I'm so sorry for your tsuris, Harmony! Having dealt with precisely what you describe off and on since 1989, I felt the pain you expressed. I believe you were correct in just letting the roses recover on their own with copious water. In many cases, water really is the best "fertilizer", "fungicide" and "insecticide". As long as the plants can be kept sufficiently hydrated, their will to live is amazing! Nature truly has provided them with everything they need to survive, if given half a chance. In this climate, I have found mounding soil over the bud union after replanting from a gopher attack, as you would a new bare root, has helped greatly in preventing the plant from drying out as quickly. It apparently also helps keep it cooler and darker, which are the conditions conducive to root formation rather than top growth. As long as you pay attention, catch the problem before the plant is too far gone and keep it wet, most can be salvaged. But, it is a bear and definitely NOT fun. Congratulations on your successful recovery! I know it wasn't the way you wanted to make the decision, but at least the whole situation worked to help you cull those roses which really didn't speak to you. Now, you should be happier with the garden. It's often difficult to make the transition from quantity to quality. Kim

I have Reward Costa Testa.It immediately began cupping all over my house and replacing it would be a nightmare because we would have to basucally move out. It can’t be sanded enough to remove the cupped edges and it‘s a toxic process to stain and finish it with the UV finish so we are stuck. Very very, unhappy. I’ve now got flooring guys telling me that the 4mm wear layer is thin…made a huge mistake choosing this product. Also, it looks nothing like the sample on the website. Theres a ton of very white areas which also were not represented on the sample boards i borrowed.

Cesar, the dog abuser, is the last person any caring dog owner would want to take training advice from. He was essentially shut down for not being in compliance with Kennel Club requirements for humane training during a recent trip to England. Due to negative public opinion in this country, he has tried to change his television persona, but he's the same old, same old. There is a book called the "Fearful Dog" that might be helpful in learning how to give your neighbor's dog confidence to walk on a leash in unfamiliar terrain. http://fearfuldogs.com/books-consultations/ I haven't read it yet, but it is recommended by trainers I respect. Leash or other corrections will worsen this unsocialized and timid dog's fears. I'd recommend pockets full of treats on each walk, and lavishing him with goodies when you get into a situation that makes him anxious (if he will take a treat from you at that time). You want to make meeting strange dogs and people a positive experience. If he wants to hide behind you, let him. Do not try to force him to interact those he fears, or you will compound his fears. One thing that might work well is to get a friend with a quiet gentle dog to walk with you when you take your neighbor's dog out for a walk. It would give him confidence to have a buddy along, and get him used to humans as well. It is unfortunate that your neighbor is unwilling to take his dog to a beginner training course, but there isn't much that you can do about this. Does your neighbor ever walk his own dog? Another possibility would be to take the dog to an isolated area to walk, with less chance of meeting other dogs or humans, in a wooded area perhaps. This may not be possible for you, but it would allow this dog, as well as yourself, to have a more pleasant, stress-free experience. Good luck.

OK I tried a couple of things suggested. Tried standing and ignoring Kate Moss while she jumed on me, lost my pateince at 15 minutes. So that plan is out. Kate loves to dance too. One of the first things I did with her is get her used to having a good physical exam, nail trimming, etc. So she couldn't care less about me holding her feet. Any attention is good for her. Tried hooking the leash up before putting Kate's collar on. THAT worked! What I do is when I come home, I take the free-range dogs out first. Then I go upstairs in my office where Tatya and Kate Moss are crated. I take Tatya out first, and she runs downstairs and waits by the door to go out. I make Kate Moss sit at the front of her cage so I can put her training collar on (no collars in cages of course). Then I give the OK to release the sit, and what used to happen is that I'd get jumped on, a lot. Well, with the leash hooked up, she got in about 1/2 of a jump and I corrected her, told her to sit, and her butt plopped down on the floor FAST. She was still pretty excited, so she tried a couple more jumps but was not successful. Before when I didn't have the leash on, she would ignore my voice commands to sit. Now she has a bit more incentive to sit with the correction collar on. So I think for now my plan is to make sure she is leashed for anything that she has gotten excited about in the past so I can correct her. It isn't going to work all the time, as I can't leash her and take the other dogs out at the same time. But when DH is home, he's going to be the enforcer while I take care of the other dogs. We leashed her up before dinner last night so she wouldn't have the 5+ minutes of jumping before settling into her sit so I could get the food prepared. Oh, I do NOT feed them in the crate. The dogs have to sit in front of their bowls while I gather the dishes, prepare the food, and until I place their dinner in front of them and release them from the sit. That's the rule. I do train Kate Moss about 15-20 minutes a day, outside on a leash without the other dogs. My neighbors think Kate is perfect. And without some sort of inciting factor (food, greeting me, potty breaks) she is a very good dog. She's good natured, friendly, obedient, and calm. She's impossible to work with in the presence of food or treats. Kate Moss was about 20 pounds underweight when I got her, and food is the light of her life (unlike her human namesake). I simply cannot work with her using treats. She is a typical Rottie who loves to please, so she isn't hard to train. It's just when she's excited about something it's like she becomes a deaf jumping insane spazz-head; a totally different dog. There doesn't seem to be anything practical for the Max issue. I'm not going to take a 7 year old dog that has been allowed on sofas all his life and change the rules on him. I'm also not going to make Kate Moss a less-desirable pet by allowing her on the furniture. If her new home wants her on the sofa, that's fine; I'm sure she'll love it. But if they don't I certainly don't want that to be a reason that someone wouldn't adopt her. I think most of the problem is that Max is not a dog-socialized dog. He grew up as an only dog and got lots of interaction with his family, but not so much playing with other dogs. In fact he doesn't know how to play with other dogs at all. So when Kate Moss stares at him, Max reacts by looking away and barking, but not relinquishing his place on the sofa. I think Kate is confused because he acts submissive (looking away), but won't relinquish his treasured spot to her. Kate totally understands her place with my other dogs, and is fine with that. I think she keeps challenging Max because she can't get a straight answer from him. Unfortunately I think he is incapable of providing a straight answer. So that's what the plan is for now- leashing her for excitement so I can correct her. So far so good, but we'll see. Oh, here's a recent picture of the pretty girl And thank you all for the suggestions! Kate thanks you too, so just doesn't know it yet.