Brandiandwe

And the others, so they don't feel left out! I think Hermon looks particularly 'come hither' in this one. Finally a photo of Paige where you can actually see her face. Most of the time she's charging straight at me to get as close as possible to the camera or timing her head turn so that its all dark. Brandi. Little stinker. After digging a nice big hole in the garden. We often see Brandi standing like this. Someday I'll get the photo in the right light so muscle can actually be seen! Thanks for looking.

So, it's now been just over 3 months since Benny came home. He's a delightful dog. Has managed to wangle his way onto our bed 2 of the past 4 nights and prefers to sleep in between us with his head under our pillows or his nose in an armpit. He eats well, sleeps well, is walking well and keeping up with the others. The corn comes and goes, as corns do, but doesn't worry him unduly. He's a little bit stiff in the cold, but runs and dances and jumps with the others, just a little slower. I've got him on Zeel tablets and fish oil which also help, and chicken feet are regulars to help with some glucosamine. He also loves playing with Hermon, although Hermon is less keen. A side on shot. He's looking a bit ribby here, but I'm keeping some weight off to preserve his joints. He's also a bit tucked up/ leaning off his front feet/ putting the weight to the back of his feet. I think this is related to his nails. They are getting better, but the quicks are still so long that getting and keeping them short is a challenge. I also think that his nails were long for a long time, so this is how he has learnt to stand. I'm not sure how to overcome it. As I said above, he moves OK and doesn't seem to be in pain, but it looks uncomfortable. Any suggestions welcome. Ignore the long grass. He just looks nice and chilled in this one.

I shall be polite and patient and wait for the next litter......

Are we taking bets? I'm going to say 9.

I agree. Just blossoming. Or blooming.

Only people who helpfully suggest I feed my dogs more. No, two or three ribs visible is normal for my guys. They're all muscled, shiny and happy.

Edited for double post.

I'm so sorry. This is a post from another forum which might help the decision. "When Considering Euthanasia ask yourself these questions: (Written by a vet) 1) Is the dog free of distress, pain or discomfort, and could the pain be controlled? 2) Can the dog walk and balance fairly well? 3) Can the dog eat and drink without vomiting? 4) Is the dog free of inoperable tumours which are painful? 5) Can the dog breathe without difficulty? 6) Can the dog urinate or defecate without difficulty or incontinence? 7) Does the dog have an owner who is able to cope physically and mentally with any nursing that may be needed? If treatment is not possible then answering 'No' to any of those questions means there is no blame in having the dog put to sleep. Next, ask yourself if it was yourself in your dog’s situation, would you actually wish to continue living? Better a day too soon than a day of misery too late. Then ask your vet if they think it is time to consider letting the dog go. If not then how long and what to watch out for in the quality of life equation." There aren't any right answers here, and you know your dog. You need to make the call for her as an individual. Thinking of you.

Lucky I'm lying down! That is gorgeous!!!!!

How wonderful. (Settles in comfortably to wait for more photos)

Can I ask a question about deafness or loss of hearing in our oldies? It's hard to tell but I suspect Benny's hearing is not as good as the others. I find that calling him, I need to call, not louder, but in a more authoritative way? More piercing? There's a different pitch to my voice which he seems to hear better. Is this the same with others? He's pretty good, but I want him to stay happy.

My oldest dog is Benny. He's the grey we pulled out if the pound with the help of other DOLers and are looking after for as long as he wishes to stay. He's now 9.5, not the 11 we were originally told. Since getting him, we've fed him raw, sorted his teeth and feet (corns and nails), put him on fish oil and Zeel tablets for his stiffness and he now walks 2-5 kms a day with the other younger dogs, plays with them, runs with them and generally is socially and physically active. Given we don't know his medical history, all we can do is give him the best life we can , in diet, exercise, stimulation and health, and wait and see. I suspect that he will leave us before I am ready, only because of the gaps in our knowledge. But for me, keeping him active is key and, linked to that, keeping nails trimmed and arthritis pain at bay as well as encouraging him to interact with the others, which he loves. He's a cheeky little monkey though.

I must confess to having visited your site, and have fallen for Nova and Rave. I can't wait!

Apparently I'll live till I'm 99. However, too much sport will result in arthritis and injury to ankles, knees, hips, back and shoulder. Also too many chemicals in the diet is likely to result in mental incapacitation as well. Physically, the old body may keep ticking on. Mentally, who knows? I hope I remain mentally there (and here) but realize the odds are smaller for that.

I'm certainly looking more seriously now. Of course, we have a full house and I would like it to remain that way in the future, but I think a combination or series of greyhound, Borzoi and Rottie might work quite well. So many lovely dogs and the thing about this thread is that I'm starting to 'see' differences in body shape, face, ears and to work out what I prefer. Thank you so much for this!

Just loving all the photos! How much character do these dogs have???

Looking at them, it might be the eyebrows which are so appealing. Among other things. I've just checked. October 4-5 NSW Rottweiler Club is having a show.... I might need to go along to check things out. You know. Just for fun.

Benny ended up with us as a nine year old (so senior) when his owner died. Her daughter couldn't manage him (cats and Benny is really not cat safe) and he went to the pound. I never want to see that fear again. The reasons I say this are twofold. First, it is better for the dog to die first rather than have an elderly dog need a new home later in life without appropriate plans. Second, we all, regardless of age, should make provision for our pets in our wills which are appropriate and not relying on family or friends who are not necessarily familiar with our specific dogs or breeds. Because you never know.

I will call that a teddy bear. With teeth! And Dory the adored One, you're simply posting now to make me jealous! :laugh:

And Dyzney, if you see this, it goes double for yours!

Swoon!..... No. Not better. They're like little teddy bears. More! More! More!

I feed chicken frames, turkey necks, sometimes chicken drumsticks, but my dogs REALLY love turkey drumsticks. Mind you, sometimes the meat is almost the same size as their head, so their eyes pop our when they see them and their other meal of the day needs to be adjusted accordingly, but they've been find. They also don't eat the long sharp bits and leave them for me to pick up (or DH top stand on).

Please stop posting pictures of your dogs! I've always said that my heart belongs to sighthounds. Greyhounds especially, but borzoi,whippets, galgos, saluki... love them all. But the more photos I see of your gangs, the more I think that it might be fun to someday have a dog who I could do a little more obedience with, who is a bit different from my lanky legged hounds. And I see glorious dogs on here everyday who I know would be amazing, something about your Rotties is calling me. So stop posting! Does anyone else here see dogs which are different to their own and think 'Ah yes. That would be perfect.'? Or am I the only one?

We have four.... I think three is good because you can take one out and leave two at home - important as we have one who can't be left at home alone. I love four, love three.... But I think we've agreed that our ideal number is two. It probably depends a bit on the size of the dogs. Four greyhounds is a lot of long legs in the car but two is easy to take anywhere. I will say that I've not noticed a noticeable amount of extra work as we've gone above two. Pack dynamics have changed and ideally I'll not have two girls again. I love them but they are quite intense compared to the boys. In future I'll have one girl and one or two boys. Also as we added pooches our top dog changed and we are constantly watching interactions to eliminate problems before they arise. Pick carefully for age and temperament. Three dogs is a pack and you can have problems with settling. A third disrupts the relationship between the existing two and it may take months to settle down. Consider using muzzles and crates for a while. Having said that, I'm loving my bigger pack and wouldn't swap this time for anything. It's chaotic sometimes but seeing their personalities and relationships change is amazing. I've learnt so much about dog behavior and myself doing this that I think I'm a better dog owner because of our gang and their number.

Still brings tears to my eyes. He is the type of dog everyone should have as an introduction to greyhounds. Apart from his small (OK large) preydrive towards cats (and bush turkeys. Interesting times) he seriously is one in a million. I must get some more photos this weekend of him and get them posted.