Xtra News Community 2

Gus is our (allegedly) 10 year old labx.  He's a big boy and we think he has mastiff in him, but thats only because of some behavioural traits - he looks all lab - just BIG.  We got him from the SPCA when he was allegedly 6 months old.  They failed to mention his "issues". 

One of the first things we learned, and the most important, was DO NOT PUT ANYTHING YOU VALUE NEAR THE FOOD DISH AFTER THE FOOD HAS GONE IN.  Fingers, hands, feet were all fair game if they get near his fodder.   He's gentled up somewhat as daughter No2 decided to check how many biscuits she had in the dish by plunging her hand in there without thinking.  She started thinking pretty much straight away and it didn't stay there, but he just looked at her as if to say "Are you nuts? Do you know what I'm capable of?  You nearly got me in trouble!"  He was extremely disappointed with her going by his eyebrows.

Also, don't wave sticks at him.  He doesn't like it. 

Keep special needs people away from him.  They terrify him and that makes him dangerous.

And finally, don't touch the feet.

The last one has been the weirdest of his weird.  We can only assume that someone, when he was young, liked to hurt his feet.   

Over the last 12 months there has been a big slow down for the old boy.  Last Christmas (07/08 period) he could race the truck at 45kms an hour and hold it.  By April 08 he had slowed down to 35kms.  Now he just trots along knowing we will stop and wait for him. 

His eye sight is failing.  He squints and you can see a blue sheen across his eyes now.  His hearing is probably going too, but he's a male and stubborn - he's always heard only what he wanted or what he was made to hear. 

Lately he has taken to touching us.  Before he used to slap up with his paw if he wanted attention.  But you weren't allowed to catch his leg or hold his foot.  He'd get really panicked.  But now he wants us to hold his paw.  It's almost like he can't quite see us clear enough, so wants us to hold his hand while we sit with him.

I've walked in to find his under a blanket, on the sofa, complete with a pillow (not mine!) for his head, with my daughter reading a hunting story to him (Kim Swan).  He started to sit up when he saw me and she informed him if he moved then he wouldn't get any more story.  So he settled again. 

I have photo's of 2 kids, sound asleep with Gus as their pillow. 

Even at this stage of his life, I still wouldn't want to be a burgler at our house though.  Any food in the house is HIS.  He's not going to worry about the TV or computer - he's going to assume you're after the kai and he has food issues. He can open both the ranch slider and a bedroom window from the outside.  You go in, he's going to meet you at the fridge!

The only thing that keeps him out when we go out is the crazy cat Daisy.  She had him trapped in the laundry and he's never got over the shame of it.

LOL DT. They really are family members.

He sounds like my big boofhead huntaway. The cat will sit in a doorway, and he's stuffed. The cat learnt fairly quickly and now sits in the kitchen doorway when it's the dogs dinnertime.
Emma rescued a pup a couple of years ago - he'd been beaten/starved and was riddled with every parasite known to man. The only person that can touch his feet is my mum, they haven't had him to the vet for foot problems thank god, because he would probably have to be muzzled AND sedated. And yet he is a loving/playful dog that adores all the great grandchildren.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnKviLGreBw&feature=player_embedded
dont get the jumper wet

Gus sounds like a real character. 
Don that video is a real hoot.

wow that dog must have held on all night!!

Gus was staring at the wall (there was nothing there, I checked).  I called "Gus".  He snapped his slack jaw shut and looked at me - semi-intelligently.  I said "Have you had your kai?"  He looked at me, and his eyebrows went up, and up, and up.  I swear he was thinking "I dunno?  Have I?"  ;D

 ;D At least your dog thinks.    Little Berty, dear wee soul, is as dumb as a box of rocks.   I took him out to drain his radiator this morning and he still stood there in the middle of the lawn on three legs looking at me as if I was supposed to tell him he was done.

Mr DT gave himself a hell fright last night.

He had some wild pig skins and heads and 'stuff' to get rid of and our usual practice is to take them to an inlet that runs into the Waimak and feed the eels (makes catching them so much easier if they get fed semi-regularly and fat to boot).  Anyway, he took Gus with him.  Let him out at the start of the off road drive and stop/started his way along.  When he got to the turn he took it and carried on to the creek.  

No Gus.

Waited.

No Gus.

Thought "Shit - I've run the bugger over when I turned"

Bolted back to the turn - No Gus.

Turned on the spot light and started calling.

No Gus.

Tooted the horn and yelled.

Faint whimper off in the distance.

Started running (Mr DT is blind in one eye giving him terrible depth perception - running on rocks is hard enough let alone doing it by torch light).  Called and called and the whimpering got louder.  

Gus got lost!

Ran into the willows, maybe thinking he was taking a short cut, and couldn't find his way out.  Not hit by the truck at all.  No damage except to his pride.  

Mr DT vows he not taking him for a run at night again.  It's really a case of the blind leading the blind with that pair I think.

And the eels got the body parts and Mr DT's spear didn't even get wet.

 ;D  Gus was scared of the dark...and wanted his Daddy.   
Every night when Mr Magoo comes home Bertie goes berserk at the door bouncing on his hind legs until I open the door and he does his torpedo impersonation down the driveway to meet the boss.  Often on the way back to the door he bolts off to do a couple of made laps of the lawn and last night one of the tenants was at her door and jumped out at him and waved her arms...dumb arse...and he run straight into a cabbage tree, then he turned and barked at her as if to say...you are lucky this time.   ;D  Little wuss.

Flo just had 9 puppies.   :o

Flo is supposed to be a virgin.  >:(

Flo is 6 on July 2nd.  That's too old for a first time mummy.   >:(

I'm not happy with the guy who has custody of her at the minute. 

Sheesh... poor Flo.   What is she?

She's half boxer and half border collie.  Sort of looks like a boxer without as many wrinkles.  Lots and lots of boxer traits though - like thinking she's a princess.  Poor baby is going to be shell shocked.  On a scale of 1 to 100 I've always put her maternal instincts at about 5.  She's a beautiful natured dog, but believes she is the baby.

She's only been in heat twice (it was once until now) in her nearly 6 years. 

She's never been fixed because in the beginning she was being eyed up as a good breeder as she is an awesome finder/ bailer.  But then after never coming into heat it just seemed pointless.

Bloody Zane only had her a couple of days when his dog chewed his way into her kennel.

She might adapt quite well.  Be interesting to see actually since she has a soft side to her nature motherhood could move her on a stage.     Would love an update on her progress.

While you are laughing at me and the cat, bear in mind that Mr DT let Gus sleep inside last night 'cos it was a tad frosty.   No thought to the fact that the kennel is fully batt insulated on all 6 sides with a flap to keep the wind out.  I'm reasonably certain his kennel is warmer than my lounge at 3am.

But it's such a long walk to the kennel over frosty grass  ;D.

I can't talk though. Hank sleeps on my bed (http://i703.photobucket.com/albums/ww32/XtraNewsCommunity2/MSN%20emoticons/08emembarrassed.gif). Rusty's starting to get used to it, he gives an obligatory growl when Hank get's on, but doesn't even raise his head to do so.

Poor Flo.  She decided to grovel her way up into the chair with me last night, without noticing Jaz sitting on the top behind my head.  As she smoozed her way up to have her face beside mine, Jaz sat up and king hit her with a combination left, right, left across the muzzle.

Flo slid off the chair and Jaz took off across the room to the safety of the sofa back.  The funny part was Flo again greased her way back up into the chair, but not once raised her face to even notice the cat had gone.  She can grovel with the best of them can our Flo.

One of her puppies was taken by our friends.  He very much has Flo's cuddly nature.  They rang last night to say the husband and wife were arguing, not about whether to leave the telly on or not, but which channel to leave it on for the pup while they went out.  C4 won out lol.

Flo and her puppy again.  His name is Hunter and he is H.U.G.E.  Very tall, long and lean.

Anyway, if Flo is in trouble she bolts for under the deck and stays there.  "Who did this?" is enough to get her hiding if she's guilty, though he is quite interested in whatever the problem is if she wasn't responsible.   It's always so obvious if she's guilty or not.

Hunter has the same trait.  Except he's huge and their deck is tiny.  So there is the front half of the dog under the deck with his butt stuck up in the air.  If they then say "Who's seen Hunter?" or "Where's Hunter?" his tail wags furiously, but he won't come out.

It's so flippen comical to watch.  ;D