[Rosemary]

One of my pet hates is extending dog leads, especially when they are used on pavements. I can understand that they have their uses in training a dog to recall, but for walking dog, use a proper lead and train the dog to walk on it. I was driving through one of the local villages yesterday and a bull terrier on a fully extended lead ran out on to the road - I missed it by a whisker. No way was that owner in any sort of control.

Grrr...

[Scooby]

I have to put my hand up to being a bad dog owner, in the respect I've never been able to train my two collies to walk 'properly' on the lead.  I actually find they walk better off the lead, but never had the confidence to walk them near roads without leads.

I tend to take the cheats way out and drive places that I can park up and let them out into woodlands etc straight away.  It saves us all getting wound up with each other.

But I do know this is my fault for not training them properly, as they are really intelligent ickle buggers 

[stephen]

our two are perfect off the leads scooby but on the leads they pull non stop!! chocker collars, water spray and various other techniques have been persistantly tried and all failed miserably! we have no problem walking next to busy roads with them off leads as they listen to every command they are given and dont have a problem with other dogs either! i dont think it really matters what your dog is like on or off a lead as long as it dosent put anyone else in danger or pose a threat to other people! i frequently walk the dogs in a network of moated fields like most other people round here, the difference between my dogs and theirs is mine dont get agressive, bark, run off, growl, need holding back as others pass! mine are far too intrested in finding a stick to chase, running after each other (kiss chase lol) or waiting for me to catch up! if our big alsation is growled at she tends to hide behind either me or hooch (our lab cross) lol 

[Rosemary]

I agree with you both - ours are not good in traffic - terrible car chasers so are on leads but they do walk nicely beside you. We use a Halti for Meg and it's brilliant. If she doesn't pull neither does Tess

Tess had her staples out today at the vet and they're happy with her progress - back in six weeks for a final Xray, then hopefully that's her "repaired" and bionic! Thanks goodness for pet insurance!

[stephen]

Thats really good news Rosemary am glad to hear she is ok! its always terrible when one of your much loved pets becomes ill or breaks a bone etc you always fear the worst! we recently had to have one of our breeding queens put down, she fell ill within hours it was awful. One of the worst things was sitting in the waiting room while an elderly couple had there dog put to sleep, the vet was very kind and understanding with both them and us, i think he undercharged us slightly as well! lucy will be sadly missed but the choice was either to let her suffer until the morning and be spayed (the chances of her surviving were minimal) or do the kindest thing we could for her and have her put to sleep at only 18 months old. Sadly its all part and parcel of owning and / or breeding animals, we will outlive most of our pets and most (if not all) of us fall completley in love with them almost as if they were a child. And i completly agree.... thank god for pet insurance!!

[Rosemary]

It's so sad when its a young animal but when we take on pets, I suppose we accept that responsibility. We've had to have two cats put to sleep - although both were very old, so that tempers it a bit. Thankfully, our vet comes to the house so they died in front of their own fire, in their beds. If I had to go to the surgery, they would have to huckle me out the back, wrapped in a blanket to avoid distressing everyone else. I think I'm prepared but I'm not really.

But Tess is grand - grumpy as ever but starting to use the leg - if we remind her! I think she's got used to being on three legs!