something you are SO passionate about I think is an extremely fulfilling experience and everyone on here who loves what they do with animals is blessed!! You are lucky new age outlaw!

I really need to stop quoting everyone and do it one big thing... I do struggle when quoting in one big thing though... I start getting confused so excuse all the posts people! I will work it out eventually!!! And what do you study when studying zoology? I have always wanted to ask someone that... does it mean you have knowledge in ALL animals? Or do you pick one to study? Or.... something? lol

Do you mean past lives as in literally or just a long time ago? I would absolutely love to know how you know what you were in a past life if that is what you actually meant1

another impressive list!!! This is probably going to get everyone going and I am going to sound completely stupid when I ask this question... but can you, or anyone else, explain to me what the difference between 'agility' and 'obedience' all the other things are? I have never been to a show and don't know what it entails so I don't know much about anything! lol

And you are a very talented dog photographer. How exciting to be working with Dogs QLD - what will you be doing there? And why did you stop being a vet nurse? And di you do those photos huga? They are very very good! Just an admin role with Dogs QLD Registering litters in the database and that type of thing. My first proper job since having my son over four years ago! I stopped being a vet nurse because it didn't pay the mortgage. And yep, all the photos I post are my own. well that's good! I think that's an excellent step back into the workforce! Hopefully it wont take too much out of you, because being off work for four years is a looong time! (but I am sure it was completely worth it!!!). And Dogs QLD, I'm assuming, is quite a large organisation? Which means there is room to move when you are ready! The photos are fabulous! I wish my dogs would sit still long enough to be photographed! And in the last day I have heard a lot about vets not being paid very well... that really surprises me, I would assume they would get paid more? The reason being I guess is because I think in SOME respects, being a vet is harder than being a doctor, because animals can't tell you what is wrong with them, and they have a completely different anatomy to humans. And doctors get paid A LOT... so I just assumed vets did to... Thats sad. I think they deserve to get paid very well.

your current job sounds extremely interesting!!! what does that entail? Like what do you do? Is it completely research based?

And you are a very talented dog photographer. How exciting to be working with Dogs QLD - what will you be doing there? And why did you stop being a vet nurse? And di you do those photos huga? They are very very good!

LOL holy crap! I would love to see the DOLers who could make that list look short!

hahaha I love that. Sad about the people who come to you to get rid of their dog. I'm sure that would be extremely hard for you how many dogs do you have??

I am really curious to know what everyone does as a career in relation to the dog world, or whether they are just pet owners. For example, I am just a pet owner. But I am interested to know what qualifications people have, what jobs they have, what their hobbies are in the dog world. Like are you a behaviourist, dog trainer, breeder, vet nurse, vet surgeon, or just like me, an owner!!

Not surgery but notably the vet who tried to save my first wheaten knew nothing about the disease he had and had indeed, never heard of it. I knew more about it and I was the one who gave her all the research materials and put her in contact with the specialist. Vets can't learn everything and the more practical work they have, rather than pretending practice, the better. And I bet every single one against vet students operating on dogs that would have been pts in a pound anyway, wouldn't want their dog operated on by a graduate who had never done any practical work either and if they were honest, they'd admit it. Just wanted to note that I did admit that!