Knightley's little brother? Therapy dog work, new items at Oz Working Dogs

11 months 4 weeks old


This is a short-ish post to report that after contacting several breeders I may have found Knightley's little brother. I have first choice on a litter with 6 males due to go to their homes on August 22nd, so they are four weeks old at the moment. There is a small chance the breeder may keep one of them, in which case I would have second choice, but it is relatively unlikely we would want the same puppy. The parents have excellent hip scores....... but so did Knightley's parents. Sigh. The breeder was quite dismissive of Knightley's sire/dam which is interesting (when she heard about his hip dysplasia), as they are usually considered rather pre-eminent in the region. She says she has never heard of any of her dogs with hips problems, and has certainly never had hips problems in ones she has kept. She breeds Australian Shepherds and Border Collies too. She must be very busy at the moment as she has three golden litters all at once although one is about to go home and one was just born. If there wasn't a pup for us in the 6 male litter, the next litter has 4, so that could give us another chance.

The sire of the litter I am likely going to temperament
test for our second puppy. Definitely got the happy
Golden grin, but far darker in colour than my Knightley.

So cross fingers this could be it.  Her lines are not as beautifully light coloured as Knightley is, although some of them are lighter in colour and it says on http://www.dogzonline.com.au (the main register of breeders and litters for sale here in Australia for pedigree dogs) that there are all colours available in the litter. We are definitely more likely to end up with a 'golden' golden this time though. I certainly can't choose for colour unless two of those boys are completely evenly matched in every other way.

I have found the last week pretty rough. I pulled up very sore after my fall and am still getting over it. My knee is still ridiculously sore to the touch. I wonder what I did to it.

I am also still coming to terms with no more public training with Knightley. In my mind he was already my partner, so it is such a harsh pill to swallow. I used to take him up to our local shops on training runs quite regularly, if I had to just pick up a prescription or something. It is within my abilities to walk there on a good day, and it was good training for him. Now I don't want to go to the shops without him. I suppose while part of me is mourning my lost dreams for Knightley, part of me is mourning the loss of my already increased independence. Knightley had already made a big difference to my confidence in public when alone. To lose that so suddenly is very painful.

Happily however, I've had some good positive reactions to my plan to turn Knightley into a therapy dog. I know from my time in hospital, which was quite extensive before they had a clue what was going on with me, that even a short visit with a happy smiling dog would make all the difference in the world. If Knightley can't be my assistance dog, he can still do a lot of good in this world. Frankly, having a visit from a dog like Knightley while I was at my worst and unhappiest in hospital would have made an absolutely huge difference. So I will try very hard to have he and I become a therapy team, knowing the potential difference it could make to someone's day or even their week.

One of my new Oz Working Dogs products. A personal favourite!

I've a few more products on my Oz Working Dogs website. One of my personal favourites is this neoprene handled leash. It is fantastic for those with hand strength or coordination problems, those with hand pain, or textile-sensitive autism. I really enjoy using it myself, and so does hubby whose hands are absolutely fine! It is just so comfortable to hold. I love making products that I can use on a daily basis!

I'm about to start working on a range specifically for tiny assistance dogs, so look out for that.

It's also Knightley's birthday in two days time. I am going to get him the paddling pool and fill it with sand, as I discussed. After his massive digging session on the beach he won't stop digging in the backyard, so I need to give him an acceptable digging space. I am sure he will love it. I'm going to get a whole bunch of balls that I can bury in the sand too, and for fun in the backyard.

So, life does continue despite the relative lack of posts. I'm just finding it all a bit tough at the moment. Hopefully Knightley's birthday will be fun. Maybe I should bake him a cake! You can find doggy cake recipes.... Will let you all know anyway. Take care everyone!