Her Majesty Dogmad

Wonderful news Jo, I remember this dear little girl very well, what a sweetheart but also incredibly lucky that you were big hearted enough to give her a go! I hope she now has a very happy, healthy and long life ahead of her - whatever she has is thanks to you!

My neighbour's dog gets into my place - she's an Aussie Shepherd aged 4, she can jump on the kitchen benches (and does) and runs around like a mad thing. It really is too much for my oldies and they are all active for their age! Youngest is 11 and the oldest is 18.5 yrs old. They vary in weight from 3.6 to 12 kilos. None of them would like a bigger breed puppy for company ... for much longer than it takes for them to be bumped and chewed on. They all play beautifully with each other though.

I agree with Poodlefan I'm afraid, I don't know if now is the right time to go getting a much bigger dog when you have a very frail old one. Not great for either dog - the oldie wants to sleep and the young one wants to play. I'm sure we'll soon see the "my puppy livened up my old dog" thoughts shortly but i always liken it to expecting an 80 yr old to live in harmony with a toddler. No harm in waiting, there's lots of things you can do in the meantime to keep everyone happy ...

I imagine you must have thought about this before you took such a high maintenance coat on? I hope so, and hope that you budgeted for it. Matts are painful for a dog so best to keep the dog unmatted by getting a professional to do a good job. I'm not fussed on high maintenance coats but have a couple here, I can't do it so I've found a brilliant groomer who keeps them looking good. I bath every 2 to 4 weeks but if a dog rolls in stuff then I'll do it as and when. Everyone wants non shedding but very few want to keep up with the rigorous demands of their coats. It's why we see so many matted dogs in the puonds and most groomers will tell you that far too many customers leave their dogs for far too long. Only last weekend I was dropping my malt at the groomers just in time to see the groomer removing a thick carpet like mass off a Shihtzu's body. No excuse would work for me.

So sorry you have lost this gorgeous old boy, hugs to you.

I rehome dogs and talk to people about their situations. I would not rehome to anyone in your situation. I feel sorry for you, you obviously are responsible and love dogs BUT do not have a house yourself, you are sharing. Therefore the choice is not yours. This may sound harsh but I completely understand how you feel - I rented for 15 years and could never find anywhere that was stable or suitable to take on a dog. Thought I'd found a garden unit one time, had a month to sort everything out before I moved in, the landlord had 2 friendly dogs and there was one at the shelter I volunteered at that was on death row, that I loved. The day before I moved in, the previous tenant's new place fell through, the whole thing fell through. I was devastated - it had taken me 10 yrs to finally find somehwere I could have a dog but as you can see, the whole thing is very tenuous when you are renting. I had to wait, pure and simple because taking a dog on is a huge responsibility and you need to be secure and be able to be free to do what you want with your own dog and not have all the aggravation that you can get from living with someone who doesn't really want or like your dog. Choice of dogs is very individual - noone likes every single dog, they are all so different so living with a dog that isn't your type isn't great mostly. Keep saving, keep looking and eventually the time will be right.

So sorry Zug Zug, Mozart was beautiful, hugs to you. Which state are you in? Could you borrow a friend's dog for the times you won't be home? It's a hard situation all round.

why do you need her to stay and heel when you are out? Are you planning on walking her off the lead? I've fostered and adopted Maltese, they are not the sharpest tools in the box! I think you may be expecting too much.

we recently rescued an Italian Greyhound that was from a back yard breeder. Hard to rehome as she's 2 but will most likely require surgery on her bad knees at some point in the future, not right now though. Most potential homes were not interested in spending two thousand on that but we finally had 2 potential homes that were happy to do this, it took some months. It is important to get any puppy health checked, some breeds can have heart issues and so on and those that byb will breed with any dogs, they simply don't care. I recently met a lady who had rescued a 3 yr old fluffy but the dog had major neuro issues and ended up having a terrible fit from which it didn't recover and had to be pts. She'd only had the dog for 3 months. Before that she had to go through the devastation of euthanasing a 5 month old fluffy puppy that she'd bought from a byb. The puppy had severe spinal issues and the spine wasn't growing at the same rate as the rest of the body so the poor little thing was in terrible pain. The vet recommended euthing but the lady waited but then the puppy was eventually in agony the whole time so that was that. The byb was not interested in providing a refund for the $800 she'd paid, not even at first when the issue was diagnosed and she'd only had the puppy a couple of weeks. Bought "as seen" was the words the byb used.

tdierx - pull your head in. I have plenty of experience with larger dogs. Doesn't matter what the size is - if the dog is that aggressive it is a risk no matter where it is. I stand by what I say. FYI I have just had to euthanase a DA, HA dog that I rescued - she was 8 kilos, about a month ago. If you want more info then please pm me - no doubt you won't beleive me but you can talk to my vets as you seem to think I wouldn't do that to a small dog. It's dangerous when owners don't know what they are doing - the owner's first dog is suffering and may end up becomign vicious simply because he has to defend himself. Why should any animal have to live like that? It's sheer misery. With the dog I rescued, I couldn't keep her myself as she was a risk to my own dogs as well as other dogs and people and I couldn't rehome her safely either. Plenty more to the story Tdierx and it caused me a great deal of upset. I don't say it lightly but this is a nasty situation that the owner needs to remedy immediately by separating the dogs and making a decision - even if you can train a dog not to behave in that way, could you ever trust the dog NEVER to fight or attack again, under any circumstances? I seriously doubt that.

Sounds like a nasty dog, sometimes you can't fix inherent behaviours. I would put to sleep. Far too many nice dogs out there dying in the pounds each day and I feel really sorry for your own dog, he certainly doesn't deserve to suffer in this way but nor does anyone else's dog or animal. I don't believe she can be fixed. Many DA staffy types around and highly risky to rehome and also, in my opinion, irresponsible.

My Subaru outback is brilliant, has lots of room in the back for big or small dogs, crates and so on!

Now that you've said you have a baby on the way, I would agree with a couple of other posters - now is really not the time to be bringing another dog home, of any kind. And definitely not an undesexed dog when yours is undesexed, you will be very busy with your other children and new baby and may miss your dog coming on heat .... with the normal consequences. Having just rescued an ex showdog who has had 4 homes in his 4 short years, although the RSPCA desexed him, his new owners didn't allow him in the house. They were the ones advertising him for sale and I bought him. Housetraining is a major drama and he knows how to walk on a lead for a short while but is then all over the place. It is likely to be all too much for you in the coming months so my advice is no, it is not fair all round.

well in NSW she'd be in a lot more trouble than you, plenty of fines down here for people who let their dogs run free. Poor dog, it's probably terrified of being outside and doesn't know what to do, it may not be running to attack other people and their dogs but trying to find some company! What a moron the owner obviously is. She obviously has no idea how lucky she is to have a dog and deserves a massive kick up the rear.

I've just found an ad for a 7 mth old male GSD, free to good home with all work done. Let me know if you want me to point you to the DOL member that is helping.

A great idea to bring a similar aged dog in - have done it many times! Is the dog going to be desexed before he comes to you or is he already done? is your female desexed already or a showdog? Apart from that, always introduce dogs on neutral territory, can you have the dog on a trial period of say 2-4 weeks with a refund if it doesn't work for some reason?

When I was growing up my Aunt and Uncle owned a poodle, he was a lovely little dog but I was always horrified when he carried on like a pork chop if they disappeared from his view to go to the toilet or something. He was 14 when he passed away and never changed. It put me off poodles for many years, I did rescue a poodle in 2009 and he was an older boy who'd had a sad life, he was wonderful and a friend adopted him from me. He would have been fine as an only dog but I'd say he was a bit of an exception. Having a dog in a unit is pretty hard (I've tried it) but far harder if they are noisy, people don't want to and shouldn't have to, put up with too much noise. It's really important to get the right dog that will fit in unless you can move (like me) but that doesn't necessarily change sep anx - it worked with the dog I'd adopted thankfully.

Sorry to hear this hasn't worked out for you - I've been rescuing and fostering dogs for quite a few years (over 150 foster dogs now). I rarely take puppies or dogs under 2 yrs of age. This is because I work full time and find that no matter what I do - 1 hour's exercise in the morning, rotating of toys, I do have my own dogs here - nothing is enough for these young dogs. Not sure what your work regime is and how you cope with having a puppy. I would have thought 8 weeks is a bit young to leave the breeder but also, Poodles are a bit prone to separation anxiety. This could just be a case of the wrong type of dog in the wrong situation but (i'm sure I'll get flamed for this) if you work full time then generally unless you can make lots of arrangements, having a puppy is not right for most people. I'm sure you are also filled with trepidation and emotion about your partner going to Afghanistan, I know I would be and sometimes we can unintentionally transfer a lot of emotion onto something else. I think your heart is telling you that you love this dog and I'm sure you do very much but I think you also have to think about what is best for the dog. Ultimately, no matter how much we love them, once they start impacting on our lives to a huge extent for whatever reason (behavioural and medical demands for example), they can just become too much to cope with. Some people dump them in the pound at this point but good people try and find them a home that will suit their needs better. I'm sure if the breeder had a better solution she would have walked you through it. As hard as it is, it is better to let go now I think.

It's normally what I ask first, as someone who does breed rescue. I try and help other purebred dogs as well. I've come across an owner who did not want to tell the breeder his marriage had broken up, only a few months after the puppy was sold to him. Luckily I talked to the breeder who was excellent and the puppy went back. I've also come across a number of other people who have told me they didn't like the conditions where their puppy had come from so wouldn't return them and then as others have said, there are the breeders who simply don't have room to take a dog back. There are many reasons. I feel like tell ing the people that got their puppies from petshops to take them back, some have tried and the petshops NEVER take them back!

Are you in NSW? I can suggest some delightful littlies if it would help! A dog of around 5 or 6 yrs might be a good bet - young enough to play but not young enough to annoy the 11 yr old.

I wonder if they'd like the dog I was offered tonight - bought from a petshop and now threatened with the pound unless I can find a solution which is hard, considering he's not desexed, is an extremely common (and not popular) type of dog found in the pounds etc. He is an escape artist although their yard is not that well fenced by the sounds of it. He's never been walked on a lead and gets out of one - I asked about a harness and she said "he won't let us put it on". they've probably only tried once. In his favour is his age and the fact that he's lived with kids. He was allowed to have a litter of puppies with a neighbour's dog. Great. I told the owner to tell all her friends not to breed any more dogs, please. We do euth over 150,000 each year. I suspect it was water off a half brained duck's back.

What a gorgeous old character she was. RIP Miss Ricky. Maybe plant a beautiful tree in her memory or something that flowers at this time, she had a long and happy life and it would be lovely to remember her in that way. Hugs to you.

I hope they've also made significant improvements to the kennels I saw, especially in the very cold Victorian winter.

Just allow them to spend some time with a prospective friend - ask a rescue group for a non dominant male or female that is good with both sexes and you should be OK, take your dogs along and introduce 1 at a time. If one of yours is toy obsessed or possessive, then the incoming dog needs to be disinterested in toys or you'll possibly have troubles. I have 4 of my own dogs - 3 males and a female and 2 long term fosters - 1 male, 1 female. All of them get along famously. I have a new foster that should rehome quickly - a female, she's a beauty and very rehomable so shouldn't be here long. I should also say that I've been owning and fostering dogs for many years! I've probably had over 150 fosters and owned quite a few dogs since 2005, I take on older dogs so unfortunately lose them, often within 1 to 3 years. Of course I provide them with all veterinary treatment possible and do everythign to give them quality of life but inevitably they get cancer or other things that take them away.

Nature's Gift is very oil, no good for my dogs. I add sweet potato and other veggies but also Tuna (only in brine) and Turkey Mince, sometimes raw, sometimes cooked.