Ness1409

Hi Finn, Sorry I don't come in this forum very often but I would absolutely love to meet up. I have two Labradors and no "doggy" friends so we'd enjoy a meetup at a park or beach :) I'm just over the bridge from you in Brighton. I have subscribed to this thread and hope some others will join in too Cheers Vanessa

That's not guilt, that's appeasement behaviour.

Hmmmm.... Maybe not Red Rock after all. The DERM website says you're not allowed to swim in the river due to crocodiles. After considerable deliberation (e.g. 0.25 seconds) I've discounted that site! :)

LOL yes, I did mean Gladstone in Qld, sorry had no idea there was another one :) Thanks very much for the tips, I am off to a camping shop this afternoon have been told about a specific camping with dogs book fingers crossed I can find it. Red Rock sounds lovely might check that one out a bit more. Cheers!

Hi all, The dogs and I are off to visit my dad in Gladstone at the end of September, and we'd like to head out from his place for some camping for say 3-4 nights. I will have already driven 6 hours from Bris to Gladstone so we don't want to drive much further - maybe 1.5 hours-ish further on? Can anyone recommend somewhere that is dog-friendly in the area? (My dad keeps on making general camping recommendations, but they are all in National Parks and thus not dog-friendly!) This would be our first time camping in Australia so I'd prefer a 'proper' campsite with electric hookups etc, but I am willing to consider anything! Many thanks for any tips. Cheers Ness

I'm a bit of middle-ground here. I don't ever say things like "Come to Mama" - it's just "Come" (or, more often, 3 whistle pips). I would never refer to myself in the third person like that. I would also never refer to myself as their mum in public! But at home, if I am yabbering away to the dogs of an evening (I live alone), I will sometimes talk to them and say stupid things like "Mama loves you" or "Are you Mama's bestest boy?" etc. But I absolutely would NEVER refer to them as my kids or furkids - they're dogs! Totally conversely to the above… They both have a Facebook account (only so that myself and my doggy friends can tag them in photos - they never post or make status updates! LOL), and on there they are listed as my sons :) Oh, and my soon-to-be-ex-husband also has them listed as his sons… and they currently have his/my married surname on Facebook, and I have gone back to my maiden name, and now I'm wondering whether to keep them with his surname or give them mine now! LMAO Oh that's so stupid. I feel foolish writing it :) I have recently come home from living in Europe for the past 7 years, and I am getting to know my nieces and nephews over here… and one of my nieces was so upset and sad on Christmas Day because I didn't bring "my boys" over for Christmas Lunch… she had been patiently waiting for 3 months for me to introduce her to her cousins - she misunderstood, because the boys are always referred to as "the boys" or "the lads", by everyone in my family, she thought I had two little boys, her cousins :) So instead I pulled out my iPhone and showed her photos of "my boys" and I think she now understands that they're boy dogs, and not boy people :)

I can't speak for the Adelaide Moonlight Cinema, but I know for a fact that at the Brisbane one you can take your dogs to ANY showing, not just the Red Dog one last night which was advertised as dog-friendly. I have been to the Brisbane one a few times, in fact I was just there on Friday night watching Puss In Boots with my neighbour and her daughter. The organisers love seeing us as the boys are so well behaved, they always get a greeting and pat from the ticket-collectors :) The area is a lot smaller than I was expecting it to be when I went for the first time, but realistically it's not an issue as all dogs are on lead all the time. And realistically, the dogs don't really have enough room to get very far from your blanket :) I always make sure we're towards the front as I don't want my dogs to be surrounded on all sides by people, so we try to be in the front row of blankets. I bring a water bowl & bottles of water, and a rawhide chew or frozen Kong for the dogs. I give it to them right at the end of the ads, just before the movie starts… this keeps them quiet for the first 30-45 mins of the movie. After that they tend to just have a drink and then they cuddle up to me and snooze. I try not to sit near a family with loads of kids as I don't want the dogs being patted and played with throughout the movie. I also try to have the dogs sit on the opposite side of the blanket to anyone with food - as I have labradors and they are sooooooo food oriented it's not funny! Every time we have been we've all had a brilliant night, I am all for supporting it as long as it runs because if we give it good support then hopefully it will be back next summer as well. It's so rare to find someplace you CAN take the dogs in Australia for a good night out (we're from the UK and I'm just so used to the dogs coming absolutely everywhere with me) that I want to support it while I can. If you go to the Brisbane one, just remember the aeroguard though - the mozzies descend and begin their feast about 3 mins after the movie starts :) Found out last week that I can also take the dogs to our local drive-in cinema as well, so it will be Moonlight Cinema in the park in summertime, and the drive-ins throughout the winter :) I hope those of you who went to Red Dog with your dogs last night really enjoyed it (they cancelled it here in Brisbane as we had torrential rain).

NSW: Just wanted to add a recommendation for a B&B at Coffs Harbour - Wagtail Cottage (http://www.wagtailcottage.com.au/) We stayed here in October when I was driving from Sydney to Brisbane as a place to stop and break the journey for a night - and we will absolutely be back again, for a week next time! A gorgeous spot in the countryside, there's a small kitchenette with fridge/freezer, microwave, sink etc. There's a BBQ for your exclusive use. The courtyard is secure and for your sole use. Dogs cannot be left alone there, but with cooking facilities and recommendations for local dog-friendly eateries you don't need to leave the dogs there. Dogs can go inside and on the furniture but you need to take your own covers to protect the sofa or bed etc (an old sheet is fine, and all I took). Entire area is tiled so easy to sweep/clean etc. Loads of dog-friendly walks and beaches nearby, I absolutely adored it and can't wait till we go back for our holibobs :)

Thank GOD they used birth control!!! :mad

Thanks so much for all the posts guys, I will organise registration with CAR (Central Animal Records) and leave it at that - I did think registering them with all the registers was a bit of overkill, but wasn't sure what other frequent travellers did Cheers!!

I would not be rushing to chemical castration... a girlfriend had a labrador who had aggression issues, and was advised to try it. It made him worse!! If he were my pup I would be getting him a full vet check (pain/illness can manifest itself in many ways) and then if he got the all-clear from that, an appointment with an experienced behaviourist.

I just googled it, I think this is the right case, the child's name was Tyra Kuehne

Hi folks, I have recently moved to Australia from the UK. I have 2 labradors and they are both microchipped (and the chips are currently registered to our old UK registry). I currently live in Qld but I tend to move around a lot so I wouldn't discount living in another state in the next year or two. I also go on hols with the dogs a lot so I can see us visiting NSW and Vic at the very least in the next year. I have been researching registries in Australia and I understand there are 5 of them? Madness!! We travel a lot and I was wondering if it might be worth my while to register the boys with all 5 registries. Has anyone else done this or am I insane for thinking of it, and really only need to register with one? Is there one which is better than the rest? Cheers Ness

Would you mind PM-ing me some info about the cafe you have been to where you can take your dog? I have just moved to Oz from the UK and am finding it very frustrating that I can't take the dogs out with me much - they literally came everywhere with me in the UK, to work, the pub, the local shops, to the post office, the bank, on buses, trains and tubes... I'm dying a little inside when I realise what a huge lifestyle change it is for them, and seriously reconsidering our life here... Would love to find somewhere we could go for Sunday Brunch to catch up with friends and have the boys laying quietly at my feet like the well-socialised dogs they are Cheers Ness

I'd love to know where in Qld this new off-lead dog beach is, if it's anywhere from Noosa south please can you let me know as we like to get out for drives on the weekend and another place to visit on either Sunny or Gold Coasts would be great! Cheers Ness

As per above, I ordered my crate on eBay on a Monday and it arrived on the Wednesday so plenty of time to just get one online and have it delivered

Hi all, Having recently moved back to Australia from the UK, where my 2 gorgeous labs had dozens of friends to play with every weekend, now that we're settling into life here in Brisbane I have absolutely no dog-owning friends So, I need to make some, because my dogs are lonely! Honestly, I really do think they miss their regular meet-ups that we had with their doggy mates in the UK. I have been scouring this forum for a suggestion of a walk in Brisbane and I haven't seen any yet, so I figured I would bite the bullet and create one myself. Anyone wanna meet up for a walk anywhere in Brisbane, Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast? I'd love to meet somewhere the dogs can have a good long walk, especially with an off-leash area for swimming or general running-around-being-idiots. My boys are both well-behaved and well socialised, and I promise I'm not a psycho… Would love to hear from anyone who might want to meet up - I am happy to do the travelling! I also don't really have many plans as don't know many people here yet so am pretty much free any weekend day Cheers, Ness

Thanks so much for your reply, much appreciated! Have spoken to the landlord and she's going to investigate prices for getting a professional exterminator in to treat both inside and outside for spiders, cockroaches etc as well as fleas, and if it is affordable then we will go halves which I think is fair. I haven't had many more bites, but I have seen 1 or 2 more fleas (still none on the dogs tho?) so I am madly vacuuming every chance I get!! Cheers!

Ooooooh... and do I need to treat the car too, and if so, with what?

Aggghhhhhh! I need to join in this thread. We've just moved here from the UK, and my dogs have never had a flea in their lives. They get treated with Advantix fortnightly (for ticks) which is supposed to address fleas as well. Having just moved into a rental house, the dogs can get under the house and there's loads of dirt, so I assume there are fleas under there. There is also a stray cat who comes into the yard all the time and I often find her laying on the dog bedding which I have put outside to air or dry after washing, so I have a feeling that she bought some fleas in with her too and transferred them to their bedding. Anyway, have not found a flea on the dogs at all, and they're not scratching or biting at themselves (not that I have noticed anyway), but I did find a dirty rotten flea on my dining table the other day!!! Ewwwwww! I was hoping it was just a once-off, but I have woken up this morning covered in itchy bites, which I can only assume are flea bites. Double ewwwwww! So, I need to get onto this quick smart, but I won't be able to bomb the house until Saturday (as I work and the dogs are indoor dogs during the day). I think this means I face up to 4 more days of being bitten by fleas at night while I sleep - triple ewwwwww! Okay, so what do I need to do? DOGS: The dogs are already receiving spot-on treatments, should I wash them in a flea wash solution of some sort (if so - what sort?) and then re-apply Advantix afterwards? Should they be on those Comfortis or Capstar tablets? What do they do, and if I can't find fleas on the dogs do they really need those? BEDDING: The dog bedding is going to get thrown out (as I will never be certain that I managed to kill them all) and I'm going to buy some new vetbed (they needed replacing anyway so it's no big deal). All their dog towels will be washed at 95C with bleach on Saturday - will this kill fleas? All my bedding (the dogs sleep on my bed) will also be washed at 95C with bleach - or do I need to do something else, do I have to pest treat my own sheets? I only washed them on Sunday HOUSE: I'm going to flea-bomb the house this Saturday then bugger off somewhere for 4-6 hours while it works - where do I buy these things from, Bunnings? YARD: I read someone wrote something about treating the yard and under the house with lime and malaban - what are these things, where do I get them from, and are they harmful to pets or children? I want to hit these pesky little buggers with everything I've got. I really can only assume the fleas were already in the yard / house when we got here, as we certainly didn't bring them from the UK with us. If I can't stop this happening then I might have to move house - I am not prepared to rent a house where the dogs can get under the house and keep getting re-infested with fleas They're inside dogs so only really go outside for short playtimes in the morning and evening, not sure how to stop the fleas coming back? Agghhhhhh I am so itchy Would antihistamines help me at all for the next couple of days as the scratching is driving me crazy.

Hi all I didn't want to read and run but I really should as have had a long day and need some sleep! The drive from bris to syd was long and arduous and took me almost 14 hours as was dangerously sleepy so had to pull over and have a nap, and lots of meal breaks etc. Also got a gigantic crack in my windscreen from an idiot speeding thru roadworks near Coffs and he kicked up a stone so there's a $300 bill I wasn't expecting this week! I will have to get it fixed before we drive back to Bris, as it's too large to ignore. *sigh* Anyway thanks so much for all the posts and suggestions of parks etc I have copied them all down and will make a decision in the morning as to where we'll spend our first day - but I think a ferry trip on the harbour might be involved muchas gracias to all & sundry - can't wait to post up the reunion photos Now I just have to try and get some sleep... I'm still "so excited" doo doo doo doo Ness

Perfect!!! You rock! Thank you so much, I will definitely include that in our list of places to visit

Oooooh Danois, thanks for the suggestion about Lake Paramatta, any idea if the dogs can go offload there? Or swim in the lake? Sydney Park sounds lovely, but they are labs, seeing water and not being allowed to swim in it will not go down well so I'd have to keep them on lead, which would then negate the idea of going to an offload park... But I will check it out for sure, my friend who I am staying with will probably have been there before with some of her clients (she does home boarding) Ooooh CC, good to see someone else has been thru the hell which is quarantine separation did you notice any changes in your dogs when u bought them home? I am paranoid my two will have learnt to bark while they were in kennels. Thanks for the confirmation about Milbemax as well, good to hear! I think I had better go to bed soon, I am supposed to be hitting the road at 5am tomorrow, so I guess I should try to get some sleep. But still.... I'm so excited! Doo doo doo doo And I just can't hide it! Doo doo doo doo doo doo I'm about to lose control and I think I like it

I know I'm new here, and none of you know me from Adam, but I know you will be able to understand my immense joy and happiness I have recently moved to Oz from the UK and my two gorgeous labradors have been in quarantine in Sydney for 30 days and I miss them so much it makes my heart hurt Gawd I have leaky eyes again now just typing that! <insert pause for a moment while I wipe away the tears> BUT... No more tears! Not any more :D Tomorrow I am making the marathon drive from Brisbane to Sydney In a day, and then at 0830 hrs on Wednesday morning as soon as the AQIS quarantine station at Eastern Creek opens, I'll be bashing down the doors and giving my lads the biggest cuddle of their lives :D Woohoo!!! So, I have: food bowls & water bowl Collars & leads (albeit collars have our UK address on them, so I do need to fix that - can anyone recommend a good Red Dingo tag supplier who engraves nice & deep?) Poo bags Whistle for recalling them once I find someplace they can run about offlead Nutro dog food (I only bought a small bag as not sure about it - is this a good quality food? I fed excellent stuff back in the UK but it's not available here, and not sure how this compares?) Some liver-y treat thingies Millbemax wormer - this is what they were on in the UK, but it didn't cover heartworm there (as we didn't need it) and apparently this one does? Also back in UK you could only get Millbemax on prescription,whereas I bought this over the counter at a petstore, so again not sure if it is any good? Advantix flea & tick treatment - apparently this one is the best as the ticks don't have to bite the dogs to get poisoned? Am paranoid about both ticks & heartworm as I lost dogs to both when I was a child living here, and they were horrendous experiences which I certainly don't want to repeat So.... What have I forgotten to do/buy? Also, can anyone suggest some wonderful walks with the boys while we're in Sydney? I will have 2 full days to explore, and will be staying in Kingsford. Happy to drive up to an hour each way for a fabulous walk - thinking 5+ km type walks. Or a beach? Definitely want to let them offlead somewhere to run off some steam as they have been cooped up for a month now. Was thinking of parking somewhere near the harbour bridge and walking across it with the dogs - I assume as long as they're on leads, I can do that? Or is that somewhere else the dogs are banned? Would love to take them on a ferry to Manly maybe, are they allowed on the ferries? Oooooooh I am SO EXCITED!!! Ness