Let's See Your Dogs!!

My chihuahua/terrier in front , great dane in back

 

Chelsea graduates puppy training and plays in the water.

 

Sorry for your loss. Glad you got to enjoy eight great years with her...

 

Near this Spot
are deposited the Remains of one
who possessed Beauty without Vanity,
Strength without Insolence,
Courage without Ferosity,
and all the virtues of Man without his Vices.
This praise, which would be unmeaning Flattery
if inscribed over human Ashes,
is but a just tribute to the Memory of
Maggie, a DOG

 

So sorry. Thank you Maggie!

 

Was cleaning house today and got tired of him constantly under foot. Made him "place" on the couch, he wasn't happy at all, but it gave me enough time to dust mop the house.

 

Oreos gets a diet with rice, yogurt ad cottage cheese because of her digestive problems. Apparently she likes it

 

Chloe:


Lance:




Thor:

 

Me and my ever faithful companion Georgia watching the Vuelta Espana!

 

Sooo a friend of mine adopted a pitbull mix yesterday. Gorgeous looking boy, about a year and a half old. I love pitbulls in general, but that guy is just stunning. Met him yesterday, totally mellow. Rescue and fosters said that he is perfect with dogs, cats and kids, blah blah blah. Does not know anything other than "sit" but a total sweetheart. Played just fine with my other friends dogs for hours yesterday without any problems.

Brought my dog today to meet him, because my dog is mellow as shit and gets along with all other dogs. Never got in a dog fight in 3+ years. He just does not like getting humped. Introduced them outside the yard, both are happy, tails wagging, play bows, etc. Body language is totally normal. Took them for a walk around the block, everything is fine. They played tug with a stick. No concerns. Bring them back to the house and as soon as the new guy let off leash he just runs up to my dog and tries to hump him. Mine growls and the other one just loses his shit. Thankfully I managed to grab the other dog's collar before he started to climb on top of my dog so i was able to pull him off in under a second, but he still managed to do some damage.

So, a word of advice for people looking to adopt. Adoption is a great and noble thing and my hat is off to people who adopt, but take into consideration the fact that not all rescues are truthful with their assessment of dogs they adopt out, and be super careful if you have kids or other pets at home. Also, consider the responsibility you take on. Alot of these dogs are abused and come from unknown backgrounds. They are not bad or damaged dogs, but they need a lot of help and guidance to become happy and well adjusted. Be prepared to invest time and money to help them and save yourself from a lot of future pain and possibly losing your dog.

This is not an anti-Pitbull or anti-adoption post. I just want people to realize that adopting a grown dog of any breed may require serious commitment and responsibility.

 

Poor guy.

 

I was driving to the emergency vet hospital fully expecting for shell out $1,500 or even more. I actually said "Why so cheap?" out loud when they gave me a $326 quote. Thankfully, that gash did not go all the way through the skin, so they just put in 3 staples, gave him a methadone(!!!!) shot, gave us a cone, some antibiotics, Tramadol and sent us on our way in under an hour. No surgery, no anesthesia, etc. Have to say we got pretty "lucky".

I am watching another Vizsla right now while his owners are on vacation, but I left him at home when we went to meet the other dog, because this guy is a little agro and never backs down. He is a total Type A dominant dog. Boy, am I glad I left him at home. There would be at least 1 dead dog right now.

 

Man, sorry that happened to you and your dog. Glad he's ok.

 

Glad your pup is OK. Hoping the experience doesn't negatively affect him.

 

I am glad for you that things turned out somewhat OK. There is some physical damage which is always scary, but there is also some other damage that is also scary. I am not an expert but have many years of experience with dogs, mainly intact hunting males.

Humping is a sign of dominance. All of my Tollers which is the smallest of the Retrieving breeds have been intact for breeding reasons and will hump a Bull Moose if given the chance, even if it doesn't sit still. That will cause issues as you noted so always have been careful of interaction with other dogs. They are hunting dogs and I have tried stepping on the e-collar, doesn't matter they are doing what their genes have driven them to do. Mix that with a Pit, you have a VERY dangerous situation. Not just them, Labs it doesn't matter. But with a Pit it can be deadly, don't have to be anti-Pit it is what it is, period.

I am glad things worked out reasonable well. Any rescue dog can be and usually is a challenge. My FIL before he passed away was the North America Area 1 rescue coordinator for the NSDTR when that extended from Maine to Va. Most all of them had emotional issues, and there weren't a lot of them back then, had issues of one type or another. Any rescue should be evaluated by a professional IMO.

Your post hit the nail on the head on a lot of points and I thank you for that, very well written. And I agree on all points, well done. Your previous posts have proven that already and I hope things work out for all parties involved.

 

Hope, the pitbull basset hound mix

Reggie, the lab collie mix

And the best companion I've ever had. Lost him a year ago to a brain tumor. Miss him everyday. This is Wesson.

 

Correct, and not just with males. Both of my little white fluff girls are rescues, and both will hump when attempting to exert dominance. Lucy was feral and has trust issues with new people (hence the nickname "15 pounds of murder dog"), and will also act out with other dogs. She could care less about cats, and generally avoids them. We've found that constant behavioral reinforcement has been vital in keeping her aggression down. We redirect, keep her out of positions where she feels that she's "protecting" us, and remind her that she's not the dominant one in this relationship. Recently she actually initiated contact with strangers, given some affection, and allowed herself to be petted (on the head, too, and that's her bitey place). This is a huge improvement, so we know the behavioral efforts are working.

So I think "Maybe she isn't murder dog anymore. Maybe she's turned the corner." Then she sees the FedEx truck and loses her mind. Full Cujo. More work to do.

I'm convinced the other one, Kiki is part cat. Genetic test results are due in a few weeks. No issues so far with that one.

Rescues are a challenge, and not just the big ones. Dogs that have been feral and run in a pack add a level of behavioral complexity that can take some time (and a lot of love) to correct, and even then they might not completely become "normal."

They can still be great dogs.

 

I appreciate your perspective but respectfully, I feel breed has nothing to do with it. Dogs are dogs. Unpredictable to many people, but often their behavior is telegraphed to someone with a trained eye. A pit or pit mix is no more apt to exhibit aggressive traits than a dachshund (or put in whatever breed you want), but with dogs their behavior can change in a second and result in physical harm. We often forget that Pits were 'Amercia's Dog' several generations ago. Remember Petey from the little rascals, Sgt Stubby from WWI, Helen Keller's dog Sir Thomas, Theodore Roosevelt's dog Pete? the American Veterinary Medical Association states that breed is a poor sole predictor of dog bites and that controlled studies show no increased risk in pit bulls. Science does not support your breed prejudice. Dogs are pack animals. Introduce someone from outside of the pack and they are considered a threat to the existing dog's positions. Some dogs accept new pack members more readily, some need to test things. Some new dogs must establish their dominance. The test doesn't necessarily occur upon the first meeting, rather at some other point when they attempt to sort out the hierarchical relationship. Such seems to be the case here.

Pruchai, I'm glad that your dog wasn't badly harmed, but your are correct, adoption of any dog and introduction of that dog into an existing family is a challenging action requiring lots of commitment and oversight.