Monthly Archives: January 2012

01/18/12

Bye Bye, Little Miss Scatterbrain

It is with mixed feelings that I announce that Winona (who we talked about days ago in our 2012 goals) went to a new home on Friday.  After their weekend trial period, her new family has fallen in love with her.

Winona the border terrier puppy, at 7 weeks

Winona at 7 weeks

I get frequent enquiries about border terriers, and Winona has been ‘on offer’ for a while – however, with certain conditions. Namely, that we can continue to show her to her title, and that we can have a litter from her at a later date. This is a pretty big ask.

Her new family contacted me after their border terrier cross died, and after a lot of consideration, came to visit.   Continue reading →

01/16/12

Bits and Pieces

Phew! We’ve had a few things happen that I thought you guys should know about.

Firstly, thank-you to All You Need Is Lists for posting my post second guest post with them, 5 Reasons NOT to Buy a Puppy from a Pet Shop.  This list has been in creation for a little while, but it was just a matter of finalising it.  No, the article is not puppy mill focussed!  Puppy mills is only one of 5 reasons not to buy a puppy from a pet shop.

(My first blog post on AYNIL is 7 Tips for Improving Your Dog Recall.)

In other news, my McGreevy seminar series is now complete.  I have added an index page to the initial post, and all posts in the series have a little link to the index.  Phew!  That was an exhausting effort, but I’m glad it’s done now. I hope others enjoyed the content from the seminar.

Pawsome Blogger Award

Haopee at My Dogs Love Me was kind enough to award us with the Pawsome Blogger award.  I am very flattered – thank-you!  It seems I am now required to pass it on to 8 other ‘pawsome’ bloggers.  Clearly, I’d have to have award my 5 Favourite Dog Blogs of 2011, plus three others… So that would be:

Thank-you to these bloggers for making my Google Reader exciting. I genuinely look forward to the updates from these blogs, in all their diversity.

Finally, I wanted to show you the unexpected gift my friend, Stefan Psarkos, sent me.  I have been belated in sharing Stefan’s work with you all, but it was really too good not to share.

Stefan has sculpted a model of the Belyaev foxes ‘before’ and ‘after’ Belyaev’s selection for tameness. The picture has been posted into my series on Belyaev’s Foxes, but I thought that they deserved to be highlighted here.

On the left is the 'typical' fox, with erect ears, normal colouration and a low set tail. The fox on the right is what Belyaev got after selecting for tameness - a fox with piebaldism, an erect and curly tail, and drop ears.

This lovely model sits on the shelves with my dog book collection, so I can appreciate it in my lounge room, and contemplate the domestication of dogs often. It’s made all the better knowing it is a unique representation, and nothing else like it exists! Thanks, Stefan!

Just had to share all these little bits with you. A more standard blog post coming soon.

01/14/12

The Sin of Breeding Dogs

I’m in the process of socialising my puppy.  We’ve attended various places and am asked a number of questions. But the question I dread is, “When did you get her?”

My reply is, “I actually bred her litter.”

I’ve seen a number of faces go hard and critical when I make this declaration.  You can see their brains turning… They think about RSPCA ads about puppy factories, they think about shelter ads telling them animals are dying in pounds, they think about how irresponsible I am to own entire dogs.

When did dog breeding become such a sin? Continue reading →

01/12/12

Someone’s About to Get Lucky

Sometimes it’s the best ones that take the longest to home.  I think Lucky is fast becoming one of ‘those’.  The first line of her PetRescue profile is, “My name is Lucky and you’d be oh so lucky to have me!” – and I truly mean it.  She is one of the nicest dogs I have had come through rescue.

Lucky the rescue dog is looking for a new home in Adelaide, South AustraliaHer story goes: On Wednesday the 4th I received a phone call asking to take a surrender.  Lucky’s owner was sick and, though the owner’s daughter had taken Lucky on, Lucky kept escaping from the yard.

I drove to pick her up.  I was told that she was a 9 year old, heeler crossed with a kelpie crossed with a jack russel terrier – so I was surprised when a small kelpie-like dog bounced into the room with enthusiasm and youth.

And my first thoughts were, “I’ve struck gold here! This will be an easy rehome.”  Lucky was already desexed, so I had very little vet work to pay for, too.

The next day, I got her microchipped, vaccinated, and listed her on PetRescue.

And you know… I haven’t got one single enquiry! She’s been up for a week now!

For difficult dogs with big issues, I don’t mind if I don’t get many enquiries.  But for lovely dogs, with beautiful dispositions, and flexible needs, I do mind!  There is nothing wrong with Lucky!

Okay, so she escapes when left in a yard – but why would you leave her in a yard?  She’s toilet trained, she doesn’t chew things up, she’s perfect to leave in the house. Continue reading →