Hi all!
Have been reading Brightonchris's thread entitled "Driving across Spain with a dog" and wondered how, when everyone has your dogs have settled. I have a GSD who is a bit of an outdoor boy and insists we have our patio doors open winter and summer! (didn't say he got his own way mind, did I?).

How have your pets adapted to the difference in temperature/climate/food etc? And did you encounter any problems you had not anticipated?
Thanks guys! Would be glad to share your experiences here.

Chris XXX

I brought my black Staffie X with me - getting on a bit now, but loves the sun. I brought plenty of her familiar food with us from the UK to tide her over for a while but once that ran out she adapted to the supermarket stuff OK.
She developed liver problems in 2004 (diagnosed by my Spanish vet) and has been on a special Hill's diet food ever since. Have found most vets to be as good here as in the UK - for the usual annual jabs, an annual blood test and for a minor growth op since being here.
I give her only mineral water to drink as the tap water is very hard and can cause health probs for dogs (and cats) in later life.
I always muzzle her in public (which scares the life out of the Spanish for some reason!) and if off the lead too - heard of too many poisoning cases here (deliberate and accidental) to take a chance.

Thanks Hillbilly, that's a cool dude Staffie you have there! A bit shy and retiring perhaps? Good idea about the water.
I tried to attach a picture of our dog but couldn't manage it. I did however, inadvertantly manage to record myself trying. I didn't know you could do that. Please God this hasn't loaded. I wont tell you hoe the conversation between me and my computer went! Suffice to say it won!!! :curse:

Chris, my GSD was born in Spain, but when it's hot she lies under my bed during the day and runs like a lunatic around the place other time. I have a small swimming pool and she often gets in it too cool off. I had a GSD also in Australia and she used to climb into the water trough for the horses when she got too hot. So maybe have an old bath full of water that he can get into now and then too cool off. The other thing is sometimes they find a cool spot in the garden, my GSD also used to dig and then lie down as the soil was cooler. But she seems to manage in the heat, and sometimes I also have water fights with her with the hose so that helps. They soon climatise, just make sure you don't take them in the middle of summer to do so, maybe build them up to it.

Where are you heading, my female GSD needs a boyfriend....

Lol Hi Mercedes, thanks for the tip on the "water cooler" another good idea! We haven't decided on a paricular location yet. Pretty much going to wait till house sells, drive over with our "pup" ( I use the word loosely, he is 3 years old, not an ounce of fat and is solid muscle!) and rent for a while. We would like to buy a finca/country house and idealy about 1000 m2 of land, plenty big enough for him to toddle about until its time for HIM to take my husband for a walk later! (when it is a little cooler). I think that he may slow down a bit with the heat anyway. (espero que si!) If anyone can advise me how to add a photo I will post his picture. I didn't have any problem with the avatar as it was on the software program that came with our digital camera, and which is really easy to use. The picture I was going to post is on another software program which came with the camcorder, and it is PIG of a program. There are buttons and icons everywhere but there are NO instructions as to how to use them! They don't even display anything when you hover over them. :curse: I know I can tranfer pictures from that sofware to the other because I've done it! But I can't remember how I did it. I think it was a fluke!
Anyway, enough of that, whereabouts in Spain are you located? (If you don't mind me asking!)
If anyone can assist with the picture thing, please feel free to chip in!

I am going to try and post a picture. This may take some time!

Fingers crossed, and if there is a picture of a GSD then I have been successful! Here goes nothing.

I did it, I did it! (Don't ask me how, 'cause I still don't know how I did it Ha Ha!
Isn't he a handsome lad?

I have been trying to remember this site.


http://petrelocation.com/


wrong one!

http://expatexchange.com/lib.cfm?articleid=2510

Thanks Rugbymatt, but I think I would be a jibbering wreck if seperated from our dog. We will probably do the channel tunnel then drive through France and into Spain. Hopefully we shouldn't be in any rush so the long haul should be a little less of an ordeal.
But please don't think your contribution was not appreciated, as it was? Cheers Rugbymatt!

I posted the wrong one, I was trying to post their advice bit without posting another expat site since as we all know BE is the one and only, simply the best.

I'm on the CDS, up in the mountains in a Spanish community with a villa on 1/4 of an acre so she has plenty of room to run about. The house needed some work on it, but I got it for a good price and the area they think will be popular as the building regs are quite tough, as I'm finding out here. My GDS is coming up to 4, I had her at 7 months old from the rescue centre down here. I haven't got photo I can upload, but will when I can, she is a trendy dog is running around with a scalf around her neck. Pretty dog, every time I go out, people want to come over and stroke her, especially in restaurants, in fact someone gave her an ice cream that their toddler was eating. Although the kid didn't want the rest of it, he howled as she was eating it and licking her chops.

Wow what a goog thread,I will be taking my George to Spain ,so very interesting.Heres some pics taken this morning.Cheers








Cheers

Damn done it again

Priceless!

Heres a piccy of my little boy a few days after his knee operation.