Horsefeathers!

Sorry for the loss of the pups, Izzy, but I'm glad Tina is going well, and send wishes for a good recovery.

My vet is like Kat's. He'll usually drain an abscess. I hope it does clear up without further intervention needed. It would suck to have to pay for another vet visit to have it lanced when it could have been drained to begin with.

Heck, no! You go! :D

I am, to put it politely, NOT a fan of Dr. Phil and never have been. I can't stand him.

I dog proofed my house, but they still get in. :oops:

You'll need a couple of drops (or so depending on how much water) of dishwashing liquid in the water for it to work. Hey, but it does work, though. You just take a little light of some sort, and put it over a bowl or pan of dishwashing liquid/water. The light draws the fleas and the soapy solution kills them. The soap breaks the surface tension of the water and the fleas don't stand a chance of getting back out of it. It's kind of an old wives' remedy, but it works. I'd also suggest something like Frontline or Advantage to get rid of any other fleas, though, since drawing fleas to the light and killing them in soapy water does nothing for the fleas actually still on Leo. I'm honestly not a huge fan of flea and tick shampoos... any shampoo can kill fleas if applied straight and left on for a bit. I've even used dishwashing liquid followed by a conditioner. I don't even buy flea shampoo, anymore.

[quote name='eric']Jeez, I've been doing "doggie-style" all wrong. [/quote] You're a groomer, too?? :D

I'm so sorry, Kat. :( Peaceful journey to you, Zoe.

This was a permanent outside dog. That's what made me so angry when I saw her wailing on tv about how she was so attached to him, and basically blaming the power company for her own negligence. On a similar note, a neighbor of ours yesterday left their Pit-ish looking dog tied up outside in the storm all day. That dog howled and cried bloody murder all day long. I went out in the storm and knocked on the people's door and asked if they were aware (duh) that their dog had no shelter. I thought maybe his dog house had blown away. They shrugged it off, "he'll be a'ight." I went home and called the cops (since it was Sunday... you have to call the cops on weekends to get in touch with animal control) and reported it, but with so much else going on like washed out roads and down power lines, a dog standing in the rain wasn't a priority, so no one came out. I thought of just taking the dog out of the yard, but he was padlocked to the tree with the chain padlocked around his neck. How frustrating! People are so stupid! That poor dog cried all day long in the wind and rain. If he were so "valuable" as to need to be padlocked into place, why would they just leave him exposed to the bad weather?

I saw this on our local news. This woman was sobbing about how her beloved Siberian Husky was electrocuted by a downed power line during storms resulting from Dennis. My question... why was he left outside during these storms? We knew for nearly a week that a hurricane and resulting strong storms were coming to our area, so why would anyone leave their dog tied outside and then sob on the news when it gets killed? Tragic, I agree, but the owner is a bonehead. In the televised newscast, it's obvious by her tone that she blames the power company for not getting to the line in time to save the dog. Idiot owner should have had the dog safely inside somewhere, IMO. [url=http://www.walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=3576830&nav=5kZQbztN]Dog dies[/url]

Poor guys. They're going to feel soooooooo much better, Tammy! Heavy matting can indeed cause hair loss (as well as poor diet). I've seen several dogs like that... the hair was so matted that when it was clipped off, it just came off in clumps leaving exposed skin. I don't know if you remember the little ol' dilapidated Yorkie we used to have, but he was initially matted badly and when clipped, he was as naked as a new baby. His hair grew in after that into a beautiful Yorkie coat. Sometimes you just have to rub a lump of coal long enough for it to become a diamond. Your guys are just diamonds in the rough and they are going to be so much happier.

[quote name='courtnek']positive note..the cops are on my side.dog was offleash. they asked him if he knew the laws, he said he didnt.. "ignorance of the law is no excuse....." WOO HOO!![/quote] AH HA! says HF who's not an attorney, but plays one online sometimes. This means the guy admitted to the COPS that his dog was offleash, and what better credible witnesses in court than law enforcement officers (err from the judge's eyes). He can't go into court and change his story and say his dog was on a leash without ruining his credibility. Either way, he loses (he admits his dog was offleash, or he's a liar). I smell a slam dunk!

Oh, but I could hold him and love him! :iloveyou: Seriously. :oops:

Courtnek, it's interesting to me that you would bring this up. Of our four remaining cats, one is a very small, "special needs" cat. Not elderly (nine years old), but has a heart defect and a lot of other problems. My dogs are good with cats, have been raised with them all their lives. However, they always seem to "target" this ONE cat. They chase her and harrass her and it bugs me. Even the other cats pick on this one little cat. I don't know what to tell you to do. Our cats have a designated safe area... a room that is solely for their use. It is gated off by a baby gate. The cats can clear the gate, but the dogs can't get in. When we aren't home, or are unable to supervise, the cats are always kept in their room with the door closed. With Pushy being so old, I don't know how well he'd be able to jump a gate, or if he could beat the dogs to it. The only thing I can think of is to just be super diligent in monitoring them. None of my dogs have ever hurt any of the cats, and when they go after this little puny one, they just harrass her, but I don't trust them implicitly. If one were to ever corner her up, I'm afraid a sort of pack mentality would take over and she'd be a goner. I'd just rather be safe than sorry even though they've never tried to hurt her. Anyway, I'm really only empathizing. I don't know how many viable suggestions I can offer other than to just really stay on your toes and make sure Pushy has a dog free safety zone to go to.

Gosh, no, I've had Missy for seven years. I guess she's one of my more "neglected" dogs that doesn't get mentioned much. :oops: The little Lhasa I'm talking about is named Sophie and belongs to a relatively new client of mine. She is the sweetest dog and gets along great with other dogs (but not cats, go figure). I'm just catching the hardest time getting her into a foster home, but it's that time of year... puppy and kitten season. At least the owner isn't desperate to get rid of her and threatening to take her to the pound, so I have some time to wait for something to come available.

OG, don't you want a Lhasa of your very own? I have a sweet five year old spayed female that I've been trying to get placed or in a foster home for about a month. I can't take anymore longterm fosters, and certainly can't adopt anymore, but this is the sweetest little dog. The rescues I network with are all full. The lady that has her basically wanted a Shih Tzu, I believe. Sweet lady, but is one of those owners that doesn't quite understand Lhasas and doesn't know how to deal with Sophie's "stubbornness." Not really trying to dump her off on you. I just happened to think about her since the subject of Lhasas came up, and it was mentioned how some people just don't "get" them. It's also how I came to own little Devin... talk about misunderstood. :roll:

Lhasas are my favorite small breed. I LOVE your Lhasa babies! I have three of the little critters right now, definitely not show worthy (probably about as poorly bred as a Lhasa can get, but I adore them, anyway). I agree with ObedienceGrrl about people not understanding Lhasas. So many people think they're like Shih Tzus and they're just not. The independence and sometimes aloof nature is what I love about them. They aren't overtly clingy or in-your-face, so to speak. Love these little guys! Here are mine. A couple of them are shown coated, but they are all buzzed down short now. Just no time to keep up the coats, though I love a fully coated Lhasa. :oops: Missy [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0XQCfAq0eRt4EC!izW5p9mWZ8v*F8I!pJ6IUaOE*GiipVu7RhniHyI2D7v5LjJpZQqh4XYV37uxUE*4CGUwJDylxdacd12eyEwCpa0buB5cvYiruwIu5uIuAbBq*yN5jIOs!svcKQV4c/Missyagain.jpg?dc=4675379075352103430[/img] Devin & Fred [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0ZgCfAoEgCKPiOyp9pjSpqE9BR!nI8dTxlz5WKL1X2HvNGFDI1FYdJNc8KdDOt9kl6cyhBXqe0N37x8lAkFKebvfg2Y4jWMN6qNhhjZuh*w6PxhdfImN5VSq0H3hQIs0*a*Rp2WHAQfNPTSHQ9Y1*GA/Fred%20and%20Devin.jpg?dc=4675472358277631398[/img]

Something to consider while living in a high rise apartment and having dogs... Will you be willing to get up several times a night and take the dog out if it gets sick or has upset tummy? That's a lot more effort than just opening the door and letting it into a secured yard. A bigger dog is going to mean bigger messes when that dog isn't able to make it to the elevator/stairs, down, and then outside to the designated area (and potentially dribbling on the elevator/stairs and hall on the way out, which will all need to be cleaned). Certainly not trying to change your mind. It's just something to think about because, eventually, all dogs get that dreaded case of midnight trots. It would take a lot of commitment to be willing to clean up after them constantly if you couldn't get them out in time, or get up several times a night and go out. I just wanted you to think about whether you're up for it.

Some of you are familiar with Pauly. He was a nervous wreck when he came here, but we've spent the last couple of years or so working with him and desensitizing him, and he's actually turned out to be a great dog. He's not nervous and snappy, anymore, and the groom shop that had him today remarked on how well behaved Pauly (and Perry, but that's a given) was. When I showed up to pick them up, they were both snoozing comfortably. That's a huge step for Pauly who's always been so nervous. Anyway, while Perry sleeps on the bed, couches, where ever he chooses (anywhere but the floor :roll: ), Pauly refuses to sleep off the floor, though he does enjoy having something to lay on. That actually was a good thing when we were having issues with him being snappy. However, sometimes I'll pull him on the bed for a session of just playing and he seems to enjoy it, but as soon as it's time to lie down, he jumps down. He doesn't seem to be afraid of the height or anything. I'm just curious what some of you might think. Do you suppose he thinks it's out of his "place" to be there? I understand all about the alpha dog stuff and them not sleeping in the bed and all that when dominance is an issue. However, Pauly isn't dominant at all. It's not that I want to entice him onto the bed or couch if he isn't comfortable with it. I was just curious about WHY he might not be comfortable being up there. He does, however, sleep very, very close to me on the floor whether I'm on the couch or the bed. If I get up to go to the bathroom, he lays right in the door until I come out and then lays right back down by my head, but on the floor. I just can't imagine what makes him want to be so close, but not ON the bed. Not that I mind and all. I have enough dogs on the bed. :roll: Opinions? Is it a respect thing? A "subordinate" thing? Am I just over-analyzing?

And the POS still doesn't work. Imagine that! :o

:oops:

Busted. :oops:

My two big boys, Perry & Pauly, have appointments this morning with a groomer nearby. No crap. Their regular groomer just couldn't fit them into her schedule. The bitch. :x There's no other way I'd be up this early on a Monday morning. *groan*

[quote name='Mutt_Lady']I turned the sink on the clean it out (Steph always leaves toothpaste at the bottom of it). [/quote] What solved that problem in my house was getting my kid sister out of bed at ridiculous hours to clean the sink. All it took was having to wake up ONCE and she no longer leaves toothpaste sloppin's (or hair... YUCK!) in the sink. Urgh, I HATE that! I once put some houseplants in the tub and turned on the shower for a nice tropical soak. I do that sometimes. I forgot all about it, and one of the plants was blocking the tub drain. My whole bathroom flooded. What really p*ssed me off is that my kid sister had been in and out of the bathroom with water standing in the floor and never mentioned it. When asked about it, she said she didn't realize it was important. :wallbash: :onfire:

[quote name='behle']I can just see you [b]bust[/b]ling over and rapping on their door! :lol: I'm glad no fisticuffs ensued![/quote] [quote name='rotten two']well it's good you didn't knock yourself out with your boobage on your angry march over! i am glad it all turned out for the better -- except that maybe your neighbors saw you in all your "liberated" glory [/quote] Everything was quite dandy. I had them tucked safely in my armpits. :P