Mairead

You guys must be a nightmare for the marketing people - informed and discerning consumers! Marketing is the work of the devil.

I have only had one dog some years ago who developed separation anxiety after I had stayed home when she had puppies then returned to work. I did the behavioural things in vogue then, saw a behaviour specialist vet who I felt was not treating her as an individual. Nothing was working. My greyhound specialist vet suggested Valium prior to me leaving. It worked very well as a management tool but I wouldn't say it was a cure. When the vet asked me how the Valium was I said "it's wonderful, I'm thinking of taking some myself". It is still recommended (as are other drugs) in Uni of Sydney Behaviour Proceedings 390 (2010) but may need long term use (6-12 months) before trying to taper off so baseline blood tests and regular monitoring are suggested. I can quote some more of the Sydney Uni conference book and a book they recommend if you are interested. Is the owner anxious? Is it possible the neighbour is making the situation worse?

You need to get a proper diagnosis from a qualified vet first. Greyhound specialist vets are used to dealing with bone, tendon and muscle problems.

Did I also notice older guy with loose dog argued with female but took notice of the other male? Dominance aggression?

Two sovereign citizens. Usually they are a solitary species.

And what did you use to worm her? Did you weigh her to get the dose right?

Good people are out there. I was in one of three cars (me and dog groomer from the purebred dog world, and pet Staffie owners in third car) that pulled over to assist with three stray Basenjis on the side of the freeway. I caught the bitch in season (it was that time of year), other people caught the two males. The dog groomer phoned her husband to bring crates and then phoned a prominent person in the Basenji scene. The traffic emergency response vehicle pulled in, then stopped traffic so we could safely continue. The Basenji Club sent me a thankyou letter. And some people (many people?) think we are only in it to make money.

Chihuahua pups Noosa (Debbie) and Michelle (Chihuahua pups Deception Bay?), you might want to start using a "puppy application form" and a waiting list to help separate the wheat from the chaff, the tyrekickers and impulse buyers from the genuinely interested. Another option would be to keep buyer's first pup from you in joint ownership until they seem OK. Third option is take up a different hobby that isn't as much hassle.

And some rescue dogs get a pass too. Also not helped by all those clips where people laugh and think it is "so cute" when a dog (especially a small dog) feels so threatened it growls and snaps. As T would say, Grrr.

Would whoever wrote that headline bother to find out some facts?

Two rangers arrived promptly when I phoned on a Sunday about a Boer goat. I told one of them the goat wasn't tame. The other one, in my opinion, didn't assess the situation first but approached the goat with a catchpole. I was trying to herd next door's kids (pun intended, they are just as undomesticated as the goat was) away from the area but the goat ran up the driveway straight over the smallest kid who fell onto the concrete. No health and safety in evidence for that event.

I see the limiting factor here being the number of trained people available. Often the service you get seems more to do with the personal qualities of the person than any policies they are supposed to follow.

OP states they were scammed in January $1300 when trying to buy a puppy via Facebook, but went back to Facebook for next puppy? And now they hunt down scammers and report them to dog groups. I hope OP and the supplier of pup learn something from all this. Buying a living being is not like buying a toaster!

Before microchips, when Petsearch was run by Fiona Campbell, the newsletter was full of amazing and amusing stories of pets "on the lam", as Fiona described it. I helped out (as did many others) with a lost Anatolian Shepherd whose home was several suburbs and a six lane road away from where I found him. Kubla was returned to his Turkish family with the help of Petsearch, a couple of passing pet owners and several people from the dog world. His story in the newsletter was titled "Kubla can't ... find his way home, but many people get involved".

A dog can be ruined by ignorance as well as by neglect or abuse.

Thank you to the people who responded with more sympathy than me. We have had here a few one post odd bods in recent days. Caught me at a bad time? But there are still red flags in OP. They bought the dog "four little outfits", and "a car seat"? The food recipe says "freeze one muffin per night". Should that be "feed one muffin ..." Is once a day feeding right for a toy breed of not fully vaccinated age?

What a pity you didn't do some research here before you made a mess of it. You seemed to have joined to complain.

Even if apparently not double dapple, could be a cryptic Merle involved. Best stay clear of the dangerous colours.

I don't understand why we can't make our own. We have chemicals, autoclaves and gamma sterilisation devices. Is it the plastic packaging that's not available, or has that knowledge been lost? I remember making Ringer's solution for our calves if they were dehydrated.

If you are wanting to save money why are you wanting another dog?

OP mentioned blue staffies but not colour dilution alopecia, cavs but not Chiari malformation. But I think we are now providing info for the viewers rather than the OP.

It is the difference between two people with many years experience. One has one year's experience repeated many times and the other has been learning every moment of those many years.

Don't forget detective skills to interrogate potential homes. I found asking what age the previous dogs were when they died, and what they died from, very revealing. "Stupid dog jumped off the back of the ute" was a memorable one.

Have a look at the breeds with low registration numbers, the rare terrier and toy breeds, or other rare breeds. They could do with a helping hand. You should consider this a long term venture. You will need to do your apprenticeship with an established breeder, and not consider becoming a breeder straight away for your own amusement. You may be required to be a co-owner first until you prove you are genuine, and could help import new bloodlines (dogs or semen). Be prepared to promote your breed by competing in competitions and attending display days.

Tell us how much you know about dachshunds (you didn't mention coat or size) and why you have chosen this breed.