Print

Welcome, Guest

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Zipper]

Chatty, but a great read, Zip!! Thanks!!

Coming from you that means a lot. Thanks.

[CindyLouWho]

My Honey knocked a bowl of spahetti w/meatballs off the counter and onto the floor and was enjoyin it while I was in the bathroom for like two minutes.  What a mess.   They see and hear you mad as hell they probly won't do it twice.  She hasn't.  They want to please you.

$214!!!!  Our trip for blood in urine about 2 weeks back was $87.

[Zipper]

Spaghetti and meatballs would be very messy! Did you adopt your new Rotti yet?

We just spent a chunk at the vet too.
My Dirty Dog got his:
Rabies 3 year booster shot $16.
DHPP adult booster $19
Leptovax $11
Bordetella Booster $17
Heartworm blood test $27 (results were negative)
ears swabbed and checked for yeast $14 (results were negative)
anal gland expression $15
and general wellness check up $36
Plus a Frontline Treatment. ($17.50)
Total cost $172.50.

The doc said he needs to lose about 15 pounds. She said she couldn't find his waistline...LOL I know what that is like! Guess we'll go on a diet together.

Also...License renewal at the court house. $6.00

Another good thing about adopting a rescue dog is that a good rescue will have their shots already up to date, neutering or spaying, and microchipping done before they release the pets to a new home.



Here's an interesting video for many reasons, but it features "Rocky" undercover. (You have to see it.)

Spy dog heads poop scoop patrol

[E-L Man]

Zip,,, you say "too bad about Scooter, it's a damned shame this had to happen". Did I miss something? What happened other than he's been missing? He didn't get hit by a car or anything like that did he?   

[Zipper]

Zip,,, you say "too bad about Scooter, it's a damned shame this had to happen". Did I miss something? What happened other than he's been missing? He didn't get hit by a car or anything like that did he?  

Oh gosh, not that I know of. I meant it's a shame he got lost and has been gone for so long in this bad weather and we can't find him!

[E-L Man]

Oh, whew!

[IC2ITUC]

Scooter and Pest need each other NOW more than ever.  They both could be helping each other heal their physical and emotional bodies.  I thought by now something would break in this sad saga.  A man's bond to his dog is like his bond to his daughter.  ZIP, I know this also applies to "dog women" as well, but you understand why I'm stating the male bonding side, in this case.  Let's keep praying for their eventual reunion.

[Zipper]

btw... WHERE IS PEST?

[E-L Man]

I've been wondering that too.   

[lifefeedsonlife]

So - we have this dog. He's got papers and everything stating he is a West Highland White Terrier (aka A Westie.) Good looking fellow, mainly because we don't give him that silly frou frou Westie haircut. He's more like an eccentric Westie. Upon researching the breed my wife happens upon this Gaelic name that means 'Dominator"

His name is Bhaididh. Which is pronounced VAH-gee.

Anyways - being a purebred dog and all - it seems he's prone to more problems than your standard sturdy mutt. He's had an aggravated, itching skin problem for years. So - my wife being an avid web crawler figured out the problem and last night we went to WalMart to get stuff to fix it.

I'm expecting to go into the pet section - and she's going someplace completely different. She stops most unexpectedly in Feminine Hygiene and said: "This is what we need!"

She hands me a tube of Miconazole Cream.

I said, "The dog has a yeast infection?"

She replied, "Yep. It's pretty common in the breed."

"Well, I think maybe we should change his name."



After she composed herself - she said "What do you suggest?"

"How about Jacques?"

Poor dog doesn't stand a chance.

[CindyLouWho]

  Oh Lord.....thanks...........let us know how that works

[Zipper]

So - we have this dog. He's got papers and everything stating he is a West Highland White Terrier (aka A Westie.) Good looking fellow, mainly because we don't give him that silly frou frou Westie haircut. He's more like an eccentric Westie. Upon researching the breed my wife happens upon this Gaelic name that means 'Dominator"

His name is Bhaididh. Which is pronounced VAH-gee.

Anyways - being a purebred dog and all - it seems he's prone to more problems than your standard sturdy mutt. He's had an aggravated, itching skin problem for years. So - my wife being an avid web crawler figured out the problem and last night we went to WalMart to get stuff to fix it.

I'm expecting to go into the pet section - and she's going someplace completely different. She stops most unexpectedly in Feminine Hygiene and said: "This is what we need!"

She hands me a tube of Miconazole Cream.

I said, "The dog has a yeast infection?"

She replied, "Yep. It's pretty common in the breed."

"Well, I think maybe we should change his name."



After she composed herself - she said "What do you suggest?"

"How about Jacques?"

Poor dog doesn't stand a chance.

I'm assuming you have ruled out food allergies, which many, many dogs have. My sister's one dog is allergic to either wheat or corn... I can't remember, which is in most dog foods. Intense itching and skin problems associated.


Today we had our home inspection for adopting a Great Dane. We passed with flying colors.
Two representatives drove to our home, and we had a really fun afternoon talking all about the dogs ~and just about everything else also.  It was so nice to see how much they care, to come all the way here to make sure we would be good puppy parents.

They wanted to make sure we knew about the problems associated with owning a Dane, they check to make sure you have a fenced yard, they check to make sure you are not hoarding, and to get a general feel for who you are.

That's the way it should always be done. A quick check of the home can tell so much. They told me a story about someone wanting to adopt, but who had a chained dog all the way at the edge of their property and down a ravine. They couldn't even see the dog house from the main house. The dog had a decent dog house, but was denied any socialization except at food and water time.

While this is "legal" it is just not right. Poor thing spends it's life in isolation, obviously unwanted ~though it was fed and watered, but not part of the family. So why another dog... to be chained away from the home also? They're not yard ornaments.

For us:
The next step ... the hard part... is to select a dog from those available. It's tough to choose. We will make appointments with the foster-families, go and meet the dogs, and see which gets along best with the dog we have now. It's going to be tough. I've never had to choose before, usually dogs find and choose me.

One available dog is a rescue from people who bought him on Craig's List. The people brought him home and never fed him.

He was skin and bones, 50 pounds underweight, and dehydrated. The foster dad told me he gave him some water, and the poor guy drank and drank, and then laid his head down in the foster dad's lap, thankful. He was very sick and weak, the dad said, and it took some time for him to recover.

He has since put on weight, and is playful and happy and ready for adoption. There are other people looking at him too, so we may not get him, but there are many other dogs in foster families needing a forever home.

So... I will update when we know more.

[Zipper]

Update on the Great Dane adoption process...
 
We just got home from meeting two available for adoption Danes this evening. To protect the privacy of the foster family I will refer to each dog as #1 and #2.
 
#1 is enormous. He is probably the biggest dog I have ever seen in my lifetime. He was HUGE, and very muscular strong, much more than I could ever handle. He doesn't like cats, so if I was walking him and he saw a cat... well, I would probably be drug all over the place with absolutely no choice in the matter.
 
There was another dog there, #2, and Mr. Zip fell in love with him. He was very nice, much larger than my Jake was, and lots heavier than Jake was too.
 
Our "Dirty Dog" was ok at first, a bit scared of #1. (They brought them out one at a time)
 
BUT... they also let their little dog out at the same time, a mixed little guy about the size of a Jack Russell. Anyway, he promptly jumped up on our dog's back and tried to bite him, which scared ours to death, and so he was pretty leery from then on. (He wasn't hurt at all... too furry I guess, or the other dog was holding back on the "teeth" part of the bite, but he sure was barking and carrying on.)
 
Once the little dog was removed from the room, we resumed the "meet and greet".   
 
This is essential so we can choose who will be a good match for our current dog and our family. Once we choose, that dog should remain in our home for his life, though we could "return" him if things didn't work out.
 
Actually, it's in their contract that if for any reason we choose not to keep the new dog, he would be returned to the rescue rather than to be sold or given away. That is to protect the dog so he will not end up in the hands of an abuser, or a shelter. I do not plan to "return" our new family member, so it's essential that we see how they will interact right now   
 
Back to the "meet and greet"....   
 
Of course I comforted and babied our dog from his shock-trauma for a while, and so we resumed. There were places our dog could hide and feel safe, like behind Mr. Zip and I, and behind their kitchen chairs and the wall, and behind chairs we set up for him.
 
The "father" (a big tall man) kept each of the big dogs on a tight leash, (again, one at a time) and in full control, but allowing the dogs to get close enough to sniff one another. We kept ours on a leash as well, and though it was pretty unnerving for me at first, it was better as each dog relaxed a bit more and said "hello".   
 
#1 was out of the question because of his sheer size for me. He would do better with a guy like ... the big guy on Orange County Choppers, for example.
 
Or maybe the Dog Whisperer... or Gore.
 
By all fairness, #1 didn't have the time to settle down and get comfortable with us with all of the confusion, but I could immediately see the problem if "company" came to our house and I had to control him. It just wouldn't have worked out at all. He really was super-big.   
 
They brought out #2, and we spent a long time there petting him and letting him sniff our dog, and ours rolled over and let #2 sniff him. #2 was pretty easy going. He was very gentle with me, even gave me kisses and shared his favorite toy with me. The "mom" pulled at his tail a bit, rough housed with him to show his temperament, and Mr. Zip grabbed his feet and "tempted" him to jump up, which he has been trained not to do, and would not do for Mr. Zip.   
 
Eventually our guy came out from behind the chairs and got more relaxed. So, #2 is a good possibility, but he's six already. Our Jake died at 6 and a half years old. Their life expectancy is only seven, some live to nine or ten. It would be a short time with #2, but they could be good years for him.
 
His family now is nice. They have a very old looking house way out in the country, pretty beat up inside too from caring for so many big dogs. They also have a gorgeous 3-legged Harlequin Dane we met who had been hit by a car, and a blind Dane mixed with an English Bulldog. He's a very happy guy, and she says he's smart as can be.
 
#1 and #2 don't get along, so they have to shuffle them around from room to room, and they have little fragile baby gates to keep them separated, but it seems to work for them. Danes are great dogs, but not necessarily the brightest. They're happy just being happy.   
 
The foster-family people were very nice. These dogs obviously were happy and loved the people, giving them kisses and big waggy tails when they weren't so intensely focused on our dog.   
 
They have the little dog too, and two teenagers. Lots going on in their family, but they're all taken care of, though not at all in luxury. You have to admire people who love animals so much that they sacrifice all for them and get down in the trenches and do the "dirty work".   
 
People tell me sometimes that they appreciate all I do. I don't "do" nearly enough. It's people like the ones I met tonight who do all the tough work, and it is very difficult.   
 
The "father" gave our dog the most incredible treat. It's a real bone, with rawhide stuffed in the middle and tied at the ends. Someone donated a case of them to the rescue, so he gave one to us. Our "baby" is fully engrossed in it now.   
 
The foster mom machine sews special large fluffy beds for each dog, so when they leave their home they can take a piece of it with them. That's so sweet. She buys them stuffed toys, and when the dogs are done playing with them, and unstuffing them ~as they usually do, she collects up the stuffing and partially makes the beds out of it. She says she is recycling the toys and giving the dogs love at the same time.   
 
And this is all volunteer work. Any money goes towards the vet bills and care of the dogs who come and go throughout the rescue. They get food donations sometimes, but not always, and they get toys donated sometimes.   
 
We'll soon meet #3, and then maybe #4 if he's still available and #3 isn't a good fit for some reason. Then we'll have to choose, which will be difficult.   
 
At first, I thought I could just handle about any dog, but it's not so easy when they're as big as a human, or larger.     
 
I want to interject one more time about the necessity of breeding bans nationwide, and stress how important it is to try to get involved to help. It seems our government is sticking their noses into so much that we do, and I do not understand why they don't do more to stop the madness in the human-to-animal world. This would be a very good thing.
 
Tonight I met 5 dogs (total) in one household that were abandoned or abused and unwanted by their owners, and one family who had taken it upon themselves to try to help. Meanwhile puppies are being bred and born, more dogs are dropped off a shelters, and hundreds of thousands are being killed ... not because they are unhealthy... but because no one wanted them.   
 
Spay and neuter. Bob Barker said it for many, many years.   
 
More to come.           

[E-L Man]

I'm still thinkin of Scooter. How about the next time he is sighted, someone go to that area. Take another dog with you and a police whistle. He might come to either or all of this. Because he is still a puppy, he is very curious yet and he might fall for this.

[Zipper]

I went out again not too long ago. I think I mentioned it here. It's such a big area to look if he doesn't come when you call him, but I believe he can be found. What needs to happen is someone needs to print out a pile of fliers and bring them door to door and get the neighbors to help. I did knock on many doors and no one seemed to know about any missing dog in their area, and no one has seen him.
 
If anyone wants to donate towards printing they can do it at www.dirtydoglive.com click on the front page to then enter the site. There is a "Pay Pal donate now" button there. I can make up something to be printed at Document Solutions and handed out in the neighborhood.
 
Someone else could also donate towards a lost ad in the Tribune. It gets pretty expensive if you want it to run any length of time.

I can't remember where Pest lives, but his area should be looked at again, and also across route 6 and over to 285.