Retired Racing Greyhounds
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9 years ago
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Australian Shepherds, questions
Comments (22)Carla, my sweet Splash is an Aussie, and I would not own another breed. The key to owning any puppy is investing the time and energy into training them. Any pet is worthless unless you survive the puppy months and train them properly. I agree about Caeser Milan, the Dog Whisperer. Second, Aussies are very devoted herding (working) dogs. To be happy, contented pets they MUST have a job to do. My Splash keeps a vigilant eye on the back yard for critters and comes to get us when she sees one. She is equally capable of cuddling up with us on the couch in the evening while we watch TV. Aussies can be sturborn, willfull, bossy animals. I see that streak in Splash ever so often. The only thing that keeps her in line is the occasional reminder from us AND her extreme desire to make us happy. We only need to express our displeasure and she is right back in line again. I like the suggestion that you check out the Aussie rescue pages. I have looked at these animals many times dreaming that we could afford another pet. As with any breed, there are as many temperments as there are dogs. I'm sure you could find the one for you. Love my Aussie! Barbara aka Hawkeye Belle...See Moreadopting a greyhound?
Comments (5)I had a three year old in the house at the time of my first adoption and although she (the dog) was terrified of her, there were no problems because as with any animal we were careful and never had the dog alone with her (which I'm sure, would be what any responsible person would do with any animal). We now have a baby in the house (11 months old now) and although the dogs are curious about her, they show no signs of attacking her. Of course we are still being responsible about it and not leaving the dogs and the baby alone together, but we would do that no matter what kind of dogs they were. :) Our dogs are extremely laid back and gentle, but they are animals and are treated with the caution that they should be. When they come from the track they are entering a world that is totally foreign to them. They have lived in a cage and have never been in a house with all the things that we don't even think about....stairs being one of them. They are very intelligent and learn very quickly. The gratitude that they show for the love that they experience for the first time in most of their lives is so worth it! Adopting a greyhound is not like adopting a 'regular' dog. They do have different needs and requirements, but they are very worth the little effort it takes to learn about what those needs are. ***they make wonderful pets*** :) gg (who hopes that this post sounds like it was intended.....just informative about what my experience has been :))...See MoreDelurking to ask a couple of questions :-)
Comments (17)Thank you all very much for your help. First, I am so glad to hear about the swap meets, they sound like a lot of fun, and a wonderful opportunity for learning and making friends. Fran, I'll be emailing you with the hope of being added to your invitee list for April! Second, I realize that my septic tank description was totally inadequate, so I will try to describe it better and to answer your questions with a bit of history. I hope this doesn't get too long, I have had to learn a lot about septic systems in the last couple of years! I'll ask more questions about plants near the end if you'd like to skip past the septic stuff . . . The house was built in 1938, and has only had 2 previous owners. We have just over an acre, so having most of the back yard taken over by the leach field is not a complete disaster. I do have a front and side yard (dogs allowed on leashes only) to garden in too, thank goodness. I spent last year working on getting the front yard slightly more presentable, and I'd love to have a rose garden at the side. I am working slowly because I do not want to bite off more than I can chew. The previous owners lived here for almost 50 years, and probably did not do anything in the yard as they got older. When they put the house on the market it failed Title V miserably - not surprising. There is some doubt that there ever was a leach field as such. At some point a closed system had been installed with a variance. That was no longer viable, of course, under Title V. For those interested in the history of waste management, the original drainage appears to have been a pipe leading into a meadow owned by a neighbor. We hear that the hay from that field used to be a lot better! We approved the plans for the new septic system before closing and installation began after we closed -- paid for by the sellers. Not unusual these days, but be warned. It is a septic mound with no retaining wall, exactly like the one in the link Sedum37 provided. Yes, the reason for this is that we border on Wetlands. That plan looked fine, with a mound about 4' high on area that sloped away from the house. In fact, we thought it would help level out the back yard with a bit of extra landscaping around the sides. Silly us! Halfway though the installation the work was inspected. Ooops! The plans (the ones previously approved by the town, the Wetlands Protection Committee, and by us) had to be revised. The mound needed to be raised a further 10' to protect the Wetlands. This was not the fault of the sellers, it was just one of those things. We were upset, but we are over it. Ok, so we watched it grow. And grow. Remember the movie "the Englishman Who Went Up A Hill and Came Down a Mountain"? The good news in this tale of woe is that I know exactly where the pipes are on the top of the mound. Also, I was able to work with the installer to grade the side toward the house a little so that it slopes more gradually. Looking out from the back of the house we have a flat area of about 25' before the slope of the mound begins. The pipes are a further 20' back from the beginning of the slope on the very top of the mound. The installer tells me that planting shrubs at the base of the slope is fine, so long as they don't have invasive root systems. I'd like a nicer view from my kitchen and dining room windows than a hill topped with that up-side-down J vent thing! Thus the hedge idea. Back to plants! My plan is to focus on that flat area to begin with, although Diggingthedirt's wonderful ideas for the mound itself are certainly going in the file for future reference! It would be lovely to use it properly, and her ideas are certainly compatible with my plans. I have seen very attractive use of the mounds. I'm hoping that a hedge will create a separate 'room' closer to the house. Last year's culinary herb garden, is just outside the kitchen door. Other than the hedge, I'd love to have separate plantings within that area and I will pick your brains some more in other threads, I'm sure. Claire: Itea Virginica was actually already on my short-list. I just took another look, and it is beautiful. I could use that for the hedge, and the Siberian Iris too, that others suggested, in another area. I'm going to have to plan it out properly. Although I love day lilies, I spent a lot of last Spring clearing orange day lilies that had not been divided in 25 years out of a bed in the front garden, so they are not my top favorite at the moment. The Everlasting Summer hydrangea I planted instead look much better there. I'm sure I'll think of other questions after I hit submit, but this is probably long enough for now. Thanks again, Gillian...See MoreA trip to the local nursery
Comments (48)@Mentha, Golden is a smart breed, Australian Shepherd is also a smart breed. 2 smart breeds combined together... Bet Ketulah is very smart and eager to pleased... :) I don't know how to train for S&C, I only know how to train for dog showing, as I am owner-handler in the show ring. We are always try to find "button" in a dog. What it means by that is, what really excite the dog so they will do anything for that. It can be treats, food, toys, anything! When we find that, then training will be very easy. :)...See MoreUser
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