Yankees!!!!!!!!......Yankees here?......Oh my Gawd I didn't know they was Yankees here!!!!!!........:) Oh, relax, Paul! I can't speak for the others (you'll just have to watch those people! LOL), but all my people are Southern and I was born in the South, and though by circumstances was transplanted North, I was raised on Southern home training and sweet tea (didn't even know there was any other kind until college, when I started dating a real Yankee). Jim, about the Austins' prevalence: As Jeri and others have so astutely pointed out, that's just marketing. People seem to be obsessed with the Brits and their lifestyles, their names (look at the baby name trends, especially for girls), their TV shows, their movie stars, their accents... somehow, people seem to think, all things British are somehow better and of a higher, more refined and educated stature. So of course they eat up the Austin propaganda. Maybe the Germans need better press. And also, sorry to say, but some folks are just ignorant. Watching QVC the other night (oh the shame!), I saw this female host on a gardening show with this guy peddling an Austin collection. "Oh, I've never SEEN blooms like this; this is a truly EXTRAORDINARY rose." And she meant every single word. Now, we who are acquainted with the antique world know this is nothing rare or super-special, but for those who have only ever seen a hybrid tea... That's why it's up to us to educate. So maybe disdain isn't the answer, just education...

Thanks again everyone. A couple more quick stories and then I'll let this thread fade away.... One time we were watching t.v. and Duke was walking by the television when a Burger King commercial came on....at the end the screen was filled with the picture of a big hamburger..the timing was perfect...Duke walked by at that exact time and licked the screen! One time Duker was riding shotgun in my pickup truck and we were sitting at a stoplight. The 2 guys in the next lane (left turn lane) were looking at Duke and he was peeking around me smiling at them....you know...the lab smile..and they were laughing, obviously because Duke was so happy to be riding along his radiance just showed...then Duke looked over at them again and then licked the side of my face...one big wet dog kiss...and then looked over at them again as if to say 'I'm ridin' with my daddy!'.....well these two big guys were about on the floorboard howling with laughter...I think my half embarrassed look on my face elevated the hilarity level. Duker never knew to lift his leg to pee....he always squatted...well....again my buddy Mike was helping Duke lift his leg to demonstrate how male dogs should urinate. It worked! The problem was he was orchestrating this example in the middle of my living room! Thanks again folks. Appreciate the kind comments. Duane

I am so sorry about your loss. Poor Jane knew that you were doing everything you could for her. I lost my Megan like this in January. For her, though, there we absolutely no signs that she was ill until she had internal bleeding from a liver cancer tumor that burst. At the emergency vet, they took one look at her, said "She's a lab mix, so this is probably cancer. If it is in her liver, we'll call you right during the surgery to euthanize her." Liver cancer seems to be common for labs. Well, they were right, and they put her to sleep while she was still under anesthetic from the surgery. I drove back there and petted her until she was cold. I am so sorry to hear of your Jane. I know how you feel about your Jane's suffering. You did everything you could for her, and she tried her hardest for you. You will remember her wonderful presence in your life forever. She is a part of you by way of the lessons she taught you about love and devotion. You will mourn the lack of her company, but a part of her remains in the person you have become. I will think of you and your Jane girl often and send you thoughts of healing and comfort.

***" the whole premise of 'alpha rolls' is based on fiction. In nature an alpha dog does NOT roll another dog onto it's back. Neither do wolves. The less dominant dog voluntarily shows it's belly as a signal of appeasement. It is never physically forced into that position by the other dog. Forcing dogs onto their backs can and will result in defensive aggression."*** This is an interesting subject and whether one likes the technique or not is their choice. I do believe that not every dog benefits from the method and it should only be done by someone who understands how to use it. In the wild the dog/wolf species has their own way of communicating that a human working with a dog cannot duplicate. If humans were able to show the same posturing and sounds (growls) that the alpha male/female does, then the alpha roll would never be necessary. In the wild, if a dog/wolf doesn't submit to the alpha, a fight results. So, since we're of a different species, we have to use what communicates to the dog that the human is alpha...........which leads us to the "rolll. Again, I'll say I think this is only needed on dogs that have a strong drive to be alpha and continue to challenge their owner. A poor trainer and a dog that is strongly determined to be alpha is why many of these animals end up euthanized, so I'd much rather see an alpha roll (by the right person) than an animal sent to its doom. I never finished reading the book by the Monks and I don't remember how or when they used the 'roll'. They may have changed their views due to novices trying to take what they perceived thru the text and then wrongly applying the training to their dog. Personally, I find trying to train my dogs by what I've read to be difficult. I'd much rather watch/work with a trainer in person and study their actions, voice, how they communicate with the animal and then try to apply the technique to my dog. As we all know from posting here, interpretation of text runs the gamut! No one is right or wrong on this subject and we'll agree to disagree...........and try to keep a biting dog from ending up euthanized.