rubiton

After tea she'll sleep either where we are or go upstairs herself if we stay up too late. Other times she'll stay downstairs (she has beds in both places) - if a bit sore shes more likely to stay downstairs. And she'll wait til we get up unless we sleep in and then she'll come and tell me she wants to go outside.

Have you cleaned the contacts? Sometimes yu can get dust and that causes the camera to have issues. When my 70-300 black l;ens was new I frozde up and had an error message (only a couple of weeks of use but it was hot and summer and dusty weather). Took it off and back and and was fine but others told me to make sure I clean the contacts regardless. So if the battery is fine I'd suggest just giving the contacts on both the camera and the lens a wipe with a clean microfibre cloth just to make sure they dont ahve dust or grime you cant really see.

Its just a blood test - why not get the dog screened and know its fine to treat with whatever product is chosen?

2.5km takes 26 minutes - but that was when we were both fit and sound. HOwever the dog is now 12 so has had a few issues then I hurt my knee so we have to limit to the park or the extend to the park and back which is 10 minutes or 15 minutes and slightly slower pace. SHort walk also means on lead and not bolting around at the park (whereas full walk incl off lead segment of the park).

No corporate tent - nothing more confusing than paying to be part of a 'charity' event and see that there is a huge corporate tent with expensive catering and of all things a band. Yes a very loud band at a dog event ...... Free samples from the big food companies were good a few years back - they were a sponsor of the event I think and had an info stand with the free sample bags.

Havent read the whole thread but by desexing you take the dog off the target to steal as a 'breeding animal and another big reason is to avoid it getting adenomas (spelling) benign growths under & around the tail that ulcerate and you must get them removed or they get infected - wont heal on its own. Its awful getting things like that cut off a very old dog when it could have been prevented with simply desexing. I know not every male dog would get that but IM not ever risking it - every male dog will be desexed due to that that we ever get if its not already

Wow I forgot to the feed the dog one day and OMG the evil look I got when it was time to head to bed. Im thinking what ....... Oh food and suddenly had normal happy dog again. DIfferent when she got sick but that one time I just forgot... Dogs in the wild grow up not eating everyday so not sure what it achieves by suddenly imposing a food free day to a domestic one thats used to its regular meals (different if food is put down ignored and taken away again when retraning a fussy eater not to eb fussy as dog is offered food at a meal time)

For me it was I asked them about something and they put me off (but indicated it could happen) for weeks until eventually saying no cant do that and it was then too late for me to do something else I had as the backup plan. Over the years felt a bit better about them until they wasted a huge amount of money taking out full page anti horse racing ads in Melb newspapers - then crying poor for donations to 'save the dogs and cats' sorry but why waste money on full page ads trying to horrify the general public in a completely different campaign if their core business is so desperate for donations.

But I can see where Tess is coming from - they arent 'better' cameras they just have more advanced features that if used correctly can make the final result easier to achieve. My 40D takes pics just fine and I had the 350D doing the big race meetings last year as I didnt trust the 50D and the 40D was away being fixed. IN my case the 7D has extra fps and the sports orientated features are fantastic as is the low light performance and the weatherproofing but then IM out in the stinking heat, rain, dust, dark, everything and its built to handle that. SOmeone wanting to take nice pics of family and pets really doesnt need to get a 7D and many would probably give up and put them in a cupboard as it is a complicated device until you learn howto make it work for what you want. I got the extra guide book as I was getting frustrated trying to set it up and I've been using DSLR cmaeras for 7 years and film cameras for many many years before that. All the SLRS take the same quality photos and even the most basic camera on the large jpeg setting will take photos that will print A3 size but the different series have different features and thats what you need to compare. The 7D has been marketed as a sports camera and thats is one thing it is better than the 60D series but the 60D has things like the swivel LCD screen and other stuff that non sports people might find more useful. Nothing is more of a waste than a high performance camera that is left in auto mode. Tess I use to try and explain that a 7D doesnt guarantee someone better photos than a 1000D etc but dont worry so much now and just always suggest to outlay for the books and that its a lot more complicated than the 40,50,60d Series. The 550D series is actually pretty good but gets forgotten in discussions too.

If you decide to go to the 7d remember you'll need to get an extra guide and relearn how to use the camera. The 7D is nothing like the 350D at all - its a huge leap from the 40D/50D series too. Once you set it up its great but getting it set up correctly for your own pics is the thing that takes a while. However I love the low light performance - most of the pics at the links below were taken with the new L 70-300mm in low light (so at least 1000 ISO). CLipsal concerts - scroll past the car pics Armageddon - again scroll down to the photos

No one checks as really you cannot stop someone walking their dog in the parklands. However you just end up missing out of the promo bag that seems to have a few bits and pieces. They do try to funnel everyone to the registration tent and remind often but its up to you if you want to donate or not. I was a bit put off as last time I went someones dog was throwing up around the entire track (ab out 4 times I saw) and obviously no one told them to withdraw from the walk so that dog may have been sharing the group drinking and other dogs whose owners didnt care were um getting at the sick. Not pleasant.

Just reading through this thread and got to ask - why do potential puppy purchasers have to 'sell themselves' to breeders? It just seems you have to submit a resume and you might just get a dog allocated to you - huh but puppy buyers are customers and breeders are suppliers. Sure can see the breeders asking some basic questions such as about fencing, family (ie young kids, old kids, no kids), owned dogs before, etc but really if you have to apply to buy something of course they (buyers) will see an ad in the paper or online or simply buy whta they see at the pet shop. Far easier than going through an inquisition. If I was looking for a puppy I'd only be putting a basic 'looking for puppy do you have any available in the near future' type email enquiry. Then if they did would be happy to talk to them further but certainly not going to supply an essay to sell myelf.

Personally I woudl not have two female dogs as like humans all it takes for trouble is one argument except humans generally wont fight and cause vet bills or worse. But think about it two blokes have a disagreement they go off sounding like they will kill each other and return best of mates. Two women have a major disagreement and its grudge being held for a very long time and never best of friends at all again. We are looking for a second dog but must be male as our dog is female and is getting older - the last time we had a female dog visit with people we knew our dog got very put out (and acted the same at their place) even though both dogs appeared to ignore each other the whole time. Whereas have never seen that reaction around male dogs.

Yep its very very normal for nearly every photo competition. I dont enter comps and dont remember actually doing so (except one run by the raceclub which did not have conditions as such apart from being able to use the image to promote the comp/raceday or something but not unlimited rights etc) And quite frankly that one says you retain copyright so is better than most - most dont even allow you that - they claim you hand over ownership rights as part of entering (or winning).

When I was young we use to have the house sprayed once a year and the two dogs never had any problem from it. That was the 80s and cant think in this PC/OHS/etc age that the chemicals would be any worse than they were then. BUt then I spray around skirting boards and door frames a few times a year with surface spray and to solve any spider inside issues. Just as long as you stay away for the few hours to let it all dry and I think we use to open the windows on return for a few hours to 'air out' the house.

I also would not expect a car to stop simply because a dog rushed across the road. If Im driving and an animal bolts across in front of me Im looking at the road - yes you slam the brakes on even though you are not suppose to and you might or might not see where the dog/cat goes (or you might just see it up and fine in the background) and then keep going off up the road. When driving a drivers first thought should be to drive safely and if you are not in obvious distress (ie down onthe ground with dogs everywhere) how is someone going to know they even need to stop and it sounds like you were fine. You also dont see anything but the flash of an animal if you slam on the brakes you certainly have no time to see any body language (lucky to see colour and what it is).

1- The red eye is caused by the on camera (as in inbuilt) flash bouncing off the subjects eyes. In the image below you may not really see it but he does have a red eye reflection from looking straight at the camera when the on camera flash was used. If you cannot 'bounce' the flash or even just use one of those big flashes mounted on the camera (these have enough angle to usually avoid red eye) get th esubject to look slightly anywhere but at the flash. Otgherwise try and avoid flash - you can take photos down to about 1/40th of a second if you hold it really still and your subject stays still enough. The below photo was on 1/40th and ISO 2000 2 - focus point Use a decent DOF so allow yourself something like 4.5 or 5.6 any lower and you will have a very shallow depth of field (the photos above would have been no less than 4.5 aperture) 3. shallow depth of field but it only works if you are trying to get only the eyes in focus and the rest of the photo in soft focus - some images you see will also be photoshopped for effect.

But also remember that many dogs like well ok love dogs that look like them and if they act like them they will carry on as if they have always known each other. My parents Golden Retriever and one day in the middle of Goolwa another GR came up to him that looked just like him (it was uncanny the likeness) and they carried on like long lost friends. They didnt know each other and came from different parts of the country - I thought that was in isolation but then I had my dog at an early DOL gathering at the orphanage here in SA. The others dogs yeah well they were ok but then one went past that looked just like her and she went nuts trying to get its attention (other dog went past with owner and they werent stopping any time soon) - other DOLers who saw it also commented on her reaction. Now she may have been related or it was just the fact that this dog looked just like her and she thinks lab xs and black labs are far above the best dogs ever. Greets them a lot differently than her stand offish approach to others (except and brown/white Aussie Shepherd she met a couple of times). SO they may recognise littermates or if they dont have any kind of semi regular contact they may simply see a dog thats just like them and therefore is better than any other dog out there.

Qantaslink are the only qantas planes that fly to Lauceston so thats probably why they wouldnt take animals its cramped enough inside for humans.

Our dog was fine carrying hers we usually put small amount of water for her to carry. Unfortuantely she later had leg issues and this has stopped her wearing the backpack since (they DIDNT cause the problem that came up due to other reasons)

Thats pretty normal for a teeth clean. They have to knock the dog out and keep it under while cleaning the teeth and it takes time and fluids, drugs, 'surgery kit' as they call it, etc. You dont want to go el cheapo when it comes to keeping your dog alive while its having a general anesthetic. SOme may do it cheaper but then on some old threads around mid last year there was discussion on what some vets include and what some charge extra for. You need a detailed quote to explain why it adds up which helps explain theprice.

The best food for your dog is what it does well on. If you hunt through the threads there is one that compares what was fed and how long lived and healthy dogs were had been and really it showed it makes no difference as long as you feed your dog on what you think makes them feel and look well. I fed our dog on a couple of supermarket dry food brands and she looked great coat nice and shiny then we tried another (came with a huge plastic food barrel) and just that one barrel of the other food left her coat flaky and dull. Back to the old food and she was all good again and the local dove pigeon things were nice and fat and shiny too. And also if you go searching online make sure that you are checking AUSTRALIAN sites in reference to waht is in the foods (or contact the companies directly with any concerns or queries) - Australian standards are a lot different from US standards and a lot of stuff that you can read on the internet is US based and not actually rlevant to Australia. Personally I wouldnt bother with the mega expensive food if the dog was healthy and did well on the cheaper brands but then there are others on here that swear by different types of feeding. Guess the key is as I said above finding something the dog does well on.

When I need to shove tablets down her throat I find the best way to get them swallowed is to put them in as far as possible and then make SURE the lips are sealed and hold the head up. Stroking does nothing but waiting for the drool works as when that eventually runs down her throat (which is why its important to make sure there are no gaps when holding her mouth shut) she must swallow. Guess its the same as the water being syringed in there - but the tablet must be placed further back than the teeth to make sure they dont catch them with the teeth. If all else fails the drool will make them dissolve but you get RSI holding them for that long However the dog c an do a good impression of a tawny frog mouth when holding the head up and still before swallowing.

The mixed breed dog sounds like it needs to be taught manners - does she ever discipline the dog herself when it plays rough? Defiantely contact a good behaviourist to assess both owner and dogs. However why on earth was a kitten added to a household with two young dogs? Obviously the dogs have not been brought up around cats so why introduced one now - not a safe option of the kitten/cat - they are seen as prey by movement orientated dogs and you cant just tell them to 'play nice'.

OUr dog is being treated for the onset of Chronic Kidney disease - this is the long term one where old age sees it happen in some dogs. The fortekor apparently increases the blood flow or something in the kidneys (vet did explain it a lot better)- she also has a weird cough that is intermittent but I hadnt mentioned that when she was prescribed the tablets (which has decreased while on them apart from when she was really excited or stressed). The tablets are more common to be used on cats but then cats are more likely to develop the problem. Our dog does not yet have renal/kidney failure which was explained much more acute and serious - the idea of the food and tablets are to manage the condition so she doesnt go downhill as happens if no treatment no change in diet occurs (like the family afghan back in the 80s).