rufus

Angelboddy - you are good at this - yes he's an Old English Sheepdog - and a fluff ball too :D

I haven't been here long but never for one moment thought you wanted to put Cody up for adoption. Sounds like someone got their wires crossed.

I am so sorry for you. I agree with HF - you need to find out why so that you can set your mind at ease.

As promised, I now have some pics of Rufus to share: [url]http://groups.msn.com/Woofit/shoebox.msnw[/url] You can see him under 'Rufus'

Thanks for the great advice (again :) ) I read in another post here about teaching the 'off' which I am now introducing. I've checked all plants etc and they are not harmful to him so I am not going to stress over it. He has his last jab next week so he'll will be allowed out for walks in 2 weeks time which will help as I'm sure he is getting bored. He has lots of toys which he plays with but he must be getting fed-up with the same surroundings. I now have some pics of him [url]http://groups.msn.com/Woofit/shoebox.msnw[/url] and you can see him under 'Rufus' Thanks agian :D

He obviously likes to play 'dressing-up' - I also think the pink suits him :D

I think that all dogs/pups go through a 'settling in' stage when they go to a new home. They spend a lot of time working out what they can and can't do - and trying to let you know what they want. It will all work out eventually. My last dog was brilliant but only wanted to play or be fussed when it suited him. If he wasn't in the mood then no amount of coaxing would get him out of his bed. The bonus of this was that I knew when he came for affection, (which he did very often) it was because he truly wanted to be fussed and show his love.

Ahhhh - what great looking boys. I could only see the red X so I copied and pasted the address but when I came back to tell you how great they were, the pics showed.

Cassie - I'm going to try your advise on the 'off'. It makes perfect sense when you read it. Thank you :)

Rufus is 4 months old and has been eating flowers, mud etc from the garden since I got him 3 weeks ago - today he brought me in a lovely carnation (at least he doesn't have hay fever!!!) and while I keep my eye on him and stop him if I can, I've decided that I'm not going to make a big thing off it as I'd spend more time telling him off than petting him and I don't want to make him unhappy. Since I first got him it has been very hot here in the UK but it rained the last two days and this is where the *YUK* started..... he has now taken to getting the snails and crunching the shells - he then spits the body out and comes in for a drink (I don't think he likes the taste too much), he then goes back to the body and starts 'pawing' it around the garden. He's also discovered the joy of slugs. :eating: He is fed on: Hills Science Plan - Natures Best - Large/Giant Puppy. He loves this food and at the moment the vets are all raving about how good it is in vitamins etc so I don't think he's lacking in anything with his diet. I am concerned that his new past-time is not good for him and would appreciate any advise / thoughts anyone may have?? :help1: **Plus I'm too keen on the thought of his licking me with his 'snail' tongue** :D

My 4 month old pup walks out to the kitchen, looks back to make sure you are watching, then puts one paw in his water bowl and carries on walking as if he hasn't done anything :D Also, when I catch him eating the flowers, grass etc in the garden, I take them out of his mouth but as soon as I turn my back he spits more out - I'm convinced he must be hiding it under his tongue :lilangel:

Good luck .... I remember when we got our last dog from the rescue home, we saw him - fell in love with him - took him for a walk and watched how he got on with our children - but we had to wait a week before bringing him home so that he could have 'the snip'. Although I knew he was mine and visited him every day, the waiting was awful. Let us know how it goes.

Good luck and I hope it all goes well

This sounds a lot like him......... [quote] NAME ANALYSIS FOR: Rufus Barry -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rufus: This pet is bright, active, learns quickly, and generally has a good disposition. This animal has a gregarious nature, enjoys people, and seems to be more concerned with his/her freedom needs than your wishes or desires. Your pet has a loyal, warmhearted nature and loves being fussed over. This pet doesn't take kindly to constraints and will become quite irritable and nasty when confined. Your pet is sexually oriented, clever, and definitely knows how to go after what he/she wants. : Barry: You have a loyal pet who is very protective and possessive. Your pet has a real need for adventure and has very little fear, so keep an eye on this one! Being exceptionally bright, this animal can be very noisy trying to communicate his/her desires. Being exceptionally bright, this animal can be very noisy trying to communicate his/her desires. Your pet is obedient, learns quickly, and can be a bit standoffish. [/quote]

I'd be interested in the answer to this too. Rufus's papers have him as a 'blue merle' but I don't know what that means :oops: Does Cody have different colour eyes - I've found that people are either fascinated or freaked out because Rufus has one brown and one blue.

Yep - join in - you'll find the people very friendly and helpful. Hey..... I just noticed I'm a 'regular' and not a 'newbie' now :talker:

What a lousy dog owner :( Where I live, there are a couple of dogs that are not too 'friendly' but their owners have the common sense to muzzle them.

Congratulations - she's beautiful :laola:

Finally, after unsucessfully getting Rufus's injection papers from the breeder, the vet gave him his first shot yesterday !!! He has to have another in 3 weeks and then 1 week after that, we will be able to take him out of the back garden :D By then he wil be 5 months old so I hope the delay won't have a bad effect on him. I can't wait as at the moment he gets like a naughty child with all the excess energy :lol: He has 'mischief' written all over his face !!!

It amazes me that some people do this to animals :( - did the vet estimate the dogs age?

OOPS :shock:

I'm glad to report that he'd doing OK - he's eating & drinking and running round the garden like a mad-thing - when he's awake that is :lol: Yes it is very warm in the UK now and while I was hosing down the garden this morning he thought he'd get in on the act !!! I haven't seen anymore blood since that first spot so I'm very happy now :D He started crying at 5.30 this morning to be let out and he hadn't left me any parcels to clean up - woohoo. Thank you all for the advice.

Many thanks for the advice and support. The blood was not in his wee but definately from his rear end. I've checked his pooh today and there is no blood in that either. Since I first posted, I contacted the vet again and asked her if she'd check him over - I took him the the surgery and she took his temperature etc and seemed sure he's ok (if I'm still not happy I have to take him back on Monday). After his visit to the vet, he has played in the garden with his favourite toy and he's eating and drinking ok but still wants to sleep a lot. Could it be that his sleeping is typical for a pup of his age??? I've never had a pup before and I've only had Rufus since Tuesday - maybe he feels settled enough to be himself now?

It's disgusting. These people should recieve the same punishment they would if they did that sort of thing to humans - no difference in my eyes :cry:

Can anyone please advise? Last night I took my eyes off Rufus (aged 13wks) for a minute - well actually I needed the loo - and he thought it'd be a good idea to go upstairs. When I saw him he was two thirds of the way up and decided that instead of walking back down he would JUMP !!! He somersaulted and hit the bottom like a sack of potatoes. I've never heard a dog cry like it in all my life. He ran to a corner and I managed to quieten him while inspecting him at the same time. When he stood he'd wet himself (understandable) but there was also a very small spot of blood. I cannot find anywhere that is cut so I can only think that he knocked the tip of his tail where it had been docked shortly after birth (he's and Old English Sheepdog). I called the vet to check and was told that as long as he's moving and not in any obvious signs of pain, just to keep my eye on him. He did sleep quite a bit last night but I put this down to shock as when he was awake he still wanted to play. However, today he seems quite lathargic - I've checked him from head to foot and he seems ok but doesn't seem interested in much else. Does anyone have any suggestions? Oh, by the way, first thing this morning I bought a baby gate which is now at the foot of the stairs.