Horsefeathers!

Ooooooooohhhh, these are the exact same kind Rocco had. They were sent with him when we adopted him and they are VERY durable. Since Rocco was paralyzed in his back end, we put them on his back feet to keep him from skinning his tootsies up, so the booties were drug all over the place. Of course, we had to put them on him backward so the leather was on TOP of his feet because of the way he "walked," dragging his feet behind him, but they held up quite well. They were also tossed in the washing machine daily (Rocco would poop and drag his feet through it :oops: ), so for all the washings and draggings and abuse they took, I don't think you could find anything more durable. [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0XwDxAqgeG!cxEK2bnXJI5COdI0KDeBUdRwPicOCn0mweLAyLH5JcaL0LL89lIdxQITz*VllVYmawGg8lfeqvmQG1!5IwH08qOiLf2dUA5AXAa1nqGGHQOrp4z*4e5C61RODlofrzqAI/Rocco%20run.jpg?dc=4675472358295431651[/img] [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0ZACJAqsgtacxEK2bnXJI5AE6kwirc*8ucsBQurLb96VUF*EoIV8!2fhHlouU3JGvDjFUXM67YE3zPwUxiz2IR6*2vqAQx!MB2A754TDUYKaRUV1**h!yweeE8ow!HRWZ0MwAH6AKmMp2fFWS1WT4mA/Rocco%20standing.jpg?dc=4675472358300453581[/img]

I may have been wallowing a bit in a puddle of self pity. :oops: After the incident with Peaches jumping on Perry the other night, I totally lost it and showed my own "alpha bitch" side. I came up off the couch raising nine kinds of h*ll and let Peaches know, in no uncertain terms, that we do NOT hurt other members of this family. I hate like crap to act like that toward her since she originally came from an abuse case (though I'm unsure the nature of the abuse... that's just what the rescue coordinator told me). I'm usually very gentle and loving to her because I [u]don't[/u] want her to feel like she needs to be afraid. I hated to confront her like that. I didn't hit her or anything... was just very loud and confrontational and shoved her off the couch. Probably not the way to handle it, but was my immediate reaction to her jumping on Perry, so I believe she had to see it as a consequence of her actions. Maybe that's giving a dog more credit for reasoning ability than they have? I dunno, but I think sometimes they have more sense than we give them credit for. However, for what it's worth, it seems the "reality check" worked. She hasn't as much as wrinkled her lip at another dog even when they are trompling all over her. She's stopped sulking since the "reality check" the other night and is her perky, happy self again minus the turf wars (at least so far). I think I was just feeling a bit overwhelmed and angry the other night... angry with my friend for not setting better behavioral boundaries and enforcing them, angry because she basically, if unintentionally, created this monster. I'm sure everything will probably work out ok. At least we hope it will. Peaches is silly, but she isn't stupid. Thanks for the support. :)

Morphine... if I had kids, that's what *I'd* want in their medicine! :P Pauly seems to be much better today. He kept his little bit of food down and he's bouncing around, goofy as ever. That eye watering gas seems to be diminished, too. Thank doG. :o

I'm so upset now. Some of the behavior that Peaches picked up at my friend's house, she brought here. She was [u][i]never[/u][/i] aggressive in any shape or form while she was at my house previously. If nothing else, she was very submissive to the other dogs. She learned to express jealousy and possessiveness effectively at my friend's house by going after one of her other dogs whenever she was "violating" a space she deemed hers. Apparently, it worked for her there. Last night, she was on the couch which is where she always stayed before, and Perry came by just on his way to find a place to flop. Perry always lays on the couch, too, but he doesn't mind one bit another dog being there and has no idea what to do with an irate dog. Perry doesn't have one ounce of fear or fight in him. Peaches went after him last night. That has never happened here before. I'm not having it, I'm not having it, I'm not having it. She will have no more couch privileges and, oh, I'm not having that crap. I lived once with a dog that we had to watch morning, noon and night and keep separated and stay on pins and needles because she was so volatile and unpredictable. I used to be willing to do that, but now I'm not. When that dog was finally gone, we didn't realize what a huge burden it was that was lifted when we didn't have to be on guard duty 24/7. If it makes me an intolerant bastard, I still will NOT have a dog that could potentially kill one of my smaller dogs. That's happened before and it won't happen again. Just really distressed, I reckon. Perhaps she can unlearn this behavior if I begin by taking her couch privilegs. If she EVER goes after one of my smaller dogs, she will be going back to the rescue group we're fostering her for. I'm not going through that whole "keep 'em separated" thing anymore. It's such a shame when she NEVER exhibited that kind of behavior here before. I think my friend initially thought it was "cute" that Peaches "loved" her so much when Peaches would get right up under her and keep the other dogs away. I think she thought she was bonding with her. Look what it turned into. :x I hate that this dog has been bounced around so much, but my first responsibility and obligation are to my resident dogs here. The rescue people caught me so off guard by calling me only days after Rocco died and asking me to foster Peaches. I thought I was doing a good thing by trying to help out, but I think I was caught off-guard and made the wrong decision in my good intentions. Peaches would have been just as well off left in the foster home she was in initially. :(

Well, he's certainly acting like he feels better today. He's up and running and being as silly as usual where last night he was very restless and he just acted like he didn't feel good. Of course, he hasn't eaten yet, so I guess we'll see. I'm only going to give him a very small handful of food just to see how it sits on his stomach. If it weren't for the fact that he bile pukes on an empty stomach, I'd just skip his morning feeding. I hope it was just maybe some little bug. Thanks, everyone. If it continues, I'll give him a little Pepto. I knew about pumpkin for diarrhea, but didn't know if it had any effect on vomiting.

I guess I'll just leave him be for now then. I just hate to see him looking so down; I want to "fix" it, I reckon. Thanks, Jeff.

I know I should probably post this on the health board, but this board gets more traffic and I really would like an answer as soon as possible. Pauly is sick tonight. He had some loose stool earlier, but he is vomiting and very, very, very *choke* gassy. Holy balls, does he stink[img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0YQAcA4Ef4DjWpLbhXWCnAvn88DI44GS8PK6b648XKU4sxgXWDpqh34GJ7kmuf681dMz**zVSMYP2t*HG3OQb6haKxD1GI*MPiNIRElOcVBtZNbYLcd1N9OKtvuj5F278H2bsyFz!x5RZGc0cztQ2xg/smiley%20barf.gif?dc=4675477711840231082[/img]!! He did eat tonight, but threw it up about an hour later. I know what to do for diarrhea, but am not sure whan I can give him to settle his tummy. Anything I can give him that might be in my medicine cabinet? [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0XwAEA6AeEeXb0rpcrDDOrMPIDQEqd6VHf!Roslqq97iiLCxh1gduicgXKT0c32v3LXVCceJ3nMFZZXMERJuLK88aXONnhTmG!nmckzBcPeEkL6foFr5CWWJVHzbo5Seld5P27XqHSiw/Pauly%20sig.gif?dc=4675486246323715640[/img]

Oh well, Peaches is back. We're again a gang of ten. I'm more positive than ever that we're doing the right thing. I've really been thinking of the behavioral problems that have evolved with Peaches while she was with my friend due, I think, to a lack of structure. I don't know about anyone else, but we could not run this household with this many dogs and cats if we didn't have a pretty rigid set of household rules and enforce them. For example, NO displays of aggression... at all, ever. We used to do the "let them work it out" thing in regard to snarls and growly behavior as long as it didn't turn physical, but no more. We do not accept it at all, period. At her house, Peaches became aggressive with one of her other dogs (actually left a puncture wound in the other dog's face tonight :( ... a sweet, docile Standard Poodle named Peyton that I previously fostered), became destructive, barked incessantly and was perpetual motion. She's the exact opposite at my house. She's lying quietly on the couch now. What gives? :o Peaches is a dog that NEEDS structure. She has separation anxiety issues and is most comfortable with a very predictable routine. She becomes very agitated and hyper when things get chaotic, or routines change. In hindsight, I should have known Peaches would not do well there. I still think my friend is a GREAT home for a more settled, quiet dog, but not Peaches. I just really needed some time for my ankle to heal a bit better and it was either that or send Peaches back to the rescue I'm fostering her for.

I know in our area, the Danes are not to be trusted. I haven't seen one come through our clinic yet that isn't at best nervous and skittish. It seems like most of our Danes come from a couple of BYB's here. A year or two ago, about a couple of miles from me, a Dane pup (13 months) attacked and killed a seven year old boy. It was originally called a Pit Bull attack until the owner verified it was a Dane. Now our receptionist has one of these Danes. She didn't buy him, but took him when the breeder decided for whatever reason she couldn't keep him or sell him (? :o ?). They are working like fiends to get this pup (several months old) socialized, but he's still iffy, IMO. Not really mean, but very nervous. OG, I'm like you with Lhasas. I adore the breed, but it is indeed because I DO appreciate their aloof, independent nature. They certainly aren't the breed for everyone, but I think I'll always have at least one. I think you kind of have to be able to "speak" Lhasa. :)

[quote name='Kat']If its long with a defined head then its likely to be a nematode or roundworm or possibly a hookworm. Tapeworms are passed through the dogs body as little segments called glottids which are the reproductive parts.[/quote] Kat, I have seen some live tapeworms pass through which are exactly as Marble described and they do kind of "fan out" one end or the other just a bit so it looks like a "hammer" head. I've seen the dead, rice looking ones, but the live ones look different. Not arguing at all and I'm certainly not trying to make an official diagnosis online. Only saying that I have seen tapeworms like this. It's quite disturbing to see these little beasties come poking out of some dog's butt like it's saying hello. :-? TDG, where does one obtain food grade DE? Is it a good idea to give dogs a round of it here and there just for prevention and good measure, or only if you suspect worms?

From what I understand, what gets rid of other worms doesn't work for tapeworms and what gets rid of tapeworms isn't good for other worms. You need something specifically for tapes (assuming that's what it is).

Goo, that made a lot of sense and sounds just about right. My friend is as well meaning as a person can be, but she sometimes lets herself get overwhelmed. Actually, she does this a lot in many aspects of her life. [quote]Has she taken Peaches to a vet to see if there's a medical reason she's been losing weight? [/quote] So far, I really believe Peaches is just burning off more calories than she's taking in. She's a very high energy dog and constantly in motion. Still, I'd like to try the extra feeding just to see if that helps and then if not, take further action. [quote]a big ,predominantly black ,naughty dog is never going to find a permanent home now is she?[/quote] Very good point! :o And I was so enjoying the fresh air. Peaches does seem to have a bit of a tender tummy, prone to occasional bouts of diarrhea and really, really bad gas. You always knew she was in the house, for sure. :oops:

Sounds like a tapeworm. You should save it and take it to the vet with you just for confirmation. Tapeworms are the main ones that won't show up in a fecal check... you just kind of have to eyeball them. Not really anything to panic about. One thing to consider, though, is that tapeworms are typically acquired from ingesting fleas, like when a dog is chewing itself. Your dog may have had fleas at some point. All it takes is one. :wink: Tapeworms and fleas are both pretty easy to get rid of. It's something you'll want to take care of, but don't lose sleep over it. Dresden will be alright until tomorrow. :wink:

I'll keep PushyKitty in my thoughts.

*groan* This is just another long, drawn out rant, but venting is good, right? I reckon I just take for granted how much work people perceive there is in taking care of several dogs. We currently have nine in the house and have had ten (and will soon again) and it really doesn't seem that difficult to us. Then again, my husband is very active in their care as well and we don't have children, so our priorities are perhaps a lot different from other folks'. We have a daily routine and things run smoothly for us. Our furniture is intact, our dogs are mannerable (most of the time :oops: ), our house is relatively clean... it's not the disaster area people would assume. It's not a lifestyle for everyone, but I wouldn't expect it to be. Some people can handle children and I can't, so to each's own. The reason for the rant is this... my best friend whom I love dearly and would do nearly anything for adopted three of my former fosters. She's a great dog mom, patient as a saint, high quality food, really treats them well. However, her household isn't nearly as structured as mine. Her dogs pretty much have free run of the house, but with no boundaries or training. When she only had two, they were already several years old and fairly settled... none of that wild puppy behavior, so I think she took for granted how well things went with them. She didn't worry about coming home from work and the house being torn from one end to the other, or piles of crap everywhere from upset tummies where they ate whatever they could get into. Things ran smoothly. Then she adopted the third one, Fifty, and he is still very young and very hyper. Still, she's been able to cope with him pretty well. I mean, her house is a constant disaster, but she copes with it. I think that's great that she can have a sense of humor about it. Then Peaches came along and that made four. That's the three legged foster Dobe that I let my friend keep until my ankle could heal better since Peaches was so difficult on a leash and I wasn't sturdy enough on my feet to work with her. While Peaches was at my house, she was very well mannered. No accidents in the floor, never tore anything up except for minor damage to one clothing item that hadn't been put away yet. She didn't rip and shred everything she came into contact with. Since Peaches has been with Fifty at my friend's house, she has developed some horrible habits. Destructive, all housetraining (which was never even an issue before) has gone out the window. Still, my friend loves Peaches and is willing to cope with these things. This is what has me really p*ssed off with my friend now... Peaches is a bag of bones. She was always pretty slender and she's VERY energetic... she's perpetual motion. I've been helping my friend out with food for Peaches and a couple of weeks ago I [u]suggested[/u] she start feeding Peaches more since she was dropping weight, but acting ok. She feeds the dogs twice a day and Peaches is getting a lot per feeding, so I suggested adding a midday feeding since she is home during the day (at least in and out) rather than adding even more to one of the other feedings (since Rocco, I'm terrified of bloating and do not want Peaches loaded to the gills). Last week when I saw Peaches, she looked like she'd lost even more weight. Her ribs are showing and so is her backbone. So then I [u]insisted[/u] she start adding a midday feeding to Peaches' routine. That's been about a week ago. I just talked to her on the phone and asked her about it. What she said to me really upset me... she told me that she'd been too busy. Ok, she does a lot of errand running and such, but she is still home for at least a few minutes at a time during the day. How hard is it to throw a freaking bowl of food down for a dog that will scarf it down in a few seconds, anyway?? It's not like I'm asking her to prepare an elaborate home cooked meal... just a bowl of kibble is better than nothing. All her other dogs are battling weight gain and she's always joking that they're just "fluffy" because she likes her dogs a little heavy (therefore "happy"). I can't believe she would tell me she is too busy to feed a skin and bones dog one extra meal during the day. I mean, Peaches is getting her morning and evening meals, but still... she's skin and bones. I cannot imagine fixing my lips to say I'm too busy to feed an emaciated dog. I'm so upset by that. I told her that I need to know if Peaches is skinny because she's got such a high metabolism and burning it off, or if something else is going on. If she were getting that extra meal and still losing weight, I'd know to look for another problem. As it is, I really think she just needs more calories since she's such a high energy dog. Still, I won't know until we try. I think my friend is angry with me because I bluntly told her that I will be taking Peaches home with me if she's too "busy" to feed her. She really had planned to adopt Peaches outright, but this was just kind of a trial run... her keeping Peaches for me while my ankle heals. Peaches is still MY responsibility. I really think my friend is in over her head. She sees all the dogs we have and I think she thinks it's fairly easy (maybe?) since our house usually runs so smoothly, but there are two of us here and we have a very structured environment. Two dogs were great for her, three were quite a handful, but I don't think she can handle four. It may make me a real sh*thead, but I'm bringing Peaches home with me. She protested, but I don't think I really heard another word after that "I've been too busy and haven't been home much..." thing. Fine. Take care of your business and do what you have to do. I still say that if a person is too busy for that dog, then they don't need it. It doesn't mean I think she's a bad person. In her defense, she is the most giving, big hearted person I know which is why I love her as a best friend. The one thing she can't stand is to see someone or something starving and I reckon she thinks that since Peaches eats as much as she does for her morning and evening meals, she can't be starving. Still, it is not in Peaches' best interest to leave her there and since Peaches is MY responsibility, she has to come home. I'm still p*ssed off, though. :x Am I overreacting? My friend frequently tells me (on other issues) that I tend to overreact and see things as worse than they are. Since Peaches is eating a lot twice a day already, should I be so concerned about her not getting the midday meals? Am I really being a sh*thead if I "repo" Peaches? She's really attached to her, but aside from the weight loss, Peaches' behavior has gone down the toilet because there is no structure. I wish I could get some pictures to post so others could see what I see. Really, her ribs, hips and spine are showing. :-?

Sounds like fun. Nearly wore me out just reading it!

[quote name='Kat']so people put a special effort in to get their dogs groomed for Christmas? I would have thought that would be just a time for the high street stores to be busy! :o[/quote] Shoooooooooooot yeah, people get crazy around the holidaze about having their dogs groomed. I think a lot of the time it's kind of a housekeeping thing. Some people neglect their dogs' grooming all year long and then don't want to have company over to a big meal and a nice clean house with a stinking matball of a dog skulking around. From what I see on the grooming boards, people everywhere virtually fall over themselves trying to get their dogs groomed for Christmas. Apparently, six and seven day groomer work weeks are pretty common during the holidaze. A lot of groomers count on the extra income at this time of the year. Some people work very well under stress, but not me. I crack under pressure. :oops:

Happy Birthday to da Zoey! :bday: :new-bday: :BIG: :B-fly:

Holy balls, Batman! You have more animals than I do, Tammy! :o Does that make me more sane? :P Tammy, we used to have rescue gerbils, too, believe it or not. We actually had a gerbil neutered. The vet was quite taken aback at the request. We initially rescued a mama and daddy with their three newborns from a shelter where someone dumped them off because (duh) they had babies. I mean, gerbils are quite prolific breeders. I can't imagine being shocked by it. Anyway, we started off with one cage of that family and ended up with four cages of gerbils, gerbils, gerbils everywhere! We finally sexed them all out and let them live out their lives until they pretty much just died off rather than let them keep having more babies. They aren't hard to care for, but oh my goodness, they can have so many babies in such a short amount of time. :-? We had a rescue bunny for a while, too, but she died earlier this year. The vet believes she had cancer. :( We also had ferrets for a while. They both lived to be close to ten years old and they died within a year of each other... the last one earlier this year. That's it for us in regard to "exotic" rescue, at least for now. We currently have five cats: TomCat, male (obviously, lol)- 10 years old Butthead, male (known as Buddy in polite company)- 9 years old Half Pint, female- 8 years old Li'l Bit, female (Half Pint's littermate)- 8 years old Snowball (who is solid black), male- 2 1/2 years old We currently have nine dogs in the house, but may be getting Peaches back soon which will be ten again. Remember Peaches, the three legged foster Dobe that went to stay with my friend until my ankle could heal a little better? I'm just about ready for her to come "home." As it is now, we have: [b]Chico[/b], tri color Chihuahua, 7 years old... was adopted when the "breeder" threatened on ch. 19 cb radio (truckers' channel) to drop him and his littermates off a bridge to get rid of them. Chico was the last one left. [b]Fred[/b], white Lhasa Apso, 7 years old... pet store purchase way before I knew anything about pet store purchasing :oops: [b]Missy[/b] aka Misdemeanor, grizzled Lhasa Apso, 6 years old... other pet store purchase with *groan* the intention to breed to Fred. Again, this is way way prior to any knowledge I had of responsible breeding and pet store purchasing. Fortunately, no pups were produced. I've become very pro-rescue and "enlightened" in the last few years. All critters are speutered. [b]Tucker Dedicated[/b], black Lab, 8ish years old... was adopted from the local kill shelter in Spring of '98. We'd read that adult black dogs are hardest to find homes for, so we went to the shelter in search of an adult black dog. It's certainly true that Labs and Lab mixes are a dime a dozen in shelters, at least ours. Tucker was certified by Delta Society as a therapy dog. [b]Peanut[/b], cream color Toy Poodle, 5 years old... was adopted from a breeder who claimed they were her daughter's or someone else's dogs and they couldn't "get rid of" all the pups and whatever other drama that came up. Long story short, I offered her a home, but would not purchase her. They finally agreed to it. [b]Simon[/b], silverish mini Schnzauzer, estimated to be between 8-10 years old... I actually picked him up from a busy four lane highway where I used to see him quite a bit. He used to elude me when I'd stop, but one day he hopped right into my car as if he'd been waiting for me. No one ever came forward to claim him and he's been with us for about 4 or 5 years. [b]Perry[/b], white Standard Poodle, 5 years old... was adopted through a Florida Poodle rescue group. [b]Pauly-NO[/b], white Standard Poodle, 5 years old, kennel mate of Perry's and quite possibly a littermate... he was actually adopted by someone an hour from me from the same Poodle rescue group that Perry came from. This person had him for a year and decided to let him go, so I got him from her. The rescue coordinator re-did the adoption paperwork so that it shows that I adopted Pauly-NO from the rescue group. [b]Devin[/b], aka DevilDawg aka Devin DooDooHead, cream color Lhasa Apso, 2 years old... he belonged to one of my grooming clients and I had been grooming him since he was 7 weeks old. The client decided, for whatever reason (which we now believe to be his aggression and snappishness), to give him up. She initially found a home for him and then immediately reclaimed him. Then she left him with me when he was only eight months old. I had him neutered and found a perfect home for him with a single guy and his other small dog. DevilDawg got out of his house one day and was missing for two days before being returned to me (thank doG he was wearing tags). The guy was freaked out and blamed himself and was afraid it would happen again, so Devin came back to me. I again found him a home with a friend, but he bit a kid in the face, so I took Devin again even though they didn't want to give him up. Before Devin was a year old, he'd been through five homes :o . We've since learned that Devin has horrible hip dysplasia (virtually no hip sockets) and some other medical issues which we believe had a lot to do with his misbehavior. With pain management and proper handling, he is MUCH nicer and more tolerant and I'm SOOOO glad we've decided to keep him. He's a joy. Then there are various fosters that come through. Word has somehow spread that I will do Poodle and Lhasa rescue and now Dobe rescue, though I'm not exclusive. I've placed others including a 120ish lb German Shepherd/Collie cross. Still, if there's a Poodle or mix, or a Lhasa anywhere in the area needing a home, people find us. :o Sorry so long... this was fun. :oops:

Hehehehe! Someone's crazier'n me! I'm lovin' it! Congratulations on your new family member. I believe that if it can be done, you are certainly the one to be able to do it. 8)

EEEK! Cassie, I can't imagine why she'd put herself through it, especially with her talent and experience! I only work a four day week (off Saturday, Sunday & Monday), but occasionally work the odd Monday to work in someone that I had to bump (like this past Thursday when I locked my keys in my car and had to wait half the day to be rescued... bumped my clients for that day to tomorrow :oops: ). My clients consist of almost solely year round prebooking folks. I haven't taken new clients in a couple of years (except a very few referred by regulars) and won't be browbeat over the holi[u]daze[/u]. It started before Thanksgiving... the people calling and begging and pleading and negotiating and everything else to get an appointment and then getting ugly when they don't :o . If I had a dime for every person that got mad and said, "hmph! I'm in the wrong business! I should be grooming dogs if it's so great that you can turn down money!!" I'd be rich and could stop grooming altogether :roll: . It got so bad that I couldn't hardly work for the phone (I am a one person salon... bather, brusher, receptionist, groomer, it's all me). Voice mail has turned out to be the best invention ever. Not only am I able to weed out sales people (I do not answer out of town or blocked numbers), I've left a detailed message saying something to the effect of, "not accepting new clients at this time... due to my desire to provide personalized, one on one attention to each dog... blah blah... due to the overwhelming volume of calls and inquiries, I am able only to return the calls of established clients.... blah blah blah...". Much longer than I'd like (I know... I hate sitting through LONG messages to leave one), but it's certainly saving my sanity especially through the holidaze). I used to let myself get beat down by demanding clients, but I'm trying to reduce stress in my life, not create it. I can't groom every dog in the area. I guess it'll work out well since your boss has been able to hire a new groomer. That's a great option. It's not an option for me, though. The only time ever I tried to hire a new groomer to get some of the workload off me turned out to be a disaster and left such a bad taste in my mouth, I decided I'd rather cut my client load and do it alone. Good luck to you all and hang in there! Only a few more weeks until it's all done and over with! 'Tis the season, aye?? Love that poem! :)

[img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0XQAMA3odMIXrlgG7Zsgb58034Et2FaLkmLWZWwfqLSSbiifP*WXNWt0x*ez8NZ2es6qz4hIv10kf7QyXWxeyAOp7I!EkzUYkEcoFCb8Rg0sAOv937f20CnjO87IP5rb1lA2I!sYLyWc/Feed%20me.jpg?dc=4675379144624369500[/img] Simon (the Schnauzer) is getting rocks & switches. He's being a sh*thead today. :x Typically, their Christmas "gift" is the extra goodies and eats they get on Christmas day. Many of them don't care much for toys, but ALL of them like to eat. 8)

I never asked any of mine how they felt about other dogs coming in. Kinda like The Brady Bunch, they knew "it was much more than a hunch... that this group must somehow form a family... that's the way we all became" The HF Bunch (la la la... remember the song?). They didn't have much choice but to put up with other dogs. :P You know, if I send you a handful of my dogs, I'll concede and be outdone. You win! When would you like them? I'll line them up and let you choose. *snicker* Rowie, Heidi is lovely. She looks just like this dog that wandered up in our yard several years ago and we used to leave food out just because she always acted like she was starving and was so thin. She stopped coming around and we found out later she was shot and killed. Apparently, a guy was hired by a landowner around here to ride this neighborhood and shoot any loose dogs. Same thing happened with a beautiful brindle Pit Bull we were kind of taking care of (girl just wandered up one day while I was mowing grass... I happened to look down and this dog was just following right along step for step as if it were a walk... we called her Sneakup). The guy would shoot loose dogs, even dogs in their own yards, and throw the bodies on a trailer and haul them off, like it was a hunt or garbage pickup or something. The whole point is that Heidi looks just like one of those dogs. It makes me sad again just thinking about her. Not trying to hijack the thread. Heidi is really lovely. Doesn't it make you wish you could save them all?

My dogs are offleash virtually all the time since we have a fenced yard. My smallest Poodlet Peanut goes with me virtually everywhere and is very seldom ever leashed. We technically have leash laws, but I admit I often fail to comply. I ALWAYS have a leash with me, though, usually in my purse. She never, ever leaves my side and, whether this is stupid or not, I believe her to be 100% reliable (ok, technically, no dog is 100% reliable, or so they say, but... :oops: ). In the 5 1/2 years I've taken her places with me (stores, insurance companies, banks, any business [excluding restaurants] that doesn't specifically say "no dogs allowed"), she's earned my trust. Depending on where we are, I'll sometimes snap a leash on her solely for appearance's sake (so it looks like I have her under "control"), but not very often. I reckon since she's a smaller dog, no one has ever minded, especially since she is very well mannered (not barky or jumpy or climbing up people's legs, never approaches people who don't invite her to). However, whenever I do take Perry (one of my Standard Poodles) into these places, even though I find him to be just as reliable and mannerable as Peanut, he is always leashed. Double standard? Maybe so, but I just think people are probably a bit more uncomfortable seeing a larger dog "loose" than a smaller one. For some reason, I've run into many people who are afraid of my Standard Poodles. :-?

With nine dogs in the house and the certainty that I have that at least ONE of them will swallow something sideways that will cause a blockage or prolapse or some other expensive (oh, and painful) thing, I am very, very diligent in making sure that all clothes are put away. Dirty clothes are in a hamper in a securely closed closet and clean clothes are sorted and put away as soon as the dryer stops. My clean clothes used to grow roots on my sofa where they'd lay until I "got around to it" :oops: , but what the dogs didn't steal and chew or drag all over the house, the cats found a delightful bed and wallowed and projectile shed on. So now no clothing, clean or dirty, is ever left where a canine or feline member of this family can gain access to them. Oh well, I'm enjoying using my sofa as my own personal lounging spot these days, anyway, rather than a landing pad for my clean clothes that never would find their way "home." I shudder at the thought of what would happen to dirty undies in our house if the dogs had access to them. I have to keep certain canine members of my household out of the bathroom when I potty because they'll virtually try to chew my draw'z right off me. :oops: On a serious note, a longtime friend on another board has a Pyr that had to have late night emergency surgery when they discovered a blockage which turned out to be an eaten pair of pantyhose that he'd stolen down from a shower rod where they were drying. She never thought he could get them from there. That has kind of made me paranoid for my own since my gang is pretty much Murphy's law on four legs.