Horsefeathers!

I dunno... come to think of it, I can't think of any of my Pom clients that are barkers. I'm not disputing whether or not they're a barky breed since I've never researched them in consideration for ownership. I've just never known a barky one, personally, and they're pretty popular around here. *shrug*

Apricots can have lighter noses, eyes and such; it is allowable, but just not desirable. So it brings me back to... not knowing, lol. We may be competing against each other next year at APF! Every year, I say I'm going to compete in the first timers,' but then I always think I'm not ready yet and that I need to study it just a little bit more (basically chicken out). If I do, it will likely be with one of my Standards. I thought about competing with my Toy, too, but she's not built very well and I hate to go into competition having to do a lot of corrective grooming and camouflaging for my first attempt at competing. I dunno... then again, they say the judges take into consideration the degree of difficulty. Your little dog looks like she'd be a great competition dog. She has the opposite problem as my Standard when she stacks... I see she roaches her back. My Standard, left to stand on his own, dips his back like he's sway-backed and wants to stand cow-hocked. He's a gorgeous dog who just stands "lazy" like an old broken down mule. Silly dog. :oops:

I really can't tell. It's hard to know by the shading (or lighting), but I'm guessing she's either an apricot or a brown. What's weird to me about that, though, is that I more often see the ears or "points" on those colors being darker than the rest, and not the other way around. She doesn't look much like a cafe-au-lait to me, at least not by the way my computer is presenting the photo to me. The thing is there are so many shades even among the solid colors that it's sometimes just a matter of perception. What is she registered as, or do you know? Whatever she is, she's lovely. I see you're in Atlanta. I'm in southern GA. Do you ever go to the Atlanta Pet Fair? It's where I usually go to get my Poodle fix (like I don't have them at home... I have two Standards and a Toy). 8)

My dogs all share a common middle name. It is "NO!"

The part that's kind of upsetting is that, in all her years working with dogs, she has to be aware of the problems of overbreeding and poorly bred dogs. She has to have seen with her own eyes what happens when people breed indiscriminantly. The fact that she's "rescued" several dogs PROVES she knows there is a problem. I can forgive ignorance. It's one thing when people are simply oblivious and don't know any better. There are people who truly mean well, but just don't realize the bigger problems they create. However, it's unforgivable when someone knows and just doesn't care, or tries to justify it to suit their agenda. :( I understand about wanting to keep down tension. I'm as big a hothead as anyone, but there are times when it does more damage than good to be confrontational. I feel like you... I don't see how much educating you can do with someone who knows what's going on, but chooses to do as she pleases. The most you can do is be really pro-rescue with people who come in and are considering another pet. You know, cheerfully and "helpfully" point out that there are about a gazillion dogs on Petfinder, in shelters, rescues, where ever, and they have just about any kind of dog they're looking for and how sad it is that so many of them are unwanted due to (duh) overbreeding. If your boss has ever rescued one dog and has any decency, surely she won't (figuratively) slap you in the face for suggesting adoption to someone looking for a dog.

After recently saying that Mr. Winkle kind of weirds me out, this little dog reminds me of Mr. Winkle. :-? [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0WQD5AlgcURzxQhZKa!33AxWOB4djdM*W7LVTcettpfYHKkHKsjKNmWSo1!LD!p!aRgPSZXM6chsHQyum0W836CRh9TOFuLrg0hkyBX8PvSr9nf*vMdiZhduub6JToX1LCi*Rx3wZ80A/Ninya.JPG?dc=4675514658189693201[/img] That's Ninya, the little foster Chi that I sent to a Tallahassee rescue today. She's about eight years old and weighs all of four pounds. She was only with us for a couple of days, but we were about to fall so in love with her. She reminds my husband and me soooooooo much of Goober (some of you "old timers" will remember him). Goober was a little old dilapidated abandoned Yorkie that was about a gazillion years old, naked (for a while), moley, toothless, jawless and his tongue hung out kind of like Ninya's, deaf, mostly blind, and the absolute love of our lives. Ninya doesn't have THAT many problems (some back problems and luxating patella and, of course, the tongue thing, but other than that, she is fine), but she just reminds of so much of the old man. She's slept curled up on our bed and had a lot of the same "presence" Goober had. Even though it's only been a couple of days, it really hurt to let her go. I put on a brave face when I turned her over, but I cried all the way home from Tallahassee. I just had to remind myself that this group will place Ninya in an environment where she can be treated like a little princess rather than being "just one of the gang" here. It hurt my heart that she kept reaching for me when the rescue lady took her. I know it makes me sound vain and self absorbed, but Ninya didn't want me to leave her. I know that it's only because I'm who she's become comfortable with in the last couple of days, and she will quickly come to love the rescue people (the lady was so nice), but you know how we sometimes "humanize" dogs, and it made me feel like I was abandoning her. I know she is going to be great, though. I don't think I could do this on a day to day basis. Then again, I think I'm mostly affected by Ninya because of the Goober factor. Have a great rest of your life, baby. :angel: [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0XwD*AgoeU7v!z9EkLKj5CxegbvcqKUmG1D236pdpciVoNo04bSWtII5hUEuvVnG1oTs!IOiAIxgpA!BwoIWQ2wpKtp4YUAmQ4JF66Oqy71nADetiCn7vz*0tpr2!yNNpXcjZGYgl35I/Ninya%20bed.JPG?dc=4675514658186856932[/img]

Crossposted because I am way too tired to type it back out again, but YAY, a happy ending, and I'm not a foster failure this time 8) : ======== Some good news to share! I mentioned the other day that I might be getting a foster Chi. Well, yesterday, the former owners left her with me. Her name is Ninya and she is all of 4 lbs! Teeny tiny little thing, she is. She's a tan colored, long haired girl, eight years old, and is as sweet as the days are long. Not yappy or snappy or anything but 100% pure love. I've spent the last couple of days in cyberspace emailing different rescues back and forth and have been so overwhelmed with the positive responses I got. I emailed three different rescue groups in the beginning because I was hoping maybe at least just one would have a spot for her. Well, the networking that has gone on has been phenomenal. These rescue people emailed other rescue people and word spread like wildfire. I've had so many offers of help. It does my heart good. Ninya is going to Tallahassee tomorrow to a rescue group that I've heard incredibly good things about. She will be fostered, vetted, assessed, and they will, no doubt, find the perfect home for her. To be honest, if I didn't have so many dogs, it would be so tempting to keep her. She reminds me so much of Goober (for those of you who remember him). You couldn't ask for a more well mannered little dog. Potty trained, polite, and such a cuddler. She will be good company for a retired couple or someone recently widowed. I've only known her for a couple of days, but I'm going to miss her. She truly does deserve to be queen of someone's castle. I took some pictures of her and will try to get them up this weekend. With that tongue sticking out the side of her mouth, she is so freaking cute! Something that made me angry today, and made me show my ugly side... One of the girls that works in our clinic today BOUGHT, from our local backyard Chi breeder, a teeny little puppy. When I reminded her that I actually have a little Chi looking for a home, she remarked that she didn't want a long haired Chi and, besides, she wants a puppy. Needless to say, I didn't gush and aw and congratulate her on her new purchase. Thing is her daughter has allergies to animals and she's sure the short haired Chi is the answer. Is my short haired Chi the only one that's a shed monster? Wonder who they're going to contact when she decides she can't keep this little dog? By the way, sorry to be a hit and run poster. I have been pretty busy the last couple of days and haven't had a chance to really catch up. I'll try to spend some time this weekend catching up on anything important I might have missed. I know I usually think people are self absorbed when I see them only post when they have something to say about themselves or their own lives, but aren't otherwise active in other people's events, and I try not to be like that. I'll try to catch up this weekend.

This part tickled me. [quote]Someone emerges from the bathroom, and everyone rushes over and crowds in to see what's happened. [/quote]

Started to post this in the humor section and then realized, nah, it's dog related. Cross posted. It's long, but I thought it was worth the read. 8) ============ Premise: What social life would be like if people behaved like dogs. Opening scene: A living room. Some of the guests have already arrived and are racing around the room, variously hugging, colliding, dancing around each other, patting one another vigorously on the shoulders and jumping up and down. Another guest arrives at the door and rings the bell. Everyone runs over to the door, evidently excited beyond belief, and stands or jumps around, jostling each other while staring at the door and yelling, "WHO'S THERE?!?! WHO'S THERE!?!?!" The guest on the other side of the door yells back, "WHO'S THERE?!?!? WHO'S THERE!?!?" Somehow, the new arrival enters and the party resumes as before. The camera follows several of the guests around, including: A muscular male dressed all in black who carries a Frisbee every-where, clutched tightly to his chest. If anyone touches the Frisbee, he whirls abruptly around and stalks off, glaring over his shoulder. Another man, dressed in plaid, rather jolly, who has a drooling problem. Every so often he shakes his head and drool flies onto adjacent guests, who don't even notice. A depressed-looking woman who spends the entire evening methodically ripping a large, stuffed chair to shreds. A small group huddled together in a corner. They are all talking loudly and at the same time about completely unrelated subjects. A huge guy, with jeans jacket and tattoo, who goes up to various people, drapes his arm over their shoulders and gives them a giant squeeze. Whoever it is immediately hands their hors d'oeuvre to the guy, who eats it. A very small old lady with frizzy hair who leaps out from behind the furniture at passersby and speaks sharply to them. Even the huge guy is daunted. The party Lothario who sidles up to anyone, male or female, and tries to smooch, but often misses the other person's face. Nobody seems to mind. Various bits of action occur: Someone emerges from the bathroom, and everyone rushes over and crowds in to see what's happened. A guest, looking out the window, suddenly gets very excited and yells, "A CAT!!! A CAT!!! A CAT!!!" Everyone rushes to the window and joins in, yelling "A CAT!!! A CAT!!! A CAT!!!" Two people-one big, one little-grab an appetizer at the same time. They stand stock still, each holding on to it and staring out the corner of their eyes at each other. Suddenly, the big one whirls around and tries to walk off with it. The little person, however, doesn't let go and is flung around in the first one's wake. In the kitchen, several guests have knocked over the garbage and are going through it. In the backyard, several people with little spades are digging holes. A fight breaks out in the living room between two guests, but it's over in three seconds and the opponents hug each other joyfully. Several guests can be seen hiding bits of food around the living room. They carefully scan for a likely spot, put the food down, then pick it up again and start looking for a better place. One guest, with his hands full of food, simply holds onto it and snarls at anyone who approaches him. He keeps trying to add more food to his pile, spilling as much as he acquires. Dinner is served: Everyone races over to the table and there's a big to-do while the seating arrangement is worked out. Then all the guests eat as fast as they possibly can. Every so often, one guest simply grabs something off the plate of the person next to him/her. Sometimes that person grabs it back. When everyone's finished, they jump up and change places to inspect each other's plates. After dinner, everyone takes a nap. They are sprawled around the room, some in little groups huddled together, some on their backs on couches with their feet up on the arms and their hands flung over the back, some curled up awkwardly in overstuffed chairs with their chins propped up on the arms. Occasionally, we see limbs twitching and hear little contented noises. Party games: Tug of war How many tennis balls can you hold. A relay race in the back yard where the baton is never passed off. Each member of the team simply grabs hold when his or her turn arrives and everyone runs together. Tug of war Singing together around the piano, but everyone sings a different song. Tag Grab the tail of the donkey. Musical chairs, where shoving is allowed and you can sit on more than one chair. The big guy in the jeans jacket always wins. Good-byes: A real dog party, of course, would never stop. So we have to introduce another group of humans who gradually arrive to pick up the guests. This is no easy task, as the target guest runs off when called. There's a lot of milling around and loud confusion as the caretaker humans go after the guests, sometimes grabbing them by the collar or the arm and hauling them away while the guest looks back at the crowd, waving joyfully. Outside, on the sidewalk, a passerby is knocked down by a group of departing guests. Everyone looks very happy, and the good-byes are loud and enthusiastic. The End

I may be fostering a long haired Chi for a (hopefully very) brief time. I don't know much about this dog except that she's a seven year old spayed female. Apparently, whoever it is that has her now can't keep her (no clue why). They were wanting to dump her in our local kill shelter, but I KNOW I can find this dog a home (barring any problems they aren't telling me about). I wasn't able to find out much today, but I did ask about the dog's temperament. All I was told was that she's kind of shy, but not snappy or aggressive. I just don't have the resources to put into ill tempered dogs, anymore, so I can only work right now with those easily adoptable. I'd just hate to see a perfectly good dog that's easy to place put down, and if she were to go into this particular shelter, she'd be a goner for sure. That shelter makes no effort to promote adoptions... they just put them down. There is another shelter half an hour away that, last I talked to them, usually actually has a waiting list for pure-breds and small dogs. I'm going to get with them to see if they might have someone on a list interested in a long haired Chi. Apparently, according to whoever it is getting rid of the dog, the reason they can't find her another home is because nobody wants her because her tongue sticks out the side of her mouth. ? :-? ? Our receptionist knows this dog and says she's very sweet. I've never seen her, so I know nothing about color or size. I'll be sure to post back tomorrow when I know more about her and let you all know if we are indeed fostering her. I said ten was my limit! :-?

Does anyone watch "It Takes A Thief" (I think it comes on TLC)? It's basically where two former burglars talk people into letting them break into their homes to show them how slack their security is while the homeowners watch it on camera as it's happening. Then the host/former burglars totally revamp the homeowner's security with new locks, systems, whatever they need, and tell them what to do to make their homes more unattractive and inaccessible to housebreakers. Anyway, I was watching one this weekend where the homeowners had a couple of dogs in the house. They were sure the "burglar" wouldn't be able or want to get in because they had the dogs there and were positive the dogs would be a deterrent. One looked to be a pure Pit Bull and the other was a mix, maybe Pit mix. The guy broke into the house and the dogs welcomed the burglar with open arms. Even the "vicious" Pit Bull was wagging and smiling as the burglar loaded up all sorts of loot. I just thought it was kind of a neat subliminal "good" Pit press. That big ol' bad Pit Bull was just as friendly and glad as can be to have someone there, even if they were carrying off everything the family owned. I wonder how many of the anti-Pit people happened to see this and if they were just a little surprised. :)

We've done kind of a similar thing to what DP mentioned. With as many as ten dogs and five c*ts in the house, we avoid trouble where we can, though they [u]generally[/u] get on well. We have a specially designated "c*t room" that is blocked off by a baby gate, except instead of leaving it up a bit where they kitty can scoot under it, it's all the way to the floor and they c*ts have to jump it. I have some pretty small dogs who could follow a c*t underneath... not worried about them bothering the c*ts as much as they like to eat c*t poo. This room is a totally dog free zone. I like the idea of making sure the c*t has plenty of dog free zones it can access. The idea of a high walkway sounds good as well as a designated room. I think to let them meet and "interact" through baby gates would be good as well. In all honesty, I think a lot of it will be a training issue. I mean, I know you don't want to upset Buck in his new routine any more than possible, but that c*t is already home and is being forced into changes as well. He should be able to feel safe and relatively stress free in his own home. Buck will have to learn, whatever it takes, that chasing the c*t is not ok. We cut it off at intent staring. You know the posture... that intent stare that often leads to a chase. We do not let the dogs show more than a passing interest in the c*ts. Whatever it takes, squirt bottles, yelling, stomping feet, whatever, even if the c*t has plenty of safe places to go, you make sure Buck knows that chasing that c*t is not ok. It's much easier to stop it before it ever begins, by showing no tolerance for it from the get-go. I think, in the end, it will make is life much easier because he will know from the very start in his new environment while he's already having to make a lot of changes exactly what is expected of him. You might as well make the rules clear while he's making the adjustment. Maybe, if you're lucky, he won't be as interested in the c*t as you think he might be. Perhaps when Buck sees that this kitty is also a member of the family, he'll learn to adjust. Perhaps, after the initial introductions through a secure baby gate, one of you could hold the kitty and pet it while the other (with Buck on leash, of course, in case there is a need for a quick bail-out) handles Buck and you can all interact like one big happy family. That way, maybe, if you're luck, Buck and the kitty can kind of get used to each other being around and learn that they are each a part of the family.

She does look absolutely miserable. :(

Ok, I laughed... "Honestly, officer, I wasn't bothering the dog... I was just having sex with it..."

*splutter* But you get to play with puppy dogs all day! :roll: :wink:

Patches of missing hair on his side... have you noticed him scratching? At all? Sometimes just a bit of scratching (for whatever reason) will lead to hair loss. Poor Bongo. :(

We're pretty worn out from having to get up about every hour during the night to let a dog out. Geez, for a good night's sleep... The good news is that it's not nearly so bad this time as it was the first time. The first time around, we had dogs getting sick and didn't know what it was and had to wait for the culture report to find out what it was and what it was susceptible to. Now that we know what it is, we know how to treat it and can begin treatment as soon as symptoms arise. The antibiotics work pretty quickly, so we've avoided any late night vet runs (unlike last time). Antibiotics aren't really cheap, but it's MUCH cheaper than late night emergency vet runs and hospitalizations. We did bleach the yard a while back. Baileys, we have the exact same thing you're talking about... a sprayer that fits on the water hose (used to use it for washing dogs... add shampoo and blast... works like a charm on thick coated dogs if you have good water pressure :oops: ), and we saturated the yard. The thing is, I reckon, it's virtually impossible to saturate the yard fully way down into the soil. We are in a pretty sandy area and I imagine the amount of rainfall we get just keeps it moving around. Not to mention the fact that some of my dogs enjoy excavating, so who knows how they came back into contact with it? At this point, we are just looking forward to getting it over with. I'm SO tempted to take "samples" and expose my three remaining dogs that haven't had it yet just to get it over with. Since there's a (slight) chance they won't ever get it, I just can't do it. The vet seems pretty optimistic that they will eventually develop a resistance to it and we won't keep having these problems. We're still pretty sure the initial exposure came from the standing water from the hurricanes last summer.

[quote name='jweissg']I say this over and over again, but feeding a RAW diet is the ONLY way to go. [/quote] I strongly disagree. I have a dog here that did a major crash and burn on a solely raw diet, and that was following the "experts'" instructions to the letter. She simply does not do well (to say the least) on a raw diet. I know that raw is great for lots of dogs... not disputing that at all, but I just do not believe there is a one size fits all diet for every dog. Not every dog will thrive on a raw diet, so it's very misleading to suggest it's the ONLY way to go.

Newf, for all we know, it could still be in/on the ground from when it originally started, and we believe that was when the hurricanes came last year. I don't think it's a new thing as much as it's a resurfaced thing. You're right... it sucks! :-?

Remember The Great E Coli Outbreak Of 2004? Well, it's returned in '05. Have I mentioned lately that I [u]just[/u] paid off the vet bill from the first go'round and was enjoying seeing a $0 account balance for a minute or two? The good news, if there is any, is that the dogs that got sick before seem to be handling it well. Perry (one of my Standards) was one of the sickest in the first go'round and one that had to make a late night emergency run to the vet and was hospitalized for a couple of days. Well, for that matter, so was Simon (the Schnauzer). Anyway, they got a mild case of the sloppy poops, wouldn't really call it diarrhea, but it passed pretty quickly without them acting too ill. However, the ones that didn't get sick the first time are getting the whammy this time. It's probably a good thing we stockpiled antibiotics because we've been able to start them on it as soon as they show symptoms. The antibiotics kick in pretty quickly, so it hasn't been as bad this time as it was the first time, though having an 80 lb Lab blow out in the house is no fun. So far (knock on wood, spin around in a circle three times, flip the magic wand, and grab my *ss), we haven't had to hospitalize anyone. The vet believes they should develop a bit of a tolerance for it as it goes through them, said it would probably become "normal flora" for them. Well, I'll be glad when it does. I've had just about enough of this. :-?

Here's a thought... maybe you can contact a doggie daycare center or something like that in the area in which you are planning to travel. If that's a no-go, perhaps Buddy could do with a pampering session at a local groomer or vet clinic while you are busy. If they don't do day boarding, let them bathe him. It would probably restrict you to doing what you want during business hours, but it might provide a form of day boarding for Buddy. Some vets offer just plain day boarding if there aren't doggie daycares or such things available. Maybe check out the pet related businesses in the area where you're planning to travel and see what you come up with.

[quote name='mouseatthebusstop']TRY TO REMEMBER WE ARE ALL FRIENDS HERE[/quote] Can I borrow a couple of dollars till payday then? Or euros, or pounds, or whatever it is you have. :P

I've colored dog hair before. The dogs don't mind (in action, it's about like shampooing if using a permanent color, or brushing if using a temporary color). A lot of people think it's weird, but I'm ok with anything that isn't harmful or stressful and it's certainly no more stressful than having a bath, and I've never known of any dog that was harmed by being colored. I can't imagine piercing anything on a dog, though. I suppose that could get into the realm of cosmetic altering and come right back to docking and cropping... some people are ok with it and some feel it's barbaric. There has to be something wrong, though, with someone who can just pin down a dog and intentionally inflict that kind of pain without at least the benefit of anesthesia (though I don't know any vets who do piercings). I'm pretty sure (if it happened at all) the dog didn't just sit there and let her do it. Pictures of colored dogs in creative grooming competitions: [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0XAAAAAEeo7BCnfKyacun1FKavHJJWURMf2v7GhVQbtPIJeTA28ufrDJrBKsQSwIzCBaNJSGwJMJa3xIy6FAqB49EXGWHag5knp6kU45tqo2VZb5uJ!B64JwZ6Xf31RhR8Gfxsu*ZHiI/creative.jpg?dc=4675458350169985231[/img] [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0XQA0AzIeXcRCnfKyacun1JMgkP7GjdbDujlSVzjVLUaq1NZz3jR08wG8uHh8auf5bdvl4wSlGI9srkcUTVn6ka*hOsd4!wQwJAx*8PleTI9SGL8HbrigXQSVmUHcVuHz5S!Z0gkrtfA/creative1.jpg?dc=4http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0XQA0AzMesMRCnfKyacun1E4Bu7Qcp9sanC!SYHvC!YI6wZWQi8M19a7DjNXTkDnlIq2I8DTqJ448V9MKG!xvRYfavIDscn!oaHdNN9hBCfUSeyebKEPj*NAb3aYX9gHdJZwyEl!knz8/creative2.jpg?dc=4675458350222904000675458350195834571[/img] [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0XQD1AjMesMRCnfKyacun1E4Bu7Qcp9sanC!SYHvC!YI6wZWQi8M19a7DjNXTkDnlIq2I8DTqJ448V9MKG!xvRYfavIDscn!oaHdNN9hBCfUSeyebKEPj*NAb3aYX9gHdJZwyEl!knz8/creative2.jpg?dc=4675458350222904000[/img] [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0YwANAxIgs3tCnfKyacun1JcH2*CrtYQDfaqlGs5hpeqqRnrZM71QdJz7eHbN1cJh4PybXjkUBdfMS2vPQO*iwznmPOu!8j8cMUy2jT50LcSB7D09B8ofxpVvXYDMQPiyerK97jlY!m0ij3ji0q6zIw/creative%20Dawn.jpg?dc=4675458356586793630[/img]

[quote name='Jessashelony']BTW I love your new sig... I heard that the other night on the Blue Collar Comedy tour... Too funny... :lol:[/quote] Yes, me, too! I laughed so hard at that show that I nearly peed my pants. :P

[quote name='Jessashelony']I can't tell you how many times I have been asked "Is that a Pit bull" in which I respond "Yes." And they "Then why does it still have it's tail?" :roll:[/quote] Tell people you have those rare, highly desirable, long tailed Pits. Play it up as if it's the latest rage and look at them really stupid for not "knowing." After all, "EVERYONE knows it's the latest thing to have tailed Pits... where have you been?" People are soooooooo eager to be fashionable that you just might convert a few people.