Scottsmum

Oh - you've helped me make up my mind. I have a similar shot for this week :) but was agonising over which one ...

Lots of sound advice above - Plus this.

I never said surrender - just thought I'd put it out there. There was never any question when I moved out of home about if my girl would come or not - but what it meant was that my (now) husband gave up his $200 a week flat to move into a 350 a week house - then when we were moved on 6 months later that became a 400 a week house - which was falling down around our ears - because that's all the real estate had on the books which was pet friendly. "They were doing us a favour as we were good tenants". Fast forward a few years later, still renting and some junkie neighbours come on the scene - we find it hard to move again with a dog (althought being stuck in a home we owned with them there would have been a nightmare too) ...All in all - renting with pets is bloody hard work. Lots of us do it - but it can also mean some big sacrifices like not having the numbers or type of pets we always want. I'm sure the breeder would understand if you said your couldn't do it at this stage. Anyhow - it's an extremely personal decision and I'm not here to blag on at you until you either block me or change your mind. I just thought I'd put it out there. :) Good on you for coming in and asking the right questions.

I'm just going to say something I actually consider pretty rude - but what the heck. Are you sure this is the right time to be getting any puppy? Let alone a LSD? I only say this because you've stated on other threads that you're young, about to move out of home for the first time, renting, cash is tight and you're anticipating some issues with your other dog. Personally (and 19 year old me would hate to have been told this) I think you should stop, not get the pup and settle yourself and your other dog. See how he settles into his new environment and give things a try first. I will admit that my knowledge of Maremma is very limited but... I would assume they're not the kind of dog you get as a renter. What if you get moved on in 6 months? As I said, I know this is probably rude, and I would have hated to have someone to say it to me - but maybe it's time to sit back. Settle into life out of home. Give your other pets a chance to adapt before taking on a puppy - which is always a huge responsibility no matter what breed. I'm in my 30s and I can tell you- renting with a dog is hard, struggling to find the cash to make their lives better is hard. I'm not saying don't do it - but I am saying maybe you need to really seriously have a good hard think about it. For us (husband and wife) we've agreed one pet at a time for as long as we rent. Sadly that's all our finances and most land lords can cope with. Heck - the money I've spent on our dogs is probably close to a small deposit on a house.

Police were involved and believed it to be true. No news on the owners as yet - that I am aware of.

Who doesn't love a sneaky roll in poo.

Don't get me wrong - I think he needs to be off the streets. Was just imagining being in the "feeders" position.

Hubby and I were talking about this tonight - after I told him about this thread. One of the things we agreed on was - what the hell would you actually do with him? I think, I assume / imagine that the reason the person who is feeding him wont capture him is she probably wouldnt be able to keep him in her suburban backyard - so where does he go when captured & if he can be safely transported and re-homed. Again, I imagine, she'd feel like she was signing his death warrant. I mean, who seriously has a few acres of very well fenced property just sitting there completely empty waiting for a stray/feral dog to start living there.

Gross. LOL. I used to know a doxie who specialized in eye balls. ;)

if this was one of my dogs, I would be most embarrassed , and feel I'd failed . IMO , Lying down to sniff is the dog dictating what happens and when ;) I am presuming you gave him permission for some sniff time .... you are working SO hard to get things on an even keel ...well done !! I usually let him sniff the whole walk. Occasionally I make him heel the whole way and we get a bit of cardio in but I'm more than happy for him to wander along at his own pace and sniff all the things. We've got some road kill we've been checking in on for weeks. There is only a wing left but I'm informed, by him, it's "coming along well". I don't know what that means - I don't want to know. ;) But in all seriousness - what you've just said above has never crossed my mind. He's never done anything like that before to me and I just put it down to a very long walk (longest with me in weeks), crossing a footy ground which is (most likely) covered in bunny poo and me using a bin right near a playground & skate ramp - I assumed it was part exhaustion, part sensory overload. I also wondered if it was his way of covertly trying to roll in it (what ever "it" was) - I do have rules - rolling in poo and dead things is off the list of approved activities. if this was one of my dogs, I would be most embarrassed , and feel I'd failed . IMO , Lying down to sniff is the dog dictating what happens and when ;) I am presuming you gave him permission for some sniff time .... you are working SO hard to get things on an even keel ...well done !! Seriously? When Justice has stopped to sniff like that and won't budge it's actually displacement sniffing caused by anxiety. Also, I don't think it's a failing as a dog owner to let your dog choose when he sniffs. If you want to walk your dogs in a manner that means they need permission for everything they want to do then that's fine but it doesn't mean that those of us who like to be leisurely and relaxed on our walks are doing it wrong or should be embarrassed. Thanks Snook. I'm very rarely embarrassed by anything ;) I let him sniff to his hearts content - he'd run all day if he could and still not be tired - but he's zonked after a big sniff. I got a combined time of 65 minutes with no crying out of him today - so I take that as a win. But it is interesting this has come up. I'd thought about, and done some reading on NILF but decided it wasn't for me. I don't think I could pull it off, but realise it has good points too. But this afternoon when I was sooking with Scottie over somthing hubby did actually tell me I'm spoiling him too much and he thinks that's the reason we're having trouble with him. I know that's not entirely correct but ... maybe I need to put some big girl panties on and really try NILF. Hope that book frees up at the library sooner rather than later...

Thanks Rural Pug - both great tips. We've been trying him out there this week. I have put him on the chain - as much as the behaviourist said the run is a better idea I'm not convinced (cause I'm clearly the expert here ). It turns out the run isn't very weather proof - it rained heavily here this week and I noticed that approx 1/3 of inside the kennel got wet - as well as the run obviously- which means any bedding in there would get saturated too - so I'd come home to a cold wet cooped up dog. We'll contact the manufacturer and see what price it would be for a larger run - and possibly a weather strip of some description. Finances pending of course. He's been OK. I've been putting him out, keeping as quiet as possible and keeping extremely detailed notes. Like peeing before I put him out, filling a water bottle, setting my timer and not moving at all detailed. I read / study/facebook and keep notes of how long, if at all he cries. He cried day one on 15 minutes but he's been good since until yesterday - when he cried a bit on 45 minutes (from about 30 mins). So I waited til he was quiet and went out to let him off. I've been putting him back out for a short second "go" when ever he cries (a few hours later - for 15ish minutes). Aiming for an hour today - he's had a very long walk full of sniffs - through a part of our area/suburb we haven't been in weeks. It was such good sniffing he had a little lie down and sniffed so i couldnt make him hurry up! He was out for 15 mins earlier but hubby came (car, conversation, shower going, doors opening and closing - It's too early for him to be expected to shush with that going on) so I let him re-start. Went to borrow "the practical dog listener" as recommended by SAS / Great Dane Rescue but it's out of the library at the moment so I have that on hold. Will make him a snuffle mat next week - just need to gather supplies. Have also priced a flirt pole so we have more play options available to us. I've also found a lovely lady on pawshake who does daycare/sitting - we did a meet and greet with her and one of her dogs this week (the other is currently recovering from cruciate surgery) - again - finances permitting we'll send him to her place twice a week while I'm on placement just to help him cope a little better / break the week up - unfortunately she only offers mon and fri - but it's better than nothing. I'm hoping between the dog sitter and this "training" we might be OK. I'm also hoping I can pop home for lunch while I'm on placement. I did ask about split shifts or evenings but was told that wasn't really feasible. Unfortunately because I'll have the car it wont be easy for hubby to pop home unless he gets a big break in his day & walks or gets a lift. He's also nursing an injured tendon at the moment so he's unable to assist with dog walks and is not likely to want to walk back and forth too much. Hopefully he'll be a lot better in 2-ish weeks time.

I agree with this post. If the dog is hit by a car it would indeed be sad for the dog but what about the driver and any passengers? They could be seriously injured or even killed or someone could swerve to miss the dog and have a head on collision. This Maremma is a dog and it deserves proper care, not to be the stuff of urban myth. People have even referred to it as a 'ghost dog'. It is a real dog and it deserves (nay needs) adequate food (balanced diet), shelter (It is freezing in Canberra in winter), and veterinary care (Has it been immunised?) just like any other dog in the ACT. It should also be desexed (as per ACT law). What happens if the person feeding it (who has no responsibility for it) is no longer able to? What will this dog eat? Chickens, cats etc. I believe it is cruel to allow the dog to continue to exist in the way it has been doing for the last few years. Poor dog! I assume he'd be desexed at least - being an escaped rescue / having been adopted at some stage. I wonder too - if the RSPCA have said he's OK - are they ultimately responsible for him if he does cause a serious issue? I'd also worry about him possibly getting flyblown at some stage. I'm not saying give him a home and a crate and expect him to fit in to a family with everything being hunky dory, but surely he can live out his life in a secure paddock with someone to keep a better eye on him.

That might well be - but what the hell happens the day he comes across a highly reactive DA dog? Or causes a car accident? or needs medical attention? I couldn't agree with Step M more in this case.

This. That article is bullsh*t.

This. Kind of. We can't afford a house - we spend all our extra money on the dog ;) We wont get another cat, or second (or larger) dog until we own. The responsibility is huge - as you all know but - for us personally - it's dealing with landlords and the associated cost of renting with a pet. It's bloody hard.

Very cute!

When Scottie (my 10 kilo foxie) travelled by air last year he ended up in a pp50. Point being - maybe a 40 wouldnt hurt?

None from me - I only half heatedly looked as it was all included in my flight. There are a few other's from the general hills / west here so you might get a few responses over night. Maybe try gumtree if you're really desperate? Scratch that - I just looked not much hitting as an actual pp30

Seven hills petfoods was selling them when I was looking. Prices seemed better than petbarn but I cant remember exact details.

Gorgeous

Thanks Roova - I have s pretty great view out my back door. Which is where I took this. I will admit I bumped the contrast up what I think is a bit - maybe it was a lot - but we just have stunning sunsets when I remember to took for them. And they're often really different colours - we get this red a lot but this week we had an entirely blue / purple and we also had a peach set last night. Loving it. My favorite place in the house is one of the back rooms where you can get this view. Unfortunately the window is too high to sit on a couch or see from a bed or other furniture SO I have to stand to admire it. I'm currently figuring out in my how to get a nicely framed shot through the window. Step one absolutely involves windex -inside and out - so this might be a long time in the making ;)

Week three. Sorry if people are still getting week 2 up, but I refuse to wait any longer. Edit: I notched the contrast up a tiny bit - I'm new to this but I think it was a tiny bit. keep3 (3) by Superspanger, on Flickr

Very nice

Was told by the family vet that its also because chicken is a "cool" meat & easy to digest.