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CHEAP FLIGHTS
I am going to be totally honest in that i know nothing about how the discount flight sysyem works. I seriously don't get the whole 99c flights and periods where you can get cheap tickets.

Of particular interest are those bargain deals by the airlines Jetstar and Virgin Blue. . I plan to go to South East Asia; Bangkok and Cambodia

So if you have any knowledge, information or experience that you can share, i would really appreicate it. I haven't done any research on the topic so i am hoping some discussion can help start off my research, thanks

PET OWNERSHIP
Another topic i want some discussion is becoming a responsible pet owner.For a long time.... i wanted a pet dog and finally my circumstances have changed that allow me to do so. One of my biggest concern is being responsible, after all you are taking care of another life. I 100% know i will go to the pound and want a small sized dog, what are other factors i need to consider and your experiences on pet ownership.

err if this discussion goes nowhere thanks for reading...

i command you to get a dog or any pet from the animal shelters, pet shops are evil yo!


Fly Tiger air for cheap asian flights, or get to singapore or Malaysia then use that as your launch platform, use them to catch their domestic or pan asia cheapo air lines, dont ever ever fly Scare China i mean Air China:p

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Originally Posted by autobreadticon

PET OWNERSHIP
Another topic i want some discussion is becoming a responsible pet owner.For a long time.... i wanted a pet dog and finally my circumstances have changed that allow me to do so. One of my biggest concern is being responsible, after all you are taking care of another life. I 100% know i will go to the pound and want a small sized dog, what are other factors i need to consider and your experiences on pet ownership.

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A dog is a 15 year commitment. Traveling and renting (possibly more) become considerably challenging.

I've wanted a dog for a -long- time. My girlfriend and I have talked about it but neither of our circumstances permit it. A pet is a big responsibility especially in the initial stages. It has to have Co. regularly and you have to take it for walks to give it exercise. Then there's all the cleaning up if it's not trained and washing it. Bottom line is you have to have a bit of time at home. I'm barely at home for extended periods usually and heading into full time work next year, it just isn't a realistic proposition.

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Originally Posted by autobreadticon

CHEAP FLIGHTS

Of particular interest are those bargain deals by the airlines Jetstar and Virgin Blue. . I plan to go to South East Asia; Bangkok and Cambodia

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DON'T fly with Jetstar. You have been warned.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by autobreadticon

PET OWNERSHIP
Another topic i want some discussion is becoming a responsible pet owner.For a long time.... i wanted a pet dog and finally my circumstances have changed that allow me to do so. One of my biggest concern is being responsible, after all you are taking care of another life. I 100% know i will go to the pound and want a small sized dog, what are other factors i need to consider and your experiences on pet ownership.

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If you get bored looking after your pet and decide the responsibility is too much you can just eat it. Win-win.

The larger the Dog the shorter the lifespan in general. Even one from the pound costs a couple of hundred if not more nowadays. If you don't have a lot of spare time to be able to house train it and stop it from getting bored while it's young then avoid a puppy. You can usually pick up a dog that is one or two years old either from the pound or check the classifieds in the pet section, you have paople who are no longer able to keep their dog and are willing to give it away as long as it goes to a good home. Temprament is very important, quite a few of the really small dogs can have a vicious streak so I'd look for a small to medium. If you have resricted yard space then stay away from terriers as they will soon get bored and either tear the yard up or find a way to escape. Depending on the breed or cross breed you would need to know if they carry any hereditary diseases like patella or spinal problems or as with some breeds hip displaysia(German Shepard, Rott weiler). You really do need to do a lot of research to find the right dog for you, going to the pound is both good and bad. Good as you are helping out an animal that needs a home, Bad as you don't know what sort of treatement the dog has got from it's previous owners. Good luck with your hunt and here is a site to help do some research http://www.dogzonline.com.au/

I picked up one of my dogs from the Lost Dogs Home. I can't recall the amount, but it wasn't too bad. They also desex all dogs.
In general, to avoid hereditary problems, go with mixed breed dogs. A lot tougher due to not being inbred.
If the dog is going to be alone for most of the day, consider getting 2 then. They keep each other company, and are more sociable.
Hope that helps.

Well for the airfare thingy, it's usually like a battle of who has the best broadband to get in and book the flight for tickets that go at 99 cents. My friend tried it before and it usually sells out in minutes.

I'll talk more about the doggy stuff since I have a cutie-pie at home so popular that my friend actually created a facebook account for him. :D And you kinda cannot say no to a face like this:
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r...er-random1.jpg

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r...er-random2.jpg

Anyway thats besides the story. :p A dog like all the others have said is more than a decade of commitment. When my BF and I first got Jasper at 2 months old, I was looking for a job and he was still in uni, so there was always someone around to be with him. Puppies are just like babies, they need alot of attention. We woke up sometimes in the middle of the night to clean poo and pee. And also biting/chewing things are one of their favourite hobbies until they get to the age of over a year old. So if you're want to get a puppy, make sure you have time to train them properly and be prepared for some disasters like things getting chewed. The best way to curb that is to buy them toys. (Jasper has about 9-10 toys he can choose from so he grew out of that chewing stage a bit faster.) Stay away from petshops, they are overpriced. Look on trading post for private sellers. Puppies range from $300 to $1200 depending on what breed of dog you want. Pet shop prices are usually double the price of private sellers for the same breeds. Like Jasper (a Maltese/Poodle) cost about $695 from a pet shop, we got him for $300 from a private seller.

As for adopting/buying and older dog, we actually adopted a 9 month old puppy some time in July. The owner was moving overseas and she promised us he was house-trained, well-behaved and stuff. But it turned out otherwise (he peed and shit anywhere he wanted and even did his business while walking or playing on the corridors and even on our bed or when we carried him!). Also he was an "outside during the day to shit/pee anywhere" dog while ours was always kept indoors and brought out for walks during the weekends. In the end he was sold to another couple who can take better care of him. That's why as mentioned, if you adopt, you got to pick a dog that suits your life style and be prepared that they may have some old bad habits stuck from their past owners. Adoption is available from RSPCA or just google dog adoption. RSPCA adoption:
Adult $210
Puppy $260
Senior $155
Dogs available at the Burwood shelter now

Also you got to think about large or small breeds, hyper active or more well-behaved / smarter breeds, indoor or outdoor. etc.. Ahh I've got too much advice to tell you, been keeping dogs since I was 7 yrs old. If you get a chance to meet at another group meet, I can tell you more. ;)

We used to have 2 kelpies, great companions. Not all yappy like those small dogs (whom I hate, some are ok though) and not aggressive like some bigger dogs. They lived to about 15-16, but we lived out in the country so they had heaps of room to run around and play. Since they've died, we've moved to the city so we don't have room for dogs like that anymore, but if you have the room, i highly recommend them. Pretty much all sheep dogs are good companions really.

You could always get a different pet to a cat or dog, I've always wanted a snake or lizard :D

For an extra 3 years commitment you can have a child instead! :D