Our evening at the beach.

Kids @ Sunset.

Sahara shows off her tree climbing ability. Kelpie much?

Phoenix and his handsome new collar.

Sahara and her pretty new 'breathe' collar from Fuzzyard (hello, blatant plug!).

The Extended Family Photos.

No dogs were harmed in the making of the photos, but several cocktail sausages lost their lives.

The extended family - Mac, Sahara and Bruza, with Phoenix lurking in the background.

Bruza and Phoenix. Or Phoenix and Bruza...?!

When I got that email saying someone had a dog that looked slightly similar to my own, I never thought they would be quite so creepily identical.

"Feed me!"
"No, give it to me!"



Note from Phoenix and Sahara: We just found Dogs With Blogs, and we think it's WONDERFUL. We didn't realize how many dogs had their own blogs - and we sure can't wait to meet some new pooch friends!

Mud, barbs and collars.

Ahh, to be back :)

The kids are both well, if a little exhausted. They've been enjoying running around (and through) The Bog Of Eternal Stench with Bruza and Mac, and even made a new friend in a Mastiff X named Tiger, who is very handsome indeed. Sahara is still being her usual elegant, ladylike self, and ruling the entire pack with her witchy feminine powers. 

She's been limping quite badly after her last two visits, so I'm looking at getting her into hydrotherapy or massage to see if it can build up her hip and leg muscles. I think it might be time to cut back all the jumping I tend to encourage her to do - I'm still going to keep up her agility training under a close eye, but no more big ditches and/or fences until she's stronger.

Phoenix is getting more mellow by the day, and would quite happily sit for hours on end with his head in ones lap, drooling slightly and looking at you in adoration whilst he gets pats. I've been training him to 'search' - every time we come home, I send him through the house with the signal and he goes in and out of the rooms checking for the sorts of breaking and entering trash/murderers our area is rather prone to. 

Sahara is awaiting her new collar and coat (in pink, of course) I've had ordered in, and Phoenix is looking radiant in her beautiful new studded Staffy collar. I've bought him about 6 since I've had him, and he hasn't liked wearing any (no, seriously. He will actually remove them if physically possible) or they've broken in a day or so. I've been waiting to get him the collar I did for months - Bruza and Mac have them, and they're totally durable - and finally, the day has arrived - I can, once and for all, rid him of the collar he came home to me with. It's a nice collar... I just don't like the thought of him still wearing something from his last home. I know, I get too involved :)

Yesterday I took the kids down to one of my favorite beaches, where they had a blast jumping in and out of the whitewash. As we were leaving, Sahara somehow got a sea anenome embedded in her paw, and as we were driving off she started having what looked like convulsions; jumping all around the car trying to bite her paw off. I quickly pulled over and parked (illegally) and both D and I spent a good half hour sitting on her to keep her still looking for the cause of all the pain in her foot. I washed her leg with water continuously, and it seemed to help, and as I was contemplating the idea of peeing on her if it were a jelly fish stinger, D found the spines in her pad. They were tiny, but deep, and luckily he managed to remove them and she soon calmed down enough to drive him. I kept her warm incase she went into shock (she was very, very upset) and kept a close eye on her all night as I was worried she might get some poison from the barbs, but all seems well. She's a little sooky today, but she soon got into bed this morning and snuffled me in her usual manner, so she'll be fine :)

I think I have a few more grey hairs to add to the collection though...

Grrr.

After watching Today Tonight on several occasions regarding ACA Breeders in Victoria, I am absolutely appalled by them congratulating the puppy mill. If you look at their website, they claim to not breed their own puppies, yet every expose done on them shoes they own over 300 dogs, all for the purpose of being kept pregnant for the extent of their lives. The guy who runs the business claims to be a dog lover, and gets visibly upset when he mentions the dogs will be put down when they can no longer give birth to large litters, yet he is daily adding to the tens of thousands of dogs put down in Australia every year. I am beyond furious at this breeder in particular, as there's always some sort of bad publicity regarding their puppy mill, which they try and use to their advantage. If anyone is searching for a puppy, I can do more than urge you wholeheartedly to go to the RSPCA or another pro-life shelter, and take the time to really understand what breed is right for your lifestyle, rather than buy from a pet shop and support people like ACA. Here endeth my vent.

...still here!

The silence from the dogs is due to the fact the cats are taking over our lives.

O-lei!

What Sahara has to do for attention whilst she waits for her Empawrium collars to arrive.

My 2nd night alone.

It's been a long time between posts, and there's been a whole lot happening. The kids are still enjoying exploring their new area, and meeting the lovely Gail from Empawrium - Phoenix has a new crush - and trying on their beautifully sparkly new collars. I will, of course, take lots of lovely photos of them when they receive them!

We did sadly miss the Million Paws Walk today - I would have loved to have gone, but the dogs were in kennels last night (yes, their 2nd night ever away from me. I sobbed unashamedly, both when I left them, and when I got home to an empty house last night. I couldn't wait for my babies to come home this morning) as it was Seah's Hen's Day/Night yesterday.

We've just been walkies with Kaos, Mayhem, Bruza and Mac, and got them lovely and worn out (and covered in mud). They desperately need to get back to training once things have settled down (i.e Sarah gets back from her wedding in Fiji) and I have a training buddy again. Sahara's getting a little too big for her boots these days, and always has surplus energy.

I will update again sooon!

Pet's of the Month :)

Check out the kids on Empawrium's Pets of the Month :)

I heart you, Phoenix, times 365.

The photo that made me race down to the shelter and pick him up.

On the 25th, Phoenix will have been in his fur-ever home for a year. A whole year. A whole year where he has spent one single night with out me (I think you may recall I left my mother in charge, with a list of about 18 emergency vet clinics in a 50km radius, a written note of his likes, dislikes, severe hates and how much drool he will produce on average. And yes, he survived, and I nearly did, too).

The first photo of the two playing together...awww!

I am also happy to announce, after his yearly check up and vaccine booster on Wednesday...he has put on a whole 8.2 kilo's since he became my child. He was a very thin 29kg the day I picked him up, and apparently had already stacked on 2kg in the months he'd been at the shelter, so he really was an emaciated little man.The drive home from the shelter with the dog who didn't care where he was going, yet leaned on me the entire way.

As you all know, he's grown masses of confidence, a whole heap of trust, and best of all, he actually smiles these days. He gets a big goofy grin and his eyes light up, instead of the fear and dread thing he had going on back in the day.

Falling for my gorgeous boy!

You'll be aware he now will let people pat his tummy (well, maybe only me and Sarah, as demonstrated at the vets when she attempted touching his manly area and he practically climb up the wall, holwing and rolling his eyes) and he excelled himself to the second highest level of training in our club in a few short months.

He still thinks he's a lap dog at nearly 40kg

He even 95% got over his on leash aggression, and can be walked safely on and off leash in public.It wasn't all roses with Phoenix...

All in all, he's a changed dog, and all for the better. I couldn't imagine life with out my big Boofer Woofer, and I even mostly tolerate his drool all over my black clothing.

One year one, and hasn't he turned into a handsome boy?

His first ever go at agility, such a star!

...and here's some sillyness I just had to share ;)

Happy and Sad

Cleo the Kitten got her lady bits ripped out on Wednesday, and has had a complete character change ever since. Gone are the days of quiet cuddles and sleeping the day away, to be replaced with psychotic episodes of climbing walls/eating my shoe laces/meowing hysterically. I did think of taking her back to the vets and asking for a new version, but then considered how happy I would be with all my fallopian tubes and the like removed. Bliss!

I've taken to taunting her ceaselessly in an effort to wear her out, and bought her a wind up dune buggy car designed for 3 year old children to keep her amused. It didn't work. But I did find someone who did appreciate it.

At least it's cheered her up after her somewhat dismal appearance on national television. I keep telling her she's the most beautiful girl in the world, second only to myself, but she just gets a little down, you know?

Her new collar helped somewhat, and allowing her to roll in starfish/dead penguins/nasty seaweed on our daily trips to the beach, but all she really wants is to be admired by the world.


(please excuse the mess in the video, I was in the process of clearing up, I swear).

You're still one in a million to me, Phoenix.

UPDATE: I have no idea what happened to the Phoenix lookalike pup - I called several times and emailed them, but to no avail. Let's hope he found a great forever home.
I've found another Phoenix/Bruza.
He's only 3 months old, and he's only got a day or so left before his time's up at the shelter.

Ohhh, dilemma.

Happy hounds.

Sahara and Phoenix had a super time at the Million Paws Walk Shoot, and I made sure Sahara was right up front and in the cameras way whenever possible. She did somewhat let me down when they attempted a close up, and Sahara had hysterics and tried mauling the lense. Suzie Wilks said she thought Sahara was absolutely lovely!
The dogs went for walkies in all their Million Paws Walk merchandise afterwards - I was dying for a coffee and some mud cake - and they were super well behaved as we sat at Southgate and watched the helicopters take off.



Maccas is over today, my two are baby sitting him as Bruza is having his second round of surgery after getting stabbed in the mouth/throat by a stick over Easter, poor boy. Mac is quite happily chasing Sahara around and declaring his undyi
ng love to her, while she guards all her sticks and toys with her life.



They had a super fun time down the beach yesterday, and found a tasty dead penguin to nibble on while I wasn't looking. Luckily they weren't too keen on freezing their paws off, and mainly stayed out the water. I wasn' t looking forward to wet doggy smell after they were groomed to an inch of their life on Sunday, and are still smelling lovely (Thanks Fuzzyard! Mmm, Orange and Bergamot 'Uplifting' spritz spray and Jojoba and Basil shampoo!).

Millions Paws Walk

It's official! Sahara and Phoenix and going to model for the Million Paws Walk T.V commercial!
We're off to the shoot on Saturday, and Sahara and Phoenix will have either coats or bandanna's and I'll wear the MPW shirt, and that's about all I know!

I am beyond thrilled that myself and my kids will be on TV!

Sahara; Diva.

I think I may spontaneously combust with excitement.

Recall my post about Empawrium ?
I received an email in return to my request for Phoenix and Sahara to be their Pet Of The Month for May - and as well as that wonderful, amazing bit of news - they have offered to link this blog to their own Friends of Empawrium site.



But wait, there's more.

They have offered to design two collars to reflect the wonderfulness of my pooches, and NAME THEM after my two lovable rogues - and will unleash them (pardon the pun...) at the RSPCA Million Paws Walk! (Sunday, 18th May - I sincerely hope this date is in all Melburnians diaries).

My two darlings! Practically stars!

I have also emailed off their best photos, along with their application to be involved in the filming of the Million Paws Walk television ad.

Here's Sahara in her latest video, entitled "I Will Kill You, Mr Balloon".

Self explanatory, really.