Scottsmum

Goats will be goats...

LOL - Me too unfortunately. The advice back in the day was to rotate types of wormers (as in rotate your active ingredient). No idea if that still stands but - yeh it's stil pretty gross and yuck. The rest of the photos are awesome tho

Im so sorry for your loss. No suggestions but, that heart urn is lovely. As a side note, my mum has her favorite horses ashes in one of those "nice" boxes you used to buy for bulk lots of photos, if you know the kind I mean. No larger than a ladys shoe box. No idea how much of that he takes up, but the box is not all that much larger than the urns I have for my fox terriers (not when you compare a foxie to a 17 hand stallion anyhow).

I don't think there is a right or wrong. The pup may or may not help you (but I bet it will). It can be common to feel like you're "betraying" your last dog when a new one comes along (I did. I cried when I adopted my most recent dog, Id had the one before for 15 years). sorry for your loss.

Yeh its right!

My last girl didnt play. Wasnt her thing.

@Rozzie you gem!I went looking for that thread and couldn't find it. Edit - Skimmed through the other thread, and the list of NZ Lab breeders here on DOL and found one breeder who expects pups and anticipates some fox red pups soon.

Absolutely - we searched high and low for a good, soft sided, high walled bed for Scottie and he ended up in a large (he was only a 11 kilos). Which meant we could pad it up with extra blankies for warmth. We paid a fair bit for his and you don't see many of them around. Really wish we'd been able to hold onto it. Just went looking for it on the petbarn site and can't find anything remotely similar.

Sure I can PM you.

In short - No. I would not recommend them for training or board. I have seen the impacts first hand. Sounds like you weren't happy with your trainer but in my own opinion you need to be shown how to train your dog. No point in having someone else build the relationship - "sit" and "stay" is more than simply saying a word. I often say "find someone you click with" in this case, and sorry if this sounds harsh, sounds like you need to suck it up and do as the trainer is telling you. Bit of a generalisation here, but, put the time and effort into your dog and you'll be rewarded with a pet who'll bend over backwards for you.

Well, He's finally sorted. His box is slightly darker and just slightly larger than Guins - but they look totally fine together and it means that Guineas box sits nicely on top of his - which is how they are just at the moment while I figure out where to put them. I'm really happy (well, as much as I can be) that this is done. I feel like it's a step. Not sure where but it's a thing - I can't say "step in the right direction" - because well grief doesn't work like that. We've donated and sold all the gear we're not keeping which is also ... a step . It's nice that it mostly went to dogs I know and the rest went to rescue. I can now talk about him in public without crying ... but ... you know... I still well up at home or when I see a photo especially when it's a super cute one (*they're all basically super cute ha ha) and I did pluck a hair off a freshly washed dress that I've worn weekly since he went. LOL... The mysteries of pet hair. Looking at puppies... just dreaming really. Hub has made me kind of promise / at least try to hold off until we buy - which we hope will be in the next 3-5 years but between me and DOL - I don't see that happening. A friend at work suggested fostering Guide Dog pups the other day and he didn't say no outright. LOL. But I dunno - you have to agree to take them everywhere including work and I can see that actually being a huge pain. Occasionally look through the adds on Trademe (Kiwi gumtree) and hurl verbal abuse at my computer at the prices and stupid names or things people say about their mutts / designer dogs. My two personal faves lately have been "almost a pug" (Mum is pure and Dad has a little bit of chi in him) and something with a really terrible name I dare not repeat here - which was a cross of 4 things. $1000 and of course, the puppies "don't shed hair and are non allergenic". For $1000 they'd want to tap dance and also be able to do my tax return. Anyhow... dog, puppy, rescue or otherwise, is NOT on the agenda at this stage. We're just taking a (massive) breather.

Always sent Scottie out for a last wee- and when he became deaf and decided the command was optional (he couldnt hear me say it so.... didn't need to do it) I'd take him for a quick walk down to a few spots I knew he liked to cock his leg on. Seemed to help until the last few months when even that became optional.

My boy hated kennels & wouldn't eat at them - needing to be hand fed when he was there for any length of time. A day isn't a long time, so maybe he just didn't get to settle. Hopefully he'll settle back into being home now & maybe in the future a few day trips / visits and even over night stays will help him realize its nice & safe & fun and that you're coming back.

Oh - I don't want to make you feel worse again - but I do really believe dogs understand and mourn too. It's probably not so much she's worried you wont come back - but she's a bit sad/lonely. Fairly off topic - I used to walk Scottie with a group of reactive dogs - by the end of it we were down to two - Scottie and Gem. The first week I went without Scottie Gem was really wary of me - giving me the side eye and keeping her distance. Then when I went to get in my car at the end of the hour she went totally nuts - all her usually "I'll eat any dog who comes near me" business - even thought she'd gotten pretty good with Scottie - within distance and reason. It took a while until I twigged that she must have assumed I had him in the back of the car (and had left him there while we'd gone for a lovely stroll ) Anyhow - it took her Mum opening my car up and letting her inspect it for her to realise he wasn't there. She's been totally fine ever since. Not sure what the best thing to suggest is - Maybe some enrichment type stuff if she's a foodie... but really probably just time. Last time I had a pair I don't think the girl mourned the loss of the boy. She was totally the boss and I assume she either thought "good riddance" or "Where's the help gone".

I just googled it - Pluto appears to have been one of the foundation stallions. (please correct me if I'm wrong PC).

I think it's great you're aware of it, but also agree she probably just needs time to adjust and find her new normal.

U You've basically named our toybox. Only missing "inside ball". Which was, funnily enough, the ball we'd play with inside. Our reasoning was the same it started as "wheres the ball (or monkey) and grew as the range did. He couldn't pick them all by name but was pretty good. Here's a free bit of advice in case you do wash him/it. Don't put it through the hottest of hot washes. It might seem like a good, hygienic choice. You'll only end up with unsqueaking, however, clean toys. Uh..so Ive heard ...

Very sound advice indeed.

Frow. Da. Moose. Mummy!

Lol @Papillon Kisses - Poor Mal. & thanks SG

Guin loved "wiggly fingers" not so much a toy, but a game. Scottie had a few. But it was moosey who lasted better than basically anything else. Not bad for a 50 c boxing day Special. He was always careful with him.to be honest I suspect its because he didn't squeak, but he still did well.

I think it's a glitch that just started recently.

They're really lovely birds Perse. Many years ago now my family went camping at Lake Mungo and the camp birds were just total characters. My first and only experience with them, but one I remember fondly.

Id be tempted to flip her the bird. Not that it would help the situation.