Recent content by Lynia

Thank you all for your contributions to this thread. I must admit that Toby came from a farm breeder, found through the newspaper. I looked online for reputable breeders first, but their prices were beyond our means: starting around $800 and going up from there for pet quality puppies. Toby was...

My Toby has longer, more slender legs (so his coat doesn't touch the floor), a longer, narrower nose (snipey, I've heard it called), and a thinner, shorter coat than most of the show dogs I've seen. As I look at books about the history of the breed, I see dogs something like this in the photos...

I have a knock-off furminator, I guess -- it really pulls out the undercoat. The last time I used it, about two weeks ago, I got so much undercoat out that Toby looked about half his normal size, and the birds were chirping his praises for providing them with piles of fluffy nesting material...

I have seen cat people use eyebrow pencil on their Siamese-type breeds at cat shows to touch up their facial markings (not sure it's legal, but they do it), but never make-up on a dog. How in the world could that be regulation in a conformation class? I'm no pro at show stuff, but it just...

I WANT a fence as soon as we can get one. I feel so much better about leaving Toby -- and my kids -- outside with a good, secure fence that keeps good guys in and bad guys out. We've always had one in our other houses, and need one here, too. I don't like having to worry whether Toby will jump...

Howdy! You may have already seen a couple of my posts on the "Rescue" and "Off Course" forums, but I thought I should officially check in here, too. I'm a new resident of Colfax, Iowa. My family of four people keep company with a 2-1/2 year-old Sable Sheltie (Toby) and three cats (Tinker, Tasha...

Thanks and another Q To Shelletlover: We just relocated to Colfax a year ago; husband works in Newton, and we found our c.1889 dream home/money pit on a random drive through neighboring towns. Unfortunately, no backyard fence except for a small enclosure around the patio, and city ordinances...

Iowa Rescues Thank you for the tips. I suppose the rescue folks are just afraid of making a bad mistake and having to take the poor puppy back again, with yet another trauma on its resume. Perhaps meeting our kids and dog would change their minds -- or perhaps not! Another quick question...

I, too, have been cruising the rescue sites lately, thinking Toby needs a friend (though I haven't yet persuaded my husband that we can afford the additional vet bills -- and kenneling fees when we go on a doggy-unfriendly vacation). We have two rambunctious, though respectful of animals...