bk_blue

I didn't choose my dog, he chose me. :) We were looking for a medium-sized dog, preferably young, preferably what Dad (not me!) calls a "real" dog (kelpie, heeler, border collie etc). We had the time and resources to devote to caring for this type of dog. It did depend, however, on what happened to be at the shelter when we got there. I would have been hysterical at the thought of leaving without saving a dog (I still bawl whenever I visit a shelter and see all those poor animals with no homes). So this little tan-and-white kelpie x bitch was a sweetie, and we were thinking seriously about adopting her, but then all this commotion (whinging etc) emanated from the stall next to her. We had a look and that was IT. No going back from there. The cutest little black and white spotty puppy I ever did see was on the other side, paws up on the wire, whinging and frantically wagging his tail, desperate for some attention. It took us all of about five minutes to decide he was the one (suckers). BK satisfied all the criteria we were looking for and then some. After owning, or being owned, by a heeler x, it's hard to say whether I want anything else. I do like other breeds, especially Weimaraners, Dals and Dobes for their temperaments as well as their stunning looks. But BK is THE best dog I have ever had the pleasure of owning. Time will tell, I suppose.

So happy that Maya is better. My Ferdy (kitten) was off colour (nothing I could pinpoint) for a few days. Was going to go to the vet if he was still sick but he's back to his normal exuberant, obnoxious self now.

Blitz hates thunderstorms. He's afraid of them, I think. whenever we have one he'll go outside and bark and bark and BARK until it's gone. It's really hard to get him to calm down; if you put him inside he just spends all the time at the back door whining to go out. He's the same with blimps, hot air balloons, and fireworks. Though he looks really happy and satisfied when he's chased the object away with (he thinks) his barking. :roll:

There's a very good photograph of a Jack Russell (or similar dog) lying spreadeagled in front of a desk fan. My grandpa has a card with this picture on it. It's a classic. :D I'm sure it must be on the net somewhere! I'll try and find it.

Well said K, summed up my thoughts exactly.

Voted- Scoobie is WAY ahead! :)

[quote name='Horsefeathers!'][quote]Since you seem to think that no Big Cat owner, no matter how well they care for their cat, is irresponsible, than do you or do you not think that sanctuaries are also irresponsible in their 'ownership' of the Big Cats they care for?[/quote] It's kind of hard to take that question seriously. After all, would the sanctuaries even exist if not for all those "responsible" owners obtaining Big Cats?[/quote] The bottom line is that a person cannot take care of what is essentially a wild animal, nor should they. All wild animals should be IN THE WILD. I don't really like zoos, even. I would personally rather see an animal become extinct than stuck in a cage for the rest of its life, even though it may be the nicest cage imaginable. :-?

I think K changed it last night so the whole board is members-only now, but guests can view EAD. Bloody good idea :D

This story is a good reason why people shouldn't keep wild animals as pets:[url]http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/07/14/1089694390429.html[/url] Escaped tiger killed during capture July 14, 2004 - 9:27AM A tiger that escaped from the home of a movie actor who once played Tarzan was shot and killed today after it lunged at a Florida wildlife officer who was trying to capture it. At least two rangers approached the tiger, and one was going to try to shoot it with a tranquiliser gun. But the tiger lunged at one officer, who had to shoot in self-defence, said Jorge Pino, a spokesman with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "Needless to say, the owner is very distraught. We're distraught," Pino said. "Our concern was to recover this tiger alive and well." A dozen wildlife trackers and sheriff's deputies had searched for more than 24 hours for the tiger, which escaped yesterday. They had kept watch today around a two hectare area, hoping to catch sight of the 270 kg tiger named Bobo who escaped from a nearby home. But Bobo eluded authorities and his owner, Steve Sipek, who developed a soft spot for jungle beasts after playing Tarzan in B-movies decades ago. Besides the six-year-old Bobo, Sipek has another tiger, a panther, a cougar and lions on his five-acre (two-hectare) compound. Authorities had hoped to get Bobo back to his home, which is marked by a sign that reads, "Trespassers will be eaten". The hunt, under temperatures in the high 30s Celsius, was made difficult because searchers couldn't spread out into an inhospitable area covered in scrubby palmettos, slash pine and palm trees because they didn't want to scare the tiger off. But that offered little consolation to nearby residents, many of whom moved to the rural area so they could have room for their own pets to move about. "What I want to know is when he was in captivity, how long did he go without a feeding?" Kim Smith, who lives on the edge of the search area on a similar lot, asked shortly before the shooting. She has seven horses, a mini donkey, a mini horse and two great Danes that she normally keeps outside. "Tigers are predatorial. All of us moved out here because we're city people wanting a taste of the country. But this is a little funky," said Smith, who lives with her husband and their six preteen and teenage children. During the search, neighbours could not reach their homes without passing a roadblock set up by sheriff's deputies. Everyone was offered a uniformed escort, but nearly all declined. Wildlife officials had said they did not believe the [color=red]declawed[/color] pet would attack. He's never been taught to hunt, killed anything or lived in the wild, though he did bite and severely injure a woman working inside his cage two years ago. But an expert on tiger behaviour disagreed that Bobo had posed no danger, calling that notion "utter nonsense". "Tigers are wild animals and they retain hard-wired instincts, and to say just because a tiger doesn't have his claws - So what? He still has his teeth and they're powerful," said Ron Tilson, conservation director at the Minnesota Zoo. Sipek, clearly distraught over the escape, had told officials that he believed once they found Bobo, he could talk him into coming home. "This guy's usually very responsible with his animals," said Cindy Corum, who has lived nearby for two years. Still, in an area fast becoming part of the booming South Florida suburbs and only [color=red]5km from a public primary school[/color], some people think the tiger should have had a new home. Sipek's compound is about 16 km rom West Palm Beach, just off a main east-west thoroughfare. "He never should have had these animals in the first place," said Andrea Newell, who grew up two doors away and was visiting her sister and mother in her childhood home on Tuesday. - AP Urrrrgh the whole thing just stinks. :evil:

ROFL HF :D a tipple is just a little nip/sip/swig of a drink (especially alcoholic). :wink:

I'm so sorry Crystal to hear such bad news. :( Sending lots of hugs your way :angel:

[quote name='K']Thats one h*** of a pussy you got there Sarahstaff :wink: great pix![/quote] Lucky this is a dog forum and not a p-o-r-n one:P Great picture. I loooove big cats (oh and staffys :wink: )

Awww I hope the little thing finds a forever home too. :( :)

Congratulations!!!! Now you know you will have to get us some pics or face the wrath of K. :wink:

Welllll... we obviously have different impressions. Thank Christ for that.

Welcome- glad you decided to join. :D

That's right Hillside :wink:

Actually, Aroura was talking about humans.

Thanks for your opinion :) This is a fairly friendly board which has had its fair share of ups and downs over the past 2 years (well, that's as long as I've been here anyway- eeep). It would be nice to handle things a little more privately as there is not much worse than having constant bickering going on, but having said THAT the current most troublesome poster is the one starting fights and personally attacking not only members (contrary to forum "rules") but one of the moderators, and as that person isn't registered it is impossible to conduct it privately. The last attempt also to handle an overexuberant post by one of the members of the board also got dragged out into the open, which I was absolutely astonished and appalled at. So we can't really win. :( It's an ongoing issue and we are working on some solutions. Please don't feel turned off by the current spats- we don't bite hard. :)

Those heelers are tough aren't they? It's cos they're upside down you know (oh where is hillside when I need her?). :wink:

Happy Birthday Jetta :bday: Have a drink on me BBC :drinking: 8)

Hmmm no actually I was about 10 or 11. I am highly immature :lol:

:o :o :o :o

My editing button is getting sore... There are enough requests for a lock. So... clink

LOL @ everyone's stories so far I used to play spy dogs with a schoolfriend of mine. We were dogs (she was a Cavalier King Charles, I was an (english) Cocker Spaniel) and we were also spies sent to track down nasty people. My school had its sports complex about 15 min away by bus from the main campus and we went there twice a week for sport. so Devon and I were on the bus playing Spy Dogs and I was really getting into the game and I was licking the window for some reason. The sports teacher sprung me and I'll never forget the complete and utter embarrassment that followed! Devon and I are still friends and she never lets me forget it. :lol: :oops: