Not just for Christmas!

[The Monaghans]

Evening everybody this side of the pond! Richie and I are seriously considering getting a puppy for Hattie, not just because we want a dog but because we think it will help Hattie get over her current animal phobia. We've thought about it very seriously and have decided it's the right thing to do. Unfortunately, the RSPCA has no puppies at the moment so I'm asking all you lovely people to keep an ear out and let me know if you hear of any puppies up for sale. We really don't want a pedigree or a cross, we're happy with a Heinz 57 and would prefer something that will grow up medium to large rather than toy. Thanks in anticipation!

[Guest Nick11]

Have you rang the animal welfare league up Liz. They are in Wingfield. We got our dog from there. Its about a 45 min drive. Would recommend them.

[Diane]

I'd second the recommendation for Wingfield - we got our kitten from there and she is wonderful!

 

By the way, I picked up a leaflet at the Adelaide Show that it might be worth getting hold of for your kids - it is called Dog Safety for Kids and has some really good advice for making sure your kids approach dogs properly, and recognise the warning signals if a dog is not happy. It is produced by a company called Delta Dog Safe SA (their phone number is 8388 5531 and their email clare@deltadogsafesa.org.au) It has some really good information on it, for both children, their parents and dog owners. Should be required reading!

 

Good luck anyway.

 

Diane

[Guest lippy]

Hi Liz

 

We were told of a minature poodle about a month ago it would be about 4 months old now (?) We had 4 standard poodles back home and they were all great with Andrew. PM me if you want any more info

 

Julie

[The Monaghans]

I'd second the recommendation for Wingfield - we got our kitten from there and she is wonderful!

 

By the way, I picked up a leaflet at the Adelaide Show that it might be worth getting hold of for your kids - it is called Dog Safety for Kids and has some really good advice for making sure your kids approach dogs properly, and recognise the warning signals if a dog is not happy. It is produced by a company called Delta Dog Safe SA (their phone number is 8388 5531 and their email clare@deltadogsafesa.org.au) It has some really good information on it, for both children, their parents and dog owners. Should be required reading!

 

Good luck anyway.

 

Diane

 

Hi Diane,

 

Hattie and the rest of her kinder class had a visit from Delta a couple of months ago. She now knows how she's supposed to act around dogs but unfortunately she still gets hysterical around them. A dog came bounding up to her in the park about a week after the Delta visit and she was terrified and tried to run away, despite me screaming "Stand like a tree!" and trying to get the stupid owner to call his dog back. I will certainly give the Animal Welfare League a ring though. Julie, I'm not a huge fan of poodles - no offence! Thanks anyway! We don't see you at playgroup anymore, how are you getting on?

[bill]

Evening everybody this side of the pond! Richie and I are seriously considering getting a puppy for Hattie, not just because we want a dog but because we think it will help Hattie get over her current animal phobia. We've thought about it very seriously and have decided it's the right thing to do. Unfortunately, the RSPCA has no puppies at the moment so I'm asking all you lovely people to keep an ear out and let me know if you hear of any puppies up for sale. We really don't want a pedigree or a cross, we're happy with a Heinz 57 and would prefer something that will grow up medium to large rather than toy. Thanks in anticipation!

There's a yappy little dog somewhere over the back fence which keeps waking me up at inconvenient times. I'm happy to kidnap it for you if you if you don't mind a second hand one.

[Diane]

Know where you're coming from on the poodle front, but if you can get a dog that has poodle somewhere in its ancestry, you may find you spend less time hoovering up dog hair! It's something that's incredibly popular out here, this crossing with a poodle for that very reason.

 

I have visions of a very, very tired stud poodle somewhere out there sighing "ok, who've I got to "service" today?" as it does its bit producing all the spoodles (spaniel x poodle), groodles (golden retriever x poodle), labradoodles (labrador x poodle) cockerdoodles (cocker spaniel x poodle), schnoodles (schnauzer x poodle), cavoodles (cavalier king charles x poodle) and dalmadoodles (guess?!) that seem so popular here!

 

I'd definitely recommend having a long chat with one of the welfare groups (either AWL or RSPCA) regarding what breed to go for before going along and falling in love with a puppy, particularly with children the ages of your two, and your daughter being so nervous around them. Personally, the best natured dogs I've come across have been golden retrievers, but at the end of the day, they are animals so I would never leave the littlies alone in a room with ANY dog till they are a little older.

 

Probably best to avoid the Aussie working dog breeds as well, such as kelpies, red and blue heelers, collies or anything with that in their ancestry - lovely, intelligent dogs, incredibly loyal (and my border collie/kelpie adores children) but they are very fast and boisterous and that can be un-nerving for young kids. I always wanted a dalmatian, but apparently they are the 'blondes' of the dog world!

 

Best of luck, and let us know how you get on!

 

Diane

[The Monaghans]

Know where you're coming from on the poodle front, but if you can get a dog that has poodle somewhere in its ancestry, you may find you spend less time hoovering up dog hair! It's something that's incredibly popular out here, this crossing with a poodle for that very reason.

 

I have visions of a very, very tired stud poodle somewhere out there sighing "ok, who've I got to "service" today?" as it does its bit producing all the spoodles (spaniel x poodle), groodles (golden retriever x poodle), labradoodles (labrador x poodle) cockerdoodles (cocker spaniel x poodle), schnoodles (schnauzer x poodle), cavoodles (cavalier king charles x poodle) and dalmadoodles (guess?!) that seem so popular here!

 

I'd definitely recommend having a long chat with one of the welfare groups (either AWL or RSPCA) regarding what breed to go for before going along and falling in love with a puppy, particularly with children the ages of your two, and your daughter being so nervous around them. Personally, the best natured dogs I've come across have been golden retrievers, but at the end of the day, they are animals so I would never leave the littlies alone in a room with ANY dog till they are a little older.

 

Probably best to avoid the Aussie working dog breeds as well, such as kelpies, red and blue heelers, collies or anything with that in their ancestry - lovely, intelligent dogs, incredibly loyal (and my border collie/kelpie adores children) but they are very fast and boisterous and that can be un-nerving for young kids. I always wanted a dalmatian, but apparently they are the 'blondes' of the dog world!

 

Best of luck, and let us know how you get on!

 

Diane

 

All I can see now in my head is that poor bloody poodle!!:biglaugh: Actually, the two breeds you've mentioned, Retrievers and Border Collies are the two that we'd be most interested in. My brother in law has a retriever and he's gorgeous but at seven months he's really big already and too much for Hattie to bear. Our reasoning behind the puppy is that she'll get used to it whilst it's small and won't notice that it's growing! If we can get her used to her own dog, she might just gain confidence around other dogs. Fingers crossed anyway, will let you know how we get on!

[Thorpe1]

Hi,

 

I have a 10month old German Shrothaired Pointer. Not suggesting that you get one of these as they can grow quite big, however we are picking up a new puppy (same breed) on Monday so if Hattie wants to come and have a play and hold she is more than welcome. he will be 9 weeks old so easy to handle

There are several puppies adverised on the intranet at work so I will get some details today and forward them to you. Not sure what breeds there are at the moment but I noticed them yesterday when I was browsing through.

 

Karen

[The Monaghans]

Hi Karen, that's really kind of you thank you! I have just phoned AWL and they have a couple of puppies in at the moment so we're going to go tomorrow and have a look I think but I'd still be interested to hear about any others. Thanks everyone!

[Guest Nick11]

Hi Karen, that's really kind of you thank you! I have just phoned AWL and they have a couple of puppies in at the moment so we're going to go tomorrow and have a look I think but I'd still be interested to hear about any others. Thanks everyone!

 

Hi Liz - have you seen our dog. She's not small - but not medium - in between. Would you like me to bring her round and see how Hattie gets on with her. Izzy loves her to bits.

[Diane]

Perhaps if we got a little step ladder, a cross between a small poodle and a golden retriever would be just what you need - golden retriever nature, non-shedding coat, and not too huge!

[The Monaghans]

The woman at AWL was telling me about the puppies they have in at the moment, and one of them is a cross between a border collie and a corgi! She said it's a really cute puppy with very stumpy little legs! I'm having visions of a shepherd with the dog under his arm running about rounding up his own sheep!!

[The Monaghans]

Just bumping this thread up as our puppy search is still ongoing!

[Guest lippy]

Hi Liz

 

I'm at dog clubs for the next 3 nights - will ask if there are any puppies about. I know of a couple of litters of Aussie Shepherds - similar to a collie but probably a bit more pricey!!

 

Anyway will ask around and let you know what I find out.

 

Julie

[The Monaghans]

Thanks Julie, much appreciated!

[Guest Nick11]

The woman at AWL was telling me about the puppies they have in at the moment, and one of them is a cross between a border collie and a corgi! She said it's a really cute puppy with very stumpy little legs! I'm having visions of a shepherd with the dog under his arm running about rounding up his own sheep!!

 

We had a rescued dog many years ago exactly the same. We called her Peggy. Cracking dog. Lovely natured. Unfortunately because of the cross breeding her legs couldn't support her body weight and she had a series of strokes, which meant she lost her balance Steroids worked on her for about 6 months but finally we had no choice but to do the kindest thing and put her to sleep. Bless her. She was only 9.

[laura girling]

Hi Liz,

 

i have to say that I really understand about dog phobia.

I have battled with this all my life.

I wish my parents would have bought me a puppy. I know this would be the ideal thing for you to do.

However I have the opposit with all my children, I never ever want them to feel like me. They ask if the dogs are friendly first, then they are all over them, It petrify's me.

But I don't show it to them, I quietly tremble inside.

 

I would buy a dog but I am to affraid as they attract other dogs when taking them for a walk. LOL

 

Lauraxxxx Ps Dog owners please spare a thought for me when you have your dogs off leads on the beach. I have to go home. lol

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Diane,

 

Hattie and the rest of her kinder class had a visit from Delta a couple of months ago. She now knows how she's supposed to act around dogs but unfortunately she still gets hysterical around them. A dog came bounding up to her in the park about a week after the Delta visit and she was terrified and tried to run away, despite me screaming "Stand like a tree!" and trying to get the stupid owner to call his dog back. I will certainly give the Animal Welfare League a ring though. Julie, I'm not a huge fan of poodles - no offence! Thanks anyway! We don't see you at playgroup anymore, how are you getting on?

[The Monaghans]

We had a rescued dog many years ago exactly the same. We called her Peggy. Cracking dog. Lovely natured. Unfortunately because of the cross breeding her legs couldn't support her body weight and she had a series of strokes, which meant she lost her balance Steroids worked on her for about 6 months but finally we had no choice but to do the kindest thing and put her to sleep. Bless her. She was only 9.

 

Oh Nick, that's so sad! That's the worst thing about having pets, you become sooo attached to them but of course, eventually you have to say goodbye. The RSPCA are currently looking for cattery and kennel assistants at Lonsdale but you have to be willing to hold the animals when they're euthanased and I simply couldn't do that. I couldn't even hold my own cat when she was put to sleep, I ran sobbing from the room like a child.

[The Monaghans]

Hi Liz,

 

i have to say that I really understand about dog phobia.

I have battled with this all my life.

I wish my parents would have bought me a puppy. I know this would be the ideal thing for you to do.

However I have the opposit with all my children, I never ever want them to feel like me. They ask if the dogs are friendly first, then they are all over them, It petrify's me.

But I don't show it to them, I quietly tremble inside.

 

I would buy a dog but I am to affraid as they attract other dogs when taking them for a walk. LOL

 

Lauraxxxx Ps Dog owners please spare a thought for me when you have your dogs off leads on the beach. I have to go home. lol

 

Oh Laura! Tell you what, when we finally get a puppy you can come round and have a hold until you start feeling better! It's good that your children ask first though. My kids used to just go bowling up to dogs without checking first but now Hattie won't go near at all. She had a couple of "minor" incidents with seperate dogs which knocked the confidence out of her and I find it so sad that she no longer trusts animals. I know she'd probably grow out of it eventually but I'd rather it didn't take years before we could get another pet.

[Angela]

Hi Liz

Once we had a few breeds in mind, we tried the RSPCA at Lonsdale but unfortunately there weren't any available.

On Xmas Eve the local paper had a no of puppies for sale, private breeders.

As you know Max came home with us from Golden Grove, but before we did take him we fired lots of questions at the owner to check that Max was 'what' he was a Spoodle.

Just bear in mind Xmas is a great time to get a puppy for Hattie & Rory, you have to be around a lot because they cannot venture far due to the initial vaccinations & whatever breed of pup you get it will cry.........believe me...........a lot !!

BUT we adore Max & if you would ever like a wee trial I can bring Max round or you come over again with the kids & Rich, feel free you are very welcome.

 

They are a wonderful addition to the family, you won't regret having one.

 

Take care

Angela x

[Guest Mezza]

We've got the next size down from the Spoodle - a Cavoodle. "Toohey" is a happy little thing, and has never been a bother (apart from him being a complete sook). Would highly recommend for young kids, and he's not "toy" enough to stop Richie from taking him for a walk

[The Monaghans]

Thanks hun, that's really kind of you. Unfortunately I think until Hattie is used to her own dog then anybody else's is out of the question, she's just too scared.

 

I'd like to thank everyone who's taken the time to reply on this thread, once again PIA people show why this is the nicest forum on t'internet. I shall certainly let you know when we've finally got a puppy, watch this space!

[The Monaghans]

OK, well the next time I have a good idea won't somebody shoot me??? We are now the doting owners of a ten week old Border Collie called Floyd. I love him, Richie loves him, the children run screaming if he so much as looks at them. I'm astounded, how can they be scared of a little puppy? Hattie was like a kid in a toyshop when she found out she'd got a real, live puppy but the minute we got home she started screaming and eventually locked herself in her bedroom and wouldn't come out until the pup was put outside. Rory calmed down after an hour or so but he's still won't actually go near Floyd. We're not giving up, they'll have to get used him eventually but boy, have I got egg on my face. I'm dreading tomorrow, Hattie won't come out of her room unless the dog's outside which I just don't want to do. Any ideas anyone and does anyone know a good child psychologist??

[Guest lippy]

Typical!! The idea is quite often more tempting to them rather than the reality!

 

I could lend you Andrew - he would soon show them how to play with Floyd! - he's afraid of nothing!!

 

See you at classes?!

 

Julie