ThunderHill

A lie creates a reality gap. In the original example, I scream that I'm hurt, when in fact I'm not hurt. The consequence of a lie is the corruption of trust. What you have told me was fact, is false. A lie causes damage. When the mutual reliance of trust is lost, so is the basis of positive relationship. But there are lies and there are *lies.* There's storytelling, polite conventions, fables; there's gossip, advertising; there's propaganda, fraud. Not every gap between the tale and the empirical is pathologic. All fictions can be construed as lies if you choose to play cat's cradle with rhetoric; all the same, some can be educational and entertaining. I'm not convinced that acting emo when your dog's teeth make inappropriate contact falls into the category of the black lie. I see the reality gap, but not the damage. If it's a lie (a willful distortion of reality) at all; you may not be hurt in the immediate literal sense, but there is hurt in potentia for sure if the biting doesn't get modified.

I am still interested. Liz Sharpe.

Two of my dogs come from Denice, and I'll vouch for her integrity and care in both business and personal transactions. Both my dogs from Denice are closely related to the youngster who just made the very short round trip to Massachusetts. One (an aunt) is running successfully in Ranch at three years of age despite my inexperience as a trainer. The other (a littermate of the too-well-traveled bitch) turned on to sheep work by the time he was 7 months old, and is showing good promise now. In addition to a positive attitude toward stock work, both have nice, adaptable personalities, and have been healthy and easy to live with. I think it's likely this guy just turned down *exactly* the dog he asked for in his NEBCA classified advertisement. Given the way he's behaved, it's probably just as well for the dog. But I hate to see a decent breeder treated so poorly. Liz Sharpe currently near Annapolis, MD (USA)

Deleted for excessive pomposity. Too tired to have been on the net. Apologies.

Best post yet. ^^

Thanks for the reference.

Mojo en route. Be strong for each other.

^^ Amen.

I hope conditions cooperate and the trial will happen. Good luck in every way. Liz S, temporarily sheepless in Maryland

My blind dog seemed happier riding in the car when I used a solid-sided type crate rather than wire. He also seemed to settle better if the crate was just a tad more snug for him than I usually prefer for my dogs. I think he felt more secure in the smaller size and could brace himself more easily, with less room to bounce around when we were moving. In the house he would often find himself a corner or something solid to lie next to, protecting at least one side. (Or he'd go in an open crate once he learned where they were.) But he was my dog from puppyhood, and he was already used to crates and car rides when he lost his sight. Good on you for helping out. Liz S Nomad of the Middle Atlantic USA

I had a 48-inch high ex-pen, but it was very heavy and awkward. Eventually I traded it for a shorter, 36-inch high version. But I kept the 48-inch high extension panel, which is two hinged 24-inch wide pieces. The extra panel folds out flat to make a 48x48-inch square -- exactly the right size to use as a top (clipped or tied on), if I set up the ex-pen as a square. I seldom need to use the top, but it has been invaluable occasionally. (Keeping climbers in, and sometimes keeping uninvited visitors out.) One time I actually used the extension panel as a bottom, when I'd set it up on grass/soft dirt, and Some Pup was determined to dig under. That time I clipped a tarp on the top. Tarps are lighter and easier, and they make better shade, but they're not as secure as wire. The 36-inch high ex-pen is still pretty heavy, but I lay it across the top of two dog crates in the back of my van and lash it down with a couple of hefty bungees. It travels most places with me. The last time I used it was at a dog trial, but not for a dog. We set it up in a corner of the exhaust pen to keep a stressed lamb in. (Just till the end of the day when the lamb got a ride back to its home farm.) I've also used it as a blind (draped with a tarp), and also to in various configurations to protect my stuff from being marked by off leash dogs. I will say that if a dog is truly determined to get out, under or over, they'll probably be able to find a way. But that goes for most forms of containment. :-) Just my several cents. Good luck with whatever you decide -- and with your new pup! Liz S in central New York

They both look kind of like dogs. Yup.

You might try the Edgefield sheep forum for detailed sheep care advice. It's just a simple 'bulletin board' format and it's usually quick to load. You can read the information there without joining, but you can't put in your own information without becoming a member. There was recently an excellent, in-depth discussion of methods of saving lambs in the condition you describe, but you may have to search a little. I think it would be in the section labeled "Breeding and Lambing." The host site is: http://edgefieldsheep.com Perhaps this link to the Breeding and Lambing section will work: http://edgefieldsheep.com/bb/viewforum.php?f=4 Here's the best way to search the Edgefield site: You can search for any string on this site using Google by simply starting your search string with "site:edgefieldsheep.com" Good luck. Liz S in foul fetid fuming humid hot central New York State USA

And if we're talking about K*tz-style training, management and handling, a better dog would help too. (With apologies to the dog/s.) LizS in upstate NY

Years ago, I had a blue heeler who had to be hospitalized for mushroom/toadstool toxicity. In most ways she made what appeared to be a complete recovery. But her coat was never the same as it had been. (She'd had gorgeous thick rich red hair, which afterwards became lighter, thinner, duller and less even.) She also became permanently borderline low-thyroid. (Thyroid supplements improved her coat, but not to its original glory.) Since dogs express a lot of internal issues through their skin, that's a pretty good indicator something important had been thrown off kilter. My vet said that the sudden hypo-thyroidism was likely a side effect of the poison. I'm not a vet, merely a veteran dog owner. But from that experience, I'd think that solanine (a nasty neurotoxin, which appears to strike hard at the central nervous system and the digestive tract) could well have permament effects, particularly in a still-developing puppy. As a separate issue, is it possible there are still live potato plants accessible to your pup? Any growing parts at all? Because puppies do love to chew on everything, and the toxin is concentrated in *all* the green parts of a potato plant -- stems and leaves are also quite poisonous, not just the green skin and sprouting eyes on a bad spud. I hope your pup's tummy issues clear up all the way, and if you find you do have to stick to a bland diet, that's all it takes. Best regards, LizS in upstate New York USA