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skycat

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Everything posted by skycat

  1. skycat
    Sadly I never got to put her to another Airedale. I could have gone with a KC dog, but I had too much else going on work wise and health wise. Now she's gone I doubt I'd want to try getting a UK KC Airedale. I just can't see them having the same sort of drive and brain that the Redline working bred Airedales have. I could be wrong, but it's not a risk I'm willing to take at my age.
  2. skycat
    Best news I've heard for a long time. I'm sitting here all choked up. As Socks said, don't feed her yet. Only feed her once she's completely rehydrated, as food in the stomach takes moisture from the rest of the body in order to digest. And I'm guessing you won't be letting her off the lead anywhere near holes any time soon. This time of year can be deadly as there's so many cubs running about in undergrowth that's jungle thick. And: what a bloody sensible little bitch to go back to where you park. Many dogs wouldn't.
  3. skycat
    Maybe it would be a good idea to qualify the term 'labour'. I would say, if the bitch is actually straining, having contractions, and there is no sign of a pup after 90 minutes, then that is a cause for concern. If a pup doesn't present correctly at the cervix, by which I mean if it is breech (coming arse first: not hind legs first, which is quite usual, but just the rear end with the hind legs facing forward under the pup's belly) then unless the pup is very tiny compared to the bitch, she won't be able to pass it.
  4. skycat
    I beg to differ, regarding being 'a little hypocritical'. Wild animals, be they predator or prey, are accustomed to living in a state of perpetual heightened awareness. This topic has been done to death many times over the years and especially during the run up to the hunting ban. Time and again anecdotal examples of wild animals, including foxes, hares, deer as well as rabbits, were seen to flee, and as soon as they were safe, they resume their normal activities, such as feeding etc. There have also been various studies done on wild animals, and I've read a very interesting book which su
  5. skycat
    Personally I find any kind of trap totally inhumane, apart from cage traps, and those are only OK if if they are checked very regularly. I have found dead foxes in cage traps set on farm land on rough shoots that have obviously died of dehydration and starvation, showing that whoever set the trap couldn't be bothered to check it. The amount of stress and pain, even in one of those so-called cushioned traps, is not acceptable to anyone with half an ounce of humanity. If that makes me sound like an anti, then tough. I appreciate that in a country where there is a feral dog problem then these t
  6. skycat
    Abbreviation, similar to TEOTWAWKI. Actually, strike 'similar' and put 'exactly the same thing'.
  7. skycat
    Make sure you phone all the relevant people: every day. It is not unheard of for dog wardens to keep the finding of a working dog to themselves if they don't want it to return to a working home. This happened to someone I know. Disgusting behaviour, but most rescues, shelters etc are run by people who are very anti hunting. And even if this isn't the case, rescues and shelters are notoriously bad at updating people who have lost a dog. In a way I can see their point of view: they get so many strays, dumps, lost dogs through their doors they just wouldn't have the time or the man power to be o
  8. skycat
    So very true. We should also consider the amount of stress that any 'rescue' dog is having to deal with. Stress can be internalized, but show itself by excess digging, chewing, barking, to name but three. If you add in the reactive brain and extreme sensitivity which most sighthoundy types possess, it's no wonder that many rescue lurchers are literally climbing the walls when they get into a new, and unknown, home. The dog can only process the stress by doing what makes it feel calmer and burning up nervous energy: digging and/or chewing.
  9. skycat
    A puppy will dig holes in your garden, and empty your plant pots, as well as going through what may be a prolonged chewing stage. So, if you decide to get a pup, you will need to kennel it when you are not there. It is not fair to crate a pup that can't control its bowels or bladder for as long as an adult dog can, besides which, pups need to pee and crap far more often than adults, as they are being fed several times a day. If the dog in your avatar is the one you've just sent back to the rescue place, it looks as though it has a fair bit of Saluki in it. Most Saluki types are high energy, a
  10. skycat
    Any dog with half a brain, coming into a new environment, will spend weeks assessing and trying to understand the way its new world, and owners, work. Many people who take on a rescue dog are amazed at how quiet and calm their new dog is ... if the dog is sound, that will last. If not, it takes around a month for a dog to suss out completely the whys, the whats and the workings of its new environment. Only after that do you see the dog for what it really is.
  11. skycat
    She's just lurcher to lurcher for many generations, and there is only a dash of Saluki in there.
  12. skycat
    To the people who are slagging the OP off: just for once, stop your trolling. There are still genuine people out there who come on here looking for the information they so badly want. And if, just maybe, these new members are not genuine, then what have we lost in offering them some well-meant advice? A few moments of our time. No wonder the world is fecked if an innocently-asked question gets nothing but cynicism or sarcasm in response.
  13. skycat
    ~At this time of year the pollen count is very high, and this could irritate a dog's lungs and throat. Depending on where you live and what your dog does when it's out, it might also have inhaled a grass seed. That could be serious if it's one of those barbed seeds and it has gone down into the lungs.
  14. skycat
    Hi Kate, As you suggested, the best thing to do is to go to as many lurcher shows as you can, and talk to as many people as you can. Some will know nothing but tell you they do. Others, less forward, may be full of wisdom and knowledge. Those who shout loudest are not always the most experienced or well-informed. But, little by little you should be able to tell posers from genuine people. Another thing: you speak of breeding: before you ever think to go down that route, have a look on the internet sites such as Preloved and Pets4homes, which will show you just how many lurcher litters are be
  15. skycat

    Good Summer

    skycat replied to walshie's topic in General Talk

    I live in East Anglia, supposedly the driest region of the UK. It has barely stopped raining since spring, though I think it rained all winter as well. The only animals which seem to be doing just fine are slugs and snails, though I guess frogs won't be feeling any stress either. The dogs are, I think, getting webbed feet, and I've just ordered a snorkel for when I have to walk them down flooded paths.
  16. skycat
    Impressive indeed for a 3 month old pup. Though I don't think we should expect anything else from someone who can train mink.
  17. skycat

    Bullfighting

    skycat replied to Bryan's topic in General Talk

    A fascinating cultural passion, and I can well understand its attraction. Watching the videos, learning more these past few days with some excellent posts from Bryan and Dido.1 ...thanks guys ... I can see how the bull is revered. I still find it very hard to watch such a magnificent animal brought literally to its knees by repeated attacks before being killed. That is the problem I have with it all, not to mention the blindfolded horse getting gutted. That kind of cruelty to a completely defenceless animal could never be tolerated in any sane society, but then again, I know that, on the few o
  18. skycat
    I have had similar experience, with a too tight cast deforming the leg of a growing pup. Luckily it came right as the pup was still growing fast. Sadly, that had been put on by a renowned greyhound vet. Another time, and also a greyhound vet, cast put on entirely wrong resulting in the bone pulling apart instead of knitting together. One lives and learns.
  19. skycat
    No offence intended Skycat, but when I see a litter of pups still on the mother much beyond four weeks I'm inclined to think it's laziness on the breeders part. Fresh straw or shavings will keep them clean, that's of course if you change it regular. Bitches teach pups manners?. I've seen hand reared pups,that have had no contact with their mother after birth right through to pups removed from their mothers all ages from them on. You know what?, you couldn't tell the difference. I've seen several litters which couldn't be reared by their mother for whatever reason, some going onto anothe
  20. skycat
    Personally, I never take the bitch away from the pups if she wants to be with them and continue to let them suckle. They are no way ready to be deprived of maternal care at 4 weeks, even though they may be eating well. The bitch, if she is a good mother, will continue to clean them up, play with them, and teach them manners. I've seen plenty of litters where the bitch has been forcibly removed from the pups at 4 weeks, and even though the pups will grow up well, given the correct care by their owners, they seem to have a slightly lost look about them, and are seldom as clean as they should be.
  21. skycat

    Bullfighting

    skycat replied to Bryan's topic in General Talk

    Bull fighting is hardly the same as hunting, when the animal at least has a chance to get away, though I know the antis don't see it like that.
  22. skycat

    Bullfighting

    skycat replied to Bryan's topic in General Talk

    I can see both sides of it. I used to live in the south of France, went over to Spain a few times to bullfights. I can understand the honour, the pageantry, the history, the skill ... etc etc. At the time I truly did 'get' the whole thing, but all I see now when I watch those vids is a bewildered and bleeding animal which has no idea what the f*ck is going on and why men are sticking things into it. Yes, it's only a bull, and bred for it. But do we, supposedly higher, nobler, animals, seriously need to torture others to get our kicks? Really?
  23. skycat
    I voted 'out' with a heavy heart, and the news this morning, although what I wanted, leaves me feeling deeply saddened by the death of a dream. A brilliant idea corrupted by idiots and self-serving politicians. RIP the idea. Now we must rebuild our country with humanity, humility and pride ... and yes, pride can encompass humility, for we are none of us above the rest. And pride is essential too, for the qualities we have so long repressed may well be needed by the bucketful. Apologies for sounding alike a pro-leave spin doctor, but I am strangely affected by this whole thing. The ramific
  24. skycat

    Fly

    skycat replied to MIK's topic in Lurchers & Running Dogs

    Spaying is the complete removal of uterus and ovaries, which means that there is no 'sexual' activity, as there is nothing to produce hormones which might make male dogs take an interest. The bitch effectively becomes an 'it'.
  25. skycat
    There are two sorts of umbilical hernia, though one isn't a true hernia (hole into the abdomen where the innards poke through). Most hernias are simply a small amount of fatty tissue that gets stuck when the hole closes, and they don't cause a problem. If there is a hole, as whitefeet describes, then that may have to be surgically closed, though unless it is on a bitch which you want to breed from even that doesn't usually cause a problem. As far as being hereditary goes, there is some evidence to suggest that hernias can have genetic causes, but not always. http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/care/h
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