djf

Spoke to Oberon tourist information for people heading out over the Blue Mountains this weekend - they say to be careful as snakes are out and about - even up at the dam behind the town, so if camping in the state forests be careful (and check for baiting, which has also been happening in the local area).

Some walks/places we have gone when exploring... Sirius Cove (near Mosman) Fairy Dell Reserve (Springwood) Como Reserve and Cafe (Como) - dog-friendly The Beagle Club of NSW has a list of walks they do... http://www.beagleclubnsw.org.au/sniffsyd/ We have a young Border Collie so are mindful of not over-doing things, but most of these places have been fairly quiet (we do have a tendency to go out on wet days, for some reason!) Hope you and Harper have fun. djf

Hi Shelby My hubby picked one up at Auburn and took it to the counter where the discount was applied. If you want one I'd try walking it to the counter for a price check. Kind regards djf

We took our young pup camping over New Year - would second the LOTS of towels if you have a mud lover like us! Also - we got a good (not great, but fit for purpose) life jacket from K-Mart for him - about $15. Not sure if they have JRT sizes, but worth looking at. Don't forget the tick repellent if you're not coastal - we're not in a tick area and need to keep the tick treatment up to date when camping. It was also our pup's first loooong trip so it took a lot longer to get to where we were going as his toilet training was "just" getting there and we weren't sure that he would indicate when he needed to go (or be in a good spot where he could be toileted safely) - we stopped 4 times instead of our usual once for the older dog. Similarly - he was in our tent and we toileted him when he got up - then he decided to play at 3am - that was when the crate was handy . Hope you have a great time.

Take care leighw and Holly. Thank you for the update. Good immunosuppressant thoughts going your way.

Our dog has had idiopathic (meaning no brain tumour, no metabolic problems- just his brain structure is prone to seizures) epilepsy since we adopted him, aged 3 (probably why he was in the pound...). He is the sweetest boy - however when he's had a seizure (or a series of seizures) he often paces something shocking and there is *nothing* we can do to settle him. So we have often put him on our enclosed verandah with water to drink and no opportunity to injure himself and just let it happen... he either fits again or eventually has a really restful sleep (the sleep is usually our indication that he has finished that "set" of seizures). The longest Finn has done pacing post-ictally (without further seizures occurring) was about 3 days - then he had the big recovery sleep. Some good quality information is at: http://www.canine-epilepsy.net/basics/basics_index.html Glad Holly is settling. With a first partial seizure in an 8 year old I would second the idea that it would be a good idea to take Holly back to your vet when she is back to herself (or if she's not back to herself very soon) for a full neurological examination - going by our boy's mental state when he's just had a seizure it would be difficult to pick up subtle clues as to whether something else was going on (many things that cause seizures can't be found in a blood test). Fits can take it out of them - but with her having been off colour beforehand I would second the advice that it would be a good idea to have her checked out again sooner rather than later. Good luck with it all. It's a scary thing to see and a worrying time - we have been living with Finn's fits for over 10 years now and we always worry about whether this time will be "the" time - but we have been very lucky and despite the severity of his epilepsy he has had a happy life and he certainly seems to like still being here. :rolleyes:

Have you tried the State Forests in the Barrington foothills? All dog friendly and a great day out from Maitland. http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/forests/locations/chichester http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/forests/location...ster-telegherry http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/forests/locations/barrington-tops Great for a swim (for you and the dogs !!)