“Gizmo is a cranky old man trapped in the body of playful looking puppy.  He likes avoiding small children who are desperate to give him a pat or cuddle

Albion is a lapdog trapped in a 30kg Staffy cross body. He likes pretty much everything, but neck scratches and sleeping are high on the list.

Gizmo at a wild guess might be a terrier Chihuahua mix, roughly 10 years old.  We got him around five years ago as a friend of mine had rescued him, and I would pop by to walk him and keep him for longer and longer – eventually she said that I might as well keep him!  We got Albion through my boyfriend Glen’s colleague whose Staffordshire had puppies.  He’s meant to be a full Staffy, but just kept growing, so there’s a bit of something else in there!  He’s now three years old, but still the eternal puppy.

I have never seen two dogs who get along as well as Giz and Alby.  If one gets up to go outside, the other is straight behind him.  If they’re not sleeping, they are wrestling, with Albion lying down and Gizmo growling and biting his paws and ears while Alby tries to dodge.  Gizmo wins every time.  Gizmo’s greatest love: cats.  Greatest fear: cats.  Main dislikes are baths, thunder, and cats. Alby’s greatest love: roast lamb. Greatest fear: not getting any roast lamb.  Main dislikes are baths, the cold, and Gizmo stealing his roast lamb.

Both dogs are indifferent to chew toys, unless the other one is chewing one.” by Liz

“Let us introduce you to our special Girls!

Following the very sudden accidental death of our adored Miffy, our very special black and tan  Cavoodle in May 2015, we were devastated, feeling her loss terribly, entering into a period of great emptiness.

Towards the end of 2015, Michael’s cousin Petie suggested that we  should consider introducing  another four legged friend  into our family.

Michael and I had discussed that it would be much more fun if we were to introduce a pair of puppies so that each would have a playmate for company during the long part of the day when we were away at work.

Petie suggested that a dog worth considering would be a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, as they are a good size,  are highly affectionate, extremely patient , playful,  and always eager to please.  Just as our Miff had always been.

Minds made up that the time was right,  Petie, presented us with two adorable little Cavalier puppies, litter sisters.  They are both tan and white, or Blenheim, which is named after Blenheim Palace where John Churchill first bred this colouring.   From the minute they arrived, we were smitten!  They reminded us of aristocratic  children!  Wicked but always forgivable!

Hennie the big sister, we named after Queen Henrietta Marie, King Charles the 2nds Mother.  LuLu we named after Louise Duchess of Portsmouth, the mistress of Charles the 2^nd 

They are both  very happily settled with us at Fintry, and enjoying the comfortable life with walks  and enthusiastic visits to the park in Annandale.  These treks are well received, with the girls running thither and thither and socializing with dogs of all shapes and sizes, both large and small…with great enthusiasm and no hint of shyness involved!   Others in the park enjoying their good looks and sense of innocent pleasures!

Although not entitled to enter the Houses of Parliament as of right or privilege, our girls would have you believe that if living in the UK  that would not be the case!” by Janie and Michael.

“When we picked our mini schnauzer up from the breeder in Dural, we chose him because he was playful.   Mini schnauzers have grumpy old man faces, so we thought we’d call him Jeffrey to suit that face.  Our son called him De-dee before he could say the name and sometimes we lovingly just call him Dumb Dog.

He has a toy called “JJ” (junior Jeffrey) which was a stuffed dog.  Jeffrey loved him so much that he became a deflated saggy piece of material and 5 years later, he still carries him around.  It looks nothing like a dog anymore.

He is really comical and jumps around like a little lamb and when he was a puppy he would cock his leg on anything, including things he shouldn’t.  Once he stole the thong off a young man who was cuddling his girlfriend in the park.  It was very embarrassing chasing him to return the thong so they could continue canoodling.  Thankfully they enjoyed the show.” by Faye

“Hugo came to live with us when he was about two or three years old, and that was almost four years ago now. Hugo is actually his third name. For a few months, back when he was in the dog shelter, they called him Oscar. Before that he must have had another name but we’ll never know what it was. I think Hugo agreed that Oscar didn’t suit him because it took less than 24 hours for him to learn his new name. None of us ever looked back. The first few years of his life are a mystery, although we’ve got a few ideas of what life might have been like for him. But we don’t focus on the past. In fact, we’ve all enjoyed helping Hugo grow into the confident, gentle, loving, funny dog he is now. We measure how far he’s come by his tail: when we first got him, it never wagged. Now it wags every day, sometimes so much it becomes a full body wiggle! I often wonder why someone gave him up in the first place, but I’m so grateful that they did so that we could have him. We now have a two-year-old who thinks Hugo is just the best dog in the world. Thankfully Hugo adores her too, though until that typical toddler excitement is contained, he loves her from just outside of her reach. Every night he sits near her while she eats, stays near her during bath time (amazing for a dog who hates water) and lies in her room until she goes to sleep. Only then will he put himself to bed. And in the mornings, when she stirs, he joyfully runs in to her room to greet her. At this point she always calls out some version of his name. Depending on the day, it could be ‘Gugo!’ or more recently, ‘Schoogo!’ Whichever way, he still knows that’s his name.” by Bethany

“I lost my last border collie, Dexter at the end December 2012. I had just lost my business and a few weeks later my partner of 9 years and I separated.

It was a very hard time for me. 6 months later, still under the effect of the black dog. I started my search for a replacement. Kelpies were on the list but my heart kept coming back to border collies.

Ink was not easy to get. He is a purebred from Ancrum Border Collies in the southern highlands. In fact we thought the breeder had decided to place him with someone else. The breeder only breeds once or twice a year. All his sisters were exported.

He has had a pretty tough life for a dog so well bred. At age 18 months I threw him a stick at the park here in Balmain. It pierced the roof of his mouth and went behind is larynx. He came very close to dying.

At great cost he was saved, but this came with the loss of a lot of confidence. The wild young dog had become a timid little boy.

With lots of attention he is only just now starting to really get back the zip that he used to have. Rounding up dogs, not shying away from others and nipping at dogs who run up top him too quickly.

He has a cat as well. Sugar, she is a few months younger than him. Unfortunately she decided to disappear during the photo shoot.

Other than swimming and eating. Inks favourite thing is protecting sugar from the evil grey cat that comes into the garden to beat her up. Inky will often sleep at night on the roof, just to be able to get closer to the routes that grey cat takes to harass his baby Sugar.

As for the name. He got his name from the breeder as front right paw is jet black and looks like it has been dipped in ink or he has a sleeve tattoo. We added the y as shouting ink down at the park comes out hard on the back of your throat. Ink or

. I will always own border collies. They suit my lifestyle and temperament. Loving but full of action, unpredictable but intelligent. He has never had any real training. He walks off lead, understands heaps of words and is a sucker for a little toddler that he can sneak up on and lick on the face. He’s the best. Not a day goes by when I don’t get a compliment for having the most beautiful dog they have ever seen.” by Dan

“Maddie
Female Cavoodle – Aged 7 (Born May 2008)
Enjoys Flyball, Agility and Doing Tricks – like playing her drums or barrel rolling.
She is also a Delta Therapy Dogs that regularly visits a group of intellectually impaired adults.
Loves hunting for lizards/mice and rolling around on nice grass.
She is very independent, has lots of attitude and has lots of what i call “Street Smarts”.
She is great at problem solving & doing puzzles.

Charlee
Female Cavoodle– Aged 5 (born Sept 2010).
Charlee was rehomed to me at 7 months old.
Her previous and original owners did not have the time she needed for exercise and stimulation –
and could not manage her high energy levels. She fitted into our family straight away and has not looked back.
now she Enjoys Flyball, Agility, Obedience, Rally O and doing a tricks class. She plays Guitar and rides a skateboard.
She is also a Delta Therapy Dog that regularly visits a group of intellectually impaired adults.
She is very affectionate and always needs to be close to you, if not lying on you.
Charlee has the energy of the working dog, and requires lots of stimulation and exercise.
She very much wants to please and was a very easy dog to train, but is not a great problem solver like Maddie.
It is a different type of smart.
She is very ball crazed – so playing fetch with the ball thrower is her favourite type of exercise.
She lives for the ball.” by Melissa

Fawkes and Lily

“Fawkes was a rescue through Great Dane Rescue. He was only 6 weeks old when we got him. He is now two years old. He is a Merle Great Dane cross. He loves to have the last bark in every discussion. He likes to climb into our laps despite his large size. He will sit in any pond or water puddle.

Lily is a 6 month old pure Great Dane girl who was found wandering in a rural area. She was not claimed at the pound and was rescued by Great Dane Rescue when her time was up at he pound. She was fostered by us to help improve her health and teach her some basic training. She had been badly malnourished when she arrived. She has now joined a wonderful family down the South Coast who also have a Cocker Spaniel.

Lily liked to eat the blankets on the bed and the computer cords when she could get access to them.

My new wool blanket has two very nice holes in it.” by Suzanne