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I do :) She's our "baby", my mum would rather me wait a few more years til having my own children anyway (20yrs old) so she's quite happy to call Cleo my baby as well! I just get confused when Im at mum and dad's house, I obviously call them Mum and Dad, and I don't want to call them Nanny and Poppy to my dog (they have real grandchildren and Cleo wouldn't know the word anyway). So I just get lost if I'm telling Cleo to go to my parents, as I don't use their first names =] Doesn't matter really, she only sees them once a week.

I don't think you need to "get over him", you shared a part of your lives together, and thats a special bond that shouldn't be ignored or denied. It's been 2 years since I rehomed a husky/kelpie pup that we cared for, for 6 weeks. Because her new oweners are family friends I got to see her in early April a few months later and she was a gangly goofy 5/6 month old...in less than a month she died from a snake bite. My heart broke, I can't forget her and I don't want to, I just remember the fun we had. My special "Coco" shrine is an enlargement of a great photo I got, that way I can remember her every day I see it. The photo is great, its her facing away but looking back over her shoulder like "It's ok Mum, Im still here". Makes me sad remembering.

Cleo gets: Cle (pronounced Klee) Clebo Cleo the Fleo Fleo Bubba Girl And thinking about adding Doofus. She will walk next to me, and watch me, not what's in front of her...walking into a table, a pile of tiles... She responds to it all as long as its not in the "you're in trouble tone" then her dalmatian selective deafnes kicks in.

Got my pup at 10 weeks, carried her into the clinic at 12 weeks and as I had to pop her on the scales, I just left her on the floor. A squirmy 12wk old dally pup does NOT want to be held for any length of time! Nor did I have a crate to contain her. If it were 8 weeks, it would have been different and she probably would have handled being held for 10 minutes. If I had a smaller breed, I probably would hold my dog, like the maltese/shi tzu owners who were also in there when I went for a check up yesterday.

Thanks Sheena =] I appreciate it. I'll let you know how we go!

Sounds similar to Cleo's in that it isn't making him itch. I've found (personal experience and info I've gathered from speaking to customers, in NO way is this veterinary advice) that too much red meat can cause hot spots. This is usually when people are feeding say steaks every day which wouldn't be the best diet anyway! A stop itch shampoo coule be Aloveen but I was thinking more of "Stop-Itch" which is an iodine (betadine) based rinse that helps infection. Aloveen is soothing with the oatmeal. Thanks Sheena, do they accept it if its open/mixed with another brand? I no longer have the bags. So after my vet visit, I ended up going the antibiotics and cortisone but here's why: 1. He wants to do a skin scraping but that means shaving, and he was very understanding that as a show dog, with a show in 3 weeks, I don't want to do that right now if something else will clear it up. 2. If it gets any worse in the next week, I will be going back for the scraping, I'll just lose my money on the show =[ 3. He was a very kind, understanding vet and professional.

I have breeds which I don't like as much as others, one of which is a very popular breed but I just don't find them attractive at all and their personality in general doesn't match me. But I have met GORGEOUS examples of this breed, as well as living with one (who is not my dog) but I will never own one. I too check out dogs wherever I go, and comment =] Its rubbing off too - my fiancee the other day "Oh, is that a white swiss shepherd? Beautiful dog" I was so proud!

Yes, see Cleo's rash is looking better than it was, but it is still there and it has spread a little. I am very dubious of vets trying to make me buy something I may not need, and I would rather understand what is causing the problem than just slap some ab's in her and some cream. No point in "curing" temporarily (if indeed it is something other than a contact allergy) it when I can prevent it. It's like when people come into my work wanting to buy a "stop itch" treatment for their dog that doesn't have fleas. EVery time I have asked the question, the dog has been on a food with wheat or heavy in red meat. Cure is stop itch rinse, prevention is switching food. Vets usually want to inject cortisone etc. Stupid me thought Pro Plan Puppy wouldn't have wheat that is the LAST time I don't read ingredients. I just hope I didnt cause this.

Thanks Sheena, I think it may have been one of your past posts that encouraged me to try the Calendula. The lady at the health food store gave me a funny look when I said what it was for! I haven't changed anything other than her food in the last few weeks so vet appt. in the morning to see what he says.

I would just like to get some feedback from on here about a rash Cleo's had for a few weeks now. I'll include as much info as I can without blabbering.... I;ve been searching past DOL topics on rashes, and bought some Calendula cream AND found some what we suspect was a wandering jew plant (and promptly removed it) from what I found on here, but I would like some personalised advice :) . Since removing the plant and applying the calendula a few times, the rash has improved, but by no means gone. I got some Aloveen shampoo and conditioner as well to wash her in, but didn't make a difference. The rash is belly and legs/armpits but has spread to her flank on one side, just making it look dirty (she's a dal, so pink skin). The strangest thing of all is the no itching. It LOOKS itchy, but I have not seen her itch in the area of the rash ONCE, no hair loss, nothing. I can't post photos at the moment unfortunately, but it looks like little red dots, but no open sores. Thought it could be a food allergy having just finished her Holistic/Black Hawk mix into a Holistic/Pro Plan Puppy blend (don't ask - I bought a lot of kibble). So she's gone from no wheat, to a small amount of wheat. But from what I gathered, this rash isn't a typical "food allergy" rash but more like a contact allergy. Now thinking I will take her to the vet and get a recommended dose for an antihistimine, I've been hesitant to go after a lot of what I've read on here about bad vet experiences but I really want ot sort this out...any steps you would take BEFORE going to a vet? Remembering she's not in any pain or discomfort (but we DO have a show coming up) Hope I made sense, Any help is appreciated.

Maybe a brush like a Coat King would help too? I've seen them in action on malamutes, huskies, border collies, poms etc and until I saw it i was a bit sceptical - no more! Maybe see how it works, it would definately help cut down on the amount of hair if you did it regularly.

I do currently...once my current lot runs out I will be Black Hawk only. I was a bit silly, I have ONE puppy, a dalmatian who also eats BARF patties...I bought big bags of Holistic Select from work on 2 occasions to help my boss over the "break even" mark (work in a pet store) and a big bag of Pro plan because I wanted the food bin coz it has a dally on it (hehe). At one stage I had about 40kgs of food. She's a bit over the Holistic now, so I mix Black Hawk sometimes coz that is one food she LOVES. I wouldn't mix a super premium with a supermarket brand though. If you're gonna get one, might as well stick with it, no point in mixing the two types IMO. It's not really making it stretch further when one bag is a lot of filler that isn't doing anything for the dog other than making poo. I would never feed my dog a supermarket brand but my parents do and the dogs look very good and haven't had health issues. It's all about what suits the dog and at the moment, Cleo is doing well on her mix of premiums.

It sucks that you can't walk her happily, I live in very small coastal village (near a bigger coastal city) and I can easily walk a few k's without seeing another dog. Gives my girl (9 months) a chance to run and run and run that energy off. We meander and she runs circles around us (literally). Maybe if you can find a secluded spot in your area? - probably hard but so worth it. My "routine" with Cleo before she gets her dinner every night, is a little bit of mental stimulation before the food. I.e. go to crate, come to me (not to the bowl), wait as long as I ask her to, shake/high five, lie down, ear and teeth check or stack. Then she eats. I'm slowly adding new things, like the coming to me if the bowl is 2m to my left - this is harder for her! Can't speak highly enough for mental stimulation. The kong wobbla is also good for dispensing food a bit slower and making them "work" for the food. I also think that having manners is SUPER important. I make Cleo sit and wait for us to walk through the gate before her and if she tried to get up in my face while I was eating - BIG trouble. Maybe crate during dinner or you eat at a table otherwise. I would also invest in a stop chew spray, just to have - it worked for me when Cleo was little. I've accidentally tasted it after spraying it - I know why they hate it!!!

This. Unfortunately every dog can have a different reaction to every flea and tick product out there, I've heard it about Frontline, and Comfortis, but different reactions. Unfortunately you won't really know until you try. I'm allergic to penicillen but my parents didn't know until they tried to use it on me. I use Advantix with no issue (20kg dog), and my workmate can on one of her two dogs (15kg) but the other (55kg) goes crazy, literally scratching herself on brick walls to get it off - so she can't use that product anymore. I feel weight sometimes plays a part, I've heard about more issues with Advantix and little dogs than big dogs. I would talk to your vet about your options, and maybe scrutinise the ingredients on any future flea/tick treatments and not use any that have the same ingredients as Advantix (Permoxin for example shares or has a very similar ingredient) I'm sorry that this has happened to you.

I work in a pet store. I had an older woman and her daughter come in with a 12 hour old puppy (you read correctly) to see if we could help them because the mum had rejected it apparently. My workmate immediately calls the vet to talk to them because these people didn't want to take it to the vet. The whole while, the daughter (about my age - 20ish give or take a few years) is covering, uncovering, covering uncovering this poor pup. She tells me it's already died once, but they've brought it back. The mother then tells/asks me "We have another pregnant bitch, she's discharging and bleeding and we pulled this long white thing out and it look liked her insides" (no joke) "I'm on a pension, I don't have $2000 to go to the vet" and that is a quote. I was disgusted, appalled, horrified. I just said "Well I plan on breeding one day, and I'm going to have that much money (or more) put aside JUST IN CASE that were to happen" Not to mention I show and will apply for a prefix etc - the responsible route. Then my workmate gets off the phone and tells them that the vets are expecting them (to try and get them to go)...no idea what ended up happening but the pup died and the discharging bitch gave birth to a litter of dead pups with cleft palets - over a 3 day period She did end up taking the bitch to the vet but still, I cannot look at this woman. She is now selling the bitch, with full papers, as well as a dog that is "too old" for breeding with. The FUNNIEST part of the whole advertisment "backyard breeders need not apply" - uh hello? No prefix (I thoroughly looked into it as I know her name), no vet visits if she can avoid them, so probably no health testing so she ticks my "Backyard Breeder" box. And the breed? "English Staffys" oh and they have "strong blue lines"

I had a customer come in with this issue. The vet said they had dermadectic (sp?) mange and popped a Preventic Collar on, and the dog had a reaction. The vet denied any fault, and they searched for different ways of dealing with the mites without using any spot on chemicals. They came in a day later and seemed happy enough but they haven't updated us.

I work every weekend unless I specifically ask for it off. I've only gone to one show so far, and it was fun! My fiancee now wants to get his own pup to show (he's 23, most 23yr old men aren't into showing dogs...). My plan is one show a month, and I choose wisely. I have a 3 day, 4 show dog show coming up, what a great chance to get some points! I do plan on breeding in the future, my girl is only 8 months old and I have a fantastic mentor. Not my breeder, but someone else in my breed who lives much closer (breeder in Tas, I'm in NSW). We've become great friends, and she's having a litter soon and I've been invited out when the pups are 6 weeks. She answers ANY questions I have and has helped me immensely. I now call her a friend :D I also know a breeder of labs living close by that is acquainted with my family, so I know I could ask her questions as well. I've also bought a few books already, just to learn (book addict). And my mentor set me off on researching my lines to see what might complement her - and I found SO much. Also, with the show training, I do it after work every day and then on my days off. Sure she wasn't as good at the other dally puppy bitch but she got 2nd in sweepstakes =] I work 5 days a week, 9-5, which is a big chunk of time and I still managed. You don't need to show to title, do it for fun and to prove that you have a great specimen of the breed (although titling will be fun) As a new showie of 20years old, I can't speak highly of it enough. I've had a great experiences with lovely people so far, you've got nothing to lose!

I like having the choice to let my dog off lead, if I think the circumstance is ok. Cleo's recall is a bit dodgy so I pop her on lead a good distance from dogs to have some control, even if they are off leash. Don't do this every time but most of the time, and I appreciate it when other owners do the same (unless their dog is so engrossed in a game of fetch that Cleo's like "meh, boring"). We have a huge open beach at home that she can walk and run on, and not see a dog for an hour! It's a great time for her and most of the dog owners in this small village are responsible. I must say though, it is those smaller breeds that give me grief - because of those FEW irresponsible owners. Cleo and I got followed (and barked at) for 3 blocks the other day by a foxy....the owner just stared as he ran up to me, across the road, and was being aggressive. I pulled Cleo along and ignored him while he followed us and crossed another road. I don't blame the dog at all - the owner, who didn't give two hoots that several cars drove on the road this dog was crossing, deserves ALL the blame here.

Can't wait to meet my Coco again....nearly 2 years since she entered our life. Now she waits in eternal puppyhood I don't normally cry at things like that, but it choked me up.

Heartguard isn't heartworm only, it also does round and whip worm (not 100%, I know it does 2 other worms though). I use interceptor, just coz it's all worms (heart and gut) in one (and my dog loves it)

I let Cleo do it in two circumstances... 1. She licks my neck when I let her, usually in greeting 2. if im sitting down and she licks my foot, really slowly like "lliiiiiccckk, lllliiiccckkk" like she's thinking aw mum I love you and your stinky feet I don't otherwise like it, the other dog (not mine) tries to lick my hand or grab it in her mouth while I'm walking and I detest it, if they're gonng lick me, its on my terms.

Cleo on her first night Meeting dad for the first time And a more recent photo showing off our lovely river And this isn't a brag I swear, this photo is the most recent, one week ago. It shows her size compared to the first photo.

Can't see why it wouldn't be safe to use around cats? It's a chewable that goes into the bloodstream rather than a spot on. You may find it more expensive though, and it will only sterilise the adult fleas, not kill them. You're meant to use it in conjunction with Capstar when you see a flea. I myself use Interceptor (Sentinel without the flea component) and Advantix because I need the tick protection (I buy both in 6 packs and get 20% discount from my work, I spend approx $120 for half a year for a 20kg dog.) Comfortis would be safe to use with Interceptor as well, and is also internal.

Yes, he does. He used to be nice, and his dad is great, works for National Parks and he rescues and rehabs snakes (you may have seen him on Bondi Vet once when Bondi vet came to Coffs Harbour to operate on a snake - that this guys dad rescued). As horrible as it is, I hope something happens to make him wake up to the world (not necessarily regarding the dogs - I would hate to see Delilah hurt)

My turn. Guy I used to work with has 2 Border Collies, Samson and Delilah. Neither are registered. Samson is a few years old, Delilah is one and a half. Delilah was purchased with the intention of breeding with, I am assuming and both are entire and Samson's been used at stud before. 6 months ago, Delilah had her first heat, and this former workmate "forgot" or didn't lock SAmson up properly. 2 months later, at one year of age, Delilah was a mum. I was disappointed in this former workmate, but I understood that accidents when you are that young and dumb and hungover the majority of the time, can happen. She whelped fine and only lost one. Then a few days ago he posts a photo of Samson and Delilah in a tie with the caption "Pretty sure he didn't use protection"...then I got mad. He came into my work yesterday, all cocky and up himself. I asked if he was going to let her go through with it (I would abort and spay immediately) and his answer "yea, she's a fit little bitch" and he didn't use the word bitch in the tone that dog people use. I was so angry I couldn't say anything, I just walked away. It makes me so mad and sad I'm too shy to seriously say anything, not to mention he's so cocky and up himself at the moment that he wouldn't listen. AHHHHHH why are some people so stupid.