I want to get a dog but I have to work, how does everyone on broadway market do it ?

Thanks all. She’s only 9 weeks @AlexD ... bit firmer today 👍😆

Pics or it didn’t happen

Dog ownership certainly forces you into encounters you would otherwise swerve big style! Not sure where all you lot are based but I’ve not experienced anything bad yet. In fact it’s been quite a nice way to meet the locals in a new area. Was expecting far worse for Chippenham! :)

bear in mind that some dogs cant stomach rice if chicken and rice doesnt improve it much

Benny went through phases and could go a couple of weeks with the runs out of nowhere, he still has the occassional sloppy one but its improved lots as he's grown.

A large percentage of our dog chat is about Vinnie’s shits (which has been up and down since we got him). Panacur solved it one time but then he ate a worm-infested cat shit and undid all that hard work. Little git. If your dog is a fussy eater good luck getting them to eat boiled rice!

The vast majority of people I've encountered since having Crumpet have been lovely! There's just been a few notable mentalists thrown in.

Yeah this is my experience. I’ve really enjoyed the casual chit chat with other dog owners. There’s something about the ease of instantly having a mutual interest and subject to chat about.
If anything, I find a lower % of twats amongst dog owners than the national average - you’re just forced into interaction so it might seem higher.

Yeah that's sort of the point trying (and failing) to make!

Does anyone have a recommendation for a dog walker in South East London? Our nearest park is Crystal Palace so that sort of area. Looking for someone that walks groups of dogs, we think Crumpet would really benefit from the social aspect of getting a walk with other, playful dogs once or twice a week. She's very friendly and is desperate to run around with any dog she comes across(regardless of if they want to run around with her), it'd be great if she could release that energy and also get to spend more time with other dogs to learn more about body language etc.

Odie met his doppelgänger this morning. Definitely the closest looking dog I’ve seen to him. The owner was equally interested to see a similar looking dog. He knew the mum was a collie and suspected the dad was a German shepherd - similarly we know Odies mum was a German shepherd and suspect the dad was something like a collie :-)

They played in such a similar way, and just moved and acted so alike it was really weird. Very similar temperament too. Very keen on each other - much fun was had!

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We're thinking of getting a DNA test for Crumpet, mostly to figure out what breeds she has in her so that we can be more aware of any future health issues she might be more susceptible to.

My girlfriend likes the look of this one from Wisdom Panel. They do a more basic/cheaper version that just tells you which breeds are in the mix. Is the more expensive version likely to contain any more info than I'd be able to gain by googling likely health issues for the breeds that the cheap one comes back with?

Well ... are you sure you each took the right one home? :)

😳

He was completely ignoring me when I was calling his name this morning, but that’s nothing unusual

Why not just enjoy your time together. It's not some kind of canine Logan's Run just sit back pay your pet insurance and deal with the problems as they arise. Being a Heinz 57 Crumpet is probably as fit as they come.

Why bother, is the slightest taint of poodle genes going to change how you feel about her? Go back a few generations and all dogs are mongrels of some sort, just like us.

I'm not sure how reliable they'd be for predicting health issues in anything not purebred. Save the money and get good insurance and go to the vet.

Go through here until you see one that sounds about right, and print it out:

https://google.com/search?as_q=dog+dna+test+results&tbm=isch

HAd a chat with one of our neighbours today.

12 months ago we had 3 dogs in our block of 70 flats. One of those has since died of old age. We reckon there are now 9 dogs in our block. All but one of the new dogs is a puppy.

This lockdown dog thing is a thing!

One of the new dogs is a vizla pup and they are having a really tough time with it. They didn't realise how full on a vizla puppy is. Credit where credit is due, they have spent a bundle of money on a dog trainer to help them get on top of things and its starting to pay off. They also started off leaving it at home all day but now pay for daycare.

The only pup annoying neighbours is the Cockerpoo...it just won't stop barking...ever. Which fits into my experience of pretty much every Cockerpoo.

I was more thinking along the lines of preventative measures for things like bad joints. If we knew she was genetically predisposed to something like that and we were able to take steps early on to reduce the risk of an issue later in life it would be worth doing! As mentioned though, the fact that she's a mix of all sorts probably does mean that firstly, any test we did get might not be all that useful and secondly, she'll hopefully be less prone to any issues caused by inbreeding etc.

Personally I don't care about her genetic makeup beyond wanting to be aware of any health issues to keep an eye on! She could turn out to be 10% rat and I wouldn't be upset or surprised.

Our little one is definitely getting in to the destructive puppy stage. There's less biting of my hands but more pulling on my trouser legs or socks. She's also taken to eating soil from the plant pots but she's still very cute.

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Lovely shot. :)

Most health issues have been, mostly accidentally, bred into pure bred dogs. Your bitsa dog will no doubt live a long and healthy life. My Sprollie is 15+ now and I've saved £3k by not insuring him for the last two years. The majority of his vets bills have been self inflicted claw and joint injuries chasing foxes out of the garden because he's a knob.🙂

Eight pedigree dogs (working, not bred for looks) have cost me less than £5k in 29 years in vet bills, including (sadly) the inevitable cremation costs. All insurance is basically betting and I have been lucky. However, I have always been in a position to cover bills and if it's the choice between my dogs or virtually anything else, the dogs come first.

The problem is if large bills come in the early years, on the basis that the sensible option is to put money aside into savings rather than into a policy. I've learned this the hard way...

Yeah, gambling is exactly what it is.

We've done well on insurance so far. £1200 spent on insurance and about £2.5k paid out in treatment costs (two accidents rather than illness).

When our insurer put our premiums up we just switched. Obvs switching is less of an option if your dog has a long term condition that has to be declared.

He had his waggy spaniel tail docked a few years ago for medical reasons. He has always tucked it under when sitting so now he's got vertebral definition.

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