Every pet we've ever had in nearly 30 yrs. has been someone else's "reject". Some have taken more "work" and time, but every one has responded two/threefold to patience, perseverance, and praise. We have a "new to us" kitty with some major socialization issues with other cats. But, "in for a penny, in for a pound", we're open to learning something new about cats. Share your "tough pet" stories, willya?
Adopted pets
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Beer Belly
Minister of Fire
I'm not sure if it's considered a rescue....maybe it is. Our Yorkie Codi was 5 months old, and in a pet store crate....too long as far as we are concerned.....we took him out to their little room to let him romp a bit.....it was love at first sight for my Wife. We left him there, and it tore me apart to see the look on my Wifes face, but we just didn't have $600 to take him home.....we went back a week later to check (still no $$$), and he was gone....felt good he had a home......another trip back 3 weeks later, and there he is....."What the heck ?" we thought...they said the person couldn't keep him.....we put $20 down to hold him, then scrambled for cash.....I just gave up my career as Volvo Master tech, got hold of my Snap-On tool man, and sold my $4,000 tool box for the $600 needed for quick cash.....it was worth the trade....he and our other boy Frisco (avatar) fought at first, but quickly became friends. Frisco is at the top....Codi below him
Lake Girl
Moderator
Every one of our pets has been unloved/neglected by someone else. 2 dogs were from the SPCA, 4 were getting the boot - The first was a shepherd/spaniel mix who used to bark at me to get moving when our first baby let out the tiniest of cries. He had 13 years of keeping on eye on his people and helped train the chocolate lab to walk their kids to the bus stop at the end of the lane. The lab was living in the cab of a 1/2 ton; he shared 12 years of good times with "his boy" to the point of swimming after him when that boy went out in the boat without him
. When he was bad, he would go hid in the closet. He became best buds with a Newfie mix that kept his kids safe from bears and liked to jog with two of our girls. Then there was the Rottweiler that was supposed to be shot because his owner went to jail and ended up becoming attached to another of our boys that he once chased out of his old house when that boy tried to feed him. He later stood guard over the deer that boy hung in the yard after a successful hunt - that dog didn't want to leave his post at night and he was back at it first thing in the morning. That rottie had separation anxiety and, when no one was home, he would pull dirty clothes out of the laundry room with that boy's scent
Now we have a german shepherd who loves her mommy. Smells are her thing - let my husband bring her home the other day and I went ahead. Hid behind our garage and as soon as she walked by the garage, she doubled back and found me hiding. She may get S&R training... There was one dog that decided we were not the right family for her, a golden retriever mix - she used to go up the hill to visit the elderly neighbors. She ended up moving in so she didn't have to deal with all those young kids at the other house She stuck with the old fellow through the loss of his wife and moved to town with him when he could no longer live at the lake on his own. She still did the job that was intended for her just not at our house
We've had our share of cats too. Two decided that we were their family and moved in. Since we knew the actual owners, we let them know were their pets where. They were indifferent to whether they were alive or dead
We figure we lost one of them to an eagle - she was last seen sunning herself in the drive after she and the dogs had walked the kids to the bus (walked trails for over a week calling and looking for her, put up posters - no luck). Devastated my daughter as it was her cat - you'd find the cat draped over her neck and shoulders when they were out bike riding. Two cats we kept from a litter we rescued are now 8 and our latest move-in is about 6. Amazed our Garfield survived the half-mile walk through the bush to our house numerous times before he moved in. I used to call to let them know he was here; the last time they were gone on holidays and he was starving with well defined ribs. That was 3 years ago. He's a momma's boy and goes for walks with my shepherd and I.
Always entertaining here!
. When he was bad, he would go hid in the closet. He became best buds with a Newfie mix that kept his kids safe from bears and liked to jog with two of our girls. Then there was the Rottweiler that was supposed to be shot because his owner went to jail and ended up becoming attached to another of our boys that he once chased out of his old house when that boy tried to feed him. He later stood guard over the deer that boy hung in the yard after a successful hunt - that dog didn't want to leave his post at night and he was back at it first thing in the morning. That rottie had separation anxiety and, when no one was home, he would pull dirty clothes out of the laundry room with that boy's scent Now we have a german shepherd who loves her mommy. Smells are her thing - let my husband bring her home the other day and I went ahead. Hid behind our garage and as soon as she walked by the garage, she doubled back and found me hiding. She may get S&R training... There was one dog that decided we were not the right family for her, a golden retriever mix - she used to go up the hill to visit the elderly neighbors. She ended up moving in so she didn't have to deal with all those young kids at the other house She stuck with the old fellow through the loss of his wife and moved to town with him when he could no longer live at the lake on his own. She still did the job that was intended for her just not at our houseWe've had our share of cats too. Two decided that we were their family and moved in. Since we knew the actual owners, we let them know were their pets where. They were indifferent to whether they were alive or dead
We figure we lost one of them to an eagle - she was last seen sunning herself in the drive after she and the dogs had walked the kids to the bus (walked trails for over a week calling and looking for her, put up posters - no luck). Devastated my daughter as it was her cat - you'd find the cat draped over her neck and shoulders when they were out bike riding. Two cats we kept from a litter we rescued are now 8 and our latest move-in is about 6. Amazed our Garfield survived the half-mile walk through the bush to our house numerous times before he moved in. I used to call to let them know he was here; the last time they were gone on holidays and he was starving with well defined ribs. That was 3 years ago. He's a momma's boy and goes for walks with my shepherd and I.Always entertaining here!
DevilsBrew
Minister of Fire
- Apr 21, 2013
- 687
My last dog and a family dog we had years ago were both severely abused. It took years to break certain habits and some of their fears never went away. Really broke your heart because they were both the most awesome dogs. People are sick.
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
Thumper... last kitten in a litter. No one wanted her despite the fact that she was unique with just a stub of a tail (part Manx) since she had ... well has ... spina bifida and walks/hops funny. She's going on 16 years now.
Harry S Truman ... half Manx and half Maine Coon. My wife says he was my therapy cat that I got after my beloved Teddy Roosevelt went missing. Poor cat has horrible genetics and just bad luck ... literally cannot jump higher than a foot due to his mass, has the dubious distinction of being registered with the national pet poison control folks after eating a friend's errant pill and always is dealing ... or rather I am always dealing ... with kling ons.
Lucky ... wife found her half frozen to death one winter in the middle of a sub zero stretch of weather. She lost part of her tail, ear tips were frostbitten and at the time her paw pads ended up being frostbit. She is a bit anti social and pretty much lives upstairs in one of our bedrooms ... but she comes down for food, water and the occasional loving.
Dwight Eisenhower ... a shelter cat that my wife brought home after learning all of the other kittens in his litter and mother had been adopted months previously. No one wanted this friendly guy since he had an eye infection that was weepy and left him partially blind. My wife frequently cleans his eye. I've also hates being alone ... when stressed he will drag out a sock monkey for companionship.
Andrew Jackson ... Truman's therapy cat as we discovered Truman was lonely as a young kitten in a house with three older cats (at the time). Jackson definitely has Maine Coon in his blood ... other than being huge but thinking he is small (he is always squeezing into tiny cardboard boxes) Jackson is pretty well adjusted and normal.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt ... the spitting image of Teddy and a shelter cat who was in the $5 cage ... turned out Franklin was extremely wary of people and particularly scared of men. He would shake if you tried to pet him and spent the first few weeks with us hiding in our bed ... somehow he got into the box spring and stayed there with a favorite toy. Now in the morning he rubs up against my leg until I pick him up and scratch and pet him.
Harry S Truman ... half Manx and half Maine Coon. My wife says he was my therapy cat that I got after my beloved Teddy Roosevelt went missing. Poor cat has horrible genetics and just bad luck ... literally cannot jump higher than a foot due to his mass, has the dubious distinction of being registered with the national pet poison control folks after eating a friend's errant pill and always is dealing ... or rather I am always dealing ... with kling ons.
Lucky ... wife found her half frozen to death one winter in the middle of a sub zero stretch of weather. She lost part of her tail, ear tips were frostbitten and at the time her paw pads ended up being frostbit. She is a bit anti social and pretty much lives upstairs in one of our bedrooms ... but she comes down for food, water and the occasional loving.
Dwight Eisenhower ... a shelter cat that my wife brought home after learning all of the other kittens in his litter and mother had been adopted months previously. No one wanted this friendly guy since he had an eye infection that was weepy and left him partially blind. My wife frequently cleans his eye. I've also hates being alone ... when stressed he will drag out a sock monkey for companionship.
Andrew Jackson ... Truman's therapy cat as we discovered Truman was lonely as a young kitten in a house with three older cats (at the time). Jackson definitely has Maine Coon in his blood ... other than being huge but thinking he is small (he is always squeezing into tiny cardboard boxes) Jackson is pretty well adjusted and normal.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt ... the spitting image of Teddy and a shelter cat who was in the $5 cage ... turned out Franklin was extremely wary of people and particularly scared of men. He would shake if you tried to pet him and spent the first few weeks with us hiding in our bed ... somehow he got into the box spring and stayed there with a favorite toy. Now in the morning he rubs up against my leg until I pick him up and scratch and pet him.
midwestcoast
Minister of Fire
We are 2 for 2 so far getting great dogs from rescue orgs & we'll probably never get one any other way.
Shasta was a ~1-2 year old Finnish Spitz who was a very pretty and quirky dog. She liked to bark a lot and was socially awkward around other dogs (no letting the dogs meet on walks…), but loved people. We spoiled the heck out of her. She'd forgotten her house training when we first got her, but it only took a couple weeks to re-train her. She would still drop a deuce on demand whenever she saw a cat in a friend/family members house though. Previous owner dropped her at a pound that was going to put her down.
We just got Tucker a year ago from a rescue org that puts dogs directly with foster parents until they're adopted. No shelter. He's 2-3 years old & was picked up as a stray. Some kind of hound mix. We were very careful when adopting this time because our daughter was just a year old at the time. He is awesome with her! Shetorments plays with him pretty rough as toddlers do & he has never so much as growled at her. She even shoves her whole arm in his mouth & he just runs away wagging his tail.
He's was an escape artist when we first got him. Took me a couple weeks to get the back yard battened down enough that he couldn't squeeze, dig or jump out. He would even climb up on a wood stack to jump the 6' fence. He never got too far before he'd meet a person or dog to play with & we'd get a call to come pick him up. He grew out of his running ways after 5-6 months.
So each had a few minor issues at the start, but nothing I'd call a real problem. Much easier than training a puppy really.
I will say that we found it very hard to choose a dog from a pound. It is such a stressful environment for them in there that they are just not themselves and it's hard to get any read on their personality.
Shasta was a ~1-2 year old Finnish Spitz who was a very pretty and quirky dog. She liked to bark a lot and was socially awkward around other dogs (no letting the dogs meet on walks…), but loved people. We spoiled the heck out of her. She'd forgotten her house training when we first got her, but it only took a couple weeks to re-train her. She would still drop a deuce on demand whenever she saw a cat in a friend/family members house though. Previous owner dropped her at a pound that was going to put her down.
We just got Tucker a year ago from a rescue org that puts dogs directly with foster parents until they're adopted. No shelter. He's 2-3 years old & was picked up as a stray. Some kind of hound mix. We were very careful when adopting this time because our daughter was just a year old at the time. He is awesome with her! She
He's was an escape artist when we first got him. Took me a couple weeks to get the back yard battened down enough that he couldn't squeeze, dig or jump out. He would even climb up on a wood stack to jump the 6' fence. He never got too far before he'd meet a person or dog to play with & we'd get a call to come pick him up. He grew out of his running ways after 5-6 months.
So each had a few minor issues at the start, but nothing I'd call a real problem. Much easier than training a puppy really.
I will say that we found it very hard to choose a dog from a pound. It is such a stressful environment for them in there that they are just not themselves and it's hard to get any read on their personality.
FFJake,
Sounds like you should write a book about living with your cats.
Sounds like you should write a book about living with your cats.
We've adopted a few pets, or maybe that is several have adopted us. Got one sleeping on my office couch right now.
bassJAM
Feeling the Heat
As a kid living on a farm, just about every spring we'd have a pregnant mother cat dropped off. Typically we kept them and got them fixed, but eventually we had over 20 cats and started taking new ones to the pound. It was just too much to take care of and they started getting wild.
We also had a mother with puppies dropped off, my brother ended up taking 1 of the pups and friends took the rest and the mother. My brother still has his dog, which I swear is the dumbest dog I've ever seen. Barks at everything, and literally couldn't find his way out of a paper bag. We've penned him before with a 2' high gate that he never figured out he could jump over (He's the size and shape of a small lab). He'd watch the other dogs jump it, but he'd just sit and bark at them.
When I was around 14 someone dropped of a full grown Chow-chow. Dad loved it and I think wanted to keep it since it would wrestle around with him. It was good with mom and my sisters too, but that thing HATED me. It'd eye me down every time I got close and growl, and eventually I didn't go out in the yard without a baseball bat with me which just made the dog more leery of me. We think the previous owners must have had a teenage boy that was mean, because that's the only time in my life I met a dog that didn't bond with me almost immediately. We eventually had to take it to the pound too, it was showing all the signs that it might attack me one day.
Now that I've got my own house 3 cats started showing up, jumping up in window sills at night and freaking out my dog. One was friendly to me so I made a bed for him to stay warm this past winter, but the other 2 were mean to my cats so I set my dog after them every time I saw them, and after a week they disappeared. But that 3rd one finally screwed things up this weekend. My fiance's 6 year old daughter was on the back porch where he lives, and she reached down to pet her and he sliced her hand open in multiple places. He ran into his rubbermade cat bed I made, and the girlfriend picked the whole thing up and tossed it off the deck, which is 5 feet off the ground! He's been coming back still, but I'm letting the dog out to chase him off now. We spend too much time out on the deck in the summer for him to go after my soon to be step daughter unprovoked. If he doesn't get the picture in a month, I've got a .22 that'll get rid of him. I love animals, but adopting strays haven't always worked out for us.
Now we have taken in several cats and dogs that family members were forced to give up when they moved into nursing homes or passed away, and those pets became loved members of the family. But strays never seem to work out well.
We also had a mother with puppies dropped off, my brother ended up taking 1 of the pups and friends took the rest and the mother. My brother still has his dog, which I swear is the dumbest dog I've ever seen. Barks at everything, and literally couldn't find his way out of a paper bag. We've penned him before with a 2' high gate that he never figured out he could jump over (He's the size and shape of a small lab). He'd watch the other dogs jump it, but he'd just sit and bark at them.
When I was around 14 someone dropped of a full grown Chow-chow. Dad loved it and I think wanted to keep it since it would wrestle around with him. It was good with mom and my sisters too, but that thing HATED me. It'd eye me down every time I got close and growl, and eventually I didn't go out in the yard without a baseball bat with me which just made the dog more leery of me. We think the previous owners must have had a teenage boy that was mean, because that's the only time in my life I met a dog that didn't bond with me almost immediately. We eventually had to take it to the pound too, it was showing all the signs that it might attack me one day.
Now that I've got my own house 3 cats started showing up, jumping up in window sills at night and freaking out my dog. One was friendly to me so I made a bed for him to stay warm this past winter, but the other 2 were mean to my cats so I set my dog after them every time I saw them, and after a week they disappeared. But that 3rd one finally screwed things up this weekend. My fiance's 6 year old daughter was on the back porch where he lives, and she reached down to pet her and he sliced her hand open in multiple places. He ran into his rubbermade cat bed I made, and the girlfriend picked the whole thing up and tossed it off the deck, which is 5 feet off the ground! He's been coming back still, but I'm letting the dog out to chase him off now. We spend too much time out on the deck in the summer for him to go after my soon to be step daughter unprovoked. If he doesn't get the picture in a month, I've got a .22 that'll get rid of him. I love animals, but adopting strays haven't always worked out for us.
Now we have taken in several cats and dogs that family members were forced to give up when they moved into nursing homes or passed away, and those pets became loved members of the family. But strays never seem to work out well.
My big dog (passed away last year) found me when she was skin and bones. Took a bit for her to trust me (or anyone) but became a wonderful pet, living a good healthy 11 years. She was very protective of her new home and when the little ones came along (grandkids) - she was very, very good with them.
Little dog (Chico) - is 40 pounds of fun lovin'. It didn't start out that way - he was rescued from a family that was beating him, trying to turn him into a fighting dog. He doesn't have a fighting bone in his body and he loves all people whether he knows them or not.
He was a destructive little bugger when young (satellite cable 3 times, two lawn chairs, temp license plate on middle daughters car, electrical on the back of a jeep, etc, etc. etc. etc). Not much now. Now he just loves to run and bounce around. At 11 years old, you would never guess his age.
Little dog (Chico) - is 40 pounds of fun lovin'. It didn't start out that way - he was rescued from a family that was beating him, trying to turn him into a fighting dog. He doesn't have a fighting bone in his body and he loves all people whether he knows them or not.
He was a destructive little bugger when young (satellite cable 3 times, two lawn chairs, temp license plate on middle daughters car, electrical on the back of a jeep, etc, etc. etc. etc). Not much now. Now he just loves to run and bounce around. At 11 years old, you would never guess his age.
Woodman37
New Member
About 3 years ago I was grilling on the back porch after I was done I accidentally left my garage man door cracked open. Sure enough next day the wife and kids come home and find a Siamese cat sitting on top of my 78 Oldsmobile. He stuck around the wife and kids loved him so now he's ours. Turns out he was already fixed and declawed in the front. It was obvious that he ran away or someone was very nasty to him. His name is Tyler and I've never had a more calm tolerant cat ever. My daughter is 4 and kinda rough. She picks him up hugs him and all that and he takes it all in stride. He never misbehaves. When my wife or I are home he never leaves our side. You can almost tell how appriciative he is that we took him in. So now he's part of the family and we all love him to death.
Adios Pantalones
Minister of Fire
Simon is the guy on top- think he's comfy in his adoptive home? We had 3 rescue rabbits- when I had to put the last one down, we brought some of their stuff to the Humane Society and the wife said we should take a walk around. They specialize in bigger, harder to adopt breeds, but this was one of two little guys in a crate. His hair was long, gray, and matted- took him a full 2-3 mins to come out and come over and kiss me on the nose.
Well, nothing I could do after that. I'm at least as much a softy as my wife. We thought he was 8-10 yrs old, but after a haircut and pulling all the ticks off him- turns out he was 8-10 MONTHS old. Dog is like a super ball- never seen anything like it. Sweet as pie.
Well, nothing I could do after that. I'm at least as much a softy as my wife. We thought he was 8-10 yrs old, but after a haircut and pulling all the ticks off him- turns out he was 8-10 MONTHS old. Dog is like a super ball- never seen anything like it. Sweet as pie.
Flatbedford
Minister of Fire
As some of you know, we just lost our 10 1/2 year old Black Lab. He was not rescued or adopted, but came from a reputable local breeder. We intend to bring another dog into the family in the future and are considering a rescue or adoption. Seems there are way to many fury friends out there that need good homes. I hope to read more people's stories in this thread.
Our last two dogs were 'rescues' but not in the normal sense of that word. The first one was an ad in the paper, a Sheltie.. She had been seen purposefully abandoned and the person that saw that act took her in but couldn't keep her because they already had 3 dogs. So, she came to live with us. Her ankle/foot apparently had been broken at some previous time so she limped when she walked; she turned into a rolling donut sometimes when she ran and didn't do stairs very well. We took her to a vet right after we got her and he said it was too late to fix anything because the bones in her leg had bowed from the injury.
She was a "city dog" and didn't know that waves in a lake were not something that she had to protect us from by attacking/biting the waves; she didn't know how to walk in tall grass; she wouldn't walk on carpet. Within a month or two we had her swimming in a lake, walking through fields and laying on the carpet watching tv with our kids. She was the perfect listener for 3 teenage boys and was the playmate of all of them and their friends too. As she got older arthritis settled in her ankle and walking any long distance was out for her so she settled for riding in the wagon pulled behind our youngest sons bike. She was the best of all the dogs that we have had - a great protector and friend with a heart of gold.
Then there is our current dog - a pomeranian. Sheesh! Not a dog I would have picked out (too small). At all of 7.5 lbs. there's not a large dog that can threaten her. I would bet FFJake has a cat or two that weighs more. She was destined to be let out of her previous owners house in late fall in Wisconsin where she would have become coyote food within a day or two. She came home in our then 16 year old's pocket when she was only 8-9 weeks old. A sixteen year old can be a sucker for a pup you know. With her perky ears and cocking head she won over my hubby who was adamant "No more dogs!" She sleeps on the couch when I'm sitting there and keeps me & her warm year round; she alerts when the coyotes are around outside; keeps the squirrels at bay and has been successful catching a mouse or two here and there. I often think of her more as a cat than a dog. She will be 17 this year in August - if she makes it to August. Her sight is fading; her hearing is going; she has a medical condition causing her to loose her hair - but she still acts like a 2 yr. old and loves every time the grandkids come visit.
She was a "city dog" and didn't know that waves in a lake were not something that she had to protect us from by attacking/biting the waves; she didn't know how to walk in tall grass; she wouldn't walk on carpet. Within a month or two we had her swimming in a lake, walking through fields and laying on the carpet watching tv with our kids. She was the perfect listener for 3 teenage boys and was the playmate of all of them and their friends too. As she got older arthritis settled in her ankle and walking any long distance was out for her so she settled for riding in the wagon pulled behind our youngest sons bike. She was the best of all the dogs that we have had - a great protector and friend with a heart of gold.
Then there is our current dog - a pomeranian. Sheesh! Not a dog I would have picked out (too small). At all of 7.5 lbs. there's not a large dog that can threaten her. I would bet FFJake has a cat or two that weighs more.
She was destined to be let out of her previous owners house in late fall in Wisconsin where she would have become coyote food within a day or two. She came home in our then 16 year old's pocket when she was only 8-9 weeks old. A sixteen year old can be a sucker for a pup you know. With her perky ears and cocking head she won over my hubby who was adamant "No more dogs!" She sleeps on the couch when I'm sitting there and keeps me & her warm year round; she alerts when the coyotes are around outside; keeps the squirrels at bay and has been successful catching a mouse or two here and there. I often think of her more as a cat than a dog. She will be 17 this year in August - if she makes it to August. Her sight is fading; her hearing is going; she has a medical condition causing her to loose her hair - but she still acts like a 2 yr. old and loves every time the grandkids come visit.
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Wow, that's half our cat's weight. It sounds like she is very well taken care of. 17 yrs is old for any dog, much less a purebred.
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
Our last two dogs were 'rescues' but not in the normal sense of that word. The first one was an ad in the paper, a Sheltie.. She had been seen purposefully abandoned and the person that saw that act took her in but couldn't keep her because they already had 3 dogs. So, she came to live with us. Her ankle/foot apparently had been broken at some previous time so she limped when she walked; she turned into a rolling donut sometimes when she ran and didn't do stairs very well. We took her to a vet right after we got her and he said it was too late to fix anything because the bones in her leg had bowed from the injury.
She was a "city dog" and didn't know that waves in a lake were not something that she had to protect us from by attacking/biting the waves; she didn't know how to walk in tall grass; she wouldn't walk on carpet. Within a month or two we had her swimming in a lake, walking through fields and laying on the carpet watching tv with our kids. She was the perfect listener for 3 teenage boys and was the playmate of all of them and their friends too. As she got older arthritis settled in her ankle and walking any long distance was out for her so she settled for riding in the wagon pulled behind our youngest sons bike. She was the best of all the dogs that we have had - a great protector and friend with a heart of gold.
Then there is our current dog - a pomeranian. Sheesh! Not a dog I would have picked out (too small). At all of 7.5 lbs. there's not a large dog that can threaten her. I would bet FFJake has a cat or two that weighs more.
You would win that bet. Jackson is bigger, but comes in at 18 pounds. Truman is a solid 24 pounds . . . which probably explains why he cannot jump very well.
In a related thread . . . love this thread and reading stories about rescued pets.
pma1123
Burning Hunk
Good thread; I'll get in on the fun too. I've always had medium sized dogs (lab/spaniel) that came from a breeder or just some family that wound up with a litter of puppies. It has been a few years though since my last dog was put down at 18yrs old. But I now have a great place for a dog so my girlfriend and I were on the search for a rescue dog, because my girlfriend wanted to go that route. Meanwhile, I was very skeptical. My item of contention was that we'd wind up with some screwed up (socially) dog that we'd have to deal with special needs for the next 10-15 years, and why not spend $300? and get a 'good' dog where we start from square one and control how it turns out. OK, so I got to say my piece....
Well, about 5 weeks ago we adopted a new little helper, his name is Hans. He's 11lbs/~8mos old, blonde Daschund longhaired (weiner dog), neutered, current on shots, microchipped, sit/shake/stay, crate trained, and already housebroken. At first he was extremely skiddish and wouldn't let me pet him; always barking at me and running away. Those first few days were tough; but he needed to accept us as much as we needed to accept him. Now he is constantly begging for me to pick him up, go sit on the couch and hang out by the woodstove, go for walks, go outside and sniff for critters, and last friday night he even sniffed-out small racoon and chased him into the back of my garage. (thanks Hans!) Then he really came out of his shell when I let him play with other dogs. Turns out he's a tail wagging, fun loving, very relaxed little guy thats always within 40 feet of me when I'm outside, and he'll stay out with me all day if I let him. It almost goes without saying, but having a dog that tells you he needs to go potty on day 1 is a pretty darn nice perk!
In closing, my sentiments about a rescue dog have been proven wrong. He is eager to please his people, and I now understand why some people really like weiner dogs...I'm now one of those people too. Seeing him come out of his shell day by day really is a rewarding thing to experience.
Well, about 5 weeks ago we adopted a new little helper, his name is Hans. He's 11lbs/~8mos old, blonde Daschund longhaired (weiner dog), neutered, current on shots, microchipped, sit/shake/stay, crate trained, and already housebroken. At first he was extremely skiddish and wouldn't let me pet him; always barking at me and running away. Those first few days were tough; but he needed to accept us as much as we needed to accept him. Now he is constantly begging for me to pick him up, go sit on the couch and hang out by the woodstove, go for walks, go outside and sniff for critters, and last friday night he even sniffed-out small racoon and chased him into the back of my garage. (thanks Hans!) Then he really came out of his shell when I let him play with other dogs. Turns out he's a tail wagging, fun loving, very relaxed little guy thats always within 40 feet of me when I'm outside, and he'll stay out with me all day if I let him. It almost goes without saying, but having a dog that tells you he needs to go potty on day 1 is a pretty darn nice perk!
In closing, my sentiments about a rescue dog have been proven wrong. He is eager to please his people, and I now understand why some people really like weiner dogs...I'm now one of those people too. Seeing him come out of his shell day by day really is a rewarding thing to experience.
Our totally freaked out adopted cat has proven a "challenge". Full on aggression with the resident Pride (3, now 11 yrs. old). They have no clue about that response! I "broke up" a fight (forgot who was where... duh) and sustained 3 bites to my left wrist. A visit to the doctor, complete with a tetanus booster (+pertussis!), a shot of anti-biotic in my can and a 10 day 'scrip. for amoxicillin was a pretty good "wake up" and has us thinking about a less "warm and fuzzy" introduction!
Great kitty (very affectionate and loving with humanoids). But completely incapable of dealing with the other kitties. 3+ wks. later and we're getting there, but really slowly. She's managed to carve out a relationship with our 100# dog, who's as "cool with cats" as any dog on the planet. He doesn't officially "back down", but lets her know that she may not bully him; she's confident enough to walk by him (but growls as she passes... he doesn't care!).
This is an interesting study, you guys. We have a new kitty who has no "inter-kitty" skills, and shows virtually no interesting in "jumping". Prowls the floor, but rarely shows any interest in getting up high... . Very strange to me, and makes me wonder what people must've done to her whenever she jumped up and acted like a cat. We're dedicated to convincing her that jumping up and getting UP is a good thing for kitties in a house with a dog!
Every adopted animal has lessons to teach; and I'm in Remedial Cat, lol.
Great kitty (very affectionate and loving with humanoids). But completely incapable of dealing with the other kitties. 3+ wks. later and we're getting there, but really slowly. She's managed to carve out a relationship with our 100# dog, who's as "cool with cats" as any dog on the planet. He doesn't officially "back down", but lets her know that she may not bully him; she's confident enough to walk by him (but growls as she passes... he doesn't care!).
This is an interesting study, you guys. We have a new kitty who has no "inter-kitty" skills, and shows virtually no interesting in "jumping". Prowls the floor, but rarely shows any interest in getting up high... . Very strange to me, and makes me wonder what people must've done to her whenever she jumped up and acted like a cat. We're dedicated to convincing her that jumping up and getting UP is a good thing for kitties in a house with a dog!
Every adopted animal has lessons to teach; and I'm in Remedial Cat, lol.
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