Dog gone it

[DukePA's Mom]

Kongs are great. I had forgotten about them. Harley, 4 mo. old now, is not a barker. He does bark when someone comes to the door, which I love. If at all possible, a fast paced walk in the morning and evening is great for any dog problems. I found this helps so much with Harley. Also, I found "soup bones", cut into about 2 inches long, very little meat, has been a great answer to keep Harley entertained. I'm sure it helps tons with puppy teeth. Good luck. Hope the barking problems resolves.

I love dogs and cats. I generally don't like people who don't like them. Awful, aren't I?

[Fish80]

Extreme Shepherding

[Windsor]

Extreme Shepherding

Whoa baby - they have way too much time on their hands!

Possible? You bet (in the sections where you can hear the commands being give to the dogs the sheep are moving as you'd expect...when I hear a 'comeby' they shift in the correct direction) Given a group of top notch dogs, some very dog broke sheep and enough time - yeah I'm betting it is real.

[DukePA's Mom]

We started Harley with the easy walk harness. The leash is hooked below the neck, on the chest area. It is great. I will never use the leash on the collar again. This harness is highly recommened bye the APS in Orange Co, Efland, NC. Wish we had known about it way long ago. It cost $18.00 but is way worth the price. No strain on the neck. No tugging or pulling to get Harley walking as he should. Anyone havng trouble with leash training should give it a try. I bought it from the APS.

I am so impressed with this APS. No county funds help build it or run it. The name is Paws 4 Ever. If your in this area, you may want to check it out. They even have a doggie park, also an area for agility training. They are on line.

[DukeFencer]

Anybody here have pet insurance? I've heard from a number of people who don't have it, but wish they did, $3,000 in vet bills and broken tail vertebrae later.

I started looking into it but got overwhelmed - it's just as complicated as people insurance.

I get a great deal on vaccines & heartworm test from the shelter I adopted from, so that's not a big concern. My cousins have dogs that have 1) eaten a piece of string which turned out to be a big deal and 2) gotten tripped over while running and broken its tail. My friend also had a cat that had a ton of issues like ringworm and giardia, all of which can start to add up faster than the $10-$20/month I would be looking to spend for pet insurance.

Thoughts?

[Fish80]

Anybody here have pet insurance? I've heard from a number of people who don't have it, but wish they did, $3,000 in vet bills and broken tail vertebrae later.

I started looking into it but got overwhelmed - it's just as complicated as people insurance.

I get a great deal on vaccines & heartworm test from the shelter I adopted from, so that's not a big concern. My cousins have dogs that have 1) eaten a piece of string which turned out to be a big deal and 2) gotten tripped over while running and broken its tail. My friend also had a cat that had a ton of issues like ringworm and giardia, all of which can start to add up faster than the $10-$20/month I would be looking to spend for pet insurance.

Thoughts?

I don't have pet insurance but I do have large vet bills. Both of my beagles had illnesses in their old age that cost a lot. One's gone now. The other is on daily medication that costs about $90 a month. And that took a lot of shopping and help from the vet to get the price that low.

Insurance is a money transfer mechanism. A lot of people pay in, the company takes a slice, and pays out larger amounts to a few. If you are willing to pay a risk premium to cap your costs, then insurance is a good option. If you can afford to pay the full health bills yourself, in theory you save a little money by not buying the insurance.

I tend to make insurance decisions based on my ability to manage the risk on my own. For smaller items, I'm willing to take the risk. For example, I don't buy product warranties.

If you do want pet insurance, go to the AKC web site. They endorse some insurance provider, which is as good a recommendation as any.

[Channing]

pictures of Macie! Any ideas what she is? Someone told me Collie, someone said Australian Shepherd - maybe a bit of both?

[sue71, esq]

pictures of Macie! Any ideas what she is? Someone told me Collie, someone said Australian Shepherd - maybe a bit of both?

She's gorgeous!

And my guess would be maybe a little German Shepherd too.

[Fish80]

pictures of Macie! Any ideas what she is? Someone told me Collie, someone said Australian Shepherd - maybe a bit of both?

I'm no expert, but she looks like a member of the canine family.

Beautiful dog! I might guess a mix of Border Collie and something with the black and tan coloring, maybe German Shepard.