Lets see your pets

[Emelia8]

This is my little girl Hannah, a 5kg Cavoodle. She is almost 10 months old now.

 

[MJG017]

@Mustang67We've only ever feed out cats the Science Diet dry food.  One of them just grew and grew!  This was Ryker as a kitten...

Hard to believe he grew to over 10Kg!  He's on the 'lite' version of the food now!  The weird this is, especially for a cat that big, is that he wont touch anything else!  Not bits of chicken or fish... nothing! The only the thing he will eat is those cat treats.

[Mustang67]

@MJG017 yes 10+ kgs for a cat is big. Maybe somewhere in its DNA are genes from those cats that are massive.  Lol

Cats are so fussy aren't they.

My previous cat would only eat tin food made with gravy and not jelly. And she wouldn't eat any dry food that was fish flavoured. 

[MJG017]

@Mustang67I'm sure that's why we remember all our pets all our lives, and remember them as family, because we love them and they are all individuals with their own personalities, quirks, annoyances, and habits... just like family.

[Mustang67]

@MJG017 they certainly are. I have always treated my pets as part of the family and give them all the love & attention I can. I probably treat them better than some of my family members. 

I think you get back, what you put out with pets. My ex husband used to hate that all our pets would come to me when I called them, or they were happy to lay on me when on the lounge, but they wouldn't for him. That to me is a big red flag. 

[Mustang67]

@Emelia8 Hannah is absolutely gorgeous. Cavoodle make good companion dogs, don't they?

Are they the breed that don't shed hair?

She melts my heart by just looking at her beautiful face 😍 

[Emelia8]

Yes that's right @Mustang67 Cavoodles are a cross between King Charles Cavalier Spaniels and a (toy or miniature) Poodle. So they are usually non or low shedding and great for people with allergies. Their coats can vary quite a bit, from the tight curls of a toy poodle to a straight coat of the Cavalier spaniel. Hannah has a wavy fleece coat, which is the coat type requiring the least maintenance. 

And yes, Cavoodles typically make great little companion and therapy dogs. I intend registering Hannah with MindDog Aust to be my PTSD assistance dog. But I will wait until March next year when she is a bit older and more mature. She is a bit excitable just yet, still an exuberant puppy. Though I am doing some prelim training with her already. And that's going well.

[Mustang67]

Thank you for confirming what I thought @Emelia8

I really miss not having a dog around, but it is just not possible at the moment, since I don't have a permanent place to live.

But as soon as I do, a dog will be on the cards.

Would Hannah have to go through some sort of testing to get registered with MindDog Aust as your PTSD assistance dog?

And what is the advantage to registering her as an assistance dog? 

[Emelia8]

Yes @Mustang67 Hannah would need to firstly be assessed to determine suitability and then undergo a year long training program before becoming fully certified as an assistance dog. I would do most of the training myself, but a certified MindDog trainer would come in regularly to test her to ensure she is meeting milestones. Then at the end of 12 months she would need to pass a PAT (public access test) before she becomes fully certified. 

Whilst she is officially in training she will be permitted access to most places not normally accessible to regular dogs. Once she passes the PAT she would be able to accompany me pretty much anywhere, essentially the same as a guide dog.