Horsefeathers!

Indeed we need photos! I have 3 Lhasas and just adore the little darlin's (said with tongue planted firmly in cheek). If I don't eventually go into the show ring with Standard Poodles, Lhasas are my second choice.

Pretty interesting stuff. I've been following this thread with interest because I have a little hard headed Schnauzer. Out of the 10 dogs in this house, he is the ONLY one who does not have a reliable recall. Kind of similar background... was picked up as a stray and we have no clue about his history. In a fenced yard, he is 100% reliable and will come every time. Same as on a leash, no matter how long. He is the most perfectly mannered gentleman on leash or in a fenced yard we could ask for. However... *groan* let someone leave the gate open and he's gone like a shot and no amount of running the other way, begging, pleading, calling, offering food, slamming my head on the pavement will get him to come back until he's good and ready. We've been working on this issue with this dog for 3-4 years now, but there is absolutely no way he can be trusted offleash or out of a fence. He's an amazing dog otherwise and easily trained, EXCEPT for darting off when the opportunity arises. I'm glad I'm not the only "failure." :oops:

Well, that just sucks! I can understand his initial frustration... he didn't know Jesse, or you, may have been building frustration at the truly irresponsible owners who make us all upset sometimes and Jesse was perhaps the last straw that broke the camel's back. However, I do think he overreacted. Unlike the truly irresponsible people who just blow off stuff with, "oh, he's friendly, he just wants to say hi" as their dog is jumping all over you, or terrorizing your dog who is cowering between your legs, you were apologetic and TRIED to right the "wrong." Geez Louise, they are DOGS after all and you were in an offlead area. I think it's unreasonable to expect that you won't ever ever ever meet an offlead dog in an offlead area. I'm all for voice control, responsible ownership and all that jazz, but is it realistic to expect EVERY dog to respond perfectly 100% of the time? If that were the case, there'd be no competition in things like flyball, agility and competitive obedience as all dogs would have perfect scores. Like K, I think this man blew a perfectly good training exercise, regardless of how irresponsible he perceived you to be. He quite possibly has begun to make his dogs fear the approach of other dogs and people. Way to go, Mr. Perfect Training Exercise! I'd be a bit aggravated with his dramatics as well. It might make me feel better to think that perhaps he had a very recent rescue dog with issues of some sort that he was trying to work through and the distraction (in his mind) blew it. It might help to think something like that rather than just believe he was an obnoxious moron. WE know you and love you :wink: , but I'm sure we've all dealt with enough of the truly obnoxious and irresponsible people to perhaps be cynical and overreact sometimes. In other words, the guy was a jerk, but perhaps a well intentioned jerk.

[quote name='Debbie']I think we have to look at individual dogs.....I don't think you can say a whole breed is the smartest...... :wink: [/quote] Ain't that the truth! I have two Standard Poodles, both males and littermates. One (Perry) is extremely easy to train. He's a very receptive dog and all we ever have to do with him is basically show him what it is we want and he almost always gets it the first time. It's like he has this "what can I do for you" aura about him. The Toy Poodle (Peanut) is very similar and easy to teach. I don't have to "command" her or talk baby talk as much as just talk to her... "Peanut, get in the back (seat)..." "Peanut, away from the window, please..." "Peanut, go lie down..." It's like I only have to ask. The other Standard (Pauly) is dumb as a box of rocks (said with love *mutter*) :oops: . We wonder sometimes if he might have been dropped on his head at birth or something. :-? We do have three Lhasa Apsos as well and they all seem pretty similar to each other in regard to trainability. They do learn, but tend to be a bit more of independent thinkers. They don't seem to be as motivated to please as much as they are food motivated and even then it's like they have to be in the mood. Love 'em, but not necessarily the brightest bulbs in the box. Same for the Schnauzer who we suspect (on some days) is VERY sharp, but takes joy in being downright defiant ("sit? me? you can just kiss my *ss!"). :oops: Our Lab (Tucker) seems to be pretty similar to what we perceive stereotypical Labs to be. He is very trainable and eager to please. He will do just about anything we ask of him and catches on to it very quickly. Our Chihuahua (Chico) is another one who's not necessarily the sharpest tool in the shed. I'm not saying that Chis are stupid as a breed. Just mine is (and I only mean stupid in the nicest possible way *snicker*). We love him to pieces and it's a good thing. I sometimes think his head is hollow. My Dobe (Rocco) is without a doubt one of the most intelligent dogs I've ever known. He's our first Dobe and the people who had him before us put a lot of time and effort into Rocco with agility, competitive obedience, therapy work and CGC. I really can't account for how easy or difficult he was to train since I wasn't there, but whatever it took, he certainly retained it. I've never had a Dobe before, so never really took into account how they rank in intelligence, but if this boy's any sign, holy balls, what a smart dog!

[quote name='Debbie'] I would also like to know how Rabies is eradicated from wild animals ? If the UK can do it, why can't it be done here ? [/quote] The way my vet explained it to me (or at least my interpretation) is that is has something to do with islands. The nations that are rabies free are usually surrounded on all sides by seas. From what I understand, in many of them, there have never been reported cases of rabies and they have very strict quarantine laws for dogs and cats entering these countries, so it's been more of a preventive thing rather than eradication. As far as I know, even in the US, Hawaii is rabies free. Cat bites are very serious business and can be dangerous. Even seemingly minor cat bites can cause permanent damage if not properly taken care of... anything from infection to permanent nerve damage to, in some cases, amputation. There is a groomer near me who has been hospitalized twice and put on IV antibiotics because of cat bites sustained at work. I used to think all the horror stories about cat bites were just a bit of urban legend until I began networking with other groomers and found that cat bites are truly not something to mess around with. It's one reason I don't groom cats. I don't consider myself a cat person, meaning I don't "speak" cat very well, so it's not worth the risk to my career to mess with them. Some people love it and never have a problem. It's just not a chance I want to take.

Kind of off topic here, but I'm wondering where you people are getting cats that go outside. NONE of mine will go out the door. I did make the mistake once of trying to share some fresh air and sunshine with a couple of mine by carrying them in my arms down the back steps, but in both cases they wrapped around my face and neck like some cat mask and wailed as if the sun was surely searing their retinas. They made it clear to me that they don't do outside, tyvm. Perhaps I have vampire cats. *shrug* Sorry for the little jog off the beaten path. Please continue.

That's pretty innovative. How neat that Coal caught on to what to do. If I tried that with any of my misfits, I would have one very chewed up remote in no time. :-?

First of all, I think it's wonderful that you care enough to want to help out. I love that you want to make a difference. However (and you had to see that coming :wink: ), just from the outside looking in, it seems to me like maybe it isn't the best time. For one thing, as mentioned by others, sometimes fostering lasts longer than anticipated. It's entirely possible that the dog may not be adopted by the time you go back to school. [quote name='__crazy_canine__']When school starts up again, I would think the dog would be ok alone when I go to school.[/quote] The thing with fosters is that they often come with behavioral problems. That's why many of them are in rescue to begin with. Often it's something that can be overcome with a little work and the original owners just weren't willing or didn't know how. Anyway, what I'm getting at is that you could end up with a dog barking all day (one of the reasons dogs end up in rescue) and if you're in an apartment, that's likely to be a problem. When fostering, you're not just caring for the dog while waiting for a home, but you also work on obedience and manners and some of the issues the dog may have. With fosters, you never really know what you're going to get. I've fostered dogs that were supposed to be good natured, housebroken, didn't mind a crate and got along well with cats that, once I got to know them a little better, turned out to be good natured as long as you don't touch his food/wake him up/take his toy/put a leash on him/look him in the eye (other than that, he's a good natured dog :-? ), raised their leg on everything in sight and would poop on your pillow the first chance he got (other than that, he's housebroken :-? ), were ok in a crate until you tried to close the door, or get them back out, and got along well with cats as long as the cats were faster than him and could jump higher( :-? ), you see where this is going. Some fosters are truly dream dogs that you can't imagine why anyone would give them up and some are nice on the surface with underlying issues that eventually come boiling up. People often lie about why they're getting rid of their dogs and initially all you have is their word. I've found that people will tell you the dog is ferocious and aggressive when the dogs are absolute sweethearts (one dog I had was given up because she "snarled" at the baby... turned out she's a "smiler" and we've NEVER known her to actually snarl at anyone) and then other people will tell you their dog has never shown any aggression while it's trying to sever your hand as you reach for the leash. Beware the people who say the dog is good but "spoiled." Spoiled usually means aggressive when listed as a reason to give up a dog. I certainly do not mean to sound discouraging. I'm just offering food for thought. With all the frustrations and responsibilities, it can be truly rewarding. I think you're going to make a great foster person and dog owner someday. It just may be that the time is not right now, but it will come and when it does, I hope we're all still here to be able to share in your adventures.

I always pretended I was a bird. I was always fascinated with flight and wanted so much to be able to fly. I used to even dream about it at night. I used to climb way up high on stuff and jump off waving my arms madly like if I just tried hard enough, I could do it. I've made wings out of everything imaginable from trash sacks to cardboard boxes. I used trash bags for "parachuting" off things. I think back to some of the stupid things I did like jumping off the roof of our two story house, or leaping out of really tall trees. It's a wonder I never sustained any serious injuries :oops: . I reckon it was more a fascination of flight rather than actual birds.

Apparently, you can only vote once. I thought maybe I could vote daily. I voted yesterday and tried to vote again today, but got a message telling me basically I've had my vote, so naff off. :-? Oh well, I did get the one vote in.

One thing I've done to speed up the process of working those nails back is to notch the underside of the nails with the Dremel. It's not hard to do, but kind of hard for me to explain. After you've ground the nail back as short as you can (remembering, of course, not to let it get too hot), go underneath the nail and just grind out a little notch. That also makes that quick recede and if you go back a few days later and clip/grind again, you can take much more off. Then maintain with the regular weekly or bi weekly sessions. It's just kind of my little cheat and a faster way to work them back. I'm the world's worst slacker when it comes to nails (as much as I like a nice, tight foot... go figure :oops: ) and usually end up having to work them back.

I never believed for a minute that they wouldn't overcome this. :wink:

Well, we reckon Tucker's gonna live. We still aren't exactly sure what got hold of him, but it was probably a bee or a spider. One of Tucker's favorite "games" is to catch flying bugs midair, but he's just as content to play with a crawly bug. He probably snagged himself a bee this morning. Doc gave him a dexasomethingorother shot and said to just keep an eye on Tucker. His head (Tucker's, not the vet's *snicker*) truly was enormous and round and his skin was bright red all over. He seemed sooooo miserable. He didn't know whether to scratch, pace, drink, or pant, so he just alternated between them. The shot helped and the redness is gone and his head isn't as big, but around his mouth is still swollen. He looks kind of like a deranged Cabbage Patch doll. In hindsight, I probably overreacted. Had it been the weekend, I might have given him Benedryl and waited to see how it went, but geez... he was getting so bad off so quickly, I was afraid he would go into shock because it seemed like he was having trouble breathing. :-? Thanks for the well wishes. Oh, and Bunny's surgery is Thursday. :wink:

If it isn't one thing, it's another! Tucker (Lab) woke me up this morning pacing and panting, shaking his head and scratching. His entire head is swollen! His eyes are nearly swollen shut and his head is big around as a basketball! EEK! I'm sure something has bitten him, but what?? Off to work (and the vet) right now, wonky hair, wrinkled clothes and all. :oops: As always, wish him luck that it's nothing serious!

This whole thread made me realize how funny I must look when I'm around my dogs. I've had my legs rammed so many times and been nearly toppled that I keep my knees bent all the time, no matter what I'm doing. I just realized it. Nothing hurts worse, I don't reckon, than having a dog ram into your knees from the front. I suppose that pain is exactly why my knees are always bent. Now I know I'm probably going to be a deformed old lady. :-? Hope your knees are ok. Next time tuck and roll.... *snicker* :P

Can you spot the dog? Look very closely... [img]http://img17.photobucket.com/albums/v50/southpaw19511/Dogs%20Cats/Dogs/Can_you_find_the_dog.gif[/img]

[quote name='courtnek'] I was adopted, and my father was abusive, both physically amd emotionally. Most adopted people I know are happy about it, after all, the parents have to jump thru hoops to get the kids, so you have to think they really want to have kids. the "hoops" werent there when I was adopted. If the parents had money, they could adopt. [/quote] That's downright spooky. I can almost just say ditto ditto to that story, Court! I prefer to think of my adoption as more of a "purchase" (seriously... my birth father sold my sisters and me to 3 different families willing to pay), but still... wow, we have so much in common, it's scary. No one EVER believes me when I say this, but I think that adopted people looking up biological relatives is a horrible idea. I can relate and empathize with the curiosity of people who are adoptd, the who do I look like, whose talents did I inherit stuff, but I've known WAAAAAAY more people who ended up heartbroken and bitter upon finding their biological parents than those who had a happy reunion. The happy reunions are not as common as people want to imagine. Once you get through the initial "joy" of finding (or being found by) a long lost biological parent, the reality sets in... why did you get rid of me, why did you not want me, why did you allow me to be put into such predicaments, what did I do wrong, how could you, insert scenario here. That's not even to mention the adoptive parents who, when p*ssed off always refer to your biological parents and tell you that you're just like them, or will never amount to much, or can't understand why you aren't just like the biological children they had and raised. Oh, and don't forget the aunts, uncles and cousins who never miss a chance to tell you how thankful you should be that these godsent people came along and "rescued" you, you little throwaway that nobody else wanted, and what a worthless piece of sh*t you are if you don't spend your days and nights expressing your gratitude for being "rescued" and why can't you be more like your (adopted) siblings and then there is always the perverted uncle who wants to engage in funny business because you're not REALLY related, so that makes it ok and... Oh, and I always enjoyed being introduced as basically an outcast. My (adoptive) parents always introduced all their kids like this, "This is Kevin, that's Joyce, that's Janet, and that'sthekidweadopted" (me)... geez, I could REALLY get on a rant here (you ain't seen nothin' yet). :x It just really breaks my heart when I see adopted people who get their hopes set so high for meeting their biological families. It's very seldom a happy thing longterm. It can open so many wounds that you didn't even realize were there and can be very difficult to get through. Sorry to go so far off topic. Blame it on Courtnek. *snicker*

Bumping... 8)

I hate to put this here, but you must not have seen it in the NDR section. It looks like you also might not have gotten your pm's. It's easy to understand missing it because I frequently have to just bounce around and read what I can here and there if I'm in a hurry and I don't always get to read everything. A lot of us have been discussing this issue here: [url]http://forum.dogomania.com/viewtopic.php?t=13912[/url] Would you please resize your siggy? It's not just you, but several people have already resized theirs after reading that it was a problem for many of us. What ends up happening is that we have to scroll from side to side to be able to read posts. Just a friendly request? It would just make reading and posting here soooooo much easier for most of us.

How adooooorable! If it could hold about 40 lbs of junk, I'd definitely carry that. I really like it. Thanks for the share! 8)

[quote name='courtnek']morphine? like the pain killer? you can buy it over the counter?[/quote] I was thinking the same thing... So you can just walk right in the store over there and buy morphine over the counter without a prescription? I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around that... walking along the aisle and alongside the tampons and diarrhea medicine is morphine. :-? Nothing my dogs could do could ever make me give them Pepto. I can't even get that stuff in ME. Pepto causes an instant reverse action in my tummy and I don't think there's any way I could try to make someone else take it. The very smell of it nauseates me. :o

That's actually true. The doctor never did imply that he didn't believe me... just yelled (literally) that I should not have grabbed him like that whether it was to prevent a fall or not. His exact words were, "YOU CAN'T HANDLE A CHILD LIKE THAT!!" Even still, I try to believe the doctor was well intentioned. I live in what was listed as THE worst state in the US for child welfare. It's common to see children slip through the cracks here when there were red flags all around. My state's solution to child endangerment is to throw more money and resources to those unfit to care for them, but not otherwise become involved (a totally separate rant). To add insult to injury, this poor kid made more than one appearance at the local emergency room. He did sometimes fall square onto his forehead, leaving a nasty bump and bruise always in the same place. What was weird about him was that he'd throw his hands away from him and let his head catch the fall. It was as if he didn't want to injure his hands :-? . I knew that if he fell down those steps, he wouldn't do anything to break his fall... experience had told me that. I'm so glad this kid was able to speak for himself. An interesting fact... this doctor was later arrested and imprisoned for trading drugs to women patients in exchange for sex. That kind of dampened my desire to believe he was a concerned doctor as much as he was just covering his butt. Back on topic... I'm wondering how the relationship is going between X and Asim?

I have come to HATE that commercial! It's only because there is a tv/dvd/thingamabob in the lobby of our clinic that constantly plays pet care blurbs and vet chatter and whatnot, and that commercial is part of the whole thing. It gets played 387492635103856 times a day. I swear it's part of some mind control conspiracy because our receptionist sings it all day during the nanoseconds it's not playing. :-?

[quote name='TDG']HF, how is devin doing? :)[/quote] Ya know... that sounds like a simple enough question and I don't really know how to answer it. He's doing ok-ish, if that makes sense. He's "graduated" from the oatmeal and cottage cheese to oatmeal and eggs, but I'm not sure about the eggs. His stool is ok :oops: , but he's again scratching furiously, so I don't know whether to blame the eggs, or something else in the environment that I'm unaware of. We're just going very, very slowly with adding and taking away things. I think in a couple of days I'm going to take the eggs away and add some turkey and see how it goes. I can't wait until Fall when I can get hold of some deer. That's something I'm sure he's never had. I've been reading and reading the Pitcairn book. I have some really lame questions I want to ask you about some of the ingredients he lists, but I'll ask later. Too much information at one time makes my head want to implode. I'm a simple kinda gal, I reckon. It's just that some of the stuff is stuff I've never heard of before, but he makes it sound like things everyone has in their cabinet. :oops: Thanks for asking. :wink:

*sigh* The day is going to come when I don't have 10 dogs and the 2.5 I do have then will get a natural diet. Of course, I'm also going to win the lottery and live out my life in a tropical paradise with a wait staff and... In the meantime, my gang gets Canidae, Wellness and occasionally Solid Gold on rotation. We do include some fresh stuff, veggies, yogurt, leftovers, that sort of thing. One dog, Devin, is on a solely natural cooked diet since he has horrible allergies and tummy upset problems.