Our Dog Belle

[Guest Anonymous]

Hi everyone. Here is a photo of our dog Belle. She is an Australian Blue Heeler. She is a wonderful dog. Her full name is Eljebel, from the town in Colorado where my sister got her (a gift to my sister by the recording artist Joe Cocker) and where she took the name of her publishing company El Jebel Press.

Belle is getting along in years and has developed arthritis which has seriously limitted her ability to run and play like she used to. It's been very difficult for everyone. Belle was a very active dog. We used to hike with her almost every day. If she was given a choice between food and a hike in the woods and you were wagering on her decision you'd be wise to place your money on the hike. We are now forced to restrict her physical activity, no ruff play or chasing sticks and balls. It's very sad.

While her physical condition has deteriorated her mind remains sharp. This makes it all the more difficult for her. She doesn't quite seem to understand the change in her routine. The vet says that as long as she takes her medication and we limit her physical cativity her condition is managable. The medication helps a lot so long as she doesn't exert herself. She still plays a lot but the games have changed, tug of war has replaced chasing and retrieving toys.

I just wanted to introduce her to the group.

Belle


To learn more about these wonderful dogs visit
http://www.cattledog.com/

Thanks

Andrew

www.lostpetfoundpet.com

[Carolk9s]

She's a lovely girl, thanks for sharing the photo and story.
My Jesse is also experiencing the advance of time and the decline of the body. He still gets around pretty good and actually many people are surprised to hear his age. He still enjoys agility play with me but I have to limit both the duration and jump heights because he will overextend himself to please me.
At his recent chiro visit, the vet highly suggested I put him on glyco-flex III. I just started him on this, he was getting glucosamine in his food but she is not a fan of that. I had had my concerns as well as I wondered about the actual benefit derived from food sources.
He also gets (almost) nightly massages and flexation exercises. Of course the girls think that whatever I do for him I MUST do for them. Wears me out but the dogs feel better! :D

[Dad4duchess]

pretty dog :D

[mouseatthebusstop]

:) very nice. Do you only have one dog?

[Guest Anonymous]

Very pretty dog. :D I love heelers!

[Guest Anonymous]

Yes, Belle is our only dog now. We are considering adopting a new dog soon, possibly a pug. Sable our miniature shepherd had to be put down last year, and blue our lovely mutt of all mutts, about 3 years ago. And I'm sure I needn't tell you all it never gets any easier. We do have a cat TS Elliot, a rat, Clyde, that I adopted from the ASPCA last march during the adoptathon, and I've since become a total ratophile; he is the greatest; he was in the paper last week. He gets all the attention; I'm so jealous, and we have six parakeets.

Andrew
www.lostpetfoundpet.com

[Horsefeathers!]

Belle is beautiful!

I can't remember the last time I had only ONE dog in the house. :-?

I can do rats (I actually used to raise gerbils... rescued a pair from the shelter, believe it or not, and had the only gerbil to ever be neutered in this area :lol: ). However, I can NOT do birds. Parakeets? Eeeek! I'm a closet bird-o-phobe. I'm even scared of chickens (and grew up on a farm!). :oops:

[Guest roo]

Andrew she is lovely :lol:

[Guest Anonymous]

Horsefeathers! napisał(a):

However, I can NOT do birds. Parakeets? Eeeek! I'm a closet bird-o-phobe. I'm even scared of chickens (and grew up on a farm!). :oops:

LOL!!Same here!!My friend had a bird(dunno what kind it is) and I just couldn't get near it!I dunno how yo're supposed to have fun with birds... :oops: sorry people that like birds..

[Guest Anonymous]

Horsefeathers, how did you go about getting your gerbil neutered? I've considered this for Clyde since his mate still languishes in the ASPCA and I would love to bring her home, but don't want to create more babies. They came together. The people kept breeding them hoping to reproduce Clyde's unique tan color. After several tries and lots of unwanted rats, they gave up and dumped them at the shelter -- jerks. Anyway I would love more info on this, i.e. cost, risk, etc. I would love to be her knight in shining armor and I'm sure Clyde would love to see his honey again.

Andrew
www.lostpetfoundpet.com

[Carolk9s]

Your vet can neuter the rat. Years ago, a friend and I were given a litter of guinea pig babies, two boys and two girls. We each took a boy and a girl. Got both boys neutered when they were right about 3 months old. One boy was neutered just a tad too late or still had some potency shortly after. My friends female gave birth to one tiny little girl piggie. Never happened again thank goodness! When my allergies got so bad I could not keep my piggies, all 5 piggies got to live together til they died of old age.

[Guest Anonymous]

Thanks carol I am going to look into it. I just hate seeing her languish there.

Andrew
www.lostpetfoundpet.com

[Guest Anonymous]

Talking about pocket pets...When my brother was younger, he got a dwarf hamster, Oliva. Took her home and a litte later, she had a litter! We aquired her pregnant and didn't know it. She had two MORE litters after that...mating with her sons! :oops:

[bk_blue]

Belle is beautiful! :D

I remember dissecting rats at school. I would probably cry now if I had to do that. We had mice in yr 7 that we could take home if we wanted, my lab partner took ours home with her and one day one escaped and ran into a mousetrap a few days later. :( Rodents are cute and all but I don't like cleaning cages.
One of the reasons I will never get a cat is because I hate the smell of kitty litter and cat poo (and because it would die of shock if Bk wanted to play with it, read: herd it, bite its ankles or jump on its back).
I like birds and we get a few native birds (rosellas, lorikeets, galahs, cockys) flying over the backyard and occasionally stopping in the trees for a meal.

[Guest Anonymous]

That is a great suggestion for the second edition of www.lostpetfoundpet.com/]The Complete Guide to Lost Pet Prevention & Recovery star. Information on prevention and recovery of lost critters is hard to come by. They are almost always lost in the home, and often meet horrible fates, of which I will spare you the details. I give several tips for preventing their loss and recovering them but am always looking for new suggestions for future editions.

Andrew

[Guest Anonymous]

I didn't 'connect' your book dealing lost pets and Casey knowing that 'trick', but you're right! I did that with him hoping he'd learn his name for fun and because people think rats are stupid, but it did come in handy--could have ended bad. Instead, he'd come right out and I would pick him up.

My son's mouse (Dolphin) escaped, and it ended with his death. Everytime we'd have him surrounded, he managed to avoid being caught. He made a dash for under the couch. While the couch was lifted I grabbed for him and my hand ended up hitting him. He died instantly. Killed my son's beloved pet.

Connie

[bk_blue]

:lol: Was your mouse called Timothy after Timothy Frisby? (Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH)

[Guest Anonymous]

I saw it recently too. I remember the book from when I was a kid....

[bk_blue]

GREAT book. :) There is also a sequel written by Robert C. O'Brien's daughter which is called RACSO and the Rats of NIMH, or something similar. Would look at them but I have lent them to the girl I babysit. Both should be on the reading list of every child along with Charlotte's Web, Watership Down, Wind in the Willows and most of Roald Dahl's books!