courtnek

OH MY GOD!!! the police just showed up at my door, saying that someone had called them about Laurel....THAT SHE HAD BEEN STOLEN FROM THEM!!! I was in tears, brought out all the paperwork....showed them the adoption certificates, etc...these people STILL said she was theirs... AND I COULDNT CONTACT HER FOSTER MOM... the phone just rang and rang, and then I got the answering machine...they took Laurel and kept her at the pound until I could reach the foster mom...she came down (almost an hours drive) with the paperwork from the hunt club, showing she had been turned over to the rescue society...and she told me this is not uncommon with hounds....people claim them as theirs, and then sell them to testing labs...something about hounds being excellent test subjects for new drugs and such....I now have copies of all of the foster mom's paperwork here....but she also warned me of the possibility of Laurel being stolen from my yard....I heard Freebee go all ballistic earlier, and Laurel baying, but since they do that all the time I didnt think anything of it. NOW I WILL.... The gate to my fence is locked, and can only be opened from the inside, so if they tried originally to steal her it apparently didnt work.... I AM SO PISSED OFF RIGHT NOW.... :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

THANK YOU!! for making a difference.... :angel: :angel:

Is she on a leash or running free? I couldnt let mine run free, they would take off at the first thing they smelled that seemed interesting.... I see alot of people around here riding bikes with their dogs trotting along, but I would be scared mine would take off...Good for you!! the exercise is good for both of you!! :D

Didnt you tell me that deaf Aussies often have eye problems too? I would definitely get Cody's eyes checked. Maybe it is a peripheral vision issue. Hang in there girl!! Cody will be fine...he just needs some time to adjust... :D

Labs are ok in the winter - I'm in Chicago area, it gets really cold here too. You need to leave their coat a little bit oily to ward off winter weather, like snow and ice, but as long as they're not outside all day they're fine in the winter. here's what their coat should like for the best water protection... [img]http://thumbs.webshots.com/s/thumb4/7/8/1/80370801HXUjXf_th.jpg[/img]

Poor DAL..... I gotta agree with Cassie - your dog can sense stress, probably even more so because of the deafness. Nature provides all animals with "extra" abilities in some sensing areas when one of them fails. For instance, blind people can usually hear better than sighted people...the body is trying to make up for the loss of one sense by strengthening another...So it's very possible Cody is sensing your stress, and reacting to it. And we all know how stressed you've been lately too.... Ane Lee Anne is right about the muzzle thing. People teach that to their dogs, usually inadvertently, by grabbing their muzzles to make them pay attention. Kinda like demanding "look at me when I talk to you"...which is not a good thing to do to a dog that's upset. Forcing it to look at you when it wants to be submissive is going to frighten it, and it may bite, but people dont understand the way dogs think....so maybe Cody's previous owners used to do the muzzle grab for attention. The positive sign is that he did not attempt to hurt Potter....even after grabbing the lip he didnt bite or injure him. That's a warning grab, not an attack...and Cody was protecting his food.... Freebee used to grab Alex by the ear when she wanted to warn him off.. but she never bit. Maybe Cody just needs a little more time to get used to his new surroundings and the other doggies in it... hang in there DAL!! :)

It's a show called Petstar...basically a talent contest between pets...and all pets are allowed. Dogs, birds, cats, rabbits, any animal that's been trained to do a "trick" of some sort. I personally dont care for the show (although I did watch the Championship with Skidboot....that dog is AWESOME!!) I stopped watching it cuz the host just bothers me, he's so phony.... but I happened to catch a bit where they had a rescue dog showing how it could walk on a series of wobbling boards without falling. It slipped once, although didnt fall. The "scorers" gave him only 8 points out of 10, because he slipped...And I felt like saying "Lets see YOU do that and not fall....." oh well. I just vented I guess.... :D

Thanks everybody!! I was getting worried, because this seems to be taking so long, but little by little she is coming out of her shell. Did I tell you that when she was in the kennel/pack witht he other hounds, except to be fed, (and they got fed in a huge trough!! like horses!!) that her only real human contact was with the trainer? and that was only a few times a week and in the company of 20 other dogs as well, so no wonder she's uncomfortable around people... she;s not used to having so much attention paid to her I guess..... I think that's sad.....

[img]http://community.webshots.com/s/image1/9/60/62/95496062rzpdMA_ph.jpg[/img]

[img]http://thumbs.webshots.com/s/thumb4/7/39/0/93273900EKaUZR_th.jpg[/img] thats the biggest one I have, she looks sad, but it's because of the dark fur around her eyes...

she's much less scared - and playing with me - and Kyle and his friends.. [img]http://thumbs.webshots.com/s/thumb4/9/60/62/95496062rzpdMA_th.jpg[/img] that's my girl!!

Y&K, I am a diabetic (since childhood, insulin dependent) so if you need any help with the Gestational, let me know, ok?

well that explains something. When I had my malamute/BC mix I would have him "thinned" every year to make summer easier on him...his coat would get to be 3 and 4 inches thick over the winter....and one day they came out with this 30 gallon garbage bag half filled with Fur (bad winter that year) and asked me if I wanted it...what would I want it for? She said that some people want the fur to make sweaters with...

I've said before that Freebee retrieved naturally when a puppy, however, getting her to drop the ball was an ongoing issue. She would bring it to me, then hold on to it until I pried it outta her mouth to throw it again. I dont have a clicker, but I used a clicking voice sound (tongue clicking on bottom of mouth) to teach her that when she got back with the ball she has to DROP IT at my feet. If it rolls away, oh well, she has to go get it and drop it at my feet again, until it's sitting unmoving at my feet. The boundary is the sidewalk in the back yard. The ball has to be at my feet on the sidewalk, or she has to go get it and bring it back again. I wish I had a clicker, it might have been easier, but they can definitely detect frustration and anger in your voice. If I "clicked" and she didnt bring the ball back, I turned around and went inside. Play time is NOW OVER... It's her favorite game, and I use it for training all the time.

[quote]I happen to have a bird that can talk And he is extremely smart, [/quote] please dont take that wrong Sharpei - I admire tropical birds that can talk, I think they're fun to be around, but I thought the dog deserved more points because of what he is doing, not because I dont like birds or thought the bird was stupid...they are very intelligent, I know. I just have to side with the dogs that can navigate terrain most human's wouldnt want to, to save lives....but of course, as was mentioned, these people are wanna be actors/stars, and so probably dont realize what goes into training a dog to risk his life to save us...and do it willingly...I guess that's what upset me so much. I'm not gonna watch it any more.... :)

Labs can be ok in an apartment providing they get enough exercise every day.....but the exercise is all important - or they will chew...A better apartment dog if you want a retriever type is a Golden. They are calmer, and although they need exercise as well they are less destructive then Labs if they dont get it. I lived in two apartments with a Golden and he did fine. However, on the down side you have to deal with the hair. I would suggest, if you can get it, a Golden Lab. They are becoming more popular nowadays, they have short hair with the temperament of a Golden, and that might be perfect. They end up BIG, but they are gentle as well. This is NOT a "real" breed, although the resuce societies are trying to perfect them and make them one for rescue work. I had one (I miss him terribly) and I can say he would have been a good apartment dog...

That picture cracks me up - :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: That cat looks ALOT like mine, and he is JUST arrogant enough to think he could get away with that... I have it as the background on my PC at work... :lol:

WELCOME TO DOGO EMILY!!! K, all of your advice was EXCELLENT.... Emily, you're probably not going to need everything mentioned, but it's always better to be on the safe side. You are going to have to be the delivery doctor on this one....although it will probably be fine, K's advice on what to have and how to handle it is right on!! Get the camera ready...you are an official Dogo member, and we are very pushy about pictures here.... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Best of luck to you your girl and her babies!! pictures yet? :wink:

oh Sharpei....... I am so dreadfully sorry....tears falling for you and Sassy.... I have a fear that something like that will happen here - my kid and his friends leave the doors open all the time.... We are here for you...and know that even if they have to amputate, dogs can get along fine on three legs....poor Sassy...I hope she feels better and is home with you real soon!!! :( :(

EXCELLENT POST Y&K - thank you. You pretty much summed it all up for all of us. Do you write? Oh, and Welcome Aboard!! :D :D

Neutering a male cust down on a number of issues, especially the testicular cancer chances. It lessens their desire to roam (which you've alrready seen). An intact male can smell a bitch in heat from very far away, and will escape if possible to mate. It cuts down on their aggressiveness, and makes them easier to train. It cuts down on the possibility of dominance issues, especially with a more dominant breed of dog, like GSD's and Rotties.... Now you'll notice I said "cuts down"....those issues will still arise unless they are trained properly, of course. But neutering, especially since you cant breed him anway per your contract, is in his (and your) best interests. :D

this just seemed to fit the thread.... :lol: :lol: It says "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the Shadow of Death, I will fear no evil....Psalm 23" [img]http://thumbs.webshots.com/s/thumb4/3/61/9/95436109wiazMJ_th.jpg[/img]

OH!! OH!! THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL!!! I wasnt able to get the link up last night but it came up today...you're right DP they look like Shepherds with longer ears and pointier faces... Shame on me, I think they use some of them here.....I thought they were a different type of Shepherd but I have seen them in the K9 patrol.. :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops:

OK Rowie - you got me going - I had to look it up. I have known avout Angora sweaters, but never knew the wool came from rabbits...or that rabbot fur could be spun like wool.... Angora rabbits are not only a source of enjoyment and quiet company, they are also the source of a wool that is incredibly soft and warm. Handspun into a durable yarn, it is eight times warmer than sheep wool, and so light it provides warmth without weight. Angora wool is continuously renewed and gently harvested during the rabbits natural molting process; thus, the Angora rabbit need never be harmed for it's wool.

That was my mistake - I dont usually watch it either, because I cant stand Mario and the show aggravates me, but I saw the Lab doing the search and rescue walk and stopped to watch it.....and he got beat out by some tropical bird or something.....