Forgot to say Hi!

[Goldfields]

I was so interested in the nasal tumour thread that I forgot to introduce myself, sorry. I live in country Victoria, Australia, we bought a few acres, and rented some, when my husband retired so my animals could have the lifestyle they'd grown accustomed to. LOL. We've had a lifetime interest and ownership of horses and ponies but now only have two WM ponies left. I have owned, bred(sparingly) and shown Australian Cattle Dogs for about 34 years, then the same with Shetland Sheepdogs for over 13 years, but they are all retired now too. My two cattle dogs are nearly 14 years old, the 8 shelties range from 12 down to two that are 7 years young(my babies). LOL. Apart from that we have a talkative Sulphur crested cockatoo,( 35 years old), 3 cats, and a small flock of sheep that think they are human, just big pets in other words. I am sure I can learn a lot via this forum.

[hazelrunpack]

Welcome to the board, Goldfields.

And now that you've teased us with a description of your menagerie, you need to post some pics of them! The Sheep and the cockatoo, too, please

Out of curiosity, and forgive my ignorance, but what are 'WM ponies'?

[babymomma]

Im assuming they are welsh mountain ponies? lol

And welcome to the forum!

[hazelrunpack]

Ooooohhh...that would make sense All I could come up with is 'watermark' and that just plain doesn't make sense

[Melinda]

welcome to the forum, and yep, we wanna see pics of your pets!!

[Goldfields]

WM = Welsh Mountain ponies. I have a pretty liver chestnut stallion with 4 white stockings and a blaze, and a bay mare that I think wll be 28 this year.

Do I post pics here, in this thread? You're going to laugh when you see the ram we've just been loaned. He's a Dorper, a short solid fellow with the strangest fleece. A weight problem too I suspect. LOL. I think he's so cute, and he's a sweet boy, always wants to put his head in the bucket when I take their pellets out, so I'd say someone has made a pet of him in the past. I'll add him here. Hooray, worked out how to add photo's.

[Melinda]

*L* he looks like he's wearing a bad toupee!! I had a grey dapple welsh pony growing up, strong little bugger and so smart!!!

[Goldfields]

He does too, Melinda. LOL. But, the beauty of a fleeceless rear end is that there is no mulesing or crutching needed to save this breed from flystrike and they breed great fat lambs for the market. They start eating from birth too, unlike merino lambs that I think don't start till they are a fortnight old, so they grow quickly. Here is one of my ewes from last lamb season with her triplets, which she did a mighty job of rearing.

[Dee-O-Gee]

Your missing the Partridge in a pear tree Goldfields. (just being silly)

Seriously, the picture of the WM Pony is wonderful and now that you have the hang of posting pictures---can't wait to see more!

[hazelrunpack]

I don't see a pony, klm

But then, I've been totally lost since I read this:

there is no mulesing or crutching needed to save this breed from flystrike

Oy, Goldfields, you're going to have to translate for this ol' city girl, please

[Dee-O-Gee]

Originally Posted by hazelrunpack

I don't see a pony, klm

But then, I've been totally lost since I read this:



Oy, Goldfields, you're going to have to translate for this ol' city girl, please

No...no...you're not losing it Hazel! I'm just a I was commenting on the RAM but reading the write up on the Welsh Mountain Ponies! I'm doing some research on Water and Black Bucks right now as well so I think my mind is just spinning in animal circles!

[hazelrunpack]

Oh, whew! I thought I'd totally lost it...

[Goldfields]

Originally Posted by klmccallum

Your missing the Partridge in a pear tree Goldfields. (just being silly)

Seriously, the picture of the WM Pony is wonderful and now that you have the hang of posting pictures---can't wait to see more!

It feels like that at times, klm, but best we've had was an injured Barn Owl in a pear tree.

To educate yourself about mulesing, this link is a good one. Not for those with a weak stomach.

http://www.animalsaustralia.org/issues/mulesing.php

I have never had a lamb mulesd. And now a friend is loaning me Dorpers or Dorper crosses I can breed for sheep that are bare around the tail.

Here is my scruffy stallion, a photo taken last Winter. His nickname is Digby.

[hazelrunpack]

Bare around the tail is good! How common is flystrike? It must make the sheep miserable!

Digby is a handsome dude!

[Goldfields]

Flystrike is very common, and it can cause horrific pain and deaths in sheep here. Even dogs can get flystuck if they are injured and out where blow flies can lay eggs on them. I rely on flystrike powder for my sheep, but then they're pets that come running the minute I call them, it's big flocks out in vast paddocks that suffer.

Here is my old ACD , Cuddles, or Nanny Cuddles as we call her when she's looking after orphan lambs. She's a doll, loves us of course but also adores cats and the lambs, her only problem was she wanted to kill the red bitch we had and happens to be a good fighter. Since we sadly lost our red cattle dog girl, Susie, due to bone cancer, it's been a bit more peaceful, though I would never trust Cuddles with my shelties.

[Goldfields]

My old mare, Karli. And one of my outdoor cats, Sibi, a neutered ex-feral. The friendliest ex-feral you could find, he follows us everywhere.

[Goldfields]

Sibi's neutered brother, Ginger.(My, what an original name. LOL) He's still part feral I think, not real friendly, doesn't like being picked up, or having his photo taken. Our other cat is a blue point persian, Pheobe for short, but for the life of me I can't think where her photo's are.

[Melinda]

beautiful pictures!!!!

[Goldfields]

Thanks, Melinda. Takes a while to find and sometimes resize the photo's you'd like to post. The next member of the menagerie is my cockatoo, simply named Cocka-Girl. She was Cocka-Boy for the first 8 years of her life, then she started laying eggs. She barks, gives my dogs orders, calls them of course, pants like a hot dog, copies my hubby's transistor radio etc.. Oh, she learnt to swear at a time when we had a very nasty black colt yarded near her aviary, but thank heavens, if they don't keep hearing things, they stop repeating it. We sold the colt seeing he was a very bad biter.
Next photo is a favorite one of my red cattle dog boy, Perkins. The best ACD we've owned. A great show dog and a total gentleman. He would tiptoe up to a 5lb Chihuahua I once had, flirting, then lick her gently on the head. A nice dog. Then the third photo is the lovely Gemma, my little blonde bimbo of a sheltie. Very English in type compared to what you'd see in Canada or the States I guess.

[Goldfields]

I'll try to skip through the shelties fast, this could get boring.
First My favorite sheltie, Silk, followed by her daughter, Sugar, and Shady, the girl who had the nose bleeds.

[Melinda]

I always wanted a cockatoo, my dad raised many species of birds but the cockatiel was the largest, your sheltie is absolutely beautiful and your ACD also, such a gentle soul!!!

[Goldfields]

Lastly 3 of my four sheltie boys. Toby, Matthew and Bo. Toby and Matthew are litter brothers, and half brothers to Bo and Dundee who are from a different litter. Does that make sense?

[Melinda]

wonderful, man, I'd love to live next door to you, you'd never get rid of me *L*

[BenMax]

Welcome to the board.

It sure looks like you are living in a piece of Heaven. If I were your neighbour...you'd want to move as I would be pitching a tent at your place...(I of course would supply the coffee..)

[Goldfields]

Last but not least is my special needs kid, Dundee, who was born with birth defects after Shady injured herself whilst in whelp. Had to be reared with eye droppers, an exhausting job. I don't show him here as an adult because I am somewhat protective about him. His defects are in the skull but while they effect eyes, ears, jaws etc. and have worsened as he grew, it hasn't effected his brain. LOL. He's smart, totally devoted to yours truly, and in all other ways a normal , happy dog. We love him dearly.

[BenMax]

We love defects and all in here. Some of our members have dogs and cats that are not perfect on the outside...but they are 110% on the inside..in the big picture that is what really counts.

Hey - I have a cat that was strangled and she is not really all that normal. But hey - I love her to bits.

[Frenchy]

welcome to pets.ca ! wow , that's a lot of pets the lambs are too cute !! you have a beautiful fur family !

you must have your hands full with grooming all those shelties

[Goldfields]

Sorry, folks, I was so busy finding photo's that I didn't notice any replies. Melinda, you'd be welcome - do you know how to groom a sheltie?? Thanks for the welcome Benmax. You wouldn't be the first person to pitch a tent if you visited. My sister does because she brings along her sheltie pack, plus a German Shepherd. We do have a nice spot here. It's a grain growing area primarily, you could say mainly wheat and sheep, but we have a 1750 acre open eucalypt forest opposite us(kangaroo country), a 90 acre water reserve on two sides(partly timbered), and a farm on the final side. Closest neighbor is a mile away, so the dogs are allowed to voice their opinions(i.e. bark), closest town is 7 1/2 miles. I'll post some photo's of the area, but not tonight, it is very, very late down under, so I am off to bed. Night all.

[Goldfields]

Just a quick reply to Frenchy, as I MUST get to bed. I have some lovely lamb photo's, they are so photogenic. What I have from grooming those shelties is a totally wrecked shoulder. I take painkillers every night so I can sleep. When I was showing a team of dogs they were groomed, bathed, then brushed as I blow dried them before every show weekend. So my legs are wrecked from running too many triangles in the show ring with the dogs, and my shoulder from grooming them, but I wouldn't change a thing if I could do it all again. It is the pits getting old though and having to give up a hobby you love so much. Gardening is the passion now, and that's hard enough, but another story too. Goodnight everyone.

[Frenchy]

Have a goodnight Goldfields !

too funny , it's lunch time here