NE Forum Pets 2!

Introduce her to a female ginko tree for her home garden. That would keep her busy.

We have to hand cut them. I'm sure she could be shaved, but once the mats start, I wouldn't want to go near her with shears/razors. Most people don't know about the coat, but when it comes in (after she's washed, and the coat is this short, she almost looks like she has 100's of grids all over her body!) at this age, the mats start relatively shortly. To keep the coat corded up, it's about 2-4 hours of maintenance a week, on top of trying to keep it clean; and a beside Theta doesn't tolerate heat with a short coat, a longer coat she throws me the paw every day that it's above 80 outside :-) I tried to keep it long once, from when she was about 10months old until about 3, which is how long the coat would take to come in with a skirt, and after bathing her it would take about 8-10 hours of her in her crate, switching out dry blankets and keeping 4 box fans running the whole time.

Robin did you happen to run into a Puli? I've never heard of a Pumi before, Puli, yep. The breeder I got Theta from also bred Puli (plural is Pulok) and of all things, lol, Chinese Crested. Snapple fact: As with the plural of Puli, the correct plural of Komondor, is not Komondors, but Komondorok.

Robin you made Brian's day! He has always wanted a Mastiff and after looking up Tibetan Mastiff I siad he could have one next time we get a dog. It looks so much like Bandit that I actually was shaking and DH had to take the picture above.

Wow, Thom, I found it very interesting reading about your Komondor. I had a Kuvasz at one time that shared the attributes of your Theta. Unfortunately, he had zero tolerance for any male adult human. Pictures don't covey the power of these two breeds, but I will say that they are the most powerful breed of dogs I have ever known. Even after spending a week with a 200 lb Mastiff, the K & K breeds are more powerful.

Pixie, That is a gorgeous hunk of dog!!

Wow, that's a lot of hair maintenance, I'd keep it short, too
I always wanted a Kuvasz!

I had a co-worker that had a Kuvasz! She loved it, except she worried about it around people outside the family--she was afraid it might injure someone, either by accident d/t it's size and power, or b/c of aggression as a protective move. The owner was a very gentle, animal loving person, so I think this issue was nature, not nurture. My parents bred pulik back in the 60's!!! The first one was Moppet, and her daughter Zsa-zsa also. They are amazing, mega intelligent dogs! They love and are very possessive of their human famlies! BTW...prepare to be herded! LOL!! These are very busy, very active dogs. They need lots of activity and a job. We mostly kept ours clipped--just like the komondor, the dreads are a lot of work.

Our plumber had a kuvasz & he said it was not good natured. Thom, this dog is a pumi, not AKC accepted, but I believe UKC accepted. I was at an outdoor dog show, looking at the booths, & I had never seen anything like it before---asked the woman if I could pet it--she said sure---then said well, sometimes it nips! Found out this woman was the superintendent of the show---hard to believe she had a dog not sanctioned by the AKC.

Hahahaha! http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/pumi.htm
Here's the Puli... http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/puli.htm
Kuvasz... http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/kuvasz.htm
Komondor... http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/komondor.htm

This message was edited Dec 7, 2009 8:35 PM

This message was edited Dec 7, 2009 8:38 PM

Oh my gosh, that pumi is the funniest looking dog I think I've seen

I know!!!!

I clicked on the link for the Kom...the breeders that I got Theta from have 1 of their dogs there. Layosmoji (sp) is their kennel name.

The Pumi is not for me as I am sure a dog would consider me to be weak-minded. I know that Wallingford does!

The Pumi is cute!

The Kuvasz were bred to kill wolves and bear that threatened the livestock. That job does not transfer well into a suburban setting. I would never, ever recommend a Kuvasz as a family pet.

I wouldn't recommend the pumi either---small, but creepy! Theta looks like the kind of pooch I would love!

Update on the story I posted on the 29th about the cat I found hit by a car. Yesterday her people found her at animal control and I have heard that they bailed her out and took her home where her sister was waiting for her. A happy ending!

Yippee!! Christmas Miracle's do happen. ^_^

^_^ Nice to know!

Great!

I like a happy ending!

Me too! A very lucky Christmas kitty.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUtPKbMwnRo

This takes some training.

Very cute!

A LOT of training :)

Could have used them yesterday.

So cute!

Haaaaa!

Loved the schnauzer!

Yeah, when he was jumping over the big dog? So cute!

So cute.

Crash this AM - laying near the pellet stove. You can see the window and stove flame in his eye.

Cool last shot victor. I love seeing all the pet pals of my DG pals.

Hemhostaholic, those shots of Ivan and Theta together are beyond dear!

New "SnowBird" pups of DonnieBrook make me so happy to see. I know they are romping about in Molly's forever shadow but I think Bailey and Carli are up to the task of being great pals to you and each other.

I think those shots of the onewish1 are a total giggle.

threegardeners has a herd of adorable pets. I am a total sucker for all grey cats, but they all look beautiful.

amethystsm, great color pattern on your Ta Moko and l love the floppy sleeping shot of Simon.

SongsofJoy, those are wonderful shots of Freida in the garden and that close up is stunning.

Victor, Crash and Spooky need some shades like Yoko.

venu209, great family shot of the dogs and their master. Kitties rule, always. I miss mine.

susandonb1141, love the shot of Ted, but please post another so we can see your Baxter better.

ROBINDOG, Ollie looks like a total ham. I don't know that breed.

AYankeeCat, your save is a beauty! Hope Lucky finds a good home.

Pixie, no pictures of Sophia, but I can't look at a rabbit without thinking about Your Lucky rabbit (s).

Here are our girls, sister border collies, Nell (black) and Winnie(white) born in June of 2003 on Nantucket. The Photo of them in the crate was taken on their first day home in Aug of 2003 and the others are from this summer. Nell was the runt of the litter, but thinks she is the boss. Three of the pups looked like the mother, the others like the father. We took one of each, so they could wear each other out rather than us. They are bouncy. Patti

Nice pups Patti! Do they wear each other out? I've been told Border Collies are high energy dogs. Beautiful garden shot too!

Patti - what a beautiful shot of your gorgeous pups and the gardens. Your words about Bailey and Carli romping in Molly's forever shadow brought tears to my eyes, and Hank wants you to know that he also appreciates your sensitive and beautiful way of putting our feelings into words. I still go in and out of tearful times and missing Molly a lot, and today seems to have been one of the tearful days, but that doesn't take anything away from the joy and love these little fur bundles with impish natures have brought into our lives.

Victor - that is just the coolest shot of the reflection in Crash's eye! Very cool! He has a pretty good life, huh?!

DonnieBrook, I am just so happy that you and Hank have two new tailwaggers to keep you company again. What a double joy. But I know, sadly, like most of us know, that there is always that special one pet pal who never is replaceable. The good thing is that the new ones usually find a new nook in our heart to fill and become irreplaceable too. So the cycle goes on. Life is good when accompanied by at least one 4 legged pal.

I had a much loved 3 legged dog as a child that has never been "replaced", but she would have appreciated all the ones who have tried and who have won a new spot in my life. Puffy was an outside dog, so I never had as much time with her as I would have liked. Mom wouldn't allow pets in the house, so Puffy never got to sleep inside. I finally told my mother recently that I once brought my horse into the house just as a joke and to break her "rule". Needless to say she wasn't home at the time. But Dad was, and he took that secret to his grave. The wrath of Mom's "rule" about no pets in the house was just too great. She actually laughed about it when I told her. Here was my horse and best buddy growing up in Oklahoma that broke Mom's "rule". He was a little spooked by the red couch in the family room and the TV.

My Winnie dog is curled up on the bed with me now for the night. Little Nell sleeps in her "own" bed. She claims the guest room bed as hers. She consents to visitors if they acknowledge that that bed is hers.

My Mom has mellowed over the years and now our dogs are given free rein of her cottage, except that they are not allowed in her room. At nearly 95, I think we can still change her mind about pets in her bedroom and if she lives to be 100, I think they will be sleeping on her bed. Pats to your new fur balls. Patti

This message was edited Dec 21, 2009 10:42 PM

Patti, Nell and Winnie are gorgeous dogs, plus your garden makes one beautiful shot.

Very cool shot of Crash's eye, Victor.

Patti, you made me laugh reading about you bringing your horse inside just to break your mom's rule. I can think of a few rules I've broken in secrecy. What a beautiful horse.

Sofonisba, He was a dream of a horse. Yep, breaking rules that are meant to broken is the best, especially if kept as a secret known to only a few.

I am hoping to find an old picture of Puffy dog to post at some point. She was a good pal of my horse, as she slept in his barn when very cold, other wise she slept in the garage. Guilt forever about that. Patti

If we're dreaming of horses, I've done that a lot. I used to draw pictures of them every day in the hopes that one would come off the paper and be my buddy in real life. Puffy sounds wonderful. My sister's dogs aren't allowed indoors either (her DH's rule). He thinks we "ruin" them by petting them. How silly is that? I'm sure they would still protect us even if we do give them affection. They have a little alcove in the side of the house that the dogs sleep in. Gets pretty cold in the northern mountains of NM, but they really do seem fine... sigh.

Pretty silly and maybe worth divorcing! Patti

Yeah! He he he... I'm going to visit them in a few days. She's been working on loosening him up these last couple of years. I'll report back how well she's coming along on the dog front.

He should get a muzzle from Santa or a maybe a choke collar. Patti