Elbie, Hoover, Dodge & Friends!

[ravenau1]

Phew! Astrid is ok, just a little infection. She has some antibiotics and she will be fine :p I was worried though

[Max#1]

Raven - good to hear! And I forgot to say how sweet she looks! Keep posting lots of photos! Astrid is way too cute!

KTB - I love how you post the links to the threads in question. I just came on here and had to read through the car crash. Eeek! The internet is a dangerous place.... just ask Assange! Meanwhile, I love your diplomatic style (eta - ah ha! now all is clear.... but they just don't ˆreadˆ/listen!) . What you write reminds me of this girl I was great friends with while studying (eta - well not the knowledge of the law bit). She was Mexican, with a beautiful way of speaking Spanglish, and very very frank (of course I already did know I had smelly feet - you can't wear enclosed leather shoes in tropical NQ for long!).

Niques - Max is also horsie-interested. Barked from afar, but no hackle raise - luckily noone was watching, and the horses didn't seem to care! The leaf incident is hilarious!

Wizzle - good news. I have read/heard that having a dog is super-good for a new baby. Helps their immune system and they're less likely to end up with asthma, allergies etc. Let those dog hairs fly!

Wuffles - you just have to make sure you take lots of photos on your trip!

Edited December 13, 2010 by Max#1

[koalathebear]

OK, I've given my 2c in the Hugo thread for what it's worth - recommended that dju PM Troy and delete posts #150 onwards and that she, urbandog and huski and whoever else take the dispute off DOL because they're not going to resolve the issue here and it seems a shame to have that thread deleted. Arguments like that are never resolved online because in Internet 'fights' there are always going to be a few spectators with mild blood lust who have no interest in the outcome of the argument and don't care about either combatant - they just enjoy watching the fight.

Thanks to all for their well-wishes. Papa Koala's been pretty good these past two days and the visits have gone pretty well.

lilli_star: I was horrified at the thought of a Daddo being in the Anne series. WTF? And when Anne dressed up as a nun and when they set it all during World War II when Anne's children were going off to World War I in the series I was thinking - is this fan fic on acid or something???? Kevin Sullivan had a lot to answer for given that the first two were so good. Gilbert Blythe was probably my first fictional crush and I would have married him had it been possible.

As for PEI - I want to go there and also Muskoka - which is where The Blue Castle is set. OH promises me that we shall one day.

As for the guilt - not ridiculous. I feel guilty about my pups all the time :p I'm glad she's been all right and fingers, toes and eyes are crossed that she'll be fine during your holiday AND that you don't worry so much about her that you spoil your holiday!!!

wizzle: Ah - the royal and aristocratic Lady G and Hoover, the farm dog from working lines! The royal and the commoner. Too funny I think Lady G would be horrified by Hoover's inelegant kangaroo-legged sprawl when sitting. Everyone always laughs at him when they see his 'sit'. :D

That's great news about your OH being able to take a break. I wonder if he'll end up dog-sitting or baby-sitting for most of the time! ;)

Max#1:

Even little things, like a headache - you can't just go take a tablet without worrying about it! At some stage you're supposed to 'glow' I remember reading - fingers crossed that's not too far off!

I find it funny that culture has a lot to do with the do's and don'ts of pregnancy. In the West, you avoid things like seafood but the Chinese will still eat seafood but believe you shouldn't eat ice cream and things like that when pregnant. Even funnier, in my old office, whenever a woman got pregnant, you always knew because she immediately started wearing a lead-lined pregnancy smock! They look a little bit like what you wear when you go and have an x-ray. I am really sceptical of how effective they really are and wonder if it's not just a money-spinner for the manufacturers. When one of my colleagues was pregnant, I saw her holding a cushion in front of her stomach! To protect the baby from radiation! That same colleague was also wearing sunglasses one day to type and I asked her why she was wearing sunglasses and she told me it was to protect the baby!

I went back in the training threads to the very first page, and the very first thread was shut down due to explosive content. Back in 2004. Really sets the scene..........

Wow. What an inauspicious start to the thread ... but how prophetic. It was a funny thread, too in an awful kind of way.

It certainly wasn't the all-pooing, dog-fighting, circus of bad owners and worse dogs that you could be led to believe dog parks are from reading threads on here.

:D Well if we took everything on DOL at face value, we would never desex our dogs (but also desex them), we'd feed them nothing but raw and barf but also kibble, we'd never take them to dog parks, we'd never take them out before they were full vaccinated but we'd also take them out everywhere before they were vaccinated ... Too confusing. :D Glad Max liked the dog park! He would have been a truly joyful and cute sight to behold.

As for the compliment - thank you I think! :p I swear English is my first language ... or maybe Australian is. When I was in China, the Americans and Brits said: "koala doesnt' speak English, she speaks a local dialect called Australia". Mostly I try to stay out of those Train Wreck posts but depending on my mood, sometimes I have to say something :D OH begs me not to post but then he'll just sigh. He asks me why I bother and why I care. Sometimes I'm not quite sure myself ...

ravenau1: glad Astrid is ok. Don't worry about the vet visits. When we first got Elbie, we felt like we were living at the vet. Check-up and vaccinations, then there was a cut paw, then ringworm then something else. With Hoover we had mites and goopy eyes so it's definitely something a lot of us go through. On the plus side, both are pretty hale and hearty now It IS worrying though.

I imagine you are as sick of hearing that Kelpies shouldn't be in back yards as I was of hearing that!

Yeah ... not a big fan of being told I'm cruel given how spoiled and happy my two monsters are.

I am working on her being left alone at the moment. If we're out of her sight for more than 1 min she cries. She's not very food oriented so leaving her with bone/chew/treats isn't really keeping her busy.

The crying will die down. Both of our puppies whimpered a lot when we first got them. You could start with stints where you do stuff just in view and then slowly move out of sight. She's still just 'new' so will still cry a bit What a cute, cute little puppy - I love her face, her shiny coat and her doleful puppy eyes.

wizzle:

Lils - You can have G for a little while. She thinks snails are a delicasy! :D I actually saw her crunch on a shell in the garden last week while Hubby was cooking on the BBQ... I had to make a run for it...

:D That is so not lady-like of Lady G!!! I am appalled!!

I saw a Hoover look-alike yesterday!!! I chuckled to myself as I have never seen a kelpie with his colourings before... I pulled up at the lights yesterday (waiting for them to go green) and I saw one with his (or her) owner, crossing the road!

Hee! Given how common Kelpies are supposed to be, I wonder why I almost never see them in Canberra!!! I've seen all of 2 red and tans in Canberra/Bredbo and OH has seen one at the markets!

Niques: Awwwwww..... It shall now be a rule that all must carry a camera around 24/7 We all miss far too many cute moments from our pups. :D

Much to my chagrin he stood there and barked at one poor beast as it was tied to the fence - very mortifying

:D Sorry, I don't mind to make light of your pain but poor you and poor beast

betsy - I too have reported that thread. I hope they just delete the bad posts and leave the rest of it. The photos of Hugo are too cute to delete.

And to end the post on a positive note and with photos .. I found some photos of our family dog Kitt as a puppy. He was a labrador/border collie. Tiny in these photos but he grew to be a big, big boofer and lived to be 11 years of age.

Edited December 13, 2010 by koalathebear

[KumaAkita]

Just a flyby post to say hi! I have been stupidly busy lately...

Seems that I missed some excitement!

Will catch up on everything soon. Promise.

[Max#1]

KTB - I did not mean at all that your English is bad! I guess there's not many people around who say it like they see it (and that is distinct from giving one's opinion whenever given the chance - which I think the internet has really provided a forum for - on the internet everyone seems very me-centric, and their opinion MUST be stated, no matter who they offend - I don't know how many times I read on here 'this is a public forum so I am entitled to put my opinion'. Where's good manners gone?). My friend got away with it by charming people with her accent - you get away with it by being uber-diplomatic! Where on earth were you working where pregnant women were wearing lead suits? In a powerplant?! Ha! And if ice-cream is bad for pregnant women... my sister is in big big trouble!

Kit looks just like Max when he was a puppy!!! I hope Max doesn't get too much bigger though. At nearly 8 months he's nearly 20 kg. If he stay around this size it'll be great. I'm keeping an eye on his 'growth plates' (the lumps on the front of his front legs). KTB/Raven/anyone else with young puppies - can you see the lumps on the front of your dogs legs? Are they big? Raven - how big will Astrid get?

Okay I think I'm going to start a new thread.....

[wuffles]

Kit looks just like Max when he was a puppy!!! I hope Max doesn't get too much bigger though. At nearly 8 months he's nearly 20 kg. If he stay around this size it'll be great. I'm keeping an eye on his 'growth plates' (the lumps on the front of his front legs). KTB/Raven/anyone else with young puppies - can you see the lumps on the front of your dogs legs? Are they big? Raven - how big will Astrid get?

Ava was 19.5kg at 9 months old and now, at 1 year old, is 18kg Aussies are naturally chunky looking dogs and the long hair doesn't help! We have cut back on her food, she is now very lean, I think if she had short fur you could probably see her last rib or two. She is going for a run with OH each morning as well.

When I get home I can have a look through my old photos to see how obvious her "knuckles" or growth plate lumps were at different ages. To me it sounds like Max won't get much bigger

[ravenau1]

Niques: Well, you know, you can't be too careful with leaves! It might have been a Dog Eating Monster disguised as a leaf! Astrid loves the sand in her clam shell, but won't go in the water.

I had my four impacted wisdom teeth out when I was 14 or so. To be perfectly honest if I had to do it again I would just have the four back molars removed and let the wisdom teeth come through. It was an awful experience

wuffles: Perhaps you can get the white shoes dyed blue? Your trip sounds like so much fun!

betsy: Her first visit since we've had her, was good to get her checked over etc. Apart from her little problem she's healthy and liked the vet and was really placid and accepting of everything. Except the treats the vet tried to feed her she looked at him like "Really? My Mum has better than that in her pocket!".

KTB:Glad the visits with Papa Koala are going better!

Re the crying. I was actually surprised at the amount of crying , she is so different to my last dog! He never really cried, but then he didn't really care about my existence one way or another until I'd had him a couple of months He was very independent even though we did eventually bond closely. Astrid is a lot 'snugglier' and enjoys pats and cuddles which is nice

She's quite quiet today, and a bit anxious. I think it's probably the medication but she ate well and had a play. She's sleeping now, with two cats watching her through the side of the crate

Aww! Kitt was gorgeous!

Max#1: Astrid definitely has those lumps/knobs. If her mother/father/older siblings are anything to go by she will be around 25-30kg. She is almost 6kg at the moment. She will probably have full height at around 6-9 months but won't fill out fully for a fair while after that. You can kind of see them in this pic, but they are more pronounced than they look here. I will try and grab a better shot when she wakes up.

Edited December 14, 2010 by ravenau1

[Genabee]

I find it funny that culture has a lot to do with the do's and don'ts of pregnancy. In the West, you avoid things like seafood but the Chinese will still eat seafood but believe you shouldn't eat ice cream and things like that when pregnant. Even funnier, in my old office, whenever a woman got pregnant, you always knew because she immediately started wearing a lead-lined pregnancy smock! They look a little bit like what you wear when you go and have an x-ray. I am really sceptical of how effective they really are and wonder if it's not just a money-spinner for the manufacturers. When one of my colleagues was pregnant, I saw her holding a cushion in front of her stomach! To protect the baby from radiation! That same colleague was also wearing sunglasses one day to type and I asked her why she was wearing sunglasses and she told me it was to protect the baby!

wizzle:

Lils - You can have G for a little while. She thinks snails are a delicasy! I actually saw her crunch on a shell in the garden last week while Hubby was cooking on the BBQ... I had to make a run for it...

That is so not lady-like of Lady G!!! I am appalled!!

KTB - There is nothing classy about my dog. She is a mut, just like the rest of them.... No amount of private school and fancy private school clothes made a difference... I just hope she does us proud and gets a real job and doesn't become a couch potato watching Dr Phil all day...

Well, you will be pleased to know that I am one of those pregnant people that have all the parenting forums up in arms! I stopped taking my antenatal vitamins weeks ago (wasn't holding them down anyway), since knowingly being pregnant, I have eaten Hungry Jacks, McDonalds, KFC, Camebert and Brie cheese, fresh ham, soft boiled egg, BBQ chicken from coles and calamari and drunk coke and tea nearly every day... I tried to have a sip of Hubby's wine, but it tasted like beer and I literally spat it back at him, which was such a disappointment. Needless to say, I would have consumed that too if it didn't taste so wrong! And the comment regarding ice cream, it is quite literally my staple food! It is the only thing that soothes the heart burn!!!!!!!!!!!! So, it's not hard to see where Genevieve gets her 'precious' yet nonchalant attitude from! I don't really buy int o all the hype. I make sure what I eat is fresh (well, as fresh as Big Mac can be) but other than that, it's not made me sick before, I doubt it will now.

I am glad Astrid is on the mend!!! It is always better to be safe than sorry.

Wuffles and Max - I don't think Genevieve will ever be 9kgs!!! She is 9 months old now and weighs in just under 6kg. She looks big to me (compared to what she was when she came home), but next to other cavs she is pretty tiny. I don't think she will get much bigger either. She's gonna be on the small side (I hope Wee Wizzle takes it's cue from G!!!!).

Hi Kuma!

Oh... Anne 3 won't be on next Saturday night... Carols in the Domain is on. I feel ripped off!

[wuffles]

Just went and looked through my pics and Ava never had very big growth plate lumps in her legsies, just cute little bumps! Then again I guess she is not a big dog She only has skinny little legs too...

Ickle puppy

And now

[Genabee]

Awww.... why do they have to become big? Why can't they stay little?

[wuffles]

Awww.... why do they have to become big? Why can't they stay little?

They have to be cute when they're little so that we don't strangle them. When they get older they are more tolerable so they are allowed to lose some cuteness ;)

[Genabee]

Awww.... why do they have to become big? Why can't they stay little?

They have to be cute when they're little so that we don't strangle them. When they get older they are more tolerable so they are allowed to lose some cuteness ;) ;)

SOOOOOOOO True! ;) ;)

There are so many times I have threatened to give Genevieve away!

One day my friend called me, just as I was cleaning up a mess Genevieve had made - she had been really really naughty. And I said to my friend quite hotly 'Do you want Genevieve? I need you to take her away'... she didn't take her and thankfully she was very good to me on the phone, got me to calm down... otherwise Genevieve may have been buried alive. I'm a bad doggie Mum...

[Niques]

Awww.... why do they have to become big? Why can't they stay little?

They have to be cute when they're little so that we don't strangle them. When they get older they are more tolerable so they are allowed to lose some cuteness :confused:

Did you want to tell James that? He still only scrapes by sometimes because of the fact that by the time I'm finished cleaning up whatever disaster he's caused, he's back to looking all bloody adorable again - cheeky sod I'm forever getting distracted from how cross I am with him - I end up on tangents thinking how wonderfully lucky I am to have, what is clearly, the cutest dog in the world

Wuffles, could never have too many puppy Ava photos! Does she still have the white spots on her body? I don't remember ever seeing them.

What a cutie Kitt was! Do you have any photos of him as an adult? Would love to see how he turned out.

(well, as fresh as Big Mac can be)

When it comes down to it, nutrients are nutrients and if ice-cream reduces your discomfort/stress at this point in the pregnancy, it's probably well worth it :D It's not poison.

Astrid's first vet trip sounds like it went off without a hitch! She sounds like such a sweet-tempered thing! How are you finding toilet training?

James has always regarded the vet's treats disparagingly. Not that that stops him eating them. But they usually just have dried liver and that soooo doesn't compare with the chicken or cheese he gets at home :D

[Max#1]

I'm forever getting distracted from how cross I am with him - I end up on tangents thinking how wonderfully lucky I am to have, what is clearly, the cutest dog in the world

Hear hear! I do often find myself thinking the same thing! No matter how cross I am with him, when I start talking to him, and he listens to every word I say tilting his head just so - its hard to stay cross. Though he is, I'm pretty sure, the most dorkiest looking puppy out. Tonight at flyball we were doing recalls - someone else holds your dog, you call, they run to you - standing there waiting looking back at him, he had his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth, his head is too small, his chest is too large. He's a dork! When he runs to me, he's so enthusiastic, and runs with his mouth open, his head going up and down like he's mad/spethal. Sometimes I have to suppress my hysterics....

Wuffles - I'm pretty sure your theory is spot on.

Wizzle - go for it. The stress of worrying about it is probably worse than the just eating of it! If I was ever pregnant, I have two vices I don't know if I could give up. Coffee and wine. Okay I'm not going to drink a bottle a night, obviously, but still. A good red wine with a nice meal.... And I can't start the day without a freshly brewed coffee - just that one is enough to last me (though the 3 pm coffee is pretty good too)!

Wuffles - I love little Ava's kneecaps! Though she still has them now she's grown? I don't know enough really! But that made me go back through my photos and I found these which are too cute not to share...

oooooohhhh he was little! And despite this that 'cage' next to him - he could climb out of it (okay I assumed he climbed). That's the one he escaped when I found him in the washing basket on the dining table.

There's some kneecaps in this one. But you have to squint. First sun shining through the window - gotta love winter puppies. At this stage he was *only* chasing dust particles... sigh.....

[Max#1]

Elbie's our new puppy. He is 3/4 kelpie and 1/4 border collie.

Elbie sleeping

I thought I'd check out Elbie's kneecaps - and found this - squee!

[koalathebear]

Thanks for all the well-wishes. It's been a sad week and the doctors are making arrangements to move Papa Koala out of the hospital to the hospice which is a real hope-killer (i.e. they're not going to bother treating him any more) but we are doing the best that we can given the circumstances. ;)

There are so many times I have threatened to give Genevieve away!

Oh I've threatened to send Elbie to the pound or "free to a good home" so many times.

max#1: I know what you mean about having a dorky-looking dog. I've read so many of the 'conformation' posts on DOL and when I see Elbie running around and the wonkiness of his ears and the way he stares at us, I know that there'd be heaps of DOLers who would send him to the glue factory for his features but I just love him to bits and he's so funny ... There's something about how 'happy' a dog can look when it stares at you with its mouth open and tongue hanging out Those photos of Mini Max are soooooooo cute. Those little white paws ... Elbie was incredibly cute as a puppy. He's not cute anymore but we still love him

Some photos. Elbie enduring a cuddle He's always so long-suffering.

Doggies - Hoover's ears are still drooping post-desexing.

Kitt when he was fully grown. He also had wavy hair on his butt.

Hoover (the chunky monkey) is 15 kg and Elbie's about 17 kg. Looks like Hoover's definitely going to be the bigger dog eventually.

OH makes me smile. He always swears he's a cat person but then I come home and found that he has not only bought Christmas presents for the doggies but he had wrapped them and labelled them. If you wonder why the writing is so strange, it's because it's apparently 'Santa's hand-writing'.

The round present on the left says 'doggies'.

ETA: Elbie has more presents apparently - they're on the other side of the tree. :D

Also, Hoover had an 'accident' tonight and wee'd in the study. He seems very ashamed of his accident and is now hiding in his crate.

Edited December 15, 2010 by koalathebear

[ravenau1]

So sorry to hear that, KTB. My Dad's best friend was moved into a Hospice last night, it's a difficult step to have to take :D.

How is Hoover feeling? Perhaps still a bit 'off' and that's why the accident? Poor embarrassed guy

Aww! Loving all the pics from Max#1,Wuffles and KTB today! I will post some tomorrow as OH has commandeered the desktop that has all the pics on it.

Things are going well today, Astrid is feeling better though still not eating well. She's a bit of a fusspot ~argh~. Trying her on some new food tomorrow to see if we have more luck, she's starting to look ribby

We had our first 'free' interaction with the cats today and it's great, no probs! Astrid is snoozing at my feet as I sit on the lounge and both cats are sitting next to me, everyone is nice and relaxed . She will occasionally play bow to the cats but they look at her like she's an idiot lol. We've been slowly working up to this since last Thursday and it's gone pretty much to plan

[Genabee]

KTB - I am so sorry to hear about Pap Koala...

Are we placing bets as to how long it will take before either Hoover or Elbie attack the presents under the tree? Genevieve's are still in the bottom of the wardrobe. She has already tried to eat one of mine, now way in hell would I put hers out!!! She would sniff them out in a nanno second!!!!

Rav - That is great that Astrid and the Kitties are behaving nicely! Makes for a much more harmonious home!!

Max - That is one well trained pooch!!! Helping with the dishes and all!!!! Where do I get one of those??

So, today's craving has been Avocado dip with jatz biscuits and maltesers... I've had to watch out for the malteser thief though... she is worse than a shark my dog! She stalks me!!!! This morning she was trying to eat my peanut butter toast. I almost wet myself laughing, because she licked my mug of HOT tea and yelped and jumped off the couch so fast like it was on fire! I'm a bad Mumma... I just told her 'Well, I told you to get off!'... It was pretty hilarious!

Well, speaking of muttley, she is barking at the neighbours. They have decked their house out in lights (I LOVE it when people do that!! So it awesome that quite a few houses in my street have done it this year), and they have some flashing action in the front yard.... Her Ladyship doesn't like it and keeps barking. She's not supposed to yap dammit!!!!

[lilli_star]

Hi everyone

It's been a crazy few days (weeks!) here. Haven't even had my computer on I know! Shock horror! Today was the last day with kids, but teachers have to be at school tomorrow, then we are FREEEEEEE!!!

Apparently I missed an 'interesting' thread :D I thought she wasn't going to post about her dog's progress any more though???

[Cleo's Corgwyn]

Hi All,

KTB, sorry to hear about Papa Koala, its never easy to face the prospect of having to say goodbye - from eiter side.

Ravenau, sounds like you're doing well with Astrid, if she's already doing so well with the cats. She's a very cute puppy!

I've enjoyed everyone's puppy pics - its one thing I missed out on, not getting Shandy until she was 18 months. I have one of her winning a Best Puppy ribbon at about 6 months, but that's it.

We finished our last class for the year for Dancing with Dogs tonight. We're still having plenty of fun with it. I've actually managed to teach her to target with both her left and right paws now, and she's getting the hang on targeting my feet, in a cute sort of marching move now, which I plan to use as a transition move in our routine. Its the hard part about competing in these things with an unusual breed - a lot of the moves just don't really work for Shandy and I. THings like bows just don't work with a short legged dog!