ellz

Mr Rimes is now to be known as CHAMPION Ellz Cant Fight The Moonlight. He finished in Victoria yesterday with 4 points to spare in the very capable hands of his co-owner Nicole Schryver. I'm very proud of them both. Rimes was clipped off when I stopped showing him here in Tassie as a youngster so Nicole's faith and patience whilst growing him back in is to be commended. Rimes is #5 American Cocker Champion for his mother Millcreek Elmst Alliance. She had 2 litters for 4 Champions in one litter from 4 puppies shown and Rimes, the 5th, the only one from his litter to hit the ring. Ali is now desexed and living a very cushy life as a senior citizen.

I'm not saying DO IT, I'm pointing it out as an option....

Mucuous in stool can also be a sign of worms. Perhaps time to worm puppy again or if done recently, perhaps speak to your vet about a new regime.

wayrod doesn't work for a transport company. He is a pet industry professional and transport isn't his main interest. He does work long hours in his own business and isn't online 24/7 so can on occasion take a little while to get back to people. I cannot recommend him more highly, especially for people in rural/regional areas who don't have a lot of choice in transport options. editing to add: See you have responded here now wayrod. And did you get my latest email??

Another vote for wayrod from me and I have used his services on multiple occasions now! Not only are the prices very reasonable but he goes the extra mile to ensure smooth, safe delivery. This includes contact with both sender and receiver and follow up to make sure that everything went smoothly. Oh and not only is he a professional to deal with, but he's a darned nice guy to chat to as well!

Ummmmmmm......the OP's post is precisely why reputable breeders SHOULD be advertising on Gumtree!! I do and I certainly don't class myself as disreputable. How are people going to find GOOD breeders if the good breeders don't advertise EVERYWHERE?? I've always said that the BYBers and shonks will win if the good breeders don't get out there and rub shoulders with them and give the puppy buyers a CHOICE! Obviously if the only breeders a prospective purchaser can find when they go looking are the less than reputable ones, then that is where they will purchase their puppies. It's all about education and getting the word out there and that means going where Joe Q will be looking!

Over the years I've imported dogs a few ways and IMO quarantine is quarantine. The major deciding factor on how any dog comes through quarantine is the temperament of the dog going into it. First dog was imported from the USA when it was still 4 months quarantine in Hawaii, followed by 30 days residency and then 4 months quarantine in Australia. He bounced through it and went to his first show (winning BOB and RUBIG) the day after he came out. Second dog came from the UK as a puppy but went to New Zealand when they could still do home quarantine there. He also went to a show the day after he arrived in Australia (won Sweepstakes, BOB and MIG). Third dog went from USA to Hawaii, did his 4 months quarantine, followed by 30 days residency and then he too went to New Zealand for home quarantine (and stud services) prior to coming to Australia. Was not destined for the show ring but after his time in Hawaiian quarantine, I felt that another stint in "gaol" wouldn't be to his advantage. Last dog came from the USA, did 30 days quarantine and went to a show the morning he was released, on his way to Tasmania. His temperament was dreadful and that was one of the reasons he was never campaigned.

I hear you kja. The only problem is that I have to try and "cover as many bases" as I can with one purchase because the likelihood of me EVER having money to spend again on more camera or bigger, better lenses is going to be virtually zilch. As I said, this will be a once and once only opportunity (IF it happens) so I want to get the most bang for my buck.

Ta Kirislin, exactly the kind of info I'm needing....

Given that composting grass is potentially life-threatening to horses, it doesn't really surprise me that it isn't much good for dogs either.

If you area financial member of ANY of the ANKC State Controlling bodies you can exhibit anywhere within Australia. You are required to be aware of any specific rules pertaining to the place you are going to exhibit. For example, the QLD rules about judges handling other peoples' dogs and the Tasmanian rules about not dropping leads and remaining in effective control of your dog and also the rules about bait and brushing dogs in the ring...just to name a few. People may also find it interesting that the rule which says that dogs whelped in a particular state MUST be registered in the state of birth is NOT enforceable. This goes against ACCC practices. A litter born anywhere in Australia may be registered in any State in which the person is a financial member. This was one of the routes used to get around the taildocking issue when it was still allowed in WA. Prefixes were transferred to WA and puppies registered there no matter where they were born. Tails were docked and the puppies and dams sometimes never even left their homestate but because the prefix and registrations were done in WA, they were considered ok. Loopholes were closed preventing this however. It is also the method of choice of certain bulk export agents who didn't want their business practices to be too transparent via publication of export pedigrees issued so all puppies would be registered and/or transferred through the ACTCA which at that stage was the only state who didn't publish these details.

All of mine are point and shoot. Olympus SP-600UZ. BUT, having said that, I don't use it on the automatic settings. Does that still count?

These little guys were playing with us yesterday.... And I snapped these today whilst we were out and about...

If you had $1500 or thereabouts to spend on a new DSLR, what would it be and why? The limitations are: You will probably not have an opportunity to spend any more money on lenses for some time to come. Therefore would prefer either good quality single or twin lens kit in the box OR recommend a good body and which lenses you would advise for animal photography, scenery, occasional people shots, action shots. I've read so much about cameras recently my head is spinning. Help please....

Deleted. OP has removed all posts so my reply is now irrelevant.

I've got the yellow for the American Cockers and the red which is the heavy-duty dematting one. Does that help?

All of the abovementioned would collapse flat. It will just depend upon your boot size and the size of the trolley as to whether it will fit. Excellent. :D Depth of boot isn't an issue, will just need to measure width of the opening. It'll depend upon how big the space is in depth and width moreso than the opening. For example, my old trolley was too wide and too long for the boot of a Gemini. My current trolley (OKS one) just fits flat in the back of my Falcon wagon.

All of the abovementioned would collapse flat. It will just depend upon your boot size and the size of the trolley as to whether it will fit.

Psst....BB, I assume YOU mean Dr Robert Van HUTCHISON, the Canine Repro Specialist from the USA? In response to the OP, these days, I don't think there is a lot of difference. Back when artificial insemination in canine reproduction was still a very new issue it was widely thought that the best chance of frozen insemination was in proven bitches. It isn't at all the case these days. Many people are having just as much success on maiden bitches as they are on proven bitches. Much of this is the advance in progesterone testing and a better understanding of the best days and times to implant.

If the dog didn't do ANY winning in a reasonable timeframe under knowledgeable, respected judges during a concerted show career THEN it could be considered to not be "show quality" and could be returned, as per whatever agreement was made for refund or replacement. As this dog has been shown and was titled easily, presumably with good breed competition then there is no doubt that it is show quality and therefore, the only argument the owner could have is that they don't like it. In that case....TOUGH!! Offer it back to the breeder at a reasonable price for the breed and get something from another breeder because I daresay the original breeder won't be too sympathetic. If the owner doesn't want to do that, then they sell it either to a pet home (desexed) or they sell it to another exhibitor who might be perfectly happy to have the dog either in the show ring or as a breeding prospect. The breeder has no OBLIGATION whatsoever in this case IMO. Except the right to be MIGHTILY pissed at the purchaser.

Yep...it's all part of the fun (and expense)!

FWIW Warley, I do agree with you. But as Aziah has pointed out, some things can be bred out and she could be a very honest type of brood bitch (depending upon her pedigree and what she's bred to of course), but those feet would be a non-starter for me from the get-go. And I repeat, it wasn't ME who gave the itemised critique to Ruger about the pup's feet. Ruger, don't take any of this to heart. Everybody starts somewhere and as long as you are learning and looking to improve, then you can't go wrong. And showing doesn't HAVE to be bitchy...like any sporting activity, you just need to choose your companions carefully and don't take everything you see or hear as gospel.

Yeah, I know. But sadly bad feet are in many Stafford lines and the more they are bred on with, the harder it will be to get away from them. I tried the "improving" bit with the import when he arrived but sadly, it didn't have much success. I wouldn't have bred on with him but I figured, like you, that it was worth a try especially as it had cost so much in time, money and angst to get him here. There was no improvement at all in the first generation, and in fact the long, weakened foot proved to be a handicap with two of his daughters breaking toes during normal activity. The second generation were no better either. He was never bred from again and from what I've seen of his daughters who have reproduced, feet aren't actually amongst the virtues of their progeny and grand-progeny either. Experiment FAIL!!

What are you feeding Ruger? What was the breeder feeding? Sometimes diet can help feet, as can walking on rough surfaces like pebbled yards and the like. This can help encourage the puppy to flex its feet, thereby increasing the muscling in the foot.

True, but sadly, not always the case in Staffords, Aziah. And being a fighting dog, feet are important. Many breeders discard a puppy at 8 weeks if the feet are looking dodgy. And for Ruger, get those toenails shorter, WAAAAY back as far as you can. The shorter the nails, the less the toes will splay with contact of the nails with the ground and this will help slightly as she gets older.