Horsefeathers!

I was in our nearby all in one inclusive supermegastore today (though I'd rather take a beating than be in Wal*Mart, but still there I was). I'd been mulling over getting one of those carpet spot cleaners because, let's face it, there are TEN dogs in the house. 'Nuff said about that :o . We do have a heavy duty industrial size floor cleaner, but it's really not practical for the occasional oopsy. I generally use a good cleaner and the blot, scrub, dab, cuss, sweat, strain, scrub some more method of getting up spots, but was thinking I'd like to try something a little easier. Now, I'm not always a very good decision maker. Ask my husband or best friend who'd rather die a slow, painful death than have to shop with me because I agonize over every little thing. I finally settled on the little Bissell Spotlifter

[quote name='SizzleDog']But you do have to keep a dog in coat - ... I'm not sure, but I think Rottweilers are qute a political breed - jnot as bad as poodles and dobes, but close. [/quote] Just rambling here, but that's exactly why I'm kind of put off about wanting to show Standard Poodles, though (love ya, Rocco et al, but...) they are truly "my" breed. I don't mind the work and have the coat keeping thing down to a science (though you can't always tell it by looking at mine :oops: ), could afford to do a few shows (wouldn't be the diehard campaigner that many "professionals" are), but I've heard soooooooo much about the politics that goes on ESPECIALLY with Poodles. I've seen enough to believe it's true and I just know that an unknown Poodle newbie (in the ring) like me wouldn't stand a chance against a well known handler, no matter how spectacular my dog might be. Instead, I've chosen to become more involved in competitive grooming and may eventually get involved with something like competitive obedience. Still, I'd LOVE to be able to show and handle my own Standard Poodle in the conformation ring. As far as gaiting, I'm certainly no pro at assessing (as referenced above :wink: ), but sometimes I think a dog either has it or they don't. At the very least, some dogs have to work much harder at it than others that it seems to just come naturally to. My Perry... gotta love him; his gait is AWESOME. His movement is flawless and he just struts his stuff like one of the bigtime show winners. I can just sit and watch him move all day *dreamy sigh*. He was never taught that I know of, but then he did originally come from a show kennel (though not shown himself), so maybe he was. Heck, he couldn't even walk up and down stairs when I first got him (seriously... had to physically put one foot in front of the other :o). Pauly, on the other hand, moves soundly, but doesn't have that "flash." Most people wouldn't know the difference, but it's there. Perry's primary faults are that his nose is not black (and DAYUM he has a nice showy head aside from that) and he has a horrible tail set that makes him look sway backed. Enough hair can fix that, but to me it would kind of defeat the purpose of showing (aside from the fact that he came from a rescue and was already neutered, but I was just musing 8) ). Oh, I'd love to be able to show Standard Poodles and know I'd have a snowball's chance in h*ll at a fair judge. Durn politics!! :evil: Ok, back to reality and back on topic... [quote]This guy seems "off" somehow... without getting a good view of Asim - including feeling him over, assessing movement, dentition, etc. ther'es no way to point out a dog as a "showstopper". Personally, I would never send my dog away with someone like that - I'd probably never see her again.[/quote] I think this is what I was trying to say, but I wasn't quite as articulate. Something about the dude and the whole situation in general just seems off to me, too. :o

First off, keep in mind that I know nothing about showing, but am a lifelong cynic. The only thing I can suggest before moving on is to do a lot of homework to see if this guy is legit. Check with whatever breed clubs and make sure it's not just a cell number the guy gave you. Maybe I'm paranoid, but I'd hate to think it was some miller or scam artist that flagged you down and gave a really convincing display just to get your dog away from you. I've heard of people doing some strange things and cons are usually at the top of their game and it's their "job" to be convincing. It's probably a legit offer, but Aunty HF just had to raise her little red warning flag just as food for thought. :wink:

Thanks, guest :oops: ! Rocco appreciates the well wishes. :wink: Odnarb, what beautiful dogs! I'm so glad that Brando is doing so well. I only adopted Rocco a week ago, so I'm still learning him. Here's my interpretation of what's wrong with him. First of all, he has von Willebrand's Disease. From what I understand, for whatever reason, Rocco had a myelogram done (apparently he wasn't moving so well?). With his bleeding disorder, he bled into his spine some kind of way which led to his paralysis. At least that's been my interpretation of it. I'm still reading through the gazillion pages of medical documents and trying to learn. The vet tells me that Rocco has pressure on his spine(?). We can't surgically relieve it because he's such a huge surgery risk with his bleeding disorder. According to the von Willebrand's test page thing I have, it's very, very bad (8% and they say that below 35% is a high bleeding risk). The good news is that he DOES still have deep pain and is showing good resistance when his legs and feet are worked. From what my vet says, it's kind of like he has forgotten about his feet and is having to get used to trying to use them again. Thank you SO much for posting your story. That gives me even more hope. I really like that cart that Brando has. Rocco has one, too, but it looks different... his feet don't touch the ground, but right now he really can't put one foot in front of the other... yet. He would just drag them which is why he has to wear boots. Still, I very seldom ever even put him in his cart thingy except for longer "trips." We are trying really hard to get him to use those legs and he really is trying. When we decided to adopt him, I was just under the impression that he was permanently paralyzed and really didn't even know what had happened to him. We thought he would need to be in his cart thing all the time when moving at all and had even been making plans to build him a wheelchair ramp. I never thought for a minute that he had a chance at recovery, but since my vet reviewed his medical records with me, he says he fully believes Rocco should be able to regain at least some of his mobility. Now, Doc (my vet) is very "grounded" and can be a bit (what's a good word to describe him...) cynical. The fact that he believes it can be done says a lot because he'd be the first to tell me if he thought I was wasting my time. Funny thing is that he was my biggest opponent about taking on such a challenge. Now he's Rocco's biggest cheerleader :lol: . Anyway, I'm rambling. I'm so glad to "meet" you and Brando. I only hope Rocco has as much success with his recovery. Here's a picture of him "running" as he does now (he'd just climbed out of a dirt hole :oops: ). He certainly gets where he wants to go, but I just hope against hope that he will be able to put one foot in front of the other. [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0XwDbApAec!QxEK2bnXJI5COdI0KDeBUdRwPicOCn0mweLAyLH5JcaL0LL89lIdxQITz*VllVYmawGg8lfeqvmWHjW1I!7R8EZrEQpikC77tuCM7NuBAxutlrIrNp*GAjK4Z5VR4Z4xM/Rocco%20run.jpg?dc=4675472358295431651[/img]

Let's see how psychic I am... you're going to need new clothes soon because you shall be exercising more. It seems to me like now that your ladies are showing such reliability and are enjoying themselves so much, you're committed. No turning back now. They're going to come to expect these outings and you can't possibly look at those sad eyes and deny them now can you? I'm glad they had such a good time. Enjoy your new wardrobe. :)

There ya go! Now, if that ain't logic, I don't know what is! :D

Behle! The Gang and I are all so glad to see you back posting!! As for the pair... I'm probably not the best one to offer input as most people know what I would do. :oops: The more, the hairier, we always say.

Thanks for the enthusiasm, everyone! Send Rocco all the energy you can spare. He's going to need it. We're going to get this boy walking if there's any way possible! Behle, it's SO great to hear from you! Don't be such a stranger! [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0ZADhApMgDaUxEK2bnXJI5AE6kwirc*8ucsBQurLb96VUF*EoIV8!2fhHlouU3JGvDjFUXM67YE3zPwUxiz2IR6*2vqAQx!MBJcuo7NQFNWSE7dfx6GXtu49eDZ5X5v6!mgZPma3AoTgpeXTLIAOdQw/Rocco%20standing.jpg?dc=4675472358300453581[/img] I'm at my friend's house, the significance of that being I can upload photos on HER computer, not my piece of dinosaur poo, so be looking for a thread in the pictures section for some updated photos of my gang including Fifty (for those who remember him... oy). :)

[quote name='unknownstar']do female dogs have cycles....im thinking of getting a female but dont know if they bleed every month?[/quote] Once spayed, they don't bleed at all. :)

I'm just so excited, I can hardly stand it. Rocco's been getting the holy moly crap worked out of him lately. In just this week, he's shown great results and I'm really optimistic that we're going to be able to get him walking again. Just today, he STOOD on his own!! With his feet in the right place and everything!! You'd have to see him to know what a big deal this is. It's like he'd forgotten he had back feet and legs and didn't know how to use them and didn't try. Now it's like, "ooohhhh, I remember those!" He's really trying. I almost cried today. It was almost like he was waiting for me. When I came into the room, he was sitting in a normal dog sitting position (he usually sits with his back feet sticking out BEHIND him). Then he pushed off and STOOD up on his own, unassisted! I can't exclaim how promising that is. As promised, here are some Rocco photos. It took some doing, but I finally got them. [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0YAAkA9YeIf8xEK2bnXJI5GZi*drEBRmsEWtvnF86ZE0hfduUM!Y0CtdP4dWBjJVzbSaW9MYHM5I2Axjs0xw!p2brZjtOStA7mREcN5CtT2jzQnfUA6Wt9gTraY6lOIe6ESDNTGWBEErXcqQCTW96aQ/Rocco%20ball.jpg?dc=4675472236203918655[/img] [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0ZgD3Ao8gVKwxEK2bnXJI5OH4TwazPbEmXSCyoWYxPSMT2LT6TPMUC6JgQb*zWrcOrEtsITETa2GLMuNOLTy31KGd48T1Zx2aT6TGd*XVWtNSG6JDG2M9nmW6yk9t8pRphmCCa3mcbzDW4nzZzx9ohA/Rocco%20big%20ball.jpg?dc=4675472236207529609[/img] [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0YAAAAMoeQPsxEK2bnXJI5MXG3cijv9nULUBKiY42UYROuFGoiJ3o5cQ9ztbrCfMTocxwMWaw3VKa3JTh2EyKnblVbC9Uhjv*ExJ0u4aGCIghjQewSn5HBHf2jAAh84XraAzVqWN8PBYAAAAAAAAAAA/Rocco%20face.jpg?dc=4675472236210631530[/img]

Rocco began physical therapy today. Lemme just go ahead and tell ya... Doc (vet) put the "physical" in physical therapy. Apparently, from reviewing Rocco's medical records and checking him out, there is hope that he may eventually be able to regain some use of his back legs. I'm sure he'll never move normally, but if he can ever get his back feet up under him and be able to move them independently instead of dragging them along, I'll be happy. This is my interpretation of what's going on... apparently, there is some pressure on Rocco's spine from a hemorrage(?) and that pressure needs to be relieved, but surgery is out due to the risk of bleeding (he has von Willebrand's). Anyway, however it goes, there seems to be some hope that he may be able to improve enough to move on his own. Wouldn't that be cool?? The thing is I feel sooooooo sorry for Rocco when I watch him being worked. He is worked three times a day, twice by the vet and a tech at the clinic and once at home by me and hubby. Doc believes in WORKING. Poor Rocco looked miserable today as they were working those legs and forcing him to stand. I can imagine. It made me cringe, but if it might help, we have to try. The good news is that he has plenty of feeling left in his feet and legs and will resist when you push against them. That's a good thing. Doc says that basically Rocco doesn't know where his feet are and doesn't realize they are upside down and backward. We are trying to build some muscle (his rear looks so weak and pitiful) and then Doc says it's a matter of forcing him to use them. In a few weeks, he may try taping one back leg up at a time to force him to use the other. Right now, he relies solely on his front end to pull him along. I can't even imagine if he could eventually be able to walk on his own! All we can do is work the heck out of him and try. In just one day, it seemed to p*ss him off enough to resist and push away with his BACK legs. That means he CAN do it (hope, hope, hope). In other Rocco related news, he seems to be coming out his depression a bit. At first, he seemed so depressed as if he really missed his former family (I'm sure he does). He was sweet, but it was like he was just waiting until the visit was over to go home. He's beginning to open up a lot more and is playing and (holy balls!) "guarding" the house. He's very territorial in that he'll certainly let you know if he thinks something is up. He has the most powerful bark of any dog I've ever known. He's the ONLY dog I've ever seen be able to bark and blow a lightbulb... several times. We finally gave up and don't even use that lamp, anymore :o . He's also very chatty. He loves to "talk" and will talk to his toys, us, the other dogs, say ugly words to the cats... :lol: He is also a tennis ball freak. He LOVES his tennis balls and frisbees. So that's the latest Rocco news. I should be able to upload pictures Friday night, so hopefully I'll be able to share those (I hope).

Yoladybug... Tallahassee?? I'm in T'ville, right up the road. *waves* Hey, neighbor! :D By the way, y'all, the Dog Island thing was verified as a hoax one on of the snope 'em, urban legend findy thingamabob sites. 8)

Good girl! :bigok:

[quote]Oh and BTW, I dunno if you had read my website lately...that's why I'm wanting an older dog...I'm done with puppies...[/quote] Oh, sorry. I didn't mean that in any derogatory manner. I haven't seen your website, but I don't venture off much from just the few boards I'm a member of and news articles because my computer is a dinosaur and on dial up at that, not to mention (but I will, anyway) the fact that my monitor is just about shot and I have to view it like this (>.<) . Anyway, just wanted to say that I wasn't being a smart*ss when I said that. :oops: I talked to our receptionist gal today and she said someone had already picked up the Doberman. Apparently, some guy just showed up, claimed the dog and then sold it to someone else(?).

I wouldn't care if the photo were cropped and put on a paisley background with pink and purple dancing clowns with confetti and a cutout of a Michael Jordan Nike ad superimposed over the whole thing. I think it's a very nice stack and the stack was the whole freaking point to begin with.

Holy balls, I just thought of something! Our receptionist recently said that a Dobe wandered up to her house last week and that they'd been taking care of it until they could figure out where it belongs. I don't know anything about this dog, or if they ever found the owners, but I can ask tomorrow. I do know they had no interest in keeping it. If certain conditions were met, I could arrange transport. I'll see what I can find out tomorrow. I haven't heard her mention it lately.

Do you still have the contact info of the lady who was in charge of Rocco's adoption? If not, I'll pass it along if you like. She's close to the GA/AL line and may know of something closer to you that isn't listed on PetFinder. She was also really good at coordinating Rocco's transport. He actually started out in Richmond, Virginia and ended up close to Florida (I'm only a few miles from the FL line). She was willing to meet me much closer to my home than we actually did if I'd needed to. Now, she does like to set up home visits and wants references. I really don't know if the fact that you breed (even though a rescue dog would be altered, I know) would be a deterrent. A lot of people involved in rescue get understandably frustrated about breeding. All you can do is ask. Let me know if you need the contact info.

Had someone comment on the long haired Pit Bulls (Standard Poodles, actually) in the back of my car at a gas station. :-? I also get asked allllllllll the time why I don't breed them. Aside from the fact that they're both altered, they're both males and while they adore each other, I don't think they're interested in doing the humpty dance. At the same gas station today, I had Rocco in the back seat and I was inside paying for gas. I had pulled the car around by the front door where I could watch. This kid (teen-ish) walked by the car and didn't notice Rocco at first, but then he did and freaked. Then his mother came into the store raising all kinds of holy h*ll and saying something like "that dog can come right through that window! why on earth would someone park a dog like that right next to the building with the window down?? he could hurt someone!" She didn't know me as the owner while she was ranting right by me. The only thing I said was that I would sing hallelujah if he DID jump through that window. Boy, was she angry, but I owed her no explanation. That's her own grey hair and ulcers she's earning if she wants to stress out that much over a dog that's just sitting and minding his business. I feel like some people are just looking for things to be upset about, so I just let her be upset without offering any explanations. What's weird is that when I have Devin with me, people ALWAYS want to try to reach in and pet him since he's small and "cute." What they don't know is that Devin will cheerfully sever the hand of anyone who dares reach inside the car. Outside the car, he's a love, but inside he's quite "territorial." I NEVER leave the windows down when Devin's in it.

I really need a new computer and a faster connection. My computer is a dinosaur and still on dial up. I can't even hardly view the pictures section of the forum. I'm so jealous because I want to see the video clip, too. :cry:

Ok, well, here's what I have to say... I'm going back into the kitchen. I'd ask if anyone wants anything, but I think I'm just going to stay there. Anyone who wants is welcome to join me, though. I'm sure I have more Nyquil and Dr. Pepper and we can snack on some cough drops or mint flavored toothpicks or something (still haven't done any shopping). Let me know. Hope no one minds that I'm in my Scooby Doo pj's and fuzzy slippers. Grab your toga or whatever flips yer switch and come on.

I promise I'll post pictures! I haven't been able to get to my friend's house to load them. I work days and she works nights and about the only time I can do it is Friday or Saturday. :oops: Well, it's been 24 hours and Rocco still seems a bit sad and missing his original family, but I think he's starting to adjust. He's eating ok and this evening he was happily playing with a tennis ball they had sent home with him. That makes me feel better. It just breaks my heart to see him look so sad. He seems very fond of my husband which is great because for some reason, my Poodles always hate him when they first come here :-? . Rocco adored him from the word hello. I'm still getting the hang of this wheelchair thing. First lesson learned: it's h*ll on ankles if you don't get out of the way fast enough. It's really awkward trying to do it at first, but I'm getting there. I have to be kind of careful about how I do it, though, because if I press down around his bladder while lifting him to try to cart him up, he'll pee if there's anything in there (second lesson: cart him up in the kitchen :wink: ). Poor Rocco looks at me as if he knows what he's doing and just wishes I did. He is absolutely awesome, though. He knows so many words (I was sent a two page list of things he knows and does). He knows things like "back up," "turn around," "wait" and really useful things that make handling him a lot easier. He has a lot to teach me. :oops:

PAAAAHAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAA!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: A group shot of all of them... GOOD one!! :lol: :drinking: :lol: :drinking: I do have some pictures with most of them, but I don't have any really good pictures. I mean, a piece of a head there, a butt there, someone's leg over there. It's literally like a dogpile :-? .They don't come out very well. I've powered up my camera and beat the dust off it and am on a picture taking spree. I'll see what I can come up with. Thanks for the offer. :wink:

There's not much to tell... we haven't been home long. :P He really and truly is the most amazing dog. He is extremely bright and well mannered and his training is tops. I feel so sorry for him, though. I mean, not because of his disabilities, but because I am so sure he is homesick. He will play and "visit" for a while, but then he goes to the door as if he's visited long enough and he's ready to go home. It makes me sad for him. The people who had him before surely loved him tons. I believe he was like a spoiled only child (not in a bratty sense, but as in an integral part of the family that was included in everything) and now here he is with all these other dogs and cats. I'm sure it's a bit overwhelming for him. He's getting along great, but I can just tell he misses his family. I get the feeling nothing was too good for him. You wouldn't believe the care package they sent home with him! He got lots of food, treats, toys, Advantix, heartworm prevention, boots, coat, dog food dispenser, even some puppy pictures of him! I can't even think of what all they sent with him. I'm sure whoever had him is going to miss him a lot because it does seem like they were really good to him. Hopefully, he will adjust to the changes in lifestyle (part of a BIG family rather than only child). I can tell he is an incredible dog. I learned how to rig him up in his cart, but he probably won't spend as much time in it as I had initially thought. He gets around pretty good without it. He can't really walk, per se, but he does kind of a shuffle where he kinda sorta drags his back legs. He wears boots to keep from scraping up the tops of his feet which drag, but other than that, he gets around pretty good. The Gang, however, is not impressed. They pretty much did the obligatory "yup, that's a dog" sniff and that's about it (except Fred who is fervently trying to hump him :oops: ). Rocco does seem afraid of the cats :-? . He started off barking when he saw one, but when more than one appeared, he literally started trying to "run" from them. My cats are nosy and got really up close and personal trying to check him out. They have absolutely no fear of a dog, new or not. I think he just wanted some space. Oh well, so begins the rest of his life. It's certainly not what he's used to, but I'm sure we'll all adjust. He is an incredible dog and I know we're going to love him to pieces. It did my heart good to see him on the floor with my 11 year old kid sister playing this evening. Dogs typically don't like her (she's way too overbearing, IMO), but Rocco was very good with her and it did this kid a world of good as she already has self esteem issues ("everybody hates me.. even the dogs!!! waaaaaaahhhhhh"). I can tell this dog has a lot to offer. 8) I've taken some pics, but will have to upload them on my friend's computer since my computer hates my digital camera. :-? Thanks for asking. :wink:

Just thought you'd like to know. :)

I went through it with my Penny last year. She had been behaviorist analyzed and handled, natural dieted, pain medicated (though we never did find a source of pain), medicated with downers, examined and blood paneled out the wazoo, read every available thing I could get my hands on about canine aggression, everything we knew to do, but she became increasingly worse. Her aggression was originally dog related, but the scope of the aggression just kept growing. For example, at first it was only other large dogs. Then only large dogs and females, then cats, then ALL dogs. We never were able to help her, but we were able to manage it by basically keeping our eyes on her 24/7 and keeping her isolated. It was weird. She was typically the most loving dog and very obedient. She was a joy to take anywhere and just as well mannered as a dog could be. She just had these episodes where she would "click" and you just never knew what could trigger it. The final nail in her coffin was when she began exhibiting human aggression by snarling at me, not once, but twice. Some dogs just have a screw loose and every professional I dealt with believed it was her. My vet long ago believed I should have put her down, but I couldn't do it without knowing I'd exhausted all resources. In hindsight, I KNOW it was the right thing to do. My entire household is much calmer and less on edge and I didn't realize how much stress *I* was under until she was gone. I loved the old girl, I really did, but as much as I hate to admit it, I'm so glad we made the decision to let her go. I look at it like this... no dog can be happy living like that, on the edge and wanting to be a good dog, but not quite able to resist that urge. In my opinion, if you think Lily is a threat to people around her, particularly children, I think you are considering the right decision. I know of many, many dogs who have been turned around, but there are those who can't be and I firmly believe that. Also, I would always be concerned about the what if's. What if, while she's being "rehabilitated," she escapes and something tragic happens? Maybe this sounds really cold, but I just have a lot less desire to rehabilitate a human aggressive dog than any other problem and would never attempt it again. Not saying it can't be done. Just saying there are far too many "good" dogs with other issues besides human aggression for me to ever consider going through it again. By all means PLEASE exhaust all your available resources before making a final decision. I just don't want you to have to feel guilty or ever doubt yourself if you do decide to let Lily go since it's a decision that can't be undone. I believe that if physical problems have been eliminated (pain, diminishing eyesight, other disorders), the dog would be better off at The Bridge. Sorry if that sounds cold, but it's just MHO. I wish you peace and serenity in whatever decision you make and know you'll do what you believe in your heart is the right thing.