Dear Leigh, thanks for the reply. I dont think my questions were missed just that people did not have the answers to them as, as I said, every other one has been answered. They were asked, again as I said!!, cos I was on site in the evening and thought I would try my luck. I have my answers to these now but I felt I had to reply to Bazza as I felt very strongly about his/her? comment. I am probably just being sensitive although anyone who knows me wouldnt say I could be sensitive LOL Many thanks

There are no such things as stupid questions - and anyone who thinks so obviously can't remember back to being a first time dog owner. I have grown up with dogs so some things seem pretty basic to me, but my husband NEVER owned a dog in his life and it amazed me what I had to teach him LOL.

We all had to start somewhere - and better to come to a safe place and take with you the best out of a variety of answers from people with all kinds of experience than to get yourself into a situation where you and your dog just can't work it out.

Wendy

Gina - please keep posting and asking questions. I am learning too despite having owned dogs for the last 20 years. I have a pup coming in March and as my last dog (now 18 months) was 16 weeks when we got him it is about 8 years since I had a "little" pup and it's by reading answers to questions such as yours that I'm getting my "refresher" course !!! I will have lots of "silly" questions too I'm sure starting in about 10 weeks so hopefully everyone will be patient with me too :D I have always found posters on here helpful and I have the impression that they like the people who ask questions - shows that they care about their animals !
SaraW

Hi Sarah,thanks for your reply. Now I have got my "moan" off my chest I feel better now - please see my reply to Leigh. I am sure most of the people on this site like to help beginners like myself and I shall continue logging in every night in between playing with Barney and studying and housework and cooking etc etc! LOL Gina

Keep posting all your questions, they might just be what we have wanted to ask! sometimes though the threads and replies can get a bit disjointed, as whn sevearl people reply to a comment, it becomes unclear whose comment is being addressed, and just might come under a post, where it gets misinterpreted! If we get rude we get told off!

Thanks Brainless. I am very glad this thread did change as I was replying to the very first comment raised by Bazza and it did deviate - for the better as far as I am concerned as it went away from his/her initial comment!! LOL.

Ok can I really throw the cat amongst the pigeons! I too like you Gina have also had problems some little some major like KC, have posted on the board and the answers and replies have some flooding back. However what happened to me 8 weeks ago is still making my blood boil and due to my reluctance to be be sued for libel has prevented me from LOUDLY naming and shaming.
Without going into the complete history I have a 3ry old Afghan who was an ex partners however we were together when we bought him. After splitting he decided he no longer wanted him and was goingt to have him pts but I stepped in and said I'd keep him. Afghans are not my first choice but in my opinion breeders have a responsibilty when they breed their dog, HOWEVER we have just as much responsibility when we buy a dog. He came to us a 6 months as one of the breeding partners was elderley and for reasons I will not go in to decided to re-home him. That was when we got him.
I started to have problems with him and after trying everything I could think of I went back to his breeders as I felt I really needed the help and support of not only someone who knew the breed but also to me it was the right thing to do. Any breeder worth their salt would go out of their way to help.

3 Hours after phoning them to explain my problems I had a returned telephone call, their response, "he obviously has a brain tumour and the best thing you can do for him is get him put to sleep" all this from someone who had not seen the dog since he was 6 months old. The next morning we were at the vets having every conceivable test imaginable as I wanted to be 100% certain there was nothing physically wrong with him. Then followed 2 weeks of frantic telephone calls, tears, anger and frustration. But going back to my earlier quote, I had just as much responsibility to this dog as his breeder as I had bought him.

I don't show, breed, work etc.... but I respect those who do and when I really needed the help those who I thought would be there turned their backs. Then along came, Phillipa, Sierra, Weims (lynn), Sara and my Big Sis Lady Dazzle and without them and their help I would not now have a very sleepy, laid back and perfectly healthy afghan hound making my feet go numb.

I did what I had always been told and felt was the right thing, met the dog, breeder etc a few rimes, in fact I remember visiting an Afghan show 12 months before we got him and talking to breeders. But despite all that I now learn my boy was taken from his mum at 4 weeks and brought up by the so called afghan expert who had 40 yrs experience in the breed. I got him at 6 months so what ever happened to him in between 4 weeks and 6 months god alone knows.

The happy ending is that thanks to the people I have met on this board, some wonderful people in Afghan rescue who spent time with me and my boy I still have (contrary to his breeders recommendation) a very beautiful (if somewhat arrogant) black masked gold who is living very happily in my home with 2 other dogs and cat.

So why the cat amongst the pigeons - whilst this thread has somewhat diverted, mine is a classic example of 'the people who are real novices' being let down by the people who are supposedly the knowledgable ones, so sometimes Bazza the real people in the Dog world Know How are possibly the dog worlds worst enemy.

Thankfully for me and Oscar (affix will be kept quiet but boy would I love to plaster it everywhere) we did not find this attitude on this board. Just loads of wonderful and grateful help. To those who did offer help, from the bottom of my heart I thank you.

Hi Gina,

I hope I didn't offend you with my reply to Bazzas post. Yes you have asked lots of questions about Barney but that is the point - you've ASKED. You say yourself that you really wanted a Lhasa and you read all you could about them. You went into puppy ownership with your eyes open armed with all the info you could find on the specific breed.

The point I was trying to make was about those who decide to buy a puppy, any puppy and within 2wks have got a puppy. Those are also the sort of people who don't bother seeking advice until it's far too late for anything to be done about it.

I hope you have a lovely life with Barney and that you continue to use this board for advice. I know that I'll be here when we get our puppy. I know loads about the specific breed but I'm still a bit dodgy on the general puppy/dog ownership bit.

Fiona - someone who once bought a 'T' top sports car because it was a nice colour and it was a really hot sunny day :D

Hi Lisa, glad your dog is so happy now and, as we me, this website is a great help to us all.

Hi Issysmum, no of course I did not take offence to your reply, we can all have our own views. What I did (and still) object to is what I believe to be Bazza's highhanded attitude towards "normal" owners and their negativity but as I have calmed down now and believe him/her to be totally wrong and everyone else very helpful I shall forget I ever read their input and carry on enjoying this site and all the subjects and people it involves. I have looked at other sites but this is definitely the best. I also like to ask questions cos I am a cancerian and we tend to be worriers and my vet loves me having Barney cos I take him there when I am worried about him... but can now ask this site first !!!! Regards Gina

Gina
It does seem to me that you did not read my message properly. First I did not say ALL only some people do not do the research into dog ownership and It appears that you are taking things too personally.
However I would like to point out that the time has come when dogs homes such as Battersay and Birmingham are again having to deal with a lot of unwanted puppies/dogs again after christmas which does go someway to prove my point.
Obviously a statement such as the one I made at the beginning can only be a general observation made over 30 yrs of dog ownership, the last few being involved in kennel ownership in the way of boarding.
Throughout the year we get numerous pleas from people to take their dogs and I have to explain that I run a boarding kennel not a rehoming service.
The excuses for getting rid of the dogs range from distroying the home-messing in the house- too large to handle-and in the way of having a holiday, etc.
Its these people who go and impulse buy a dog for image or protection or for what ever reason that I am on about.
You it appears have taken your time to study and ask first before buying and if more were like you then problems would not occur so often.
I do take objection to you saying that I have a high handed attutide when I feel that due to the number of years dedicated to dogs having been involved in rescue ,breeding, racing (afghans only for exercise) tv work, showing etc. I do feel that I can come to the conclusions in an experience manner and make a general observation as to the attitude some people make with reguard to the obtaining of dogs.
If you care to read postings by other people on here on different subjects, you will see that dogs have been returned to breeders, for example, or questions about rehoming rescue societies and it goes on and on.
I am not saying that some of the reasons are not genuine but when you read about dogs knocking people over, nipping, and generally not acceptable within the particular household due to small children being frightened, purely because the new owners have not asked or been explained properly the "ways of dogs",. (Good rescue societies do all in their power to make sure to dog will fit into the new household and the household understand the undertaking they are making when having a new addition with four legs), multiply this several hundred times over across the country and you will start to understand what I am on about.
How many thousand dogs have to be put down each year by professional bodies such as the RSPCA, and how often do you read of people being taken to court for neglect or cruelty.
Local papers regularly report on dogs that have been found neglected or thrown from cars or into rivers or left in cardboard boxes purely because the owners "tire" of them and the new "TOYS" are no longer wanted.
Yes I do stand by my first statement that a little bit of research before purchase would save a lot of problems and any caring dog owner I feel would agree with me

Dear Bazza, I am still not sure I took what you said out of context, although of course I wouldnt want this subject to go on and on and am willing to believe I did take you wrong but you said, and I quote, "HAVING READ A LOT OF THE MESSAGES POSTED ON VARIOUS TOPICS IT SEEMS TO ME A LOT OF THEM COULD BE DOWN TO NOT HAVING RESEARCHED INTO DOG OWNERSHIP PRIOR TO PURCHASE". I dont believe that statement to be true.
I see your point and agree with most of what you said in the post I am replying to now but what you have said above doesnt really relate to your most recent input. If you had posted a message about how awful it is with all the stray dogs and people buying dogs that were not suitable and on a whim I would - and do - entirely agree with you. What I dont agree with is your statement that people who ask for help on this site are asking questions which, to you, means that they have not researched buying their dogs and puppies properly. I am not taking it too personally as I am quite thick skinned but I believe that people post their messages on this site because they want help and know that they will get the help they require. Regards Gina