Carolk9s

Tammy, I feel you did the very best possible for Ariel and gave her a wonderful quality of life. Your decision was a tough one but I think it was most definitely the right one. I am sure the light is shining clear in her eyes and she is happily running about with other dogs doing wonderful doggie things, no fear, no stress, lots of toys and bones and crystal clear streams to drink from and splash about in. She is free from whatever demons tormented her in this physical world, free and happy.

ABUSE. Pure and simple. Dog knows the damage they have done to this dogs skeletal and muscular systems. Which in turn cause damage to internal organs as they are not being supported by muscle and bone as they should be.

[quote name='Sharpeigirl']You saw the picture didn't you?? Want me to take another one? I can do that if you want me too... For petes sake.[/quote] You have the gall to get snarky with us? Many of us have NO desire to get involved in your drama again. For all I know, what starts out as a question regarding a bump could morph into a life or death situation....again. There is one truth you will have to just deal with, once trust is destroyed, it does not bounce back. It is GONE. I have NO USE for liars, period.

I usually say, 'time to scoop some poops' and my dogs get all excited and dance around me as I'm heading out the door. Jesse always prances beside me as I go to the shed for the shovel, he thinks that is his job, escorting me and all.

Ok now that one is just scary! 8) Dare I ask what is clenched in the teeth?

QUOTE: 11) If PETA does launch a “plant rights” campaign, will it include weeds? If so, does that mean that your members will have to quit smoking weed? Dangit, gotta clean the monitor screen AGAIN! Cracked me up that did! Oops, time to apologize to my oppressed and cruelly imprisioned canine pals again. Sorry about forcing the nutritious (and so tasty too) food on you every day. Sorry for 'making' you cuddle up every chance you get, in bed and on the couch while watching tv or reading the newspaper. Sorry for dragging you to the park and making you romp off leash and play chase me games with other equally oppressed canines. Sorry for taking you to Petsmart even though I did not NEED anything from there, only went because I know how much you enjoy going. Sorry for 'forcing' you to learn and run agility, you obviously hate it and it's terribly scary for you. That must be why you bounce in the air at the gate to the field and try to shove the gate open with your nose. Must also be fear and dislike that causes you to start running the course without me. Sorry for INSISTING that you do not roam the streets and play in the road, I guess letting nature take its course and you getting hit by a car is far preferable to some. Oh I'm sure I have MUCH MUCH MORE to apologize for but am too tired to think of it right now. BTW, I support responsible hunting. If the hunter is not going to personally make use of the meat, I would hope they would transport it and donate it to a soup kitchen or other org. Like BK, I too feel that people in parts of Asia eating dog is a part of THEIR society that I have no right to object too. I also agree that it is the inhumane way the dogs are treated prior to being killed that disgusts and sickens me.

Hooray for Jada! Sounds great. It is rather funny, I have had far more children approach Jesse than Brittany or Candy. Candy can wiggle her butt off but Jesse ignores them, so naturally they want to come and hug HIM!

any of the 3 may be called the following: hooligan knucklehead goober gooby-goob booger mangy mutt Candy is also called: Princess, the BABY Brittany is also called: prettiest girl, baby girl Jesse is also called: best boy, bud or buddy, and old dog

Speaking of being at the vets, I tend to annoy 'some' people as I do NOT let my dog visit their dog while there. Er, we are at the VETS office, some animals are brought in for routine stuff, but some are brought in because they are sick or have a skin condition etc etc. I bet some think I am stuck up while some think it is because my dogs have nasty tempers, nope, just the owner has one of those! 8)

When was Patti's thryoid last checked? I have Jesse and Brittany checked yearly for this. Did the vet say what was the cause of Patti's skin disorder?

Here's a short answer, I'm sure you will get more detailed info. First, remember your pup is truly just a baby and needs to learn in baby steps. Always make putting his collar and leash on a happy low stress event. While in the house or in a fenced area, attach the leash to his collar and just let him drag it around. This is foreign to your baby so let him get used to it gradually. If he sits in one place with the leash on, go a few feet away, sit down and see if he will come to you. Keep it low key and praise him if he does. Once he is used to having the leash attached to his collar, try holding it but just follow him around the house or the fenced area at first. Gradually, call your puppy to you, when he reacts, praise him. At first, he might only turn his head when you call, praise that reaction as well. Remember, baby steps. If he has a favorite toy, use that to excite his interest in coming to you. Gradually, use the toy or a tiny treat to encourage him to follow you. Do NOT put pressure on the leash yet. Build on the baby steps, you want your pup to walk nicely on a leash because he has learned it is a GOOD thing, not just something he has to do.

VERY NICE! Looks to me that you captured the very essence of a Sheltie.

Personally, I think with a new baby coming, it will be very difficult to effectively work with Patti to the extent that she needs. Ask the vet to run a thyroid panel on her, here is a link to info regarding dominance aggression and low thyroid. [url]http://www.vin.com/proceedings/Proceedings.plx?CID=WSAVA2002&PID=2562[/url]

I too agree that STRONGER training methods should not be the first resort BUT having said that, I also wish I had gotten a prong collar for Brittany many many years ago. When I first got her, she was very soft and just a voice correction would send her belly down to the ground. As she gained confidence, she got harder and harder to walk on a leash. I was very active in training her, classes and homework. She got two legs on her obedience title in her first two trials. We missed the trial the next year and UKC obedience trials are very difficult to find around here, more so back then. On a flat collar, she would pull until she choked. On a choke chain collar, she would pull until she choked. She would literally hunker down in the front and drag me, and I am NOT a small person. A PROPERLY used prong collar can be a wonderful thing, it is for her. I DO NOT correct her, she corrects herself. As was mentioned before, the collar MUST be high on the dogs neck and fairly snug to begin with. Not tight, just not enough slack for it to slide down on the dogs neck. It should sit right behind and below the ears.

Don't feel like a bad momma at all! I had not seen any true drop in Jesse's energy level, he was at an excellent weight, still doing agility, still had the same 'lets go' attitude etc. The ONLY symptom he had was a rough, dry coat. Even that did not immediately set off alarm bells as it was winter, the air was very dry, and of course the heat was on in the house. I had to convince my vet to run the test, she did not think he was a low thyroid dog. Well, he was. He has been taking the medication for almost 4 years now and will take it for life. It is not uncommon to see results so quickly, the body says 'whew, I am feeling much better now thank you!' Jesse is on Levotabs and gets .8 a day, 1/2 in the morning and 1/2 at night. ONCE the dosage is deemed to be correct, you might be able to save some money by buying the medication in large amounts. I buy Jesses thyroid meds 1000 pills at a time through my vet. I keep the bulk of them in the original bottle and keep a smaller amount in a smaller bottle for daily use. You can also purchase then on the internet if your vet will write you a prescription to send in. I am SOOOO glad to hear that the answer has been found, a low thyroid can wreak much havoc within the body over time. You caught the problem early and Taurus should be just fine.

Hope your buddy Taurus checks out ok. I would also suggest the thyroid panel if the tests from today show nothing amiss. I would also suggest paying the little bit extra to having his thyroid panel sent to MSU or Cornell, preferably MSU. I can totally understand the 'sticker shock' over the cost. One way I slow my racing heart after such a bill is to remind myself, it is far cheaper to catch a problem early and treat it than for it to wreak havoc on body parts and THEN have to do damage control.

Hildy could have been a GSD/Collie cross. Definitely a heavy coated breed in the mix!

Do you have Jetta's crate beside your bed? It may help to do so, that way, if she cries, you can reach down and touch her through the crate. You can probably tell the difference between her "poor little me let me outta hear' cry and the 'I gotta go NOW' cry. Maybe just being near you will help her settle. Give it time but be CONSISTANT. If you let her out once or twice for crying, she will not only continue to cry, but will escalate the crying until you give in.

Jetta is one cute party girl!

I am a born again convert to the correct use of a prong collar! After suffering through many years of shoulder and back pain after walking Brittany on either a flat buckle or choke chain collar, after my brother refused to walk Brittany anymore, after years of not letting my mom walk Brittany out of fear Britt would pull mom off her feet, I tried a prong one day. It was AMAZING! I no longer have to constantly correct Brittany, in fact, I don't correct her at all, I let her correct herself if she leans into the prong. The day I put it on her, she started to pull, stopped, then started to pull again. I swear, I saw the light of understanding flick on in her eyes. If you've ever had a dog that will crouch low in the front to pull hard, that is what Brittany would do. For such a soft, sweet girl, she is a BEAR on any other collar. As Science-Doc found, this transformation does not carry over, if Britt is wearing the prong, walks are pleasant, otherwise, they are HELL!

So Taurus is just over 4? He should be in the early prime of his life, I would have the vet check him over. I think Jesse was past 9 before I could even DREAM of keeping up with him on an agility course. Even then, I found out a couple of months later that his thyroid was low, it might have been inching downward well before that.

[quote name='HazelNutMeg']Not enough :oops: :lol: I'm SUPOSE to bathe him twice a month, but lately it's been once a month, he actually needs it again, he's pretty dirty and smelly :-?[/quote] I'm sure the shedding is normal, but wondering why Coal gets bathed so frequently? Each full bath strips oil from his skin, I think even once a month is too frequent UNLESS you are using something that adds moisture to his skin. My dogs generally get bathed 2-3 times a year although mini 'spot' baths are sometimes necessary for the girls. Both love to roll in evil smelling spirits at the park. They are quite frequently brushed of course. I wonder if a simple rinse with plain water would be enough for Coal not to be too smelly or dirty instead of a full bath with shampoo and all.

Lad of Sunnybank. While the books written by Albert Payson Terhune were fiction, there was a collie named Lad from this large kennel in NJ. The Terhunes had MANY collies but I believe Lad was the most famous. Here is a link to Sunnybank [url]http://www.sunnybankcollies.us/collies.htm[/url]

Buddy, the first Seeing Eye Dog.

Most replies I received from my other list suggested your pup be tested for UTI. It is possible that the spay and hormones are the culprit but if she only loses control at night, perhaps not. I believe that in general, spay incontinence will result in leaking on a more frequent basis. I just like to cover all the bases. Also, switch her to adult food as soon as possible, just make sure the protein content and quality are sufficient for a still growing dog.