Show us your pets!

[badger]

I just wish people don't use pit bulls as a means to intimidate people or to train them to fight dogs.

Pit bulls often make horrible "guard dogs" because they inherently love people. They have problems with other animals but for the most part (unless they've been trained otherwise) they love humans and won't hurt them.

But people like that give them the worst reputation that just keep getting worse.

[Selkie]

Sundial - Earlier this week, I watched the beautiful tribute to Luke. What an old soul! He obviously enjoyed the time he spent w/you.
Kali has the most magnificent ears. I'd love to give her a big hug!

[bouncybouncy]

I see alot of rescues where I live...some good friends are Pit Bull fosters, I can't say more about how wonderful that breed really is!

My babies are both rescues. Lucie is part Pit and could not be friendlier (she is a little over protective of me towards other dogs but we are working with a trainer on this!) My little Jack-Chihuahua mix is the "difficult"one!!! She was kicked by work boots one too many times but she has done so much better since we brought Lucie into the mix! I think she basically has small dog syndrome...hehe! I just have to be careful that kids don't pick her up but she is a hunter (runs for cats & squirrels) so she is ALWAYS on leash which makes it easy to keep her from getting into trouble.

just a big Thank You to all you rescuers out there!!!!

[tulip]

Tucker, I saw Mike and immediately thought Weineramer, but maybe mixed with lab. Must be the eyes. Great story, great rescue. I hope the former owners are flushed out and that the neighbors are careful.

I have neighbors who breed pits, but they do it for extra money, not fighting, although you never know who buys the pups. They walk the adult dogs and the puppies by my house most days. Of course, I want to tell them to stop, but I don't. The dogs are healthy and seem well-adjusted. The world just has too many unwanted dogs without intentional breeding!

Shiloh is doing better with his training. He's able to get past kids waiting for the schoolbus without completely falling apart, although he does try to walk between my legs. I wonder what kids did to him to make him so terrified. Actually, I'm pretty happy not to know. We're just moving forward.

[Tuckervill]

Smilingcat, thanks for the advice. I will definitely pass it on to the gals who saved him.

He's been here almost a week, and he now remembers what it's like to be a dog. Quite a sweetie. Flatulent, but sweet!

Karen

[tulip]

Probably just adjusting to a regular meal schedule! Try a little Beano?

[Tuckervill]

Hey, Tulip, maybe you should find a dog family that has kids, so you can socialize Shiloh to kids. I wouldn't want a dog to be afraid of kids, because you never know when it might encounter them; in case of an incident where the child gets hurt, the dog would get the blame 99% of the time. That would be a sad day for the dog. It may just be a matter of making friends with a couple of smaller people to get Shiloh over the hump.

Karen

[tulip]

Yep, that's what I'm doing, with a woman in my 'hood who is a dog trainer. We're introducing him to dogs (he has issues with those, too, if he's on a leash he gets very snarly, but doesn't bite) and to kids. Shiloh is fine with one kid at a time and had no problem with my niece and nephew. It's groups of kids and screaming kids that he cowers from. We're working on it. He met the dog trainer's 18-month old today and was fine. Granted, if the kid had squealed, there might have been a problem, but being a dog trainer's kid, he was very calm around the dog.

Right now we're working on just walking confidently on a leash to build up general confidence, presumably for Shiloh, but also for me since I don't have experience walking dogs. It's harder than it looks! The trainer is having us meet known friendly dogs, kids, and we'll introduce him to the dog park nearby. The dog park is not a free-for-all dogpark like some dogparks. Apparently, it's pretty tightly controlled by serious dog people.

This is all new to me. I'm learning as much or more than Shiloh.

[Zen]

It's groups of kids and screaming kids that he cowers from.

Me too
All that shrieking!
I somehow don't think we did that when I was a kid.

[tulip]

Me too
All that shrieking!
I somehow don't think we did that when I was a kid.

We certainly were taught not to be loud around unknown dogs. But to the kids' credit, Shiloh cowers even if he hears kids shrieking with delight while playing down the street somewhere or in their own yards. Only once has a kid come running out yelling, "DOGGIE!" That was not cool. Shiloh pooped right then and there. Terrified.

[bmccasland]

I think Nala is greatful for her age related deafness. Children's shreaking is toned down several notches.

[sundial]

Sundial - Earlier this week, I watched the beautiful tribute to Luke. What an old soul! He obviously enjoyed the time he spent w/you.
Kali has the most magnificent ears. I'd love to give her a big hug!

Awwwww, thanks. I'll tell Kali she has a fan.

[Selkie]

Please keep posting pictures of her. I just adore her!

Unfortunately, Maud, my oldest golden (11.5), is entering the latter stages of DM. My husband thinks it's time to let her go, but there's still that sparkle in her eyes. Her mobility is really getting bad, although sometimes she surprises us. Definitely within the next six months we are going to have to let her go.

[sundial]

My first gsd was diagnosed with DM at the age of 11 and lived to 14. She let me know when it was time to say goodbye when she gave me The Look. I had the greatest sense of peace as we both prepared to say goodbye. She taught me so much in the short time we had her.

[sundial]

My favorite picture of Kali as a puppy.