TangerineDream

"Avocados (fruit, pit, and plant) are toxic to dogs. They can cause difficulty breathing; fluid accumulation in the chest, abdomen and heart; or pancreatitis." Yikes..... I've been giving my dogs bits of avocado for 20 years...didn't notice that it had caused a problem with any of them..... and cooked rice has formed a constant part of their diet always.....and no apparent problems there....hmmmmm How about peanut butter? can that cause problems?

- explain concepts and exercises at a level that suits members of the group - be always aware of how dog-handler teams are performing and be able to provide 1-on-1 instruction within the exercise as the whole class does it - be aware of difficulties that dogs may be experiencing eg: small dogs on cold winter nights may be working at temperatures 4 - 5C colder than at handler face level, the opposite in very hot weather - to keep lessons broken into the attention span of the group say break 1 hour into between 3 and 5 sections - keep the interest level up by providing variety - speak to handlers with respect - always carry a texta on the first night of each class, so you can mark the handlers hands "L" and "R" (don't laugh - I used to do it so that everyone turned the same way) - always write positive comments on the dogs card so that the handler can feel positive about their achievements, however small

Helps keep liver GSP's that wonderful dark choclatey, liver colour...seems to add more density to their colour, and is a faulous coat conditioner.....

McIvor Vet was recommended to me by a long term Bendigoan also who has been using them for many years and wouldn't go elsewhere....

More rapid and shallower breathing can also be a sign that the heart is becoming less efficient with age, quite a lot of dogs end up with leaky valves as they get older which can also compromise efficiency......

I've always fed chicken mince (pet grade) from my butchers, but I've always cooked it thoroughly in water and then skimmed the fat off when it solidifies - have been doing this for 20 years and have never had scours in any dog during that time. After watching beef mince crawl within a day or two from various places (including butchers), I can't bring myself to feed raw mince...

What a beautiful tribute to Murphy....that last photo brought a tear to my eye - it was so sweet......

That's beautiful Kojak......<with a tear in my eye> for everyone's beloved pets, and my beloved Cadence...

Have also used the spray bottle (plant mister type with the very fine spray or the light jet) to good effect for 20 years and 4 dogs eg: when I've wanted a dog to lie down in the car or I'm in a position that I can't reach them but they need a correction - works wonders!! (instantly). Same dogs were perfectly happy to drink from the same bottle outside the show ring on hot days and loved playing with the hose. It's all in the way you apply it as a correction - if you use it in tandem with a growl from you or a 'no', the dog will quickly learn to associate the 2 in that situation and all you do after that is pick up the bottle - they aren't scared of it, but they understand the correction that comes with it. It's a gentle stream of water, not a gush and certainly not something that would frighten. It's no different a correction than raising a finger and saying "Don't even think about it!"...

(I wrote this 6 weeks later).... Cadence, you are still so real to me that I can reach out and touch you and feel your coat and smell your breath and keep loving you. I turned around yesterday when the sun was flooding into the house and I could almost see you lying on the floor, raising your head when you heard my steps... You're still here...aren't you?!!!! (and from tonight)..... Tango (my Christmas GSP puppy to come).... On the 2nd October, 12 weeks before you are due to come home, I've already started 'nesting' - the dog blankets are washed and the crate's already up in the bedroom....the puppy bag is ready to go...and I can hardly wait!! I don't know which pup you are in the litter, but I get the feeling that Cadence will be bringing you home.........

Had a Dobe with Wobblers (induced when he ran head first into a tree he wasn't watching) and damaged the area around C6 and C7. Put him in a harness - no collar after that. He also had little or no awareness of his hind legs and had to turn around to look at them to see where they were. The only pain he was in was the muscles along his neck either side of the spine and I used to massage Goanna Oil blue into them which would give him relief for nearly a week at a time. I also had him manipulated every 6 weeks or so which used to relieve some of the pressure on the spinal column and he had fairly good days for a week or so after that. He progressively got worse over a 12 month period and was PTS when he told me he'd had enough and I felt that his quality of life was being compromised.

I've always been paranoid about feeding dogs chicken carcasses...can they do any damage with sharp pieces if raw, and are all the bones in the carcase soft enough? What age should you start a dog on them?

Have fed chicken pet mince (currently bought from a butcher for $1 a kg) to all my dogs for the past 20 years, but I've always boiled it in the microwave in water and then skimmed the solidifed fat off after its been in the fridge for 12 hours - you'd be astounded at how much fat there is unless you buy lean fillets minced....) Tend to freeze it straight away and then defrost enough to cook - usually a kg - cook it, skim it, mix with cooked rice and feed over the next 5 - 6 days - will stay fresh for that time if you make sure that it's cooked thoroughly - the water it's cooked in becomes part of the mixture and is soaked up by the rice.

...and the strangest thing of all.....this photo was taken out of my window looking down the street 2 hours after Cadence left to go stormchasing in the big skies..... Now that's the sort of thing that makes you believe in something......

I went for a walk along the river with Cadence's memory yesterday to celebrate him being part of my life for the past 11 years - and I felt strongly that he was actually there with me as I walked.......it was so strong I could almost see his shadow walking along in front of me.... I wanted to spent some time just with him alone before Tango (aka 'TornadoChaserDog') is born in the next day or two. Cadence then has another presence to walk alongside him through my mind and my life....today it is me and him and only me and him.......... and tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow there will be three souls.....

Boys seem to make more of a connection I agree, and when you meet that special dog that becomes your alterego, it's so hard to let such a large part of your life, and your psyche go....it takes ages, you continue to question things that you did, that he did....and wonder why it all had to happen that way. I found that writing my beloved Cadence a letter to be really healing...it's just a collection of significant memories (mostly happy ones), and I add to it when I feel the need...and it's cathartic, but it also lets me re-establish the special connection that we had..... only people who have experienced what you are going through will understand what you are feeling....and there are a lot of us here. Keep writing and sharing your feelings - it's the most helpful thing that you can do, besides crying when you need to.....sit with the girls, have some quiet time with them, they will understand your sorrow and be supportive of you....

Cadence (GSP) had an umbilical hernia the diameter of your little finger....never caused him a problem - with virtually no protrusion at all.

Letter to Cadence... There's no-one here to clean the cream from the dessert bowl or eat the leftover rice from my Chinese..no-one lying on the mattress in the sun, no-one to walk up and down the street at ungodly hours in all weathers. No-one to tuck into the basket in the car...no-one demanding my toast..... You used to stand up as soon as I drove through the chicane on the way home - when did you stop? You were always so patient, never nagging...... When the spider got you, you were so trusting, so sure that i would help....you put up with so much and all you wanted to do was be with me.... You loved travelling....everytime you got our of the car it was an adventure - the day the Subaru arrived, you took it over & I forgot you were there - out there in the driveway with the car door open...guarding 'your' car. A set of keys jingling always made you get to your feet and come to see what was happening and where we were going....... That last week, you cleaned your face on the doona like you always had, and rolled in delight on the bed, wriggling like a puppy scratching its back..... That last week, you stood on the block above the house in a show stand that would have got you Best of Breed, and I wished I had the camera...you stood nosing into the wind....and stood, and stood and stood....... You knew this house from the very beginning - you knew it all...you loved it here and I'm so pleased that you got to see it finished, but so sad that you didn't really get to sunbake from window to window as the sun moved through the day...this house was designed as much for you as it was for me..... You knew your time had come before I was prepared to admit it, but deep down, we both knew there had been a turning point that day in autumn when you wanted to cuddle up and didn't want to go away from me for ages...you were uncertain, didn't know what you were feeling... I remember the trip home nearly 11 years ago - you did really well till the Victorian border & then you threw up all over me, but you were happy to stay sitting in my lap.... Tegan adopted you, which really surprised me..and you adored her. You were so easy to train for obedience and show.....as long as I had cheese..... A pretty baby, you chewed my arm and wrist for months till I felt guilty...but the vet told me you'd grow out of it...and you did - and became incredibly gentle..except if someone gave you a dumbell...or a possum..... (to be continued)

Thank you so much to all of you, and my sympathy in return to those of you who have also suffered the loss of a beloved companion..... Today was a better day and walked up the street as he and I used to, and didn't fall over in a screaming heap..... I wanted to share with you a couple of real 'Cadence' pictures....the first taken late last year on a stormchase in central Victoria - his favourite pastime! and this one - taken earlier this year, with love shining from his eyes -

Thanks for your kind thought guys... Fifi, 'hearthound' is a really appropriate term......I find myself suddenly bursting into tears.....I'm at the "I just want him back" stage and struggling rather - I've collected 350 beautiful character shots from the past couple of years and they give me great joy in amongst the sadness.....

In memory of A. Ch Heiderst Quay Largo......aka Cadence, who left to go stormchasing in the big skies last Monday aged 10 years and 8 months - a rapidly growing abdominal cancer put paid to the most wonderful companion I have ever had. Great sadness....... atm, a couple of budgies (B1 and Attila the hun) are helping to fill the enormous void left by the passing of a dog who possessed character but not ego, and a prescence that made everyone around him love him to bits!