Scottsmum

OP did say can't renovate - or words I took to that effect

Lovely and heartbreaking. Too young, poor Tui.

I think you spoke about re-homing one of them before bub came along too - if so - I'd put that conversation back on the table too. (If I have you confused - please ignore me) Hope this doesnt sound too harsh - but there's no point holding onto one which is causing trouble - if you know what I mean - please no one jump on me for that wording - not sure how to express it properly. Out of curiosity - how many is "excess". Could you possibly re-home 2 as a pair (yes I know that's a tough ask - but it's another possible combination / option)

Ah - baby gates - the great and almighty until we realise they can be pushed over or through. try some cardboard tied/cable tied to BOTH sides? I can draw something in paint if you need me to explain more ;)

Cute!

Might? MIGHT??Can we just correct that quote please? See, that's better! :DOn a serious note, best of luck for a lovely smooth whelping, and really looking forward to seeing the babies :) xx Much prefer the amended quote. Good luck Seven - can't wait to see the puppy spam.

I think we need a photograph of this little champion She's beautiful

What a lucky boy to have you!

What a cutie

And another falls for a divine breed!!! Not that there aren't others but believe me westies are special (and yes I'm completely biased!! ) Welcome to the westie club SM! You won't regret it. Long way off yet.

Indi's face is pure joy in that first photo What a smile

Actually.... I think this is one of those ... jandals / thongs things here ;) Lots of dogs seem to be chained up over here - I think it's much more common. Very broad generalization from me - but there you have it. If my neighbours dog is in the yard unsupervised she's chained. Allowed in the house when they're home but not allowed to have free run of the yard when her mum isn't home. We bought and tried a chain for young Scott - before he decided to sing the song of his people when ever it was produced. :/ Lots and lots in this post between Snooks comments on page 3 and my reply. Um. Really simple very general observations here; Dog culture - very different here in NZ - especially having come from Inner west Sydney. Mates in dog obedience class agree - really different culture. lots of dogs in my local area chained within their yard. *might just be where I live* Low fences - absolutely where I live - almost all our fences are 4 foot chain mesh - there are whole streets I don't walk down for fear of dogs jumping. General level of fencing differnt. You know we looked to buy before we were placed in this house - not a single house had colourbond the way we do it at home. I'm sure there's at least one colourbond fence in NZ - but again - fences are different here. *Side note - one day I'll write a list - it's way deeper than chilly bins V Esky and Jandals V Thongs. :) Bullybreedlover - to address your post: A pup MAY NOT help your daughter and might make her a lot worse. Why risk her happiness and the life of a dog to "just find out". Your daughter is young - You're probably better off waiting for her to be a bit older for lots of reasons and there have been lots of other suggestions on adopting older dogs and other options made here. If it was me - I'd be giving her one to 2 years I think - 3-5 is a great age to "get your first dog" - she'll be old enough to discuss it with you, old enough to understand what's going on, old enough to "help" and to "train it: (my nieces get a real kick out of getting my dog to sit and fetch). About certain breeds needing strong leaders - dogs kinda don't see us as their parent or friend. Even though my user name is "Scotts mum" I'm not his mum - I'm his "pack leader" (Well - that's what I try to tell myself) - and when I don't (kindly and gently) assert myself as such he walks all over and and think he rules the roost - and he's only a fox terrier. Other breeds are known for being headstrong and stubborn. There is A LOT of knowledge on this board. When someone says "oh this breed tends to be very this / that / what ever" it pays to take note. AND if that person has made an observation which others don't agree with then - yup - they'll be told ;) Again - regarding the chain thing - I recently moved from Australia to NZ - I was quite taken back by the difference in fencing standards and that a lot of dogs (at least around my area) are in runs or chained far more often than home - Please note that's a huge general observation. I think it's handy to have a dog who will happily chain up if needed but it would really be far more optimal to have a safe yard which is dog proof for them to enjoy. About that bolded part - Fine is totally subjective. You'll see a lot of strong opinions here - from very passionate people we all have different opinions of what "fine" is - for the most part. As an example - We've lived in our suburb for 3 months now and I know on my street we have at least 15 dogs - my own included. Almost all of them are large dogs (doberman puppy, huntaway pup, akita looking thing, 2 staff cross things, a husky, the two fattest rotties I've ever seen 4 small and fluffies and something that looks like a clumber spaniel) our street is in an odd spot where you can only walk one way in and out so I take the same walk at least once a day (I go for a drive other days when I get bored). Other than the dobe puppy who's out for a walk most days, and the akita looking dog who gets taken somewhere for car rides every so often NONE of the dogs (appear) to be are regularly walked and I'm home all day most days and walk my own, as I said at least once a day around home - sometimes twice). So to the other owners - leaving the dogs in the yard is obviously fine - to me it's not. anyhow - looks like the thread has given you lots of things to think about :)

Love updates on your crew Perse.

Lots of love to you Gillybob. It's bloody hard xxx I always think of Kipling when we talk about losing dogs. http://www.kiplingsociety.co.uk/poems_dog.htm

Week 10. Normal programming will resume late next week. Might even pack the boy up and go for a long day trip as we'll be home on our own. Until then - another from the planned stockpile. One of our favourite walks. We love it here - it's damp and has lots of good smells and we can get down here at the start and finish (you walk a loop) and have a drink & quick paddle. __10 by Superspanger, on Flickr PS _ loving every single shot. They're all great and I'm really enjoying getting a wee peek into everyone's lives (in a non-stalker kind of way).

Ah. Missed the house update. Great news. Dogs look like they're having an amazing time.

One died Also agree - cant be spending money given to them for other purposes to raise kittens.

I can't critique know nothing about retrieving - just wanted to say Shine is utterly adorable :) Very cute.

Possibly ... I expect that it would take a while to build up clients - but I also imagine you'd have a business model to deal with that. I'm always nervous about going into separate /exclusive areas in shops - I'm wary of being 'trapped' and given the hard sell and I wonder if I'm missing other products which are similar for a lower price on the "not exclusive" shelves. Plus I always wonder about what is "natural". What is natural coat care? I taught green cleaning classes for a local eco hub for years - one of our primary exercises was to pick up a "nautral" cleaner and compare the ingredients to a well known brand of spray and wipe - the ingredients were almost identical. Would consolidating these products in one space allow you to free up space in the rest of the shop to add other product lines? Do you think you could sell enough "natural" product often enough to really make it viable. like if I bought a magnetic bed or a henry hotty - that's pretty much a one off thing. But if I bought some conditioning equipment - maybe a peanut I'd be back to buy more and more as a built a little home doggy gym

Oh Gilly Much love to you - and Anna. I'll be thinking of you. Hope everything goes OK.

I concur :D

Ha ha - I mean it in the most loving of ways. I whiled away many an hour watching babies back when we had horses.

Ok - so 500 ish- yes 1000 well over but meh. I personally don't see the problem with what they're doing

Well the OP did ask if it was conflict of interest. Which I think not. Wording could be better. In fact in normal circumstances you need to prove the money is going where you say it was - in my example above we didn't send money to research - so we cold never say "help us find a cure" the money went to assisting people living with the disease. So they've covered their arse with " Any extra funds raised will give PetRescue a much-needed boost to keep up with the growing demand for our vital free support services." but yeh - could be better worded. But more to the point - what is the cost? We tend to undersell things. We've spoken here before about the cost of raising puppies and how litters don't make a profit. Well, I wont pretend 2 kittens would cost 1000 - but is it possible? We assume they'll get rescue rates at a vet but I could probably count up to $400 easily in terms of flea treating, milk powder, vet visits, microchips, desex, vaccinations. Plus food and litter... Not 1000 ... but more than you might originally think.