Tara, as always your food looks great! Did you use the new slicer for the ham? Just over a year ago, this skinny dog showed up at a family function at my daughter's home. To make a long story short, it ended up staying there and has since become a member of their family. The vet told them he was pretty sure she was a full blooded ACD and she certainly looks like one. With a lot of vet care and love, she is now, hopefully a healthy dog. She was diagnosed with heart worms and went through the lengthy treatment and has so far tested neg. She will be retested very soon, and hopefully she remains neg. She is a very loving dog, who demands a lot of attention and certainly gets it from my daughter and grand kids. She doesn't look a bit like the dog she was a year ago....she has fattened up and has a beautiful thick coat.
Jest Another Day in Pear-A-Dice - Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm in Alberta
- Thread starter CanuckBock
- Start date
Loving the dog talk 
.
I have always loved the look of an ACD, however I don't think I'd be a good candidate as an ACD owner. I grew up with golden retrievers lol so I think an ACD would bulldoze right over me!
I have a border collie who came from a breeder near here that use to keep cattle dogs. She switched to border collies because the cattle dogs bloodied up the stock too often for her liking.
I have no idea if that was a training issue on her part, her particular dogs or typical for the breed. Either way she I said I probably wouldn't be right for them when I told her I liked them.
Our other dog is a large mix rescued off the side of the highway as a mange covered very sick little puppy. I've never put as much effort into a puppy before in my life, she was a disaster, but she made it. She is also an alpha, friendly, but an alpha to the bone. Her and I are chore "partners" now and for the most part she listens pretty goodbye but she still thinks for herself. she also stands watch over the kids in the yard and tries to keep them out of the bush and away from the creek. Good girl!
For our next dog, I could see a standard poodle in our future. Yeah.... A poodle lol
I'm thinking when the kids are old enough to take a puppy to obedience, agility, or whatever and You could cut a poodles hair to look like anything. My dad would like to see one in a terrier trim, maybe a Schnauzer or bouvier. The other breed we're kinda thinking about is a westi, not sure why but when ever I see one through work we just get a long and connect really well and I like their spirit.
Of course now that I've mentioned this someones going to dump another sorry little character off at our door... So who knows.
Edit to add,
its -36°c with wind to day, -24°c without. Chickens are all locked up tight. Made sure food and heated water were full last night so we aren't in and out of there a bunch of times letting their heat out. Even though its killing me to leave them alone.
Dogs are sleeping on the couch horses are sleeping in the sun... They never seem to notice the cold.
. I have always loved the look of an ACD, however I don't think I'd be a good candidate as an ACD owner. I grew up with golden retrievers lol so I think an ACD would bulldoze right over me!
I have a border collie who came from a breeder near here that use to keep cattle dogs. She switched to border collies because the cattle dogs bloodied up the stock too often for her liking.
I have no idea if that was a training issue on her part, her particular dogs or typical for the breed. Either way she I said I probably wouldn't be right for them when I told her I liked them.
Our other dog is a large mix rescued off the side of the highway as a mange covered very sick little puppy. I've never put as much effort into a puppy before in my life, she was a disaster, but she made it. She is also an alpha, friendly, but an alpha to the bone. Her and I are chore "partners" now and for the most part she listens pretty goodbye but she still thinks for herself. she also stands watch over the kids in the yard and tries to keep them out of the bush and away from the creek. Good girl!
For our next dog, I could see a standard poodle in our future. Yeah.... A poodle lol
I'm thinking when the kids are old enough to take a puppy to obedience, agility, or whatever and You could cut a poodles hair to look like anything. My dad would like to see one in a terrier trim, maybe a Schnauzer or bouvier. The other breed we're kinda thinking about is a westi, not sure why but when ever I see one through work we just get a long and connect really well and I like their spirit.
Of course now that I've mentioned this someones going to dump another sorry little character off at our door... So who knows.
Edit to add,
its -36°c with wind to day, -24°c without. Chickens are all locked up tight. Made sure food and heated water were full last night so we aren't in and out of there a bunch of times letting their heat out. Even though its killing me to leave them alone.
Dogs are sleeping on the couch horses are sleeping in the sun... They never seem to notice the cold.
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #503
Heel low:
Tis twenty below and falling & yet...ever so beautiful!
Everyone's tucked in well & good.
The all o' natural night light hangs in the skies!
You can't help but see all the beauty that surrounds you...sometimes it just stops me dead in my tracks and I gotta soak it all in even if I might freeze on the spot I stop.
You know Deb...I've done rescue for a lotta years. I seen good owners and overly bad. The ones that hurt me the most inside were the bad ones (all dogs go to heaven is my mantra) and I always hoped the good owners would make up for that negative emotions of dealing with the innocent dogs and the wretched kinds that think and act under the cover of the law...property laws that state dogs are just mere property... I suppose the thought process is that most people will not abuse their own property and allow what they own not to infringe on the rights of others. Sadly, we pretty much know it isn't so-lookit how some treat thier own human offspring and dogs slide way down the scale of importance as a whole. You get kinda numb over the years to the excessive cruelty people are capable of. I'll never stop loving the animals, it is how low the people go that never sits well with me...I'll suffer nightmares over others lack of due diligence and kindness to fellow creatures. Responsibility to take decent care of their possessions and the uneducated neglectful aspects...why I wrote so many pages upon pages to the ACD Profiles realizing it is like a finger in a dam that is caving in from a tide of excess but better to try than to do nothing I suppose.
I am not quite sure you would not make a good ACD person. Energy level or not...active or not...you can easily manage even a young ACD's needs with something like a tenni and a slingshot launcher--Rick has replaced the rubber tubing twice on the one and has two others on standby. Open field and look out...there the pack goes to chase the projectile. If you can sit or just stand...you can play dog dogs decently. LOL
On the aspect of a $1,000 a piece...I could only whimper a wish. Try ten times that per dog easy in the first few years. I'm an accountant and I had to stop the tally when Makins hit ten grand because after that, I simply did not want to know any more as it would compromise the fun we were having (budget fun--nope?)...even tho the darling Makins won a nice prize of mega dog kibs (whooped some serious other dog breeds she did!) with a photo of herself at eight weeks old (one ear up and the other coming up...too precious a moment in time).
Spent another ten thousand just on her litter of three pups (Fixins came of that...can you put any price on that Red Headed Princess, eh?) only to receive $750 for her sister and brother puppers with a standing contractual agreement I would buy them back for the original $750 if only to die that instant in my arms. I guess there is a glaring difference between what some label "breeders" and the rest of us that do truly care about what lives we bring into this world. I think it has alot to do with RESPONSIBILTY and duty of care I guess. You cannot make people grow up and be accountable for their actions or inactions.
I can't really touch too well on the topic of dogs and how some treat theirs. I am a dog person first and foremost and will never go to the topic of mistreatment without pulling a pound of flesh from my heart even just discussing it. One can only be responsible for what goes on under our watch and care and we cannot save the entire world without the burden of it all killing us as individuals and taking away from what we love and already owe a duty of care to...we do what we are able and that should suffice. I go down and I take alot of beings that count on me to be able to care for them. I guess the takers have taken alot from me and I have learned how to say NO without guilt. I owe myself and mine a life of happiness too AND if everyone did their part also (busy taking care of THEIR business), the level of the problem would not be so despairing. I've seen people dump the dog or the c@t because it did not match the colour scheme of their new furniture...really, that life was that disposable...really?--so honourable to be part of the human race!
Fixins greeting her swans - which are the aggressors here?
Herding dogs versus livestock guardian...definately a different set of dog motivations. The LSG is more in tune with melding with their stock & being one with the beasts...nice surprise for Wile E. eh? The herder dogs are more possessive but with a predator orientation. I always marvel at how one dog and more will all situate themselves automatically into the hunting circle...if one dog and owner, dog is at the noon position, two dogs & you and they divide the circle in thirds...four and it is nine, noon, three and you at six on the clock face! Five dogs and they again divide the circle into fifths and so on. Some gather the herd towards you the killer in the pack order, or drive the prey away like somehow they can stampede the herd over some "buffalo jump" to feast upon them. LOL
I love dogs...life would not be complete without a furred canine person beside you egging you onwards during the day or sleeping near you so they too are well rested and ready to carpe diem (bite the day - ROWF!) as your side kick in crime.
I have a great friend out East that was crippled by a construction accident. Unfortunately he was one of the very unlucky ones where he sustained a spinal cord injury so he has very limited mobility BUT also feels the pain...excessive pain that cannot be halted with any type of pain medications. He has his good days and very bad ones.
Thanks on the food pics. No, the ham we had for New Years was one of those already pre-cut ones. Sigh...we would have preferred to initiate the new slicer on that but so far, she sits in all her stainless glory on the counter awaiting! I had hoped she would fit on the bottom shelf of the butcher block Rick made me but the blade sharpener is just a smidgen too high tho Rick said it would be no issue just to remove the sharpener. At first I thought Rick said there was a "knife" sharpener attachment on it (whee!) but was just for the slicer, not all my slice and dicing knives. No matter, Rick is into blade sharpening, so I guess I can just pile up the dull ones that the steel won't hone up any mores and let him work his magic the MANual way...hee hee.
Hey now...my parents had a German Shepherd I learned to walk by hanging off of Chief's big old frame...but in later years, it was a Golden Lab and then a Retriever. I had lots of fun with them. LOL
I guess I just wanted MORE dog wrapped up in a smaller package than the Goldens could offer. Brute for punishment I be.
Yeh, Cattle Dogs will go work stock unattended BUT any stock person will tell you right off, dogs that worry the stock and mess them up are not STOCK dogs. An ACD is meant to have a scissor grip and they are to bite low (not ride tails or leap up and bite flesh so it bleeds and attracts flies...fly strike can be awful in some warmer climates!), the ACD heels thus the nickname HEELER. A quick downward reach to the heel of cattle, bite and release, and not every herding session requires the stock to be bitten. No sirree...often just the dog showing up has your stock stand to attention and salute you and the dog..."where to next, what now, what you want Bosses!"...these are the responses you get with "dogged" stock on your own place. The quarry already knows what is expected...but as with most things, sometimes you have a dog in say a stock yard to move uneducated beasts...then the dog will have to grip more, do more work to show the animals what is expected of them. I have attended herding trials where by doggone, the sheep can be let out into the arena and they themselves, all by themselves will do the trial route. It is hilarious and quite unfair if you drew that lot of sheeps. If you can hold your dog back...have them travel at a safe far enough aways distance, you and the dog woulda aced the trail without even doing a thing. Cripers! I laugh because people often THINK animals are dumb when in fact the humans are down right DUMB. Cattle as in cows, sheep, horses, pigs, etc.; intelligent beyond belief and willing to work with you the human if you would bother to convey what you expect of them AND provide the facilities so they can do what you want.
For the ACD...containment is the root of alotta issues and if you do not have this in place, usually the ACD ends up injured or dead for the owner's inability to keep the dog safe and outta harms way...dog gets shot working others stock, run over by traffic in the yard or on the road, poisoned because they got into something nasty (or the neighbours got tired of the dog showing up at their place and baited the dog ON their land), dog takes up chasing cars and ripping off mouldings, attacking passers by, strangled by the dog's own collar or chain...yeh, all containment issues. Contain the beast, then it is not going to get into all sorts of trouble.
Tis twenty below and falling & yet...ever so beautiful!
Everyone's tucked in well & good.
The all o' natural night light hangs in the skies!
You can't help but see all the beauty that surrounds you...sometimes it just stops me dead in my tracks and I gotta soak it all in even if I might freeze on the spot I stop.
You know Deb...I've done rescue for a lotta years. I seen good owners and overly bad. The ones that hurt me the most inside were the bad ones (all dogs go to heaven is my mantra) and I always hoped the good owners would make up for that negative emotions of dealing with the innocent dogs and the wretched kinds that think and act under the cover of the law...property laws that state dogs are just mere property... I suppose the thought process is that most people will not abuse their own property and allow what they own not to infringe on the rights of others. Sadly, we pretty much know it isn't so-lookit how some treat thier own human offspring and dogs slide way down the scale of importance as a whole. You get kinda numb over the years to the excessive cruelty people are capable of. I'll never stop loving the animals, it is how low the people go that never sits well with me...I'll suffer nightmares over others lack of due diligence and kindness to fellow creatures. Responsibility to take decent care of their possessions and the uneducated neglectful aspects...why I wrote so many pages upon pages to the ACD Profiles realizing it is like a finger in a dam that is caving in from a tide of excess but better to try than to do nothing I suppose.
I am not quite sure you would not make a good ACD person. Energy level or not...active or not...you can easily manage even a young ACD's needs with something like a tenni and a slingshot launcher--Rick has replaced the rubber tubing twice on the one and has two others on standby. Open field and look out...there the pack goes to chase the projectile. If you can sit or just stand...you can play dog dogs decently. LOL
On the aspect of a $1,000 a piece...I could only whimper a wish. Try ten times that per dog easy in the first few years. I'm an accountant and I had to stop the tally when Makins hit ten grand because after that, I simply did not want to know any more as it would compromise the fun we were having (budget fun--nope?)...even tho the darling Makins won a nice prize of mega dog kibs (whooped some serious other dog breeds she did!) with a photo of herself at eight weeks old (one ear up and the other coming up...too precious a moment in time).
Pretty dang cute for a Heeler eh?
I can't really touch too well on the topic of dogs and how some treat theirs. I am a dog person first and foremost and will never go to the topic of mistreatment without pulling a pound of flesh from my heart even just discussing it. One can only be responsible for what goes on under our watch and care and we cannot save the entire world without the burden of it all killing us as individuals and taking away from what we love and already owe a duty of care to...we do what we are able and that should suffice. I go down and I take alot of beings that count on me to be able to care for them. I guess the takers have taken alot from me and I have learned how to say NO without guilt. I owe myself and mine a life of happiness too AND if everyone did their part also (busy taking care of THEIR business), the level of the problem would not be so despairing. I've seen people dump the dog or the c@t because it did not match the colour scheme of their new furniture...really, that life was that disposable...really?--so honourable to be part of the human race!
Fixins greeting her swans - which are the aggressors here?
Herding dogs versus livestock guardian...definately a different set of dog motivations. The LSG is more in tune with melding with their stock & being one with the beasts...nice surprise for Wile E. eh? The herder dogs are more possessive but with a predator orientation. I always marvel at how one dog and more will all situate themselves automatically into the hunting circle...if one dog and owner, dog is at the noon position, two dogs & you and they divide the circle in thirds...four and it is nine, noon, three and you at six on the clock face! Five dogs and they again divide the circle into fifths and so on. Some gather the herd towards you the killer in the pack order, or drive the prey away like somehow they can stampede the herd over some "buffalo jump" to feast upon them. LOL
I love dogs...life would not be complete without a furred canine person beside you egging you onwards during the day or sleeping near you so they too are well rested and ready to carpe diem (bite the day - ROWF!) as your side kick in crime.
I have a great friend out East that was crippled by a construction accident. Unfortunately he was one of the very unlucky ones where he sustained a spinal cord injury so he has very limited mobility BUT also feels the pain...excessive pain that cannot be halted with any type of pain medications. He has his good days and very bad ones.
Thanks on the food pics. No, the ham we had for New Years was one of those already pre-cut ones. Sigh...we would have preferred to initiate the new slicer on that but so far, she sits in all her stainless glory on the counter awaiting! I had hoped she would fit on the bottom shelf of the butcher block Rick made me but the blade sharpener is just a smidgen too high tho Rick said it would be no issue just to remove the sharpener. At first I thought Rick said there was a "knife" sharpener attachment on it (whee!) but was just for the slicer, not all my slice and dicing knives. No matter, Rick is into blade sharpening, so I guess I can just pile up the dull ones that the steel won't hone up any mores and let him work his magic the MANual way...hee hee.
Loving the dog talk.
I have always loved the look of an ACD, however I don't think I'd be a good candidate as an ACD owner. I grew up with golden retrievers lol so I think an ACD would bulldoze right over me!
I have a border collie who came from a breeder near here that use to keep cattle dogs. She switched to border collies because the cattle dogs bloodied up the stock too often for her liking.
I have no idea if that was a training issue on her part, her particular dogs or typical for the breed. Either way she I said I probably wouldn't be right for them when I told her I liked them.
Our other dog is a large mix rescued off the side of the highway as a mange covered very sick little puppy. I've never put as much effort into a puppy before in my life, she was a disaster, but she made it. She is also an alpha, friendly, but an alpha to the bone. Her and I are chore "partners" now and for the most part she listens pretty goodbye but she still thinks for herself. she also stands watch over the kids in the yard and tries to keep them out of the bush and away from the creek. Good girl!
For our next dog, I could see a standard poodle in our future. Yeah.... A poodle lol
I'm thinking when the kids are old enough to take a puppy to obedience, agility, or whatever and You could cut a poodles hair to look like anything. My dad would like to see one in a terrier trim, maybe a Schnauzer or bouvier. The other breed we're kinda thinking about is a westi, not sure why but when ever I see one through work we just get a long and connect really well and I like their spirit.
Of course now that I've mentioned this someones going to dump another sorry little character off at our door... So who knows.
Edit to add,
its -36°c with wind to day, -24°c without. Chickens are all locked up tight. Made sure food and heated water were full last night so we aren't in and out of there a bunch of times letting their heat out. Even though its killing me to leave them alone.
Dogs are sleeping on the couch horses are sleeping in the sun... They never seem to notice the cold.
Hey now...my parents had a German Shepherd I learned to walk by hanging off of Chief's big old frame...but in later years, it was a Golden Lab and then a Retriever. I had lots of fun with them. LOL
I guess I just wanted MORE dog wrapped up in a smaller package than the Goldens could offer. Brute for punishment I be.
Yeh, Cattle Dogs will go work stock unattended BUT any stock person will tell you right off, dogs that worry the stock and mess them up are not STOCK dogs. An ACD is meant to have a scissor grip and they are to bite low (not ride tails or leap up and bite flesh so it bleeds and attracts flies...fly strike can be awful in some warmer climates!), the ACD heels thus the nickname HEELER. A quick downward reach to the heel of cattle, bite and release, and not every herding session requires the stock to be bitten. No sirree...often just the dog showing up has your stock stand to attention and salute you and the dog..."where to next, what now, what you want Bosses!"...these are the responses you get with "dogged" stock on your own place. The quarry already knows what is expected...but as with most things, sometimes you have a dog in say a stock yard to move uneducated beasts...then the dog will have to grip more, do more work to show the animals what is expected of them. I have attended herding trials where by doggone, the sheep can be let out into the arena and they themselves, all by themselves will do the trial route. It is hilarious and quite unfair if you drew that lot of sheeps. If you can hold your dog back...have them travel at a safe far enough aways distance, you and the dog woulda aced the trail without even doing a thing. Cripers! I laugh because people often THINK animals are dumb when in fact the humans are down right DUMB. Cattle as in cows, sheep, horses, pigs, etc.; intelligent beyond belief and willing to work with you the human if you would bother to convey what you expect of them AND provide the facilities so they can do what you want.
For the ACD...containment is the root of alotta issues and if you do not have this in place, usually the ACD ends up injured or dead for the owner's inability to keep the dog safe and outta harms way...dog gets shot working others stock, run over by traffic in the yard or on the road, poisoned because they got into something nasty (or the neighbours got tired of the dog showing up at their place and baited the dog ON their land), dog takes up chasing cars and ripping off mouldings, attacking passers by, strangled by the dog's own collar or chain...yeh, all containment issues. Contain the beast, then it is not going to get into all sorts of trouble.
Go to the ACD Profiles section and brace yerself to read my article Good Vs. Bad...
Good Vs. Bad, March 7, 2001:
It is a sheer test of tenacity to get thru reading my article on the good versus bads...tis a long one but a goody...and IF you can get thru the article down to the following conclusion quoted below...well you jest might, MIGHT have what it takes to line yerself up with an ACD....heh heh heh...MIGHT! Just getting an education ABOUT ACDs is a test of sorts...heh heh heh...you EARN the right to have an ACDog...and you keep earning that right...forever and ever and EVER...
They are a wash and wear stock dog of medium size, tons of energy and devoted to you like no other. The ACD is the best "dog person" dog that I know of. The shortest description I can tell you about the ACD is that they can be the best dog you ever had or your worst nightmare. They can be dog aggressive, cat killers, and mean as nails if mistreated. On the plus side, they will far exceed any former dog you have ever had or will ever have in the future. It takes a very special person to own one of these dogs, but I feel they repay any extra effort it takes to have them, tenfold.
The Australian Cattle Dog is THE dog for me and their goods always outweigh the bads!
I have no issue with a poodle...they often tend to look rather funny but truly, what an intelligent breed and if you can stand that some people actually dye them colours like pink and purple (and no wonder you get the laughing sputter by some if you say POODLE--Sheesh!) besides the silly looking but often practical hunting cuts...(pompoms...really?), they are an intelligent, apedpt and loyal dog, no doubt.
Some people just want a companion dog without too many hassles...and some breeds like small lap dogs are no less aggressive than Cattle Dogs, just far less intimidating and less likely for one to get a law suit because Fifi snapped or snagged you. When a fifty pound ACD takes you out...whole other story.
Having an ACD or not does not make you any less of a person and some rightfully just want a less intense dog--a dog to go for walks with, sit in your lap or hang out in the backyard with<--yeh, ACDS can do all that too but AFTER you take the edge off them with intense play time...a tired ACD is a GOOD one! So I just guess some others of us love living life on the edge of insanity. I want a dog that pushes me every single day...pushes me to be my best just like they are the best or so I see it anyway.
My vet and the staff at the clinic while they understand my ACDs better than most clinics and doctors do...they kinda sorta look puzzled when I take an ACD in and we have to sedate them (well you don't usually go to the vet past preventatives...usually vet visits = something seriously wrong). I admit that I get this obnoxious grin plastered across my face..."Ah, this must be what normal dog ownership is like!" as the ACD staggers out, coming outta an operation not quite coherent jest yet. An ACD at 1/4 the awareness and energy is kinda like what I see as a more normal dog breed and the mini vacation from what I deem to be normal for ACDs is really quite hilarious. Not like I want the dogs to be sedated but just ask any Mom with several three year olds, all on steroids and you kinda sorta can understand...not that I condone steroids and babies. Hmm...not so sure where I meant to go with this trai(n wreck)l of thought...liking ACDs sedated and comparing ACD ON-ness to babies on drugs...yeh...quick exit stage right, eh...
Annie Dillard, The Writing Life:
Just another day in Pear-A-Dice...-27C/-17F and falling tonight-thankfully no wind as of yet...frigid but good news is this will not be lasting for weeks on end. In the full swing of winter and while I don't have to relish it too much...the cold does help take out many of the parasites that would flourish in a warmer climate.
Can't say the stocks we have ain't tough to get thru this...keep the feed flowing, go back with a dressing of cracked corn for the birds later after breakfast, fluid water and deep oat straw...
Let winter pass while enjoying it for what it is and know that spring is not too far off. Speaking of which, I had better get on that veg seed order soon or I won't have nuff to plant come the green seasons. YUP...lap dog and seed catalogue, good plan!
Doggone & Chicken UP!
Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada
Ihave had dogs 59 years.... I will be 60 in June.
In some ways I measure my life by the things I have learned from my animals....
My first dog was my moms dog a standard Poodle named Babbette. Mom was a breeder and selective about who got her pups. She did her own tail docking. At six years old I held puppies so mom could do it. Babbette in later years suffered from separation anxiety she was pretty destructive.
Foxy was my second a silly Dachshund cross who taught me to be gentle... and respect dog space. He taught me to let go when it was time.
Kitty was my third a Boston terrier cross with a bit of a straighter nose. She could jump a six food fence. Eat a door frame and dig to china... I learned that dad drop kicking a dog out the back door was NO way to train. (my dad) I started listening to Dr Dog on the radio and as a Teen learned how to modify her behaviors without brutality.
Barbara Anne Streishound.... An Aussie/shepherd cross. Taught me to use a soft voice and hand signals she was loyal and smart and had an entourage of people who knew her name but didnt know mine. She earned her name because she had a long nose and had eyeliner on her eyes. She went everywhere with me. When she passed I didnt have a dog for a long time.
Pow Cho.... (never let the three year old name the dog.... LOL) A rescued Greyhound... His favorite position was on his back on the couch with his feet straight up and his head hanging off. He passed his kid and cat test.... And came home with us.... I learned that they have different minds than any other dog I had ever had. More wolfish in nature and total people dogs.... He loved it when we all three would do howling sessions Usually when i got back home from work. I found out later when I spoke to a neighbor that when I left for work in the morning he would let off a Soulful Bawoooo or three and then go lay down in his enormous doggie house. He could freely go in and out of the house through the kitchen door.
I got Rosie to be a companion dog to Pow Cho.... She was in the pound had her back turned to the world even as the masses of people walked by. She would turn and look but not shift her body to face the people. I wanted an active dog for myson to play catch with so I chose a Dalmation for a first one on one. While he welcomed the pets and the skritches and sniffed us up and down... soon as the introductions were done he was off checking out the yard we were in... He came back once more as if to say... "you still here?" and went back to sniff. There was no connection there. My son was five now and really wanting to be able to interact with a dog... something we knew we could allow off leash. So we went back and picked out the sad brindle dog....
OMG what a difference she wagged her tail and kept her head low and came right up for a skritch she sniffed and didnt lick and then she sat on my foot and looked up to my face... My heart melted... the tip of her tail wiggled. I was a goner.... She came home to live with us and I found out she was shy which I could deal with.... She and Pow Cho were great friends almost immediately... Sort like the Two Stupid dogs Cartoon....
After about a year with us she had a vocabulary of a good two hundred words. I am not a dog trainer but know you have to have at least one command to stop them in their tracks. I used "no dogs" Again she was a soft voice dog.... I never spoke louder than a conversational tone or enough to be heard over a distance. Even the Greyhound learned "no dogs" He was goof he would steal hot dogs off the barbeque the way I knew was the missing dogs but the further clue was is singed whiskers....
I learned from that to keep doggie access to the barbeque strictly supervised.
I lost Pow Cho to a heart condition about two years after Rosie moved in with us.... Surprising too because Greyhounds usually live as long as much smaller dogs.... he had a good life with us.
Rosie was my constant companion... Figure head on the center console of the truck or snuggled in her soft bed on the seat. she kept watch constantly and if a stranger came to speak to her she would growl and bear her teeth.... Pretty formidible... All I had to say was that soft "no dogs" and she would settle.
On the way home I have a 1.5 mile drive on easment roads that are all dirt. Soon as we hit the dirt road I would let her out of the truck so she could run the desert. she shadowed the truck while being in the chaparal the whole way.... she was a happy camper when we got home.... I only did that the first year though... After I found out how many rattle snakes there were and after she had an encounter with the Pack. No one was hurt but I realized I was placing her in danger.
She lived with us fifteen years.... I lost her last year... and there has been a hole in my heart ever since.
deb
In some ways I measure my life by the things I have learned from my animals....
My first dog was my moms dog a standard Poodle named Babbette. Mom was a breeder and selective about who got her pups. She did her own tail docking. At six years old I held puppies so mom could do it. Babbette in later years suffered from separation anxiety she was pretty destructive.
Foxy was my second a silly Dachshund cross who taught me to be gentle... and respect dog space. He taught me to let go when it was time.
Kitty was my third a Boston terrier cross with a bit of a straighter nose. She could jump a six food fence. Eat a door frame and dig to china... I learned that dad drop kicking a dog out the back door was NO way to train. (my dad) I started listening to Dr Dog on the radio and as a Teen learned how to modify her behaviors without brutality.
Barbara Anne Streishound.... An Aussie/shepherd cross. Taught me to use a soft voice and hand signals she was loyal and smart and had an entourage of people who knew her name but didnt know mine. She earned her name because she had a long nose and had eyeliner on her eyes. She went everywhere with me. When she passed I didnt have a dog for a long time.
Pow Cho.... (never let the three year old name the dog.... LOL) A rescued Greyhound... His favorite position was on his back on the couch with his feet straight up and his head hanging off. He passed his kid and cat test.... And came home with us.... I learned that they have different minds than any other dog I had ever had. More wolfish in nature and total people dogs.... He loved it when we all three would do howling sessions Usually when i got back home from work. I found out later when I spoke to a neighbor that when I left for work in the morning he would let off a Soulful Bawoooo or three and then go lay down in his enormous doggie house. He could freely go in and out of the house through the kitchen door.
I got Rosie to be a companion dog to Pow Cho.... She was in the pound had her back turned to the world even as the masses of people walked by. She would turn and look but not shift her body to face the people. I wanted an active dog for myson to play catch with so I chose a Dalmation for a first one on one. While he welcomed the pets and the skritches and sniffed us up and down... soon as the introductions were done he was off checking out the yard we were in... He came back once more as if to say... "you still here?" and went back to sniff. There was no connection there. My son was five now and really wanting to be able to interact with a dog... something we knew we could allow off leash. So we went back and picked out the sad brindle dog....
OMG what a difference she wagged her tail and kept her head low and came right up for a skritch she sniffed and didnt lick and then she sat on my foot and looked up to my face... My heart melted... the tip of her tail wiggled. I was a goner.... She came home to live with us and I found out she was shy which I could deal with.... She and Pow Cho were great friends almost immediately... Sort like the Two Stupid dogs Cartoon....
After about a year with us she had a vocabulary of a good two hundred words. I am not a dog trainer but know you have to have at least one command to stop them in their tracks. I used "no dogs" Again she was a soft voice dog.... I never spoke louder than a conversational tone or enough to be heard over a distance. Even the Greyhound learned "no dogs" He was goof he would steal hot dogs off the barbeque the way I knew was the missing dogs but the further clue was is singed whiskers....
I lost Pow Cho to a heart condition about two years after Rosie moved in with us.... Surprising too because Greyhounds usually live as long as much smaller dogs.... he had a good life with us.
Rosie was my constant companion... Figure head on the center console of the truck or snuggled in her soft bed on the seat. she kept watch constantly and if a stranger came to speak to her she would growl and bear her teeth.... Pretty formidible... All I had to say was that soft "no dogs" and she would settle.
On the way home I have a 1.5 mile drive on easment roads that are all dirt. Soon as we hit the dirt road I would let her out of the truck so she could run the desert. she shadowed the truck while being in the chaparal the whole way.... she was a happy camper when we got home.... I only did that the first year though... After I found out how many rattle snakes there were and after she had an encounter with the Pack. No one was hurt but I realized I was placing her in danger.
She lived with us fifteen years.... I lost her last year... and there has been a hole in my heart ever since.
deb
morning
- Thread starter
- #507
See I am absolutely NO good at the heart tug stuff....WAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Walked Stoggars ONCE at the Shelter in town on my lunch break and well, uh...yah...she came home with me to live forever and ever because I busted out sobbing like a baby that night standing, cooking dinner. Freaked Rick right out and he told me to, "Hurry up and get her home!"...and like the classic Archie Bunker episode (The Bunkers and the Swingers)..."Don't you go back walking any more SHELTER DOGS!"
All in the Family; Season 3, Episode 7, August 25, 1972:
There's ugly on a stick...taking a nappers
Fixins is about the most foul tempered of all the Heelers we have ever had and sure has taught me about the dark side of the ACD's. I expect she would literally EAT the next dog if we decided to get another one ("There!," she would say smuggly..."No more competition for cuteness!"), so we have shut it down at two for the time being. I'm completely OK with that...enough here to do for sure but know we will never EVER be dogless. I would wither and die without my Heeler(s) by my side.
Poopy Princess, lipping off the commands for humans that day!
I find it hard too when people speak of puppy breath because the last breath of that sort that we had here was in 2001! Been a while...but no matter. Like waiting for Christmas to come so you can stop shaking the presents and open them already!
Don't miss the accidents in the house, the constant need to chew things, the energy bursts when maybe the humans are jest a little tired out...the attitudes, the training, the Optional Brain Module that arrives AFTER the dog is three years or even older (teach and teach and train and repeat and it is like this vortex of NO retention...and then one day the OBM shows up and "WOW! What a nice dog, eh?").
Originally Posted by perchie.girl:
Ihave had dogs 59 years.... I will be 60 in June.
Great dog stories! Thank you for sharing those.
On the docking part...I "thought" I could do the dew claws or even have the vet do it if I failed doing it myself. Yeh right! I did not realize I could not have even manage to have that part clipped off...could not stand to see any missing parts taken off the luv buggers. Such a woosey failed sucker when it comes to the dougals...I am glad I left their opposable thumbs on...have never had a dew claw torn off (keep the nails clippy clipped) and there is a theme of thought that the dogs DO use the dew claw as an extra point of landing (six point landing per front paws) AND I have become rather fond of seeing them chewing on something, balancing some of it with a dew claw helping to hold it right.
I have managed to dodge the dock and lop in the Sheeps too!
Kinda a neat photo...the coloured portions (dotty dots) on the piebald Lilac Jacobs is brindled. Yeh...funny that when a dominant black sheep (you know a Jacob cross is pretty much gonna be a mainly black animal--most sheep breeds that have black in their genes are recessive blacks) has a double dose of Lilac; that the two doses of recessive lilac are gonna show up to DOMINANT the dom black. Again, another example of what recessives can do in a double dose to colour up our worlds!
The Jacob Sheep are a very primitive breed that lifts their tails outta the way to go. Lil' Bo Peep's lost sheep wagging their tails behind them! LOL
I like to shear them and leave a lion's pompom on the tail end. Great weapon for them to BONK pesky flies with, eh?
I get a charge outta taking a pic of the fleece and with the contributor in the background...LOL
What has eight horns, eight legs, is tailless but has two heads?
No butts here...
Momma Jacob and her growed up adult son!
OK...enough with the sheeps...time to get some more things done for the day, eh.
Near noon here Woman...LOL Half the day over and done with already, eh?
At least in my neck of the wood here in the Great White Northerner place of ice, igloos, and pails of fat delivered to the neighbours in need of making it thru the winter time in prime condition.
Gonna run off now to make up a double batch of Oatmeal raison/pecan KOOKies.
How beat up is my recipe book thar...continue to split the binding and that jest figures how often I like to make them oatmeals for us.
Stay warm everyone...extra slice of pie or handful of cookies to keep the internal fires a burning HOT! Bring on the heat!
Doggone & Chicken UP!
Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada
Near noon here Woman...LOL Half the day over and done with already, eh?
At least in my neck of the wood here in the Great White Northerner place of ice, igloos, and pails of fat delivered to the neighbours in need of making it thru the winter time in prime condition.
Gonna run off now to make up a double batch of Oatmeal raison/pecan KOOKies.
How beat up is my recipe book thar...continue to split the binding and that jest figures how often I like to make them oatmeals for us.
Stay warm everyone...extra slice of pie or handful of cookies to keep the internal fires a burning HOT! Bring on the heat!
Doggone & Chicken UP!
Tara Lee Higgins
Higgins Rat Ranch Conservation Farm, Alberta, Canada
I'm not good in shelters either... 8 cats can attest to that... And 28 "inherited" chickens...
Most ( all but one, my Australian Shepard who I bought from a breeder who kept his dogs in horrid conditions ) of my dogs have been strays...
Most ( all but one, my Australian Shepard who I bought from a breeder who kept his dogs in horrid conditions ) of my dogs have been strays...
Oh oops... Think I might have ruffled a few feather earlier... Sorry about that. I think I was trying to say that there are dog breeds out there that I know *I* am not right for... Not that they're bad dogs.
I've spent time with different breeds and have found that there are some I really like and some that I know wouldn't be right for our family just because of our expectation's, tolerances, and what we can actually offer a dog as far as training, consistancy and for a working dog a fulfilling job...
I've spent time with different breeds and have found that there are some I really like and some that I know wouldn't be right for our family just because of our expectation's, tolerances, and what we can actually offer a dog as far as training, consistancy and for a working dog a fulfilling job...
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