Show us your pets!

[PamNY]

Dar, he is beautiful. Boy dogs sure do like to play pee-on-the-head. Hope his medical woes are easily solved. Rescue/shelter dogs usually run up a bill. I just stopped talking to people who told me I was "lucky to get a free bulldog."

Sundial, my bulldog pays no attention to squirrels. He does try to chase horses and deer -- go figure.

Tulip, I'm glad the children are less of a threat to Shiloh.

Pam

[tulip]

Dar, what a beauty, all shined up. I wonder what's up with the water consumption? Maybe he's just a little stressed out at the moment.

As for Shiloh and kids, whenever I see kids, I take him by them. We also watch pickup basketball games at the park. The only problem is when kids want to pet him. If there's just one kid, he's fine, but two or more, I tell them that he's in training and can't be pet right now. I'm proud of the progress he's making, though.

[mtbdarby]

Thanks everyone.

Tulip, glad to hear about Shiloh's progress - what a good handler you are!

We made it through the night incident free. I started him off in a popup crate I found at Walmart. It's nylon and can be buckled into the car. My sons nap mat from Kindergarten fits perfectly in there so I just put a sheet over it. He did a very low cry a couple times then went to sleep.

About 5:30 he started making these hacking sounds so I left them both out for a potty break. Then they BOTH jumped in my bed! I was waiting for Zeus's reaction but he did fine. I just made sure he was up by me and the new guy was at the foot of the bed. We did fine for another couple hours.

I made the mistake of going outside with them not on leashes. Red took off exploring but Zeus stayed put. This guy so needs a name so I can start training him to stay and come! He didn't eat all his breakfast though - a half cup of kiddle with 1 oz of ground turkey soaked in water. He went right for the water dish again and started draining it. I'll see if I can give him a couple drops of rescue remedy in case it's nerves. I'll call the vet if he's still doing it on Monday.

He has episodes of sneezing and hacking and woke up with very goopy eyes. This morning I hid his medicine in a piece of ground turkey because he didn't like me in his mouth yesterday. At least he ate it. My other dog always knew when I was hiding something and would spit the pill out.

After my coffee we're going for our first walk to check out the neighborhood. Too bad it's only 30 degrees! I'm also going to call the nursing home and see if it's ok to bring him with Zeus. I don't really want to leave him home alone so early.

Bryce may be in for disappointment. This dog follows me EVERYWHERE. He's worse than Zeus! Right now I'm flanked by them on the couch, lol. B so wants this to be his dog so I hope they bond. Any ideas how to help them do so??

[tulip]

As I recall, you wanted to get a dog for you son so that he could train him. So let him name him and train him (and feed him and walk him). That way, the dog will figure out who he belongs to.

[mtbdarby]

I'll try Tulip, I'm just concerned if it will work because he'll spend most of his time with me. I work from home and my son is with his dad most weekends.

He walked pretty good on a Y connector with Zeus! This afternoon we will make a short trip together to the nursing home - I called ahead and asked permission and they are excited to meet him! If all goes well, he will go into therapy training. I think he's got a great disposition for it.

My bookends are napping on me again

[Selkie]

Sundial

I'm going through Kali withdrawl! If you get a chance, could you please post a picture of my sweetheart? These ears never fail to bring a smile!

[Softie]

Her name is Suggie (Sugarplum). She's a toy fox terrier x Yorkie.

[Zen]

Her name is Suggie (Sugarplum). She's a toy fox terrier x Yorkie.

I thought I saw terrier in there. Terriers are so lively

[Softie]

I thought I saw terrier in there. Terriers are so lively

lol to say say the least Zen. She's go soooo crazy around people (out of love) I don't know what to do sometimes! I'm have my newest dog training book in front of me right now.

[mtbdarby]

May you and Suggie have many happy years together Softie.

The nursing home was a huge success. It was dog day - there were 2 other therapy dogs there today (although I don't know why they don't have them come on opposite weekends) and residents relative brought in a dog. The new guy won them over! He sat, shook hands and even sat pretty for treats! he got a little antsie at the end and jumped a bit but that's correctable. He will make a great therapy dog. And I think one of the residents named him - she called him Rusty. When I called B to talk to him and mentioned it he seemed to like it.

I can't wait to get him back tomorrow so they can meet and play!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Darby glad to hear things are going ok with "Rusty". You deserve a medal!

Well this isn't exactly a 'pet', but....

Last year I found a tiny painted turtle on the road (only about 1"!), and I kept him for fun for 2 weeks and fed him worms. He ate a ton and then I let him go again in a pond with many of his own kind.

Well, this week I was in our cold basement and found this spotted salamander just sitting in the middle of the concrete floor:



Well our neighborhood is nothing but houses and backyards and roads, so I figured he wasn't going to thrive in our dry concrete basement. I put him in a plastic bin and he's been eating worms up and soaking up water in the dish there with leaves and earth.
In the next couple of days I'm hiking into the woods of the nature preserve area near our house and a mile in there is a big pond in the woods so I'll leave him near there under some loose leaves. That will be a good spot for him, since they lay their eggs in ponds and it's protected woodland- just right. It's also only a mile from our house so his basic territory won't be too vastly different.

He's so pretty, my 'temporary pet'!

[Softie]

He will make a great therapy dog. And I think one of the residents named him - she called him Rusty.

I can't wait to get him back tomorrow so they can meet and play!

future therapy dog? I was thinking of getting Suggie into that as well. She loves people, but right now her lack of calmness is an issue. She's very affectionate with all people, and has done fine with children with autism and a neighbor in a wheel chair. Just terrrrrrrribly over excited I'm hoping I can get her in check because I think she'd just love it.

And gratz to Rusty on his successful visit!

[sundial]

I made the mistake of going outside with them not on leashes. Red took off exploring but Zeus stayed put. He went right for the water dish again and started draining it.

Mtdarby, there is about a 2 week honeymoon period with rescue dogs in which they are on their best behavior. After that, you might see the dog start doing destructive things, or have accidents, bond with one family member, or what have you. Most rescues have emotional baggage so you'll see their quirks eventually. During this time it is important to not overwhelm the dog with "jobs" as the dog is still getting used to a routine. And dogs are very routine oriented. (That means it's important to not push obedience class, therapy training, etc on him until he has had a chance to get used to his new home and new family.) They will also start determining their pack order and since Red peed on Zeus, he's establishing dominance. It takes about 3 days on average for a new dog to integrate into the pack.

I would not let Red off leash just yet. He has not established a full bond with you and if anything should frighten him, he could bolt and get lost. When I bring a new dog in the home, I use this leash that snaps on the collar of the dog and buckles around me to support the bonding process. This is particularly helpful if you have a puppy so you can keep tabs on what he or she is doing.

As for the drinking, I would check with your vet. Drinking lots of water could be a sign of infection or diabetes.

He looks fabulous. His coat will really shine now that he's on good food and has lots of TLC.

Keep up the good work and soon he'll blossom into a special boy.

[sundial]

Well, this week I was in our cold basement and found this spotted salamander just sitting in the middle of the concrete floor:

He's very striking! Nature creates the most beautiful color palette.

[sundial]

I'm going through Kali withdrawl! If you get a chance, could you please post a picture of my sweetheart? These ears never fail to bring a smile!

Kali at 15 weeks