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good age, and would have lived longer if her problems hadn't got
so bad, that the vet had to do what is always a regret.
 
   Males, I think they did Rusty at 6 months.

 CH> Gosh this reminds me of one night taking our walk ; this in
 CH> Titusville, FL...  we were coming up to the corner of the block of a
 CH> well lit yard. It seemed the ENTIRE NEighborhood of male dogs was
 CH> there. BIG dogs. In the yard was a big female dog in heat...   Two of
 CH> the pack saw an started to walk toward us and our two little (and
 CH> neutered male ). Tom shouted at them to back off, but we picked our
 CH> dogs up fast and moved out of there.

   I have seen this too...not a great position to be in.  But then
thats what really irks me with owners.  They do not care really
about their dogs.   They are treated like property and not a life
and it shows too if they have kids, how much they'd love for the
kids to grow-up and shove off...

 CH> Did you know the male dog, up to 90 days after being neutered is still
 CH> receptive to a female in heat? It takes that long for the hormones to
 CH> wear off.
 CH> ....

   Yes... they can go longer then that.  But it is for the good.
I have no idea of the parents of Rusty and their lines other then
I know what each of them were and I know he has a sister out there
somewhere.
 
 PC> On the farm in CANADA ... I slept out in the field one night with
 CH> :) OH CANADA!!! :)
 
 PC> my dog due to livestock being injured.   It was the dog who detected
 PC> the threat. he directed where to look and it also was first contact
 PC> with me in support.   I have shot over the heads of wild dog packs
 PC> that send them packing ...and they never comeback.

 CH> Hey new thread> Be glad you didn't live in Africa at the time. 
 CH> More on this later.

 If I lived in Africa...I would have loved to have both my dogs.
 
 CH> Do you remember a documentary on wolves? Where it's aid the only
 CH> reason they'd ever raid a ranchers livestock at all is starvation. We
 CH> take away their habitat./ hunt out all the game.. What do we expect?
   >
 CH> The doc was attempting to diminish the 'evil' image wolves have had
 CH> for a long time. They're not evil. They're hungry.

   Yes ... seen the documentary, and live with them in this area.  There
is no problems unless they are starved.  Never bother me, and I know
they'd love to entich Rusty into the woods, but then if they did that
I'd be there too...so the happy balance is reached.

 CH> It's a shame though we had to give him away my then toddler brother
 CH> stepped on his tail and well.. Gus bit him. :( This is why it's so
 CH> vital to keep toddlers away from dogs until they learn that dogs are
 CH> not toys. My baby brother was always after Gus to pull his tail or
 CH> ears. Gus was NEVER aggressive and would always get up and moved
 CH> always move out of reach. But I guess that last encounter was  'the
 CH> last straw.' As in you push something hard enough it's going to fall
 CH> over. .......

  That happened in our home when my sister tried to beat the dog.
He bit her, and the Doctor told her it served her right.  Same reason
she stepped on his tail, for a lark, and he had had enough...but
we didn't get rid of him.   In fact her bit for that never broke
the skin .... it did when she attacked the dog.  he gave her
a bite that she remembered...which she did many years later when
she told my dad that if he wanted her help ...the dog had to go.
He was put down in revenge.  14years old... and she got even.

Her daughter is so much the same...that we never see her over here
and I really don't miss her...only the kids.

In my case...the dog bit me...not breaking the skin...but letting
me know the boundarys of our relationship.  That lesson I carried
with me, and I never got a real bite that drew blood.   

The bit that never breaks the skin is interesting.   If you pull
your hand or arm you do your own injury.   If the dog really wanted
to hurt you, believe me, his bite is something.   The bite to
not break the skin is a few steps up from taking your hand or
arm in the mouth.   All those lessons were never lost with me.

 CH> It's only in ""highly developed"""
countries you see dogs with
 CH> issues.

  Yes..it is actually people with issues.  They creat the hype
and you have these issues.    I however just ignore them all.

 CH> Within a pack there are leaders, who gladly submit to the
 CH> alpha leading the whole. MOther dogs are pack leaders to their pups.
 CH> Older dogs are leaders to the younger ones.
 
Yes...seen that.  It is wonderful.  Of course meeting a so called tame

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