graciesmom

Bonnie, I don't remember when people were posting about your site. My activity here goes in spurts, so I must have missed that. However, Margaret has been very consistent with regards to her stance on saying things about particular breeders. I am guessing that if I go looking for that thread, I will find that Margaret made similar posts then. I think her point is well taken, that this is not the way to address the problems encountered in the world of breeding. It is not about whether or not I (or anyone) approve(s) of the web site or the way things are languaged there. It is only about the appropriateness of taking a swipe at someone (including you) when you really don't know anything about them or their operations. If someone really is doing something wrong then a real attempt should be made at remedy, not merely gossip on the internet. If they were posting here with a puppy factory attitude you know we would all let them know exactly what our feelings were. But as far as we know these people have no idea that they are being talked about. Candace

I have to go with Margaret on this one. She is spot on. Candace

I admit it. You guys have given me the bug (DH is very unhappy with you). I have always been a city girl, but DH just got here and he likes it. Doesn't smell like cow poop. There are actually about 600 questions, but I will start with one or two. And for now I will stick to the dog part of my list. There seems to be a very different attitude and culture when people post from eastern or upper midwest areas vs. attitudes and ideas of people from the southwest on non-coastal west. It isn't something I can put into words very well and is more evident at other sites, but it seems that in one area working dogs are talked about only in terms of working (not thought of as family pets, but just another part of the ranch). This also seems true for dogs working primarily cattle and not sheep. I don't mean they aren't being treated well, anyone who puts all of that time, effort, and energy into a properly trained dog is going to take care of it and grow attached to it. It just seems to be a very subtle difference in attitudes. Second, what is the difference in land requirements for cattle vs. sheep/goats? And what are market differences? Any thoughts are appreciated. Candace

When I posted earlier I had completely forgotten that in her original post Denise had said that a health survey was already in the planning. Just goes to show how on top of things these people are and how much they do care about keeping the breed healthy as well as producing good workers. Go back and read the original few posts and be careful flinging about accusations and insinuations. Some of you are too quick to generalize and too slow to listen. C

I don't want to get in the middle of the ...erm...debate that is going on here as I am not a breeder, a geneticist, a trainer, or qualified in any way. I do have a question though. Eileen, you and others have stated that certain genetic anomolies are rare in the BC (i.e. deafness and epilepsy). You also asked about studies or data, might this not be something for the ABCA to look at informally...say self report questionaire to registry members? I suspect that the number of dogs with seizure disorders represented on this board may not be representative at all of the general population, but wouldn't it be good to have some data to help people recognize what is a widely occuring problem vs. an anomoly that is made to seem more widespread simply because so many people have questions about it. BTW, the self righteous tone of the original posts is what I would consider divisive. I personally think Denise and Eileen have a very strong point about differing attitudes with regard to working dogs vs. dogs bred with competitiion in mind. I won't comment on the whole testing and genetics thing since I have already discredited myself in that regard, but as an outsider I can definitely tell a difference in the tone of the posts and the concerns of the two groups. To deny that there are differences is not promoting unity, but to ignore the truth. Candace

I haven't had to deal with sprained ankles but a couple of times a sprained shoulder and the only thing I would add is a baby aspirin for the pain. Baby aspirin is gentle on the stomache and seems to work pretty consistently. hope your baby heals quickly. C

OK that is weird. I thought my dog was the only one with that particular malady. It happened when we were living in West Texas, and I was severely grossed out. In Grace's case, however, it was her rump. We went to the vet and got a cortizone shot, some oral steroids and some sort of ointment. We shaved her butt :-P, gave her several medicated baths and generally followed the vets instruction. If you haven't been to the vet yet...do so. BTW: Grace now gets her butt shaved once a year (or more) - looks hilarious, but she now habitually chews her butt fur. The things we do for our dogs. C

Last spring I was looking for a little lap dog (I missed my CiCi who would lay on my lap with a paw on my book as I studied). I was considering a yorkie and so started studying up. I had never bought from a breeder before and all of the resources said you should ask about a health guarantee. What I learned as I talked to various breeeders was that their responses told me much more than just whether or not they offered a guarantee. I could tell which ones were puppy mills. The puppy mill people generally made it clear that their only concern was their bottom line and not the welfare of the dog. Breeders that really were concerned about their dogs were knowledgeable about the breed, and were clear that I needed to make the grade as an owner before they would place a pup with me (sounds a bit like some of the folks posting here). As a potential buyer these are the kinds of things to look for from a breeder (knowledge and protection of the animals). You take a certain risk when you bring a pup into your home and you have a certain responsibility. Asking for a health guarantee for me wasn't about making sure that the pup was risk free, but making sure that the breeder wasn't unscrupulous. I didn't understand that until I started asking the questions, though. Candace BTW: I ended up getting my baby from a rescue group; her breed is listed as little black fluffball.

OK, I'm new. The posts I have seen from Sue range from really good information to flames. A bit like everyone else. I understand the dual registry issue and am inclined to support a ban. But why does everyone dislike Sue. I checked her website (admittedly a limited bit of information) and it doesn't seem like she is such a bad BC person. Enlighten me, please? Candace

Just wondered if you have been to the vet and what the vet said? Candace

Just an update... We dropped Grace at the kennel last week and had them go ahead and reduce the food. She now gets about a cup of old fart dog food (don't panic, it isn't really co-op dog food) and actually lost a little more while we were gone. I cut her frisbee time and started walking (last night was our first). I was afraid she would be mad about the loss of frisbee time but since she now gets it more often in shorter bits and gets to walk all by herself without the other dogs she acts like she is now the princess of the house. Thanks for the tip on the celecoxib, I will check with the vet next trip. Now that Grace is walking me every evening, maybe she could cut back on my food... Candace

Alright...Alright.... You guys win. Yet another food reduction. We already work about 30 min to an hour in the evenings with the frisbee, but I will add a walk to the routine (wouldn't hurt me either). I probably needed to reduce the frisbee time any way. Maybe she can work me up to a jog. Did I mention that she has lost 7 lbs? Thanks for the help. Candace

Thanks for the responses. I have a few more questions now. What do you know about side effects on the celecoxib. Vet does regular liver checks with the rimadyl. I have chronic back problems myself and I give pain medication the way I take it: just when necessary for relief and well being. As to keeping the weight off...very difficult question here. We just moved last year from a place where there were lots of squirrels who were apparently no match for our disabled fat dog. Our Gracie went from a pretty 34 pounds to a portly 70. We have managed to get 7 pounds off since we moved and left those lethargic squirrels in the west texas dust, but how do i get the weight off? I don't think she will lose any more and we barely feed her now. Do you know of any flyball groups in the northern Kentucky/southwest Ohio region? I have looked on the web, but have not had luck finding any or getting response from e-mails? I do think Grace could do it - she is still very active and eagerly learns new stuff? Final question - anybody know anything about doggie massage? Thank for the help. You guys rock. Candace

Diane, Thanks, yes I do know about pain meds and give both aspirin and rimadyl as needed and prescribed by the vet. I also give glucosomine/chondroiton. I am looking for other information like activity level or massage techniques that I can do at home, etc... Candace

I have a 7.5 year old bc (Grace) that we picked up in a pet store as a pup. I wasn't looking for a pup and typically wouldn't have bought one in a petstore, but she was underage (not yet six weeks), sick and in need of surgery. In retrospect, I should have asked them to pay me..... Anyway, I knew that bc's were active dogs and started training for disc sports as soon as she healed from her surgery and was off antibiotics. Long story short, the first 18 months of her life she was in and out of the vet and is still pretty neurotic about leaving the house. Anyway, I finally was ready to enter her first competition and was looking for a regional event when she took a fall in the yard. She seemed fine a little later, but I kept thinking there was something wrong with the way she was walking. She started taking frequent breaks during practice and quit doing her beautiful turns. I didn't pursue the competition with her because she was clearly not capable any longer. We have always lived in smaller cities and our vets kept saying that she seemed ok, but never took any x-rays. HD was not diagnosed until it had progressed to the point that she needs total hip replacement. Since I just quit my job to return to school we can't do the surgery. She still loves to play frisbee and fetch and anything else we offer, but I am worried about how much to allow. The vet says she can do whatever she wants as long as we keep the play-time short. I worry that she still tries to jump and sometimes overdoes it out of a sense of competition with our other dogs. Any suggestions (other that pain medication) on pain and risk management would be very much appreciated. Candace