# Miko is obsessed with chewing his beard!



## jazzmalt (Feb 6, 2007)

Miko has a new compulsion. He licks up little pieces of his beard from the corners of his mouth or from underneath his chin and chews on them. He's pretty neurotic about it. When I catch him, I pull the piece out of his mouth, tell him "no", then he'll immediately pull the hair back into his mouth, and we'll do this over and over again for several minutes. I've tried ignoring him in case he thinks this is some kind of fun new game, but he does it anyway. If I don't catch him doing it, and sometimes he does it overnight so it's hard to always catch him, he'll chew the hair into a soggy tangled mess. 

I keep him in full coat, so really really (really!) don't want to cut his beard down. I've thought about spraying it with Bitter Apple, but am concerned that it could stain his hair, or that there could be something harmful in it if he eats it? I've thought about rubber banding his beard, but am concerned that over time that could break his hair?

Have any of you with compulsive beard chewers found a way to solve this silly habit? It's driving me crazy! :smpullhair:


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Start banding it. Here's Mikey's face banded. You can put one or two on the chin hair as well if you need.


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## precious paws (Jun 7, 2006)

Banding the face hair looks uncomfortable to me.


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

> Banding the face hair looks uncomfortable to me.[/B]


No more so than having a top knot.


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## precious paws (Jun 7, 2006)

.....


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## jazzmalt (Feb 6, 2007)

> Start banding it. Here's Mikey's face banded. You can put one or two on the chin hair as well if you need.[/B]


Thanks for the reply! Late last night Miko started up with the beard-chewing and simply refused to stop. Finally, I did band his moustache and his beard, but within a matter of seconds he had one of the moustache pieces in his mouth and was chewing the band out of it. I didn't want to risk him swallowing one of the bands during the night, so I took them out before he went to bed. He's been pretty good today so far, so I haven't tried banding him again. But, no doubt his good behavior is temporary, and we'll give it another try when it happens.

Once you started banding Mikey, were you ever able to stop banding him? I'd think there might be a chance that temporary banding could break them of the habit of chewing their hair. No such luck? Do you find that banding his moustache leads to breakage? From your picture, it sure doesn't look like it. Mikey's gorgeous!


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Mikey never ate his...but I banded it to grow it out so it wouldn't break. My other dog would eat Mikey's face furnishings if not banded. You can but some bitter apply on his face. Squirt it on your finger and then put it on the banded hair.


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## lora123 (Oct 27, 2007)

> Banding the face hair looks uncomfortable to me.[/B]


Not only does it look uncomfortable its also not the best look for any dog, just my opinion.


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## carolicious (Feb 25, 2008)

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of course it's not the best look, duh, but sometimes you just have to do what is necessary to maintain a full coat. That is why people who show wrap their maltese' coat, which of course doesn't look all that great, but it is necessary in order to keep their coat from getting caught and matted and dirtied.


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## KandiMaltese (Mar 27, 2007)

spray the bitter apple on it


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## Harley & Dakotas Mum (Jun 11, 2005)

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I believe the question was how to stop a pup chewing on the beard/face, and not about 'appearance'. I also don't believe anyone here is into causing any sort of discomfort, or even cruelty.

Some excellent suggestions have been provided.

JMO.

I apologise if this appears harsh, I enjoy being able to ask questions here of members more knowledgeable than me, and I certainly appreciate all advice offered.


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## Scoobydoo (May 26, 2005)

You can spray the bitter apple on, it doesn't discolor the hair and is very effective in deterring hair chewing.
I had to resort to the same thing with Koko, he doesn't chew his beard but he does chew his tail, and I mean he really goes to town on it, pulling it through his teeth like he is flossing :HistericalSmiley: He does this at night and when he is sitting on my chair. I apply the bitter apple and he doesn't touch it at all till after his bath, so I have to reapply.
Perhaps Miko has food taste in his beard and likes to chew on it to savor the flavor


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## lora123 (Oct 27, 2007)

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I think we all know what the question was and if you dont like my comment then so be it, but I think you are the only one that was bothered by it, and I also believe I wasn't the only one that had a comment about the puppys beard being tied up rather it was it being a comfort comment or a look comment, cant anyone in this forum say what they want without someone boo-whooing about the comment. Please people get over it!!!!


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Banding the face, or anywhere else on the dog, is not uncomfortable nor is it cruel. If anything, it allows coated dogs MORE freedom to do regular doggy things while maintaining coat.


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## carolicious (Feb 25, 2008)

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I believe the question was how to stop a pup chewing on the beard/face, and not about 'appearance'. I also don't believe anyone here is into causing any sort of discomfort, or even cruelty.

Some excellent suggestions have been provided.

JMO.

I apologise if this appears harsh, I enjoy being able to ask questions here of members more knowledgeable than me, and I certainly appreciate all advice offered.
[/B][/QUOTE]
I think we all know what the question was and if you dont like my comment then so be it, but I think you are the only one that was bothered by it, and I also believe I wasn't the only one that had a comment about the puppys beard being tied up rather it was it being a comfort comment or a look comment, cant anyone in this forum say what they want without someone boo-whooing about the comment. Please people get over it!!!!
[/B][/QUOTE]

:blink: 

I was bothered by your comment too. This is a public forum, like you said, people can say whatever they want. So others have the right to respond to your comment as well. Jackie is a very knowledgeable person who has a lot of expertise in many areas and is a very valuable asset to this forum who offers very valuable advice to many people, so for you to say that she is causing discomfort to her dogs is obviously not going to settle well with people who have respect for her and others on this forum who have way more expertise than any of us regular pet owners do. 

sorry for going off topic Jazzmalt! I apologize!


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## precious paws (Jun 7, 2006)

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[/B][/QUOTE]
I think we all know what the question was and if you dont like my comment then so be it, but I think you are the only one that was bothered by it, and I also believe I wasn't the only one that had a comment about the puppys beard being tied up rather it was it being a comfort comment or a look comment, cant anyone in this forum say what they want without someone boo-whooing about the comment. Please people get over it!!!!
[/B][/QUOTE]

I think your comment was fine and so was mine. I never said anyone was being cruel. I will say I wear my hair up and it is very uncomfortable and I can't imagine having that feeling on my face. This is my opinion.


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Whenever you band any part of the dog, top knot included, it is important to be sure you are not pulling on the coat. That would make the dog uncomfortable and cause them to rub and scratch at the banded areas - thus damaging the coat. Damage is exactly what we're trying to prevent by banding (and wrapping).


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## MandyMc65 (Jun 14, 2007)

> Whenever you band any part of the dog, top knot included, it is important to be sure you are not pulling on the coat. That would make the dog uncomfortable and cause them to rub and scratch at the banded areas - thus damaging the coat. Damage is exactly what we're trying to prevent by banding (and wrapping).[/B]


That's what I thought too! 

The band isn't suppose to be tight like when we put our hair up. Jax just ignores it once I put the rat tail comb in and "puff" it up! It's no longer pulling the hair.


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## lora123 (Oct 27, 2007)

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I think we all know what the question was and if you dont like my comment then so be it, but I think you are the only one that was bothered by it, and I also believe I wasn't the only one that had a comment about the puppys beard being tied up rather it was it being a comfort comment or a look comment, cant anyone in this forum say what they want without someone boo-whooing about the comment. Please people get over it!!!!
[/B][/QUOTE]

:blink: 

I was bothered by your comment too. This is a public forum, like you said, people can say whatever they want. So others have the right to respond to your comment as well. Jackie is a very knowledgeable person who has a lot of expertise in many areas and is a very valuable asset to this forum who offers very valuable advice to many people, so for you to say that she is causing discomfort to her dogs is obviously not going to settle well with people who have respect for her and others on this forum who have way more expertise than any of us regular pet owners do. 

sorry for going off topic Jazzmalt! I apologize!
[/B][/QUOTE]
First off if you could read you would see that I didn't say anything about the dicomfort of the dog, I said I didn't like the look of the beard being tied up. So please read the comments correctly before critizing people. And I really dont care who Jackie is. How do you know how much knowledge I have , I could possibly have just as much as Jackie if not more. So get all your facts before making your snotty comments.


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## lora123 (Oct 27, 2007)

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I think we all know what the question was and if you dont like my comment then so be it, but I think you are the only one that was bothered by it, and I also believe I wasn't the only one that had a comment about the puppys beard being tied up rather it was it being a comfort comment or a look comment, cant anyone in this forum say what they want without someone boo-whooing about the comment. Please people get over it!!!!
[/B][/QUOTE]

I think your comment was fine and so was mine. I never said anyone was being cruel. I will say I wear my hair up and it is very uncomfortable and I can't imagine having that feeling on my face. This is my opinion.
[/B][/QUOTE]
Thank You so much, I too never said anyone was being cruel, I think someone is putting words in our mouths. But it feels good to hear someone say something nice instead of complaining about every comment I make.


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## carolicious (Feb 25, 2008)

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I believe the question was how to stop a pup chewing on the beard/face, and not about 'appearance'. I also don't believe anyone here is into causing any sort of discomfort, or even cruelty.

Some excellent suggestions have been provided.

JMO.

I apologise if this appears harsh, I enjoy being able to ask questions here of members more knowledgeable than me, and I certainly appreciate all advice offered.
[/B][/QUOTE]
I think we all know what the question was and if you dont like my comment then so be it, but I think you are the only one that was bothered by it, and I also believe I wasn't the only one that had a comment about the puppys beard being tied up rather it was it being a comfort comment or a look comment, cant anyone in this forum say what they want without someone boo-whooing about the comment. Please people get over it!!!!
[/B][/QUOTE]

:blink: 

I was bothered by your comment too. This is a public forum, like you said, people can say whatever they want. So others have the right to respond to your comment as well. Jackie is a very knowledgeable person who has a lot of expertise in many areas and is a very valuable asset to this forum who offers very valuable advice to many people, so for you to say that she is causing discomfort to her dogs is obviously not going to settle well with people who have respect for her and others on this forum who have way more expertise than any of us regular pet owners do. 

sorry for going off topic Jazzmalt! I apologize!
[/B][/QUOTE]
First off if you could read you would see that I didn't say anything about the dicomfort of the dog, I said I didn't like the look of the beard being tied up. So please read the comments correctly before critizing people. And I really dont care who Jackie is. How do you know how much knowledge I have , I could possibly have just as much as Jackie if not more. So get all your facts before making your snotty comments.
[/B][/QUOTE]

lol wow, and you're not snotty? this made me laugh :HistericalSmiley:


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## carolicious (Feb 25, 2008)

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I think we all know what the question was and if you dont like my comment then so be it, but I think you are the only one that was bothered by it, and I also believe I wasn't the only one that had a comment about the puppys beard being tied up rather it was it being a comfort comment or a look comment, cant anyone in this forum say what they want without someone boo-whooing about the comment. Please people get over it!!!!
[/B][/QUOTE]

:blink: 

I was bothered by your comment too. This is a public forum, like you said, people can say whatever they want. So others have the right to respond to your comment as well. Jackie is a very knowledgeable person who has a lot of expertise in many areas and is a very valuable asset to this forum who offers very valuable advice to many people, so for you to say that she is causing discomfort to her dogs is obviously not going to settle well with people who have respect for her and others on this forum who have way more expertise than any of us regular pet owners do. 

sorry for going off topic Jazzmalt! I apologize!
[/B][/QUOTE]
First off if you could read you would see that I didn't say anything about the dicomfort of the dog, I said I didn't like the look of the beard being tied up. So please read the comments correctly before critizing people. And I really dont care who Jackie is. How do you know how much knowledge I have , I could possibly have just as much as Jackie if not more. So get all your facts before making your snotty comments.
[/B][/QUOTE]

lol wow, and you're not snotty? this made me laugh :HistericalSmiley:
[/B][/QUOTE]


Oh, and Jackie is JMM, who has given you advice in your past posts, so I would hope you would care more about who she is before you go off saying things like that.


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## cloey70 (Jan 6, 2008)

Can this thread die already!


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## lora123 (Oct 27, 2007)

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I believe the question was how to stop a pup chewing on the beard/face, and not about 'appearance'. I also don't believe anyone here is into causing any sort of discomfort, or even cruelty.

Some excellent suggestions have been provided.

JMO.

I apologise if this appears harsh, I enjoy being able to ask questions here of members more knowledgeable than me, and I certainly appreciate all advice offered.
[/B][/QUOTE]
I think we all know what the question was and if you dont like my comment then so be it, but I think you are the only one that was bothered by it, and I also believe I wasn't the only one that had a comment about the puppys beard being tied up rather it was it being a comfort comment or a look comment, cant anyone in this forum say what they want without someone boo-whooing about the comment. Please people get over it!!!!
[/B][/QUOTE]

:blink: 

I was bothered by your comment too. This is a public forum, like you said, people can say whatever they want. So others have the right to respond to your comment as well. Jackie is a very knowledgeable person who has a lot of expertise in many areas and is a very valuable asset to this forum who offers very valuable advice to many people, so for you to say that she is causing discomfort to her dogs is obviously not going to settle well with people who have respect for her and others on this forum who have way more expertise than any of us regular pet owners do. 

sorry for going off topic Jazzmalt! I apologize!
[/B][/QUOTE]
First off if you could read you would see that I didn't say anything about the dicomfort of the dog, I said I didn't like the look of the beard being tied up. So please read the comments correctly before critizing people. And I really dont care who Jackie is. How do you know how much knowledge I have , I could possibly have just as much as Jackie if not more. So get all your facts before making your snotty comments.
[/B][/QUOTE]

lol wow, and you're not snotty? this made me laugh :HistericalSmiley:
[/B][/QUOTE]


Oh, and Jackie is JMM, who has given you advice in your past posts, so I would hope you would care more about who she is before you go off saying things like that.
[/B][/QUOTE]
I still have no idea who Jackie is and what JMM stands for. And it still wouldn't change what I say. And by the way you started off being snotty I just defended myself so ya you really made me laugh too.


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## carolicious (Feb 25, 2008)

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I think we all know what the question was and if you dont like my comment then so be it, but I think you are the only one that was bothered by it, and I also believe I wasn't the only one that had a comment about the puppys beard being tied up rather it was it being a comfort comment or a look comment, cant anyone in this forum say what they want without someone boo-whooing about the comment. Please people get over it!!!!
[/B][/QUOTE]

:blink: 

I was bothered by your comment too. This is a public forum, like you said, people can say whatever they want. So others have the right to respond to your comment as well. Jackie is a very knowledgeable person who has a lot of expertise in many areas and is a very valuable asset to this forum who offers very valuable advice to many people, so for you to say that she is causing discomfort to her dogs is obviously not going to settle well with people who have respect for her and others on this forum who have way more expertise than any of us regular pet owners do. 

sorry for going off topic Jazzmalt! I apologize!
[/B][/QUOTE]
First off if you could read you would see that I didn't say anything about the dicomfort of the dog, I said I didn't like the look of the beard being tied up. So please read the comments correctly before critizing people. And I really dont care who Jackie is. How do you know how much knowledge I have , I could possibly have just as much as Jackie if not more. So get all your facts before making your snotty comments.
[/B][/QUOTE]

lol wow, and you're not snotty? this made me laugh :HistericalSmiley:
[/B][/QUOTE]


Oh, and Jackie is JMM, who has given you advice in your past posts, so I would hope you would care more about who she is before you go off saying things like that.
[/B][/QUOTE]
I still have no idea who Jackie is and what JMM stands for. And it still wouldn't change what I say. And by the way you started off being snotty I just defended myself so ya you really made me laugh too.
[/B][/QUOTE]


lol I'm always willing to give anyone a good laugh so I'm fine with that, and JMM is the person who said she banded her dog's beard and you responded saying that it looks bad and uncomfortable.. if you look at your past threads she's also the one giving you advice on a lot of your topics.. i don't understand how you can say you don't know who I'm talking about when you're the one telling her banding the bear looks uncomfortable.


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## precious paws (Jun 7, 2006)

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[/B][/QUOTE]
I think we all know what the question was and if you dont like my comment then so be it, but I think you are the only one that was bothered by it, and I also believe I wasn't the only one that had a comment about the puppys beard being tied up rather it was it being a comfort comment or a look comment, cant anyone in this forum say what they want without someone boo-whooing about the comment. Please people get over it!!!!
[/B][/QUOTE]

I think your comment was fine and so was mine. I never said anyone was being cruel. I will say I wear my hair up and it is very uncomfortable and I can't imagine having that feeling on my face. This is my opinion.
[/B][/QUOTE]
Thank You so much, I too never said anyone was being cruel, I think someone is putting words in our mouths. But it feels good to hear someone say something nice instead of complaining about every comment I make.
[/B][/QUOTE]


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## cloey70 (Jan 6, 2008)

Can u all please take your arguements to email or pm.


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## jazzmalt (Feb 6, 2007)

> Mikey never ate his...but I banded it to grow it out so it wouldn't break. My other dog would eat Mikey's face furnishings if not banded. You can put some bitter apply on his face. Squirt it on your finger and then put it on the banded hair.[/B]


Thank you for the info and advice, much appreciated. Hopefully some temporary combination of this will work for behavior modification. It really does seem to be a habit he's gotten into, and maybe if he's prevented from chewing on his face hair for awhile, he'll forget all about it. After all, he went for over a year in full coat before he discovered how much fun it was to chew on it. :smpullhair:


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## jazzmalt (Feb 6, 2007)

> You can spray the bitter apple on, it doesn't discolor the hair and is very effective in deterring hair chewing.
> I had to resort to the same thing with Koko, he doesn't chew his beard but he does chew his tail, and I mean he really goes to town on it, pulling it through his teeth like he is flossing :HistericalSmiley: He does this at night and when he is sitting on my chair. I apply the bitter apple and he doesn't touch it at all till after his bath, so I have to reapply.[/B]


Thank you! This answers my questions about the Bitter Apple. Your Koko chewing his tail sounds just like Miko chewing his beard. It does look just like he's trying to floss with it! :biggrin: He can get it wound up pretty tightly from the corners of his mouth all the way back to his molars.


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## jazzmalt (Feb 6, 2007)

:smhelp: 

*Can I ask a moderator to lock this thread?* 

I sure didn't mean to start any unpleasantness or controversy by asking what seemed to be such a simple question. Thanks to all who provided helpful suggestions. If anyone has any other suggestions not covered here, please just PM them to me? 

:smhelp:


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## lora123 (Oct 27, 2007)

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I believe the question was how to stop a pup chewing on the beard/face, and not about 'appearance'. I also don't believe anyone here is into causing any sort of discomfort, or even cruelty.

Some excellent suggestions have been provided.

JMO.

I apologise if this appears harsh, I enjoy being able to ask questions here of members more knowledgeable than me, and I certainly appreciate all advice offered.
[/B][/QUOTE]
I think we all know what the question was and if you dont like my comment then so be it, but I think you are the only one that was bothered by it, and I also believe I wasn't the only one that had a comment about the puppys beard being tied up rather it was it being a comfort comment or a look comment, cant anyone in this forum say what they want without someone boo-whooing about the comment. Please people get over it!!!!
[/B][/QUOTE]

:blink: 

I was bothered by your comment too. This is a public forum, like you said, people can say whatever they want. So others have the right to respond to your comment as well. Jackie is a very knowledgeable person who has a lot of expertise in many areas and is a very valuable asset to this forum who offers very valuable advice to many people, so for you to say that she is causing discomfort to her dogs is obviously not going to settle well with people who have respect for her and others on this forum who have way more expertise than any of us regular pet owners do. 

sorry for going off topic Jazzmalt! I apologize!
[/B][/QUOTE]
First off if you could read you would see that I didn't say anything about the dicomfort of the dog, I said I didn't like the look of the beard being tied up. So please read the comments correctly before critizing people. And I really dont care who Jackie is. How do you know how much knowledge I have , I could possibly have just as much as Jackie if not more. So get all your facts before making your snotty comments.
[/B][/QUOTE]

lol wow, and you're not snotty? this made me laugh :HistericalSmiley:
[/B][/QUOTE]


Oh, and Jackie is JMM, who has given you advice in your past posts, so I would hope you would care more about who she is before you go off saying things like that.
[/B][/QUOTE]
I still have no idea who Jackie is and what JMM stands for. And it still wouldn't change what I say. And by the way you started off being snotty I just defended myself so ya you really made me laugh too.
[/B][/QUOTE]


lol I'm always willing to give anyone a good laugh so I'm fine with that, and JMM is the person who said she banded her dog's beard and you responded saying that it looks bad and uncomfortable.. if you look at your past threads she's also the one giving you advice on a lot of your topics.. i don't understand how you can say you don't know who I'm talking about when you're the one telling her banding the bear looks uncomfortable.
[/B][/QUOTE]
Good Lord I know she is the one that started the thread about tieing the dogs beard, you made it sound as if she is some big important person and how dare I disrespect her, I didn't say it was uncomfortable I simply said it wasn't a good look for a dog, thats it. And look how upset you got over that simple comment, c'mon lady get a life.


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## lora123 (Oct 27, 2007)

> Can u all please take your arguements to email or pm.[/B]


 Ya I guess we could but why, whats the use in having a forum if you cant confront one another. Acccording to your email to me you were very happy with the way I handled her comment, you know what I mean.


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## cloey70 (Jan 6, 2008)

:wacko1:


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