Welcome to everyday Lets Talk

"And then they said hello to the weed in their flowerpot way of talking" -

This must go back a way (at least 35 years )! I like the music and sounds. And how about the advice at the start: "Watch with Mother"

Tonight I got a dog lead, collar and day bed. Just in case :)

GR

Watch With Mother was a cycle of children's programmes created by Freda Lingstrom. Broadcast by BBC Television from 1952 until 1973, it was the first BBC television series aimed specifically at pre-school children, a development of BBC radio's equivalent Listen with Mother, which had begun two years earlier. In accordance with its intended target audience of pre-school children viewing with their mothers, Watch With Mother was initially broadcast between 3:45 pm and 4:00 pm, post-afternoon nap and before the older children came home from school.

I like your positive GR - good to be prepared. If you do get Ralphy we will need lots and lots of pics please.

Lai

Nice info Mrs Kip

I have been very slack with the camera lately, but batteries are charged and ready to go!

I am liking Wikipedia although the info is so inaccurate sometimes, but it has it's uses!

Batteries charged - yayyyyyyyyyyy and not batteries, camera batteries good for you GR

Lai

Thanks for the B & B link Doogs 60 years old, I can't believe it, or indeed how cartoons etc have changed!

Lai

My batteries are always charged Mrs Kipia

Wikipedia is for the most part accurate...I think!

Hey, maybe if we search leopard it will come up with a photo of a cheetah

(Greg, just let it go already )

15 degrees is not really cool, but it is in Australia for this time of year as it is still officially summer. Yesterday was warm again though. Usually we have warm weather right through March

Doogsy, I'd like to see you and WS in a contest. What a showdown!

Ralphy is still 'temporarily unavailable', though I will check around lunchtime today for an updated 'status'.

The main thing is that I don't have piles of Ralphpoos around here Bellawoo has been desexed, so no chance of her having puppies.

The shelter don't do home visits, at least not that I know of. I guess I will find out more when I go there. I forgot that I also got Ralphy an orange food and water bowl yesterday. Bella has a blue one. Hopefully they don't have any blues over this stuff! If they do then I will just have to segregate them during eating hours (though Bella is typically a nibbler/snacker, so her 'restaurant' is available 24 hours )

It could be a tremendous day of joy! I will still go to my parents place tonight, so the only question shall be whether I bring along a surprise

GR

Hope everything works out GR, and your going about it the right way good for you. I'm back running the Pub tomorrow untill Monday, so apologies in advance in advance if I miss anyones posts
WS

GR aka Good luck at the animal shelter if you get there. Let us know if you come home with Ralphy.

I'm jealous of your 15 degrees, we're cold at the moment and have had no central heating for 3 days so I am

Hope all well in the pub WS

Have a good day everyone.

Lai et al

Oh no Lai, no central heating, thats not good as it's so cold. We had a power cut last night that lasted all evening and that wasn't fun as the heating went off as well, so you weren't alone my friend

I need a big catch up on this thread later, I see there is another in the offing for GR

littlewid-x-

It's working again thanks Littlewid, huge relief and we have a rip roaring fire as well tonight

Oh no poor you, at least it came back on but a night is plenty long enough we really do take it for granted don't we?

Lai

Good luck in the pub WS, and I'm glad your heating is back Lai. Not having it in that weather is a big

Well, it seems that the Ralphy, Bella/Greg 'love' story is becoming a little epic!

Yesterday was not so great. When I checked him out in the morning he was available again, so all sweet, however when I checked later in the afternoon I couldn't find him Where was Ralphy But then I widened my search and he is still available, but has been transferred to a different location. He is now in the northern suburbs of Epping, which is coincidentally near where I got Bella from. But it's about a ninety minute drive, whereas before it was twenty. Anyhoo, that shelter is not open late on any days, but I can try going there tomorrow with Bella. I will go to a pet shop before that and see if I can get a second travel cage, then call them after 10am to make sure that he is there and available (I was only able to contact the Burwood branch late yesterday and they confirmed that he had been transferred). BUt here is the link to little Ralphy's profile if anyone is interested:

http://www.rspcavic.org/adoption/animal-detail/Jack-Russell-Terrier/Ralph/11428

I spent a relaxing night with Bella at my parents, which included a luxurious bath (for me not Bella ), and didn't get home until close to 11pm, but I think my brief WAA absence has only made my heart grow fonder for this place

Best Wishes to everyone for the upcoming weekend.

Well Ralph looks very handsome GR. I can see why you have fallen for the little chap.

You will learn that I am always the one who questions, just my nature I am affraid. Do you know why they moved Ralph form one shelter to the other? Usually in England they do that if there has been no interest in the dog or no suitable owners that have come forward.

It says in the info that Ralph would like someone home a lot and he has loads of energy and he would like to learn to behave, do you think he would like to be left at home whilst you are working and has he had any training? Do you know why he ended up in the shelter GR?

I am sure you have thought of all of those things and I am only repeating what you have thought about.

Nero was brought into my house when I had my older Golden Retreiver Bentley. They really hit it off and became in separable. They had not met each other before so I was really lucky. After Bentley died, Nero became really upset and he didn't settle for ages, he loved other dogs company so I thought I would get another dog. My friend who I got Nero from is a breeder of Cocker Spaniels and she has a little Golden puppy who seemed ideal for Nero. We went and spent the evening with them and Nero and Buck got along famously, great mates from the offing, so Buck came home with us and the first night was fab and I breathed a sigh of relief that all was well and Nero was happy again.
Oh boy, how wrong was I, Nero hated him being here permanently even to the point Nero regressed quite a bit. I thought this was all teething troubles and that it would settle down as they had made friends so quickly but months went past and nothing changed, in fact Nero was getting unhappier by the day, Buck on the other hand was a delight and very happy here. I had to think of Nero as he was here first. It broke my heart but Buck had to be returned to my friend. It was an incredibly sad day for me and broke my heart to do it and also it was all against everything I believed, a dog is for life and not something to give up on just because the going gets tough but it wasn't tough for me but it was for Nero and he was beside himself really, so I had to do the right thing for him and Buck was returned.
Almost immediately Nero was back to his old self, I was still distressed by it all but Nenro was happy and actually little Buckminster (his actual Name) was rehomed very quickly and is deleriously happy.
Whether it was because Buck was a male coming into a male dogs house and Nero may have been better with a female dog, I don't know. All I am trying to say is, if Bella and Ralph get to meet and get a long, I hope it remains a happy friendship but I wanted you to be aware that there can be another outcome even if they do get along when they meet. I hope the outcome is happier for you and Bella than it was for Nero, Buck and me.
I am not trying to put a downer on it for you, just telling you the other side of introducing another dog to the home. I really am not trying to put you off and I am excited for you and Bella and I really hope it all works out for you.

littlewid-x-

Just checked out Ralph's profile, he looks wonderful and sounds like he's full of beans.

Littlewid's points are all extremely valid and it really is a tough and serious decision when taking on a another dog or cat. We were extremely lucky with Tamu and Penny but as Littlewid said it doesn't always work out.

Do let us know GR we are all rooting for Bella and Ralph.

Lai

Have a good one Doogs. Good to know you are wearing lots of gear on Fridays, I like the sound of that.

Have a great weekend everyone - let's hope this snow doesn't settle, it's been a bit on off all day!

Lai

If you leave a job that you don't mind your next workplace might not provide the same happiness and contentment (or $ ).
If you jump on a plane it might crash, and hence, you might die.
If you love too much then you might get your heart broken.

P

Life is full of risks, and probably it is best to take them at some stages for best possible life fulfilment. Though it's also a case of calculated risks, so I most definitely heed your advice LW. It is sensible to be cautious sometimes too.

If I (we) take Ralphy on it may not work out. But I think it is more of a chance of being a positive than a negative, and it could be a wonderful positive. Certainly Bella and he may not get on, but one important detail in Bella's life is that I took her onboard when she was about nine months of age; before that she had lived alongside a male (perhaps they had snails there too ), so she at least has had that experience, and from what I heard they got along well (though a different situation in the sense that they grew up together as puppies).

I take a lot of life as being about fate, and I feel like I am meant to take this dog on; if it doesn't work out than that is some kind of weird fate also!

LW, I read that the Epping and Burwood shelters link up a bit with transfers, but I would guess too that there has been a lack of interest in Ralph, though I have no idea how long the RSPCA have had him for.

I do not believe that it would be his total cup of tea to be left here whilst I am working - but then again it certainly wouldn't be Bella's either - but he and she will have a furry companion to possibly assist through those long hours. I don't think that many dogs could be happy with their owner being out working, but if that was a deterrent to having a dog than not many could have one I guess.

With Nero missing Bentley it could be like Bella missing her past friend Eddie, and Ralph might struggle to gain acceptance on that basis.

Like you mention too, there is a difference with this being a female-male situation. So as the old adage goes, "Bella can still be the queen of the castle"!

There are always options with the situation if it goes bad:
Try for a while to get it to work (be patient with them).
Find another owner for Ralph (would probably take sometime, but eventually in such cases usually somebody can be found who wants to take a dog on free of charge).

"I really am not trying to put you off" - oh I wouldn't worry about that LW as clearly I won't be talked out of it

But when going to the shelter today, I will try to keep an open mind to not necessarily taking Ralph on. Maybe they will not like each other at all, right from the first meeting?

In regards to future pets I have thought about a cat down the track, but I have had allergies when around some cats (I get all cold and fluey) so that might not be for the best. Then I thought of guinea pigs as I had them as a child, and then I had an :idea: ! A !

They would not necessarily get along with dogs though But I think it's a nice idea I had for well into the future, perhaps to get a couple of rabbits.

You know, as a WAA tribute

Doogsy, great to hear about your animal antics with the clothing again, and the whole "smart alec" spiel had me Without the additional brackets we might have had to go

And you did say it was Dress DOWN day (a certain person is most definitely a smart alec )

It seems like I have 500 days of summer (like that movie)! Who knows when it will end, but aircon is on just now!

I may have to separate their food bowls into different rooms, and if one is stealing from the other than the 'victim' will soon learn not to snack

But they should quickly know who's food is which; I will let them know!

Maybe we need a dictator smiley?

I agree with Doogs LW, that the Buck situation was sad, and your decision to send Buck away was highly understandable.

Probably no for me tonight. Will need to be on high alert if Ralphy is around

It is still just the Bellawoo and I at home.



Well I slept in a little - plus made some WAA posts - more than possibly planned, but eventually made my way to a pet store before 11am. It's a really awesome store this, and I can't recall being there before, but I was a little like a kid in a lolly shop :eatg: I went there to get a second travel cage and a connection to allow to walk two dogs with one lead. Done and done. The woman there was very helpful. But I still wanted to wander around and check out other stuff, and what a plush toy section! It had me asking myself at different times, "Who would I really be buying this for?"

I got an outrageous owly and a huggable hippo. These toys are a little different; you don't squeek them, but rather shake them, and that is when they make a sound. I have not broken them out yet, but I'm sure that Bella will like when I throw them - for her to chase - that they will make a sound.

I was tempted by a gorgeous giraffe and a loveable leopard too, but JUST managed to resist These were ones to press and squeek, and I think the giraffe was just a typical squeek sound, but the leopard was hillarious because it really was like a duck! There is the old adage, 'if it sounds like a duck it probably is a duck'; well in this case, no!

They also had a wonderful section of REAL toys! Here there were many guinea pigs and rabbits mingling together, and boy are they smirk-inducing! I love the way a rabbits nose twitches, and some of these animals in the shop seemed like real characters. But again I managed to resist...

Once home I called up the Epping shelter to check on Ralphy. Yep, gone Taken at some stage yesterday. Well, the main thing is that he has found a home.

Still, I immediately went online on the RSPCA (recent online habits have merely changed from RSVP ) and discovered that there was a Jackey not all that far away! Missy, an eleven month old girl. She has black spots whereas Bella has brown. I called up the Peninsula shelter and yep she was there. But when I got there a little later - I had about a one hour snooze - and asked, the woman at the front counter immediately said to her offsider, "Wasn't that the dog that was just adopted at lunchtime?" And so it was. It was a little deflating as I was quite excited to see her, and it was a fair bit of driving for nothing (but at least not to Epping!), but that is the way thingys go sometimes, and like Ralphy it's great that she has found a home. It's great that there are many people who want to 'save' a dog.

I had a look at their little pound while I was there and there were about 8 dogs, one of which was a Jackey! He is three year old Leo (nardo? Bella's Romeo? ), but they had had some sort of a disease break out, and he is unavailable for two weeks (as some others are too) until the appropriate vet tests are done.

There were at least a couple of other groups of people 'sniffing' around while I was there, and I think it must be a common thing at these shelters for families to go out on the weekend and 'shop'. So most dogs would not last long, especially if they are not the barking ones (some were making quite a racket!). I was looking at Bella lovingly and thinking that she would be snapped up within minutes.

Actually make that seconds

I might go to the Burwood shelter next Wednesday night and just see what is there, as I think now that there is fairly regular turnover and stuff, and your best chance is to be in the right place at the right time. I have thought, "should I look into a different type of dog?" I don't know, as I really want to get another Jack Russell. Maybe a staffi if it looks at me with pleading eyes

I have just checked out the Burwood site and there is no Jackeys, but they are open tomorrow, so perhaps we will scamper down there. Then again, the profiles currently online are not positive. Lots of greyhounds (for Bella that = ) and a couple of dogs I looked at said that they need to be the only dog in the home.

It's a process that shall be worth the wait though!

Aren't I in mode!

GR, I actually feel deflated for you I was in no means trying to be negative Mr P just telling what the other side of a new dog can turn out like, I was actually hoping that all was going to be well between Bellawoo & Ralphy, so it is a real shame and especially after you had thought and planned about it as well and got things ready for a new dog in yours and Bellawoos home. I suppose now it's a case of keeping your eyes peeled on the rescue sites and getting in there quick if a little rescue looks suitable.

I wouldn't be put off by a cat or rabbit in the future, obviously it depends on the dog but Bentley lived with Cats and Rabbits but then again he was the kind of dog that mothered everything, Nero is good with cats as well, I suppose it just depends on the kind of dog, obviously an ex racing Greyhound would not be such a good choice but from the sounds of it a greyhound is not what your looking for anyway.

I am sure yours and Bellawoos home will soon have a new companion. I am sure you know this already but not all barking dogs in rescue centres will be barking all day at home, often it is just because they don't like being in kennels and once they are out and playing and homed the barking stops, it's just a way of showing they are not happy in kennels, they find it all distressing, so if you come across a dog you like, don't be put off by the barking on first meeting.

littlewid-x-

GR - that's sad news for you, but good news that Ralphy has found a home. I believe in fate, and it wasn't meant to be, but you will find another Jackey to give a home to soon for sure.

Lai

for the well wishes guys

LW, at least the planning has been done now, so it's just a case of keeping an eye open and so forth.

Bellawoo is a natural hunter - has caught and killed mice - and would probably view a as just a bigger mouse.

It's a good point about barking dogs doing so because they are unhappy in the kennels. I will definitely keep that in mind when looking for my new dream pooch

G R (a sharp , P , lover, Pup Bay fan and expert)
aka

http://rspcavic.org/adoption/animal-detail/Staffordshire-Terrier/Milton/11536

Anyone have any views on this lovely little chap? Any general views on staffordshire terriers?

http://rspcavic.org/adoption/animal-detail/Rhodesian-Ridgeback/Junior/11580

And I've found a Grand Tamu! Alas, it says that he must be the only dog in the home

GR Milton looks adorable, he has the staffie face and the Dachshund body but a little stockier due to the Staffie in him. Staffies can make lovely pets and they can be really affectionate and loyal. I have known 2 Dachshund's and they have been lovely. The only thing I am aware of is that due to their short legs and long bodies you have to watch their weight and I believe they can be prone to spinal problems in their later life but otherwise they are nice dogs.

It says he still has puppy tendancies but then again he is only 3 months old for goodness so what do you expect, I imagine they are saying he still needs house training and he may be a bit finger chewey still but most puppies can be like that but the staffie in him should mean he would be easy to train.

I reckon Milton would be a good fellow to check out

littlewid-x-

Hi Guys been busy at the Pub so I've not had time to get on much.Just a quick look in really. Sorry to hear about Ralphy GR, I know you were really looking forward to having him, but fate sometimes happens for a reason, and you never know yours, and Bellawoos dream companion could be waiting for you out there. Soory i have'nt got time to check out the links, but I'm keeping my fingers X for you.
I will hopefully be able to do a good catch up after tomorrow Guys
WS

WS, don't worry, we know you are busy at the pub but by now I bet you are longing to put your feet up and have a rest Hopefully tomorrow you can have a relaxing day and just catch up when you can.

We have had a few snow flurries over the weekend but nothing to settle which is good.I must admit though, the temperature has been rather baltic

Out for lunch with the girls yesterday and then some shopping and out and about today and brought Nero a new coat, it's really the same as his other one, although a different colour but it has a polar fleece in it so he is all snuggly, a really good winter coat and he loved it.

Have you had any more thoughts on Milton GR?

Hope everyone has had a good weekend and is all fired up for the week ahead Mondays come round so quickly don't they

littlewid-x-