ellz

Well, you've already seen how badly Bad Alice needs socialisation! Her personality is already bigger than she is!!!!!

Ummmmm....not yet! I AM going to the Huon Parades though to give Bad Alice a whirl. Unfortunately the Stafford babies are too young by two days.

If they ever do it again, I'm hoping to be there next time. I'm itching to get out and about again now that the puppies are all older and I can leave home for more than a couple of hours at a time!

Congratulations on the title. Didn't you ever title any of the Amstaffs?

My greyhound would rather be sunbaking flat out on the lawn on a 40 degree day than laying inside on the cool lino with the others. I on the other hand don't "do" heat!

I probably have even less choice than most of you when it comes to flights. Getting in and out of Tasmania can be quite interesting at times and very few places with the exception of Melbourne and Sydney have direct flights from here. BUT, I would far rather put myself to inconvenience or expense to have puppies put on a very early, or very late flight than have them starting a flight in a hot place at midday. Especially since that means sitting in the airport usually for around 1 - 2 hours after lodgement and prior to departure. My puppy that flew to Cairns a week ago was given two flight options, be at the airport at 4.30am or be at the airport at 12 noon. Originally after I paid, they sent me the confirmation and I saw that the flight was the 12 noon one. I immediately contacted them and asked why it wasn't the 4.30am flight that I had originally selected. His response was that he thought I would prefer the midday one because "everybody else does". Quickly mended and it was back to the disgustingly early start. On other occasions when I have flown dogs long ways such as NT and a previous Cairns puppy, I made arrangements for the early flight and the puppies were then boarded at the Dogtainers kennel close to the airport overnight due to my inability to be at the airport at the right time in the morning. Added a bit to the bill, but the peace of mind was immense. I've also paid Dogtainers in the past to give dogs in transit a visit and a "comfort stop" and in one case, paid $55 to have the dog sit at the Dogtainers Office for a couple of hours between flights so that he didn't have to sit in the freight office the entire time. What price life?

Could be something as simple as dried saliva from mum cleaning them. If they're otherwise well, don't stress too much.

First and foremost I want to see health certification of the dog itself at the very least, but preferably his parents and grandparents as well. I'd like to know stud fee, amount, when it is payable and whether or not the dog is available for natural matings or if he is by AI only. I also want to know if there will be any terms and conditions such as restricted sales, number of puppies on Main/Limit etc. I DON'T care if such and such has a beef with whomever. I'm not going to inflame a situation but by the same token, I am not going to carry somebody elses' grudge for them so if they are going to tell me that I cannot sell a puppy to person X, then I'll use another dog. If somebody uses a dog of mine then I don't believe in puppy back situations. They can pay the stud fee and if I am interested in a puppy from the litter then I would hope that I can purchase one outright. Depending upon the situation, I may require all puppies other than those kept by the breeder themselves, or by other specific agreement to be put onto Limited Registration. I ask that I be notified of the arrival of the puppies, numbers, genders, colours and any neonatal deaths as well as any issues that may arise with the puppies as they get older. This is for my benefit because I want to know if my dog is throwing any particular problems that may affect his future as a stud dog or the integrity of the bloodlines.

Does it only happen if the water is cold? Have you tried her with tepid water? Some dogs don't react well to the sudden shock of cold water.

And attitudes like this are the reason that breed clubs fold. If people do not enter the specialty shows held by small clubs, they run the risk of not having clubs at all.

When babies of any species are sleeping, they're growing. Here are two of my babies sleeping peacefully....the bigger one is a yearling, the other a couple of months old and they are being watched by their "uncle". They'll often sleep more in warmer weather too. Just make sure there is a constant supply of fresh water available for when he's awake.

AEC's "opposition" do hold reasonably regular clinics here at one particular veterinary practice in Hobart but they are quite expensive compared to what I have been told AEC charges for the same service. At least it will give us some options anyway. It sux majorly not having our own veterinary opthalmologist here in Tasmania permanently.

If you mean the Belgian, it has more than one variety and the long haired ones have soft hair, as against not rough. A. LONG HAIR: The hair is short on the head, the outer side of the ears and the lower part of the legs, except on the rear side of the forearm which is covered from elbow to wrist by long hairs called fringes. The hair is long and smooth on the rest of the body and longer and more abundant around the neck and on the forechest, where it forms a collarette or ruff and a jabot or apron. The opening of the ear is protected by thick tufts of hair. From the base of the ear the hair is upright and frames the head. The back of the thighs is covered with very long abundant hair forming the culottes or breeches. The tail is furnished with long, abundant hair forming a plume. The Groenendael and the Tervueren are the long-haired.

Wasn't a Belgian Shepherd? Not Dutch I know but many people get their geography confused!

Too much grooming and trimming. Pandii wants wash n wear, or very close to it. Also very competitive in the show ring in Melbourne.

Quite possibly. I have to ask though....couldn't you have organised an earlier, or later flight? One that wouldn't see her flying in the middle of the day in summer? I live nearly 200 km out of Brisbane, cannot drive, and had to have a friend transport her. Incidentally she was given both food and water at 11.30. I understand your difficulty, but perhaps you could have still organised a better time for travel? If I had not had somewhere to stay overnight that was only 25 minutes from the airport, I would have had to leave home at 3am to get the puppies to the airport by 4.30am last Friday so I know where you are coming from but it was still worth it to have them travelling in the morning when it is cooler. I know your loss has been devastating but flying a puppy in the middle of the day anywhere in Australia really is fraught with difficulty. You'll know for next time though.

Quite possibly. I have to ask though....couldn't you have organised an earlier, or later flight? One that wouldn't see her flying in the middle of the day in summer?

If the testicle doesn't drop then it is pretty much essential that he IS neutered. That could be the only thing which saves his life when he gets older. I personally have had dogs from two different breeds which have retained a testicle until 9 months of age, but in my case, I bred both so keeping them to see what happened wasn't an issue for me. If you are considering showing, then regardless of whether he is the pick of litter or not, I'd be inclined to want two fully descended testicles at 8 weeks.

How old is he? Are you a registered breeder? Have his parents been health tested? And yes, if the testicle remains retained, he has a dramatically increased risk of testicular cancer.

Something is seriously amiss somewhere. I flew a puppy from Hobart to Cairns last Friday morning. She arrived with nary a hair out of place and a clean and dry crate. I had to get her to the airport at the ungodly hour of 4.30am to ensure her comfort on the earliest flights I could organise but it was well worth the trouble.

I can understand that would be very upsetting for all concerned but it may not necessarily be completely the fault of the airline. Which airline and what time of the day was the flight are the first two questions that need to be asked?

Well, she's got excellent taste cos I'm in love with them too!

I've often frozen treats inside a milk carton or icecream container of water. It can be a useful trick for a dog that doesn't drink as much as you would like (frozen chicken stock works well too) and is also a slow release boredom buster for a dog which would otherwise demolish a treat in a very fast manner.

This is the Cairns girl....Zarah. Her mum says she's such a funny dog!

Why would you offend anybody Pandii? Everybody has their own preferences. I love many breeds but there are some that I wouldn't own if you paid me. Doesn't mean I don't appreciate them, or respect those who DO own them. They just aren't dogs I could see myself waking up to every day.