meggie

I have Wolf's Den coats for my two whippets. The first were a bit loose round the bum, but I put a couple of pleats in the rear & passed this info back to her. The next ones came with a pleat already in. Two make for a better fit though. Handy jackets as, with the zip down the back, madam can't undress herself as she does for any with Velcro fastenings. For wet weather, they have Weatherbeeta rain coats, which are adequate, but I don't really like them. Too stiff. For everyday, I have adapted a Kwiksew (sp?) pattern. Still haven't found a foolproof design that Sam can't manage to wee on.

A national initiative? Albury/Wodonga/Corowa yellow pages has Terri from A/W Animal Rescue with Amstaff, Nugget, on the cover. Nice to see it. Our whippet, Sam, came through them.

Somewhat confusing : "Small domestic animals can be carried in an approved animal container (weighing no more than 15 kg, 56 cm long/30 cm wide/38 cm high on trains only. V/Line staff may refuse carriage of pets." - off the back of my V/Line ticket. And if the train is cancelled, as ours are so often, you can't take your properly contained pet on the replacement bus. One poor bloke & his chihuahua was stranded at Albury/Wodonga for five hours recently when the train was replaced by a bus again.

Just gorgeous! I'm sure there's mischief there as well as the cuteness. Enjoy!

I have one which I used when I couldn't have a compost bin. Worked well & plants thrived with the juice. Now I have space for bins, I only find it useful for "precomposting" dairy/animal scraps that don't go to dogs. Be warned, my lot love to dig up the fermented end product unless it's six foot down. (Can get round that by adding it to compost bin.) Makes me wonder why bother, apart from the fact I have it & the juice is useful. Agree with Hankdog, it's an extra step. I'd think twice before buying, especially if your council is going to go to the new green organic 3-bin system.

What a great good news item. No end to canine talent ... Here's another diabetes assistance dog that I met on a bus to Melbourne - a lovely & well travelled boy with his own F/Bk page: http://www.pfd.org.a...dited-dogs/devo And yes, we bought his book.

Twiggy about 12 weeks still in her cat collar. (Old phone pic so not great.) Then grown up with our rescue boy Sam.

My old Stafford is 13 1/2, deaf, nearly blind & very arthritic (on Meloxicam now), but still expects his morning walk come hell or high water. It is impossible to get my whippets out the door without him as he plants himself right in front of it. So now the routine is that we all go out for his little slow amble & sniffing session, I bring him home & then take the younger ones for their more energetic walk. He doesn't go far, but since we walk near the local school, his fan club is generally there to say hello & give him the obligatory pats. Occasionally somebody will comment on how old he looks & ask his age, but generally in a nice way. Today he decided to go twice as far as usual. His call. Yes, something special about the oldies.

So pleased to hear all went well. Gracie certainly looks perky. Hope you both enjoy the break.

Ooh yes! I thought long & hard about bringing one of those rugs back from my last visit to Godzone. The thought of it being confiscated by Customs made me decide against buying one. They're not cheap. I do have the possum/merino gloves & jacket though. Great for frosty morning walks.

Hope that bloods were OK & Gracie is going well. As for post -op for Thor, we just followed the vet's overnight instructions & tried to keep him quiet. Spoilt him with puppy Maccas (from the emergency tins of Nature's Gift in the cupboard), but that only lasted till I caught him sneaking the whippet princess's biscuits & he went back to the usual mix of dry & wet. Yes, there's something about that Stafford smile. My dad used to keep bull terriers & they were all lovely dogs, but I still prefer that cheeky grin. And yes, that the photo of Danny is gorgeous.

Your boy sounds very similar to my girl. Thank you for sharing your experiences. Did you find that he recovered slowly after surgery or did you find that his age made no difference? Gracie has been under anesthetic three times - desexing, cruciate ligament surgery and for the mouth lump/teeth three years ago - and she's always come out of surgery really well.. in fact I remember it being a nightmare when she was 2 and was supposed to be resting after the cruciate ligament surgery. All the best with your boy! Never any problems after his few ops, though I was willing to say yes to all the extras for the removal of his lumps & teeth. With an old boy & a bit of a heart murmur, I didn't want to make it any tougher for him. And yes, he was also a nightmare after his desexing (complicated slightly with an undescended testicle). No way was he taking it easy as he as supposed to. I think the Staffords are generally pretty sturdy & their pain levels very high. She should be fine. Also, selective deafness seems to be a Stafford trait. That vague "Who? Oh do you mean me?" look ...

I think you're doing fine too. My Stafford girls both made it to 15 & my old boy is now 13, very deaf & going blind too. Thor has arthritis, but seems happy in himself, eating is still his favorite occupation, & he is keen on a short stroll every morning, but his world is shrinking & his routines changing a bit. Last year he gave up chasing his ball which had been a regular routine straight after I finished my breakfast coffee. Silly as it sounds, I miss it. He also sleeps much more, day & night. Takes himself off to the bedroom about 7.30 p.m. so I follow & turn the fan on for him since it's summer now or cover him in winter, he snoozes a while, comes out for a night time wee about 10ish & then snores on the bed till I get up (even if I sleep in to near 9 a.m.). A big change from being woken by this enthusiastic licky dog bouncing in at sunrise. If he wants to sleep, I let him. One thing I have noticed is that he likes to be accompanied more often. He will stand in the hallway waiting for me to escort him to bed, or at the laundry door to go out instead of using the dog door some times. He had all his lumps & bumps removed a year or so ago, so his teeth were cleaned & a couple removed then. Hope it's a smooth run for Gracie & all is well. Scottsmum's advice is very sensible. We do much the same & take the same precautions though, TG, I don't have to carry 20 kg outside. As long as there aren't drastic changes to their home or routine, I think the oldies adapt pretty well. If they're in reasonable health, the later years can be good, though in a different way. It's just the same as with us. Best of luck.

Another yes for Naots. Also Ara, Rieker & mostly European brands. They all cost so I only buy in the post-Christmas sales, usually at the specialist shops like Mountfords or our local Hunters. MBTs are great for me, but very expensive (& probably an acquired taste). I take a 40 wide & like something smart but comfortable & all these labels fit the bill. Also, find it's worth looking in Naturalizer shop at Spencer at DFO when I go to Melbourne. Skeetchers shop there too. Some good bargains & a bit cheaper. Really enjoy reading about the life of Neko, so looking forward to seeing more next year.

My whippet, Sam, has stripped off all the sour cherries within reach & is now waiting hopefully for the crabapples to ripen. He's very keen on pick your own. And the redder, the better. Twig, on the other hand, will just have a little slice of banana or apple. That's probably only because Sam wolfs them down & she's not going to let him get away with anything. My dad's bull terrier would pick & eat grapes from the vine. Didn't seem to cause any problems.