Can we have a dog thread?

Double post for some reason. New forum is crunchy. 

Oh god damn it.

What are we doing for images at the moment? [Img] tags?

No pics but out on our club ride this morning but a mates wife met as at the cafe stop with Ella, a Sprockador apparently.

They fostered her 3 years ago when she was brought in, heavily pregnant and with a badly infected paw. The puppies turned up unexpectedly early so they kept her for 3 months till the puppies were homed, then couldn't bear to part with her.

She was the calmest, sweetest soul this morning and very well behaved in a busy cafe with lots of strangers fussing her.

Came home to another friend announcing their gorgeous cockerpoo is expecting. I do NOT want a dog. I do NOT want a dog.

You do. There's a dog shaped hole in your life. Space for bestest friend and mental health improver...

I'd post cute puppy picture if I could figure this new forum out.

Also picking up shite keeps you grounded.

Speaking of. lola dumped off a load on the banks the mighty eddleston. She then turned around and looked me in the eye and did her usual scent scrape kick thing. Only this time, she caught the turd and sent it absolutely flying. Plop plop plop, straight into the middle of the river. 

No chance of retrieval, not my finest dog walking moment. Thats once in 2years I haven't picked up.

Obligatory puppy picture

Our Danielle, aged about 6 weeks.

Right, new forum etc. Let's see if we can work out how to insert a pic of a dogless head sitting on a lap

Ooh, that may have worked. Im happy if it has

Posted by: Steve

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I do NOT want a dog. I do NOT want a dog.

Yes you do!

Thats once in 2years I haven't picked up.

I pick up another as penance if this happens. I also am anosmic so it's not really an issue for me.

gratuitous photo of dog hard at work to test the image and edit function!

Try again… New post. 

This is just an excuse to try posting a photo...

Had to say goodbye to the little man today. It might have been the kindest thing, but, that didn't make it any easier.

Rest easy my hairy hombre

@andy5390 He looks like a dog with character. Hope you're bearing up!

Just want to put this in here I case anyone looses their dog! 

https://dronetohome.org.uk/ absolutely bloody awesome!

So back story.....my sister has been suffering with a rare cancer for about 3 years now and unfortunately she died on Sunday morning. While we were all at the hospice my dog had to be left at my other sister's house and she arranged for her friend to come and walk and feed the dogs. My dog is a div though and as she didn't know who the people were bolted when they let her out into the garden!!

Cue, my wife and son disappearing from the hospice to look for her and trying to keep it from me so as not to stress me out. I found out and told them to come back to hospice and we'd find Sandy in the morning. 

My sister passed about 6am and I had to go front he hospice to try and find the dog. It had been put all over local face book groups and my sister friend got in touch with drone to Home. Few hours late Phil the drone guy (who was ****ing amazing) found Sandy and I went to get her. There is footage of the rescue on their Facebook page but I'm not on FB so can't link it.

I'm so pleased I have my mate back, I'd have struggled sooo much more with Sandy cuddle up to.

TLDR: Lost dog under shit circumstances, but got her back with help from drone to home. Really ****ing pleased.

Edit: realise that sounds like that's all about the dog. I'm ****ing gutted about my sister, but this is a dog thread.

Posted by: Adam

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Just want to put this in here I case anyone looses their dog! 

https://dronetohome.org.uk/ absolutely bloody awesome!

So back story.....my sister has been suffering with a rare cancer for about 3 years now and unfortunately she died on Sunday morning. While we were all at the hospice my dog had to be left at my other sister's house and she arranged for her friend to come and walk and feed the dogs. My dog is a div though and as she didn't know who the people were bolted when they let her out into the garden!!

Cue, my wife and son disappearing from the hospice to look for her and trying to keep it from me so as not to stress me out. I found out and told them to come back to hospice and we'd find Sandy in the morning. 

My sister passed about 6am and I had to go front he hospice to try and find the dog. It had been put all over local face book groups and my sister friend got in touch with drone to Home. Few hours late Phil the drone guy (who was ****ing amazing) found Sandy and I went to get her. There is footage of the rescue on their Facebook page but I'm not on FB so can't link it.

I'm so pleased I have my mate back, I'd have struggled sooo much more without Sandy cuddle up to.

TLDR: Lost dog under shit circumstances, but got her back with help from drone to home. Really ****ing pleased.

Edit: realise that sounds like that's all about the dog. I'm ****ing gutted about my sister, but this is a dog thread.

 

 

 

Posted by: Sandwich

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@andy5390 He looks like a dog with character. Hope you're bearing up!

He certainly was, and I am - sort of.

Thanks

Oscar caught up with his best friend Molly yesterday. 

It's no good looking so frustrated sunshine, there's just no way on God's good earth I'm letting you into the Severn near Cross Houses in mid Feb. Get used to it 🤣 

Another random ball rescues from the stream
https://flic.kr/p/2qLDeQJ

Exhausted and dreaming of squirrels after a walk in the woods 

Then the cat joined us!

How long would you leave a dog.

Generally we manage well below 4hrs. Two days a week she is left while we go to work. Our neighbour pops in and walks her and gives her attention and a walk (we pay her).

But thats not going to happen this week which leaves us in a bit of a pickle.

So how long we would you leave your fourlegged hoover for a very rare extended period of time.

Im sort of going to hijack the thread for a moment, and alter the title to "Can we have ANOTHER dog ?"

Yes yes yes, I know it will be like owning a 2nd Landcruiser. 

But putting that to one side, I'd love to hear experiences from folks about getting a 2nd dog, and whether male or female...

We have a near-2-year-old working line fox red Lab, male. i

Intact. He's ace.  Absolutely relentless, tireless, and does things at 100mph.  Love water (hes a lab !) Playful, absolutely no aggression (he's a lab !). Loves meeting other dogs, ideally to play and run around with like a loon.  Lots of drive to seek and flush out pheasants etc in the woods or quiet lanes (waaaay more than I've  experiencs before).  But is a pet for us, not a working on shoots dog. (We're in Derbyshire, and 50 yards from fields, so no problem taking for long walks.  We've had Labradors before him, so know what we're in for (and this current one is about as full-on as is possible for a lab - our previous ones were much steadier, even though the last one was also from a working line).

Wife and I are in our mid 50s, daughter has flown the coop, wife works part time, me 4 days aweek and mainly from home.   So the pup will never be on their own for too long.  I'll be reducing my working time further in the next year or two, before a slow slide into retirement in 3 or 4 years. We know what's involved in raising a puppy, and also had nursed our previous angel (before the fox red)  though cancer treatment 😭).  

We're thinking of a 2nd dog. Defo another retriever- Lab, or Golden, or a Toller. 

Here's the question- what experience / advice has anyone of having a 2nd pup. And particularly whether male or female, when we have a male already.  No intention to breed (and doubly so if not another Lab).  If female we have her neutered , but obvs that is only after at least 1 season as that seems to be the current  concensus of what is best.

My daughter's new puppy - say hello to Snoopy!...

We've added Roxie when Lola (our fox red) was five. No issues after the initial "when is THAT going home" disapproval and general ignoring of pup. One of us is always home so no issue raising the pup. She's one now and I defo think having two dogs is better than one. Bit of a pain/cost when we're going away but we tend to use house sitters. 

First time we've had a retriever- always just had straight labs before. Definitely more placid/less mad than the lab, sheds a jumper every day 🙂

Roxie most of the time..

Roxie the rest of the time playing with her "big sister"

Posted by: Josh

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How long would you leave a dog.

 

Our Frank got left for six hours on Saturday - but it hugely depends on the dog. Six hours is the most we'd do in one stretch. Pic of Frank for attention!...

To try & answer @robertajobb question from an hour or so back (What about having a 2nd dog?)
We had Huey as a pup when Barkley was about 7-8 years old, thinking it'd keep him lively & active, which it certainly did. He was physically as fit as a flea until gone 14 when he died suddenly a year ago from what we assume was some sort of brain haemorrhage. And as others have said after the initial period of "Ignore it and it'll go away" they were absolutely inseparable thereafter. They'd sleep together, share the licking of plates, share toys, walk together, play on the beach, everything.
We never do or did the dog-sitter thing, or kennels, we always just take the dog(s) with us wherever we go away on holidays, just in the UK. Despite them both being male, and one full-dog versus one snipped, there was never a moment bad blood between them, but spaniels are generally very good natured.
All I'd say is that two dogs feel more  than twice the work of one when it comes to the routine stuff like walk, feed, clean, put to bed etc etc, but it's hard to say why. I guess they bounce off each other a lot, and things get quite manic at times. But given the amount of time that's now being spent looking at SpanielAid charity, or googling "Black & Tan cocker puppies", I'd say it's a nailed-on cert that we'll be back to two before very long.

Thanks for the replies re. 2 dawgies so far.

We rarely holiday without our dawgie - he's  part and parcel of the family.  Our 1st lab (20+ years ago) we used a kennels we trusted.  2nd one, he always came with us, except for 1 hol we'd got booked before he was born.  Current fox red... hes not been in kennels and to be honest I'm not certain how he's be - he's very attached to me (and vive versa !). 

So if we had 2... hols will be camping or (future) campervan, or accommodation where dogs are accepted.  The current motor is about big enough for 2 in the back - I've had a big spaniel (think more like small Golden Retriever!) + our lab together in the back for a trip and they were fine.  

Our fit in the bag of the MG4 but not much space for anything else! We have taken Lola on hols with us, but we're working though a bunch of post-kids-at-home hols which aren't really mutt compatible.  

@robertajobb as your boy sounds very similar to my lad and experience with dogs in general and his relationship to dogs when he's out and about I'd be getting a female. Always generally goes male/female, male/male, female/female. I've had a male/female mix before and they got on great and most of my lads best buds are female. 

I personally wouldn't entertain the idea of a second dog just because my time is completely full with just one with his walks and the need to spend time with them separately as well as together so that they don't become completey reliant on each other and can cope alone. Instead I just have a few people locally who I arrange walks with so he can get his dog-dog exercise and enjoyment out of his system. 

Three spaniels in this house. All females.

Springer 10yo,

Cocker 8 yo,

Sprocker 5 yo.

All brown n white, they make an attractive pack. We've always had 2 or 3, with a Yorkshire terrorist, and a Welsh springer at various times.

There's very much the "what is THAT doing here" with new intros but they soon learn the get on. All the current group arrived as 8-10 week pups.

The springer is a bit manic, I often call her the hyper springer. Gets excited around people and other dogs. Gets excited by leaf blowing along the road! A bad elbow means limited walks of 20-30mins, and she often left at home.

Cocker and sprocker absolute besties. Love running together, checking every hedgerow rabbit hole, springing pheasants etc. They get taken into cafes 2 or 3 times a week, know the game and lay down quietly. Often get compliments on their behaviour.

Round the house they crash out on various sofas, sometimes snug together, other times spread around the place. In response to the other recent question above, that can be left alone all day, 8 hours plus, no problem. Rare these days as I pop home at lunch time, but even then there's little reaction, and they have to be persuaded to move their arses and go outside.

I thinks dogs are happier within a pair/pack.

Last week sprocker went on holiday with wife and son, and sons border collie. Back home she was missed, cocker very much lacking enthusiasm on the walks. Springer not fussed, she's more independent. 

Our holidays are either dog friendly cottages, or in the campervan.

Photos of the crew various places up-thread.

Waiting for breakfast....

I got an  especially hard Paddington stare (as taught by aunt Lucy herself) from my wife when I used the word 'Sprocker' in the discussion ! 

IIt was an exhausting walk.

Oscar is halfway through his strip. 

Five years ago today Mrs Fiend arrived in our household.

Life with a border collie is never boring🤣

Good at backwards, bad at catching.

I know ot looks sped up but i swear its not, if she can't find her bed backwards she goes as far as she can then a leg goes out backwards and she starts feeling around for it.

  https://imgur.com/a/mgqFQGt

Posted by: Josh

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How long would you leave a dog.

Generally we manage well below 4hrs. Two days a week she is left while we go to work. Our neighbour pops in and walks her and gives her attention and a walk (we pay her).

But thats not going to happen this week which leaves us in a bit of a pickle.

So how long we would you leave your fourlegged hoover for a very rare extended period of time.

As above, really depends on the dog - Mines quite happy for about 4 hours, never really tried longer than that incase toilet accidents etc.

IP camera shows he just curls up and snoozes when there's no one around, but YMMV!

Henry passed his silver level sniffer dog training today. He really does enjoy it, comes and pesters me after tea time for a 20 minute practice session which tires him out before bedtime as it is so engaging. Easy to do a short session of exercise anywhere you find yourself as only a few tiny plastic test tubes of red Kong rubber needed. Recommended if you have a class in your area. 

  Roksy hasn't made an appearance recently, so here she is on a windswept beach walk last week....

Not getting the hang of pics this morning...

So many gorgeous dogs. 

Does roksy have hooves?

Roxie "Do I HAVE to go to the Dog Groomer?" / Yes, Yes you do. I expect we'll be barred after they've attended to your endless hair!

It's like a different dog has come home. Lola thought som gave her a proper sniff!

Apparently "the fur was flying' at the groomers 🙂 

Average adult life expectancy 86 years.  

Average dog life expectancy 12 years.

That means I can have 7 dogs and still be on the right side of the equation for every kid that someone else has. 

Or 3.5 dogs and a Land Cruiser to transport them around in. 

I'm Batman. 

The usual please. 

I'm not sure if it's your skill at taking pictures or Oscar is just gorgeous all the time.

Cheers. He’s a very easy subject to take, I’ve never had a dog get as many compliments especially from people who have owned a border. 

The determination