Show us your pets!

[JaniceG]

I agree. Here is a photo of Toby 1 year ago, and yesterday.

[Roadrunner]

Is that bulge food?

Don't mean to sound stupid but what is bulge food?

[Pax]

Don't mean to sound stupid but what is bulge food?

I think she means the bulge on your snakes tummy, is that food in there?

[Roadrunner]

Oh okay. I'm not too sharp tonight lol.
No I never handle him for two or three days after feeding him. It lets his meal settle, also if you handle them too quickly they could regurgetate and that can cause future problems with feeding.

[TsPoet]

Oh okay. I'm not too sharp tonight lol.
No I never handle him for two or three days after feeding him. It lets his meal settle, also if you handle them too quickly they could regurgetate and that can cause future problems with feeding.

ah - LOL
"is that bulge, food?"
Is that bulge in the snake undigested food?
guess that's closer. Not that it matters, since the answer is "no".

[7rider]

No I never handle him for two or three days after feeding him. It lets his meal settle, also if you handle them too quickly they could regurgetate and that can cause future problems with feeding.

How often does he get fed??

[Zen]

"What is that bulge? Food?"

Gotta admit, I like the idea of bulge food

[smilingcat]

Ooo beautiful Golden.

[Roadrunner]

He gets fed between 2 and 4 weeks because he's a bit fat. He's slimed down a bit since the photo was taken, so I'm thinking of maybe feeding more often.
He seems happy enough as it stands at the moment.

[Pax]

JaniceG - That is one GORGEOUS dog!

[Bike Chick]

Ditto on that! What a beauty!

[Selkie]

You can tell Toby is a show dog. What a lovely boy.

[bmccasland]

No photos tho...
Herald was feeling pretty frisky this morning, and of course I was running late... Anyway, I was trying to give him his insulin shot, and he'd roll over, so I'd get another pinch of skin and almost get the needle in, and he'd roll over. We played this game several turns before I managed to be quick and get him poked.

[mtbdarby]

Toby is beautiful!

Do you believe in karma??? Remember my rescue earlier this year, Rusty? After 4 months of trying to retrain his fear agressive behavior, we gave him to the trainer we had been working with. A week after he had him, he sent us an email saying he was doing well.

Over the past 5 months I have sent him 3 emails asking for an update on how he was doing. Nothing. I got a phone call this morning saying Rusty was on some guys porch this morning! I called the number I had for dog trainer dude (DTD) and a guy answered saying I had the wrong number.

So I did some googling this morning and found he has a facebook page with a picture of his two dogs he had before Rusty, and Rusty! So, do I take Rusty back or hunt DTD down to pick him up? Because of his lack of replies I was wondering if he was for real and Rusty was safe. And what dog trainer wouldn't change his tags and put his info on it?

The real concerns are if the aggressive behavior has been corrected, which I would think it was since there are 2 other dogs in the house. His 1 email told me he had bonded with his cat, lol. And I don't have one of those! Just Zeus, my 13 yo border collie who Rusty had taken to biting at the end. And I still don't have a job so it's gonna be a tough winter anyway.

Any thoughts, ideas, points to ponder?? I've always felt bad giving him up and my son has asked about him during this whole time. I thought maybe this was the worlds way of saying he belongs with us. Or worse, that Zeus didn't have much more time with me (he's healthy though).

OK, enough rambling. TIA.

[tulip]

So what's Rusty been up to the last five months? Has he, in fact, been with a trainer who has worked with him effectively, or has he been ignored, neglected, or worse, abused? I find it very strange that the so-called trainer seems to have disappeared. I would find it very surprising if DTD actually made progress with him. But maybe I'm being over skeptical.

In your last posting when you had to give Rusty up, you were very concerned that he would bite your son, and that you son was scared of him. I don't see how taking Rusty back without knowing how he has been treated the last five months. You could be putting your son in danger of being bitten and developing a lifelong fear of dogs.

I don't think your only options are the two that you stated. You could contact a rescue organization or a refuge. Rusty needs a place that is appropriate, and it does not seem like your place is appropriate for him, at least it was not five months ago. He probably needs a place without other dogs or kids.

EDIT: If you do take him back, I would really encourage you to work with a reputable trainer, not just with the dog, but with the whole family/household. It's not enough to have a trained dog. The people need to know how to interact with the dog, and so do the other dogs. That's going to cost $$, which I know is tight. Something to think about. Best of luck to you.