PossumCorner

What resources? They just took advantage of existing facilities, nothing over the top.

Great, love the dog-cam, and the sound. Accidentally started it off full-bore, almost midnight here, and the ducks and geese down in the yard woke up and started shouting - must have taken "dogs out" for serious.

I had to steel myself to look at the link. That amazing shot of the children and the dog is pure gold, so glad I saw it, thanks Perseph.

Seems no different to the meat livestock sent overseas to a horrendous end of life experience after a hell voyage. Both issues indefensible. Yes it's just a matter of degree isn't it - the toy dog breeding business hasn't been made to look wonderful this week either.

Truly sorry Huga - Lola's memory lives on in your heart, and for sure with all of us who have followed her beautiful photographs.

Great link - especially also the comedy wildlife shots at the end.

How did the show go, any inspirations? Poodles don't have to be woosey, show your offsider only the hunting shots from the link, tell him they were used successfully as "find and tell" Kangaroo-dogs in earlier days when hunting kangaroos with dogs was legal and common.

It's good that you were able to take her home for the night and be there with her first thing today. When does Amber go back for a check-up, not til stitches are due out, or sooner? Look after yourself, I know easy said, but you must.

When Frodo's hearing faded this was so good for a while - but when the eyesight fades also it's a new challenge to work with. You can certainly teach an old dog new tricks: Frodo has good sense of smell still, and knows a hand in front means come forward, and which touch can mean stop or turn or keep going or drop. He's still playful within the constraints of some arthritis and being careful of leaping into the unknown. Very slight signs of oncoming dementia so it's just watch carefully, he is okay for now. Pretty good in fact at 16 and with an unfair background of illness and injury he has overcome. Hope Scottie settles, I know Fro went through a bad patch at the onset of losing hearing and sight, became very nervous and extremely clingey. He has worked through it and I'm proud of him (as always) - and he knows when he is a bit lost or needs to go outside, or food, or a drink, that he can just vocalise quietly and help comes. When he is home alone he sleeps very well for which I'm glad: separation stress would be hard to deal with.

Poor thing, how long does it have to put up with that every day. Sun Bear? Natural habitat in trees not among rocks/concrete.

Not far away though: if you do a bushwalk on the hill behind Browns Road (still in Montrose) there are plenty in the forest. They certainly came down into gardens around us. But as Kirty said, "no goannas around here", and yes it would be unusual. I think the Little Ravens are perfectly capable of taking a small puppy or kitten if they wish. The point is that they don't usually wish, because birds are super aware of their own limitations and the damage they can suffer if thing go pear-shaped. It's like a really hungry thirsty bird in drought areas will not risk a long flight to where it believes food and water might be, balanced against its likelihood of not surviving the journey. They are more intelligent and decision-making within their own needs than given credit for. It was beautiful to see on the news tonight about a breeder having offered a puppy. I hope that it works out well and Sparky helps heal the shock and heartache.

Love your clients. And your backyard (it does lack a small neat chook-pen) - clothesline photos work well, always evocative. Terrific area you are living in by the look of it. Oh look, gum trees!!

Hawks and eagles (separately) circle-stalk above my free range ducks every day. A fox (this is quite a while ago though) took a duck from the house yard in daylight, and when it was racing across a paddock with it, an eagle dived and took it from the fox and flew off with it, heavy duck too. Ravens were circling the yard just this morning, I have about forty week-old chickens and much as I can't stand poultry in the house, they are in the laundry because no-where outside is safe. The chook pens are too cold for chicks in this week's freezing galeforce winds, and none of our sheds are magpie-proof. Magpies are usually the main culprits: but I think the ravens can hear the chickens chirping and are looking out for them in the garden. Frodo has been circle-stalked by eagles when out in the paddocks, he's only a small dog and I wouldn't let him go off rabbiting with Piper and Frodo, it's not unusual for an eagle or large hawk to take a small dog or pup. But I've not heard of a crow doing so - although the crows that used to flock around Mooroolbark Station near Kilsyth where this happened were a very pushy and confident group so it's not a surprise. Terribly sad, haunting experience for the owner.

Oh poor Molly. She didn't chase, she just cut out one lamb. And it would probably cost the Boss more time and money to build a Molly-proof yard fence than to just catch her and sort it on the very rare occasion she wanders off to see what he's doing and to 'help' with it all. Plus yet another gate or so to open/shut through the day isn't an aspiration, enough of them already! Sounds more like a one-off minor nuisance value than anything. Worse if she was into the thick of a pen of feral goats and could be injured, but she wasn't. Or driving a huge mob into the river, but she wasn't. I'm having fencing and species separation problems too, nothing a bottomless bucket of money wouldn't fix. Special-needs lame sheep is being constantly bullied and harassed by bossy mean sheep, so have had to fence a little field specially for her and her bestie to live in safely. Which means another water trough and more piping and taps. Lost a flying Muscovy duck to a fox last night: if I build a duck yard within the alpaca guarded area they'd be more protected but would resent losing their freedom. "Doing something about it" is strictly Perseph and the Boss's call on their own property: not as if the dogs are killing wild-life or leaving home causing neighbour chaos, it is only a very in-house risk management action issue.

Most comprehensive ideas for poultry/garden fencing are on the backyard poultry forum. Everything from poultry-electric-fencing to cheaper temporary options using poly-pipe framework. We plan to use some 3 metre sections of reinforcing mesh around some of the orchard area, not too expensive from steel yards like Abbotts (in Bendigo), fixed to tall steel drop-posts or star pickets (name is optional) and top with bird netting or chicken wire, so walk-in height. To keep ducks in, animals out, but allow bees easy access. Bunnings animal enclosure sections are a new (to them) style, the ones I bought a year or two ago were chain-mesh netting, now they are fixed squares more like reo, better looking.

Well duh. MonElite I agree in principle with what you are saying, but in practice it doesn't work out. I like rights as a dog owner, but people have a higher right not to feel intimidated even where none is intended and the dog owner would be mortified at the thought of it. I've owned German Shepherds, Dobermanns, and a Rottweiler. I like them. I trust them in social settings. But I do not trust the owners if I do not know them. How do I know they aren't some yobbo with a big-dog complex, with not much control, and not much concentration on what their dog is doing or about to do, and maybe not much training or socialising behind them. So yes I am one of those pathetic people who walk a little aside, wide berth: not interested in making a point of feeling good about an unknown big dog on a loose lead in an unconventional (for dogs) environment. Re the hardware store: I think they really tried to do the right thing as a welcoming and non-judgemental gesture or initiative. I can promise there have been quite a few more incidents in the stores than have been publicised - because people have said oh that's okay I shouldn't have patted it, or staff looking up at shelving to get something for a customer and not seeing a lead and tripping. That's little dogs - not medium or large in cases I know of. My local town is the most dog-friendly I have ever come across. Many cafes, lots of dogs (local and tourist), and in five years the only incident I've seen was a tourist with a Dane-cross that was clearly well beyond their ability to manage, excited and aggressive (not just excited playful, it was ready to have a go at any dog it saw). Piper our Rottie was an on-her-toes intimidating looker, even though she was safe and obedient. So I didn't take her to cafes or closer contact places even where allowed or welcome. I do think that the public who are a bit nervous of dogs also have a right to be relaxed in their social settings. Of course small dogs can bite and intimidate as well, but the difference is, well, huge. Dogs on trains in Victoria is great, I could take the three dogs on the train and often did an off-peak ride as part of their walk. So could hop on the train down at Belgrave, off at Upwey, walk them in a new area which they loved, catch the next train home. But as I said off-peak hours when we would have pretty much an empty carriage. Would not have done it in 'workers hours', not with a dog that would make people feel edgy. I do weekend markets and farmers markets selling cards and eggs, so do often stand all day watching the passing parade of people out for a stroll with family and/or dogs. Most of them are just lovely to see, but there are always a few that have never heard of good manners training, or even maybe just keeping a shorter lead in close company.

Thanks Perseph, time to get crafty. I did ask at the feedstore for any old hessian bags, he said something about haven't used them for years. (I know there are a few around, just not lots used). They give me a roll of empty (synthetic) chaff bags quite often, very handy to fill with pony/alpaca manure collected for the garden or to take to market - not much other use for them, huge unmentioned waste going on, bit like supermarket plastic carry-bags. LittleGifts those utube tutorials are good - the no-sew double polarfleece blankies look like an easy fix watching TV instead of knitting which I'm plugging away at learning. And they would cope well with a windscreen shield insert and some raw wool/fleece.

Boronia I'd forgotten that thread and was going to look up this link to Thordale to put here. This is the one (thanks), http://myshetland.co.uk/the-deal/ and BeAnne the Patterdale is still riding, she stays on at the canter behind a rider. But I think she has been hair-tested and they found a trace there of some other breed as well, forget the detail.

We used to get a lot of ice-on-the buckets days in Belgrave, and coated the dogs up for out and about. But the misty atmosphere was always sort of humid, damp cold air got into the bones. Rugged horses more too. Here in central Vic it also freezes overnight, but is a dry cold, just so different. Piper the Rottie still needed her warm coat here, but Frodo and Rheneas always say nope, take it off. Fro is showing their years, but Rheneas seems oblivious to the cold and often chooses to be outside. The horses/ponies are always conflicting with rug wants and needs, shoulds and shouldn'ts. The tall fine-coated boys need rugs, but by mid-Autumn the Shetlands have already grown their winter coats - and rugging a heavy coated Shetland can be damaging to their health, so it's a balancing act. Ben will be rugged even though he dislikes it because he is blind and doesn't overly charge around keeping warm (and is nearer the house, so monitored often). Question: those "self-heating" doggy mats with the inbuilt reflective insulation - are they good value and useful indoors or outdoors, or a gimmick? Tossing up getting them for Frodo and Rheneas, or are the electric dog mats a better choice for a warmer bed for older doggies? For dogs that have to sleep in an outdoors kennel, homeless people give the best clues for insulation: Lots of thick newspapers underneath, that even repels the crippling cold of a concrete path. And layers of light cardboard between the Salvo's rugs or blankets.

Welcome Peterseaford. Sounds a good project. Back in the mad old days we went round Australia in a Kombi, not quite motor-home specs but fun, fairly basic camping. Our dogs were a miniature Fox Terrier and a Basenji. The Foxie was a great little 'watch-dog' but was just as likely to bite wanted visitors as unwanted. Made life interesting keeping an eye on her. Thankfully it was in pre-litigation days. But we were never robbed. The Basenji was a joy as a travelling companion, everybody was his new best friend, absolute gem. Except they hate/hate getting wet, and as we slept on every beach in the country he spent a lot of time sulking just because the foxie was wet and sat beside him. As DDD said, many dogs will fit your criteria (once you have one). I'd go for short shiny coat for lower maintenance, light colour (black dogs not as comfortable in the red centre summer) cheerful confident friendly temperament. And small. Small is still all dog, but so much easier to manage travelling. And if you could cope with two, they are company for one another while you are off doing people-only things. You mentioned health issues - vets can give best advice on breeds or types to avoid, they are in the coal face experience position to do this for you rather than random anecdotal advice. Vets also have experience of the pet insurance schemes. Edit. Rozzie just saw your Mini Foxie note: our Cindy was not an ambassador for the breed but had a very rough beginning to life among people which made it understandable.

Sorry Bundy but you are wrong, go back to the OP perhaps before re-reading my posts (no I am not repeat not the OP) - I asked no questions, I thanked Steve for posting a good reference link on the topic. Jeeze. I thought most of us with about ten years give or take on DoL had a pretty fair handle on one-another's experience (and could actually read a one-page thread before coming in on a tangent with all flags flying). Hey thanks Ish for noticing and calling on it, appreciate. Danakay9 hope you could pick up something helpful in Steve's links - and sorry if your thread de-railed, back on track now, Poms rule!!

Thanks Showdog and Hares - umm - Rheneas is almost 15, nothing breed-wise or coat-wise I haven't known and been working with from Day-1. A line in Steve's link just made me think 'try that one'. I know neither of your comments were meant to be patronising, or accusing me of 1. ignorance or 2. neglect, so I have come down from being arced up about them. Just.

Thanks Steve. Rheneas is a Pom/Shetland Sheepdog cross we think. He sheds constantly and I've picked up some tips from your link to work with - off now to a supplier for some product to help his comfort (and mine).

My thoughts exactly LG. If this person is "losing her home" as she claims I can see that would cause distressed short-term ill thought out decisions, with limited time for options. Being kind there. Said person went on a poultry page recently advertising birds at a double value. Was called out by other members for over-charging, and also called out on the news report (as it appeared shortly afterwards). The "thread" was then disappeared, poof gone. I did have a quick look at the persons page on rubbish-book. Not impressed, not pleasant. I usually never go there, don't need 'shares' from the unintelligent telling me what is or is not cute or how to think positively or live my life as second-hand advice, bleeergh to the 'book. Anyone losing their house has my total sympathy, but there's usually enough warning time to get animals re-homed before the day the bank brings down the hammer.

I'm a bit two-ways on this. Yes it is a good service. I've never used a vet who would not do emergency home calls. Euthanasia is another emergency call in a sense. Yes it's an extra cost for call-out or travel time. But it is a professional business service, just as electricians etc add travel time to the account. If a vet has provided good service to the owner/animal for years, I really think it's a bit off to then not give them the option for the final service for a valued animal family member rather than 'giving the business' to an unknown. How would you take the animal off your regular vet's books - "Oh, by the way, vet xyz came out, just thought I'd let you know". Everyone's relationship with their vets is different I guess, and there is no right and wrong, the animal comes before business relationships of course. I just wouldn't use a vet in the first place if they refused to ever make home calls.