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.

If it's going to be hot, I close the house up early, shutters down, curtains pulled & put air con on so living area is cool before I leave. Dogs can get out & in dog door if they need to. I also never leave air con running if I'm not home. Agree they find the cool spots. Will often come in to find my lot stretched out on the kitchen or bathroom tiles.

And then there's the ones where the website they refer you to is disabled. Probably the most irritating IMO.

"Depending on the shape of the dog and the pajamas, it's quite possible for a dog to actually wee on the underside if it's a bit baggy or the dog has a really deep chest and the pajamas don't contour sharply back up. Trust me on that one, I've peeled weejamas off a few dogs." Weejamas - spot on! Sam lifts his leg, but his aim is erratic - of all the males we've ever owned, this whippet is the only one I have to remove wet top from or whose legs I have to wipe down every so often. You may be right, Maddy, in suggesting the deep chest has something to do with it. Or the combination of deep chest & long legs? But, yep, it's a first world problem.

what style coat Maddy? I have the vest's that zip up along the back and am always recommending them. I and the dogs think they are greyt That's what I got :/ I wasn't sure if the styles for sighthounds were different so I actually mentioned it was for a whippet but it's almost comically baggy, it looks like a colourful sack. I have the double layer Wolf's Den vests for my whippets too. Happy with them. And they wear very well. Sam is always keen to get into his. Twig is a wretch who likes to be warm, but also likes to undress herself, so the back zip is great as Velcro is out for her. Their first WD jackets, bought a couple of winters ago, were generally a good fit though a bit loose over their backsides, so I sewed in two pleats there which made them sit better. I have just picked their new ones & they have a pleat. I run up everyday pull on jumpers, but it took me a while to adjust a bought pattern to get the fit right for whippets. I'm willing to pay for the work & quality of the zipped vests, including the placket behind the zip. The dogs & I like them. Have steered clear of pjs since I too would have trouble getting them on the dogs & also, Sam has shocking aim. I hate to think of how often I'd be hauling him out of wet pjs. Perhaps when he's old & feels the cold more, will consider them.

One of my Staffords used to surprise a whippet owner at the park when she could keep up with the whippet in a sprint, though not long distance. Years ago now, and they had great fun together. But bulldogs??

Very true. My whippet boy came to me via the local dog rescue which his previous caring owners had contacted when trying to rehome him. He had killed some of the neighbour's chooks which obviously doesn't make for good relations, but is otherwise a lovely boy. When I got in touch with his breeder (he came with his papers), she had been not been contacted. I understood from our conversation that she would like to have been told before he was rehomed. ETA I am glad I contacted her as it gave me more insight into his nature & behaviour.

I was at the Inverloch market last holiday weekend & couldn't get over the number of oodles, large & small. The locals assured me most of them were visiting ...

I prefer Riverina Kennels at Jindera to CC who also run the local pound there. I have used CC but went back to Riverina as soon as they reopened. Funnily enough, came home with taxi driver who felt the same. Riverina used to be Albury Kennels but reopened with new owners & new name some time ago (& new ph. 02 6026 3830). My lot are at their Jindera holiday home right now. 3rd visit this year & they still happily bounce in.

Must be something about whippets & beds ... Hardly notice my girl down the bottom of the bed. Twig knows her way under the doona, then stretches across & very rarely moves before morning - great hot water bottle. These hot nights she just spreads out on top of the sheet, still down at the end of the bed. Sam, on the other hand, prefers his bean bag in the dining room for night time. We don't see him in the bedroom unless there's a thunderstorm & he comes running for company.