Elbie, Hoover, Dodge & Friends!

[wuffles]

Big nasty storms in Canberra, stressing about my puppies

Edit: Eeeek @ sunburn. My shoulders are soooo brown. I have been moisturising like 10 times a day so it's not peeling yet, but is really itchy and hard to resist.

Edited December 2, 2010 by wuffles

[lilli_star]

Look what 1 Labrador puppy + 1 almost $40 dog bed (bought on MONDAY!!!) equals....

[ravenau1]

lilli_star, it looks like Ruby had a great time!

There seems to be a lot of puppy bed destroying that goes on!

[koalathebear]

Look what 1 Labrador puppy + 1 almost $40 dog bed (bought on MONDAY!!!) equals....

That's not the bon fido bed is it???? Ruby's been busy!!!

Also, I hope you're feeling better today. We have had so much rain today - huge, huge puddles. OH came to pick me up from our office Christmas party tonight and he was waiting by the door with an umbrella for me and we still both got very wet. They are saying that it's going to rain through most of December! Egads!

[ravenau1]

The weather is crazy! You guys have almost flood conditions Over East, and we had the second driest winter on record here! And that's saying something.

[lilli_star]

Look what 1 Labrador puppy + 1 almost $40 dog bed (bought on MONDAY!!!) equals....

That's not the bon fido bed is it???? Ruby's been busy!!!

Also, I hope you're feeling better today. We have had so much rain today - huge, huge puddles. OH came to pick me up from our office Christmas party tonight and he was waiting by the door with an umbrella for me and we still both got very wet. They are saying that it's going to rain through most of December! Egads!

No, just a bed I bought from the supermarket here which has a general "stuff" (almost like a $2 shop) section. The dog beds were new in the shop when I bought one on Monday- even though I thought almost $40 was a bit much for a 'no name' brand. Still, I thought I would treat her since she had to spend so much time in her shed because of the rain. It was supposedly waterproof, though obviously not puppy proof. I hadn't put one in her kennel before then- she had 2 polar fleece blankets and an old sheet in there before, so I put the bed in, then those on top thinking she could snuggle in when the weather was dreadful. Well, today we only had a couple of showers, then mostly fine weather (with lurking clouds) so I guess Roo was making hay while the sun shone so to speak.

My next door neighbour stuck his head out the window when I came home (and after I had yelled out "Ruby Lastname! What on earth have you been doing today?! That bed was brand new!!!", as if she were a child ) and said that he had called out to her at one stage to stop, but she basically just waited til he went away and carried on! I actually felt bad for seeming cross at Ruby around him when his older dog is so ill (on strong painkillers now ).

I am feeling a bit better, thank you all for asking . Not risking eating much though- had spaghetti on toast for dinner

How sweet of Mr KTB to wait in the rain with an umbrella for you, KTB

Edited December 2, 2010 by lilli_star

[lilli_star]

Hi Canberra people!

I've been assured I won't start a fight if I come in here, so I've popped in to post some pics of Ava's family as requested.

Firstly - here are her two brothers. Dragon is the blue, Tally is the red.

And here is a pic of the two boys with their mum, Vivi. Vivi did not feel like having her photo taken at that particular moment.

I forgot to say what gorgeous doglets! Of course they would have to be, being Ava's brothers I've never known much about Aussie's before (and yet to meet one 'in real life'), but they seem like such lovely dogs. Well, at least Ava and her brothers do

[Max#1]

Well there's another one of those threads today.....

Those Aussies are really gorgeous - and it is amazing they smile for the camera! I think my favourite is still Ava though! She is just so unique looking.

Ruby Ruby Ruby! Hey - at least she was having a nice time! I'm sure tearing something to shreds must be so much fun!

A huge thunderstorm here today. Yesterday was torrential rain. Max has stayed bone dry throughout. Though this evening I took him for a walk at a new place - there's a kind of creek there where he could swim. He loved it so much - leaping around, drinking the water, lying down in it. I was laughing at loud at his antics - so adorable! (But I didn't bring my camera. Will go back there and next time be better equipped!).

[Clastic]

lilli_star - Hope you're feeling better!

The Ark - Dragon, Tally & Vivi are gorgeous!!!

Well OH and I possibly had one of the biggest scares of our lives tonight.

OH and I had to drop by OH bro's place to check on their house while he is away and feed the cat, thought we would take the fur-kids along for a ride...

We picked up some dinner on the way, got inside, I let the pups into the backyard for a wee and we sat down to eat. About 5 mins later I thought they would be done so went to go let them in... but they weren't there!! I freaked.

Bolted through the house and yelled to OH that the gate wasn't closed properly and the dogs were gone, we both got outside and I went one direction and he the other, no dogs in sight. Hopped in the car and drove around for what seemed like a lifetime, still no sight of the pups. OH hopped out and went to go check the school across the road and I kept driving around like a mad woman. Eventually after doing laps of the streets and driving back to where I dropped OH off, there he was walking back with Pepper in his arms and Mars trotting beside him. The school a few streets away were having some sort of after school thing on and the pups had decided to go visit and chow down on some pizza.

I am so thankful that we found them and that we didn't find them as splat puppies... I always kept thinking before this how I would react if I lost one of them, I had pretty much run out of tears after losing family pets over the years.. but tonight I was so stressed out and scared and an absolute mess.

The worst part was that they didn't have their collars on, so even if someone found them they wouldn't have been able to call us unless they got their microchipped scanned. They weren't at home so they probably wouldn't have found their way back. Well, that was my night.. since then I've been talking to the dogs non stop. If anyone saw me they would think I'm insane........

[Max#1]

Clastic - how scary. I'm so glad it ended well.

[lilli_star]

Oh Clastic! What a scare for you! So glad Mars and Pepper were found safe and well (and slightly full from pizza!).

Ruby just chewed a hole in Duck Version 2. I used it as an opportunity to pull the squeaker out. I'll have to sew it back together at some stage I suppose (no idea when!). Gah! Maybe I should buy her one of those soft toys without stuffing? And a Tuffy.

[Clastic]

Thanks Max#1 and lilli_star, I am quite glad that they are home safe and dry now. I am waiting for someone to jump in out of no where and say what a horrible owner I am.. which I admit yes I was at fault not checking the gate was secure and I didn't put their collars on before our little outing. Another thing I was worried about what that if someone found them, maybe they would just keep them...!

lilli_star - Oh Ruby! The poor duck.. I have heard Tuffy toys are good, we have a couple but they are fairly new and the monsters haven't started playing tug-o-war with them yet.

Hehe, good work with pulling the squeaker out. The dog toys my OH likes the most are either the ones without squeakers, or the ones with broken squeakers.

[Niques]

Clastic, I don't know how anyone could call you a terrible owner about what happened! How scary James wasn't wearing his collar any of the times he got out. Thankfully he never left the cul-de-sac - I imagine it would be doubly terrifying losing them away from home. Thank goodness you managed to find them.

The only time James has escaped without our knowledge he was actually returned to our neighbour two doors down as the neighbour who found him assumed he was their labrador Luckily James was well acquainted with them and their labrador and they quietly returned him to our yard. Never found out he'd gotten loose until about a week later!

Ruby is becoming very efficient at gutting things, isn't she! How sweet of your neighbour to tell her to stop Cheeky puppy. Does she destroy her blankets/other bedding or just things with stuffing?

[koalathebear]

Clastic - I'm so glad you found the two puppies again - it must have been terrifying. I would have been extremely anxious, especially in a strange neighbourhood. I don't think anyone would blame you for unlucky happenstance! If some mean lurker did leap out of the lurk to criticise you, you'd see a Peevish Koala at her most peevish. Don't be too hard on yourself! Our dogs wear collars most of the time at home but not all - some people say that they should never have collars on at home because they could strangle themselves. It's so hard to know what's right and hindsight is always an amazing thing

Max#1: Yes, there was indeed another one of those threads today. We're watching "The Walking Dead", the zombie tv series with Sarah Wayne Callies (Dr Sara Tancredi from Prison Break) and whenever the walkers (zombies) spy a human, they swarm around it and start devouring it rapaciously and then more and more gather as they sense a wounded creature in the area.

lilli_star: I recommend the tuffy toys - so far they've withstood our two playing tug of war on them constantly ...

[ravenau1]

Clastic, how scary! You are not a horrible owner, sometimes things just happen! So glad you found them safe and sound!

KTB: We have that Walking Dead to watch too, just haven't got around to it yet, we are also falling behind on Stargate Universe which is one of my fav shows at the moment.

Well, I am much relieved tonight! There has been a very large bushfire burning for a few days not far from my breeders house and I hadn't heard from her since she first mentioned the fire. I have been fairly worried as I checked on the map and the fire was REALLY close to her place! I heard from her tonight, she evacuated her family, the cats, adult dogs and the puppies from our girls litter but she has pups that are only a couple of days old and couldn't be moved so she stayed with them and the Mum in the house. With no power she unfortunately lost one of the new babies poor little thing. Everyone is back home now though and our girl is safe! Fire was deliberately lit!!

ETA: There should be a special circle of hell reserved for people who deliberately light fires.

Edited December 2, 2010 by ravenau1

[wuffles]

OMG Clastic how scary Mine never wear their collars at home.

I have been very brave today and left the dogs inside. Not only is the yard so disgustingly boggy that I'm worried they'd hurt themselves, but we had a horrible night last night with storms the whole night and a scared, trembling, panting big black dog He was so stressed, and if it storms again today I don't want him to be outside in that state. Poor bubba Now I just have to worry about them destroying the house! Hopefully I won't have any destruction photos to post tonight

[KumaAkita]

Oh Clastic - how bloody scary! I have a perpetual fear about Kuma and his collar. Part of me says "no collars at home" but then the devils advocate says "yeah, but what happens if he gets out and he never comes home?", then the other side says "yeah, but his tag has his name on it, so people will know what to call him and could easily steal him away"... I've now just come to the decision that it's collar on when we're not at home, collar off when we are.

I'm stuck at home this morning because all the major roads around me are cut off, I can't make it to the other side of town for work. Damned shame that. I'm supposed to be "working" but I'm having technical difficulties. It's nice being able to snuggle up with my fluff buddy tho! He's adorable. He is sitting at my feet or trying to help me type. I'll head into work later (maybe )

Silly Ruby! Kuma's not destructive with his toys, but the tuffy toys we were given seem to be really good quality. They look like they may be able to withstand Ruby's hard play! I also got a different type of tuff toy for Ava for her birthday. Can't remember the brand, but will look it up, because it too felt really strong.

Wuffles - poor Satch. I'd go pick him up if you wanted! It looks pretty clear over this way at the moment, so hopefully the storms just bugger off.

I have to concur that Ava's bros are cute, but not nearly as adorable as Miss Ava. I love Vivi's stink face - "get that camera away for me..."

KTB - any progress with elbie and hoover and the rain? I have trouble getting Kuma back inside...

Anyhoo, have a great day folks. Fingers crossed that the rain eases ;)

[koalathebear]

ravenau1: I'm so sorry to hear about your breeder's situation. That's really horrific and must be so traumatising for her. I'm really glad that your little girl is ok but I hope that this hasn't been too upsetting for her. Have you heard if they've been able to return home yet? I also cannot understand people who deliberately light fires …

wuffles: so sorry to hear about Satch. It was incredibly thundery/stormy/lightningy last night and I was anxious about my two as well but fortunately they seemed to sleep quietly through the storm or at least chill out in their crates. Given that he likes hiding under your bed, does giving him access to a covered crate or anything covered and blanketty make it any better? I guess there are just some things that our dogs are scared of. Elbie is so terrified of a robo-panda toy that we have in the house – just seeing it makes him bark like crazy. Good luck with Satch! Does Ava bark in sympathy? Hoover usually gives one bark in sympathy and then curls up and sleeps ;)

lilli_star: there are different levels with the tuffies. I think we have a very strong one for our two but there's an even stronger 'high level' tuffy that can withstand tigers. That one sounds ideal for Ruby.

It looks pretty clear over this way at the moment, so hopefully the storms just bugger off.

But the weather reports say that we're going to have rains all through December …

KTB - any progress with elbie and hoover and the rain? I have trouble getting Kuma back inside...

Elbie will behave and 'perform' if we take him out on leash. Hoover is not liking the wet weather at all and it's made him even more of a lazy slug in the morning. I have to drag him out of his crate in the mornings and then he dives back in as soon as he finishes his business. Yesterday, OH was drenched when we got home because he stood out in the rain with the dogs for half an hour waiting for them to toilet before they came inside then before bed he was out there for 45 minutes with Hoover. I wanted to go out and take over but I had a horrible vision of walking out JUST as Hoover was squatting for his business and interrupting him thereby incurring OH's understandable ire …

[wuffles]

The one place Satch always wants to go during a storm is under our computer desk -- which is the worst possible place IMO He's not interested in a crate, or the walk-in robe, or under the bed (not that he'd fit under there anyway). He doesn't bark, just paces and pants and generally turns into a stresshead. I've ordered him a Thundershirt as per the thread in General... we'll see if that makes any difference. Ava slept peacefully in her crate although she did keep looking at Satch wondering why he was being so silly.

Today I've given them access to the lounge, living room, kitchen and main bedroom. How much stuff could get destroyed? Ummmmmm ;) I left a treat ball for Ava, their Kongs (which they were munching on when I left) and about 5 toys strewn around the house. And they both went for a walk/jog this morning. If they still destroy things they'll never be inside by themselves again!

lilli_star, mine will destroy anything soft including bedding and soft toys. They don't get soft toys unsupervised, not even Tuffies as they just get dirty and muddy (I did leave them with one today inside though). They also don't get any bedding unsupervised as they rip it up (including the simplest things like carpet).

[Niques]

That's very scary, Ravenau. That's great news that everyone was evacuated safely What a terrible shame about the other little pup - so unnecessary

Can't wait for updates on the state of your house, Wuffles

James earnt himself the silent treatment this morning. For all of about 30 minutes - he's too damn cute to keep ignoring He went off his nut on our walk this morning at a little fluffy dog who had escaped from somewhere. It's the first time I've ever seen him show any form of dislike towards another dog. He's had dogs bare their teeth at him and he still wants to play. But this poor little dog had him barking rather ferociously. Was unspeakably mad at him by the time we got home.

It actually would've been quite a funny scenario if it weren't so scarily bad. I think we'd interrupted the dog just as he was finishing a poo so he whirled around with the most adorable, "Who, me?" expression when the barking started. Poor thing was so confused.

I would kill to know what set James off - our neighbour has an elderly SWF who he's quite content to just watch over the fence and he'd been trying to play with a Cav we'd passed not 30 minutes earlier so it can't be the size of the other dog. I'm at a loss

As an aside, does anyone else's dog start behaving differently when they know you're cross with them? I was portioning out his bones for the week and he didn't dare jump up to the kitchen bench once - instead sat quietly outside the kitchen trying to look appeasing ;)