kendalyn

[quote]the whole family has alergies[/quote] :o That is ridiculous. Obviously they have no business having this dog. I know it'll be hard for you, but she [i]needs[/i] a new home. Will the place you volunteer at be able to take it in? Then you could still see her. In the meantime you could try giving her a kong with cream cheese inside it to keep her busy. Or maybe some rawhides or pig ears to chew on. Anything to keep her entertained and not chewing their stuff.

I think your letter is articulatly written and well thought out. I think you should send it in because even though the article may not have been distinctly about pit bulls, when people think of dog fighting, this is the breed that is first mentioned. Plus, the picture that they chose to put along with the story brings the breed into play whether they meant to or not. Here is my only critique and it is because of people that may not read carefully, not because of your writing: [quote] Pit bulls naturally have tendencies toward dog aggression[/quote] I would change it to "tendancies toward aggression against other dogs" or something like that only because the public may not know that by dog aggression you mean against other dogs. They may read it and think it means aggression in general. You do go on to explain it in the paragraph so you could leave it if you want and your letter would still be just as good. Let us know if it is published!

yeah, makes sense. Too bad it's so hard for you to get the food you want though. :-?

[quote]I asked if they were now stocking Canidae and the guy said he just orders it for his dogs [/quote] It's kind of weird that he doesn't sell it in his store if it's what he feeds his own dogs. Good luck with it!

:roll: I know what you mean. Buck is an expert at finding anything dead! I remember one time having to play tug o war to get a foot out of his mouth. It was really gross. I don't know what kind of animal it came from but it was a very large foot. I had to wash my gloves like 3 times before I felt comfortable wearing them again. To train a leave it command here is what I did: I put Buck on a leash and put treats on the floor one treat at a time, letting him take it. Then I put a treat on the floor and held him back from taking the treat with the leash and said "leave it". As soon as he turned his head away from the treat, I praised him like crazy and gave him another treat. We worked on this for about 10 minutes and came back to it later on in the day because Buck will lose focus if we work on one thing for too long. When Buck became good at it I took the leash off and did it with the leash off. It didn't take Buck very long to learn it.

Her behavior problems really sound like they are a product of being left outside in the yard and ignored. The poor thing is bored out of her mind! You already know your aunt doesn't have the time or inclination to work with this dog. It sounds like talking to her is not going to help. Have you suggested moving the dog indoors and if so, was she even a little receptive to it? If not, than I really believe the dog should be rehomed. This is not a good life for her :-( No matter how much you want to help, unless you move in and start making real changes, it's not going to work.

[quote]Is Scott going to get a puppy or full grown dog?[/quote] Probably not a small puppy, although if he did want a puppy now would be the time since Buck isn't a big fan of puppies and the puppy could grow up living at Scott's house. It would most likely be an adult dog from the same rescue organization he got his cat from.

[quote]Can I ask one question, whats the temprement of your dog?[/quote] Here is as much of Buck's history as I know. We found him when we were on a house boat in Kentucky with two other dogs. They were all about the same age ( 6 months is what the vet said) but probably not from the same litter, but I suppose it's possible. (my aunts and uncles took the two other dogs home with them) Buck was definately the low man on the totem pole. BTW, the two other dogs were females. We made a toy for them and even if the other dog's weren't playing with it, if Buck picked it up it was quickly taken away by one of the two females! Buck was fine with this and there wasn't any squabbling. I kind of expected Buck to be as submissive around other dogs too but it's not really the case. He's friendly first, but if the other dog starts growling and getting really bossy, Buck will fight back. I've never seen him roll over with any other dog except the two we found him with. He is older now, so that may have something to do with it. Buck is confident around other people and meets strangers very well. He's also good with kids and doesn't get edgy when they're around. Once in a while he'll do a low growl if we're in the car and a man walks past us. Only in the car though so I don't know what's going on there. I'm thinking it would be best if Scott got a dog that is not naturally alpha and definately a female. He gets along VERY well with female dogs. Males it seems to take a little longer until they are good friends. Anybody else know what would be a good temperment to match Buck with?

Scott owns his own home so it wouldn't be a problem if he got a dog. And if we got married we would either buy a new home and move or I would move into his house. So dealing with renting a home wouldn't be a problem. If Scott got a dog now, we would introduce the dogs to each other before adoption and I'm sure they would see each other a lot but they wouldn't live together since Scott and I wouldn't be living together until we were married. I'm most concerned about them getting along. I really don't want to have to crate one or both while we are gone all the time. (unless there is another reason for the crate) Thanks for all the info! I guess it would be harder to vacation with 2 dogs. I didn't think of that one KP!

WOAH! That's a new one on me HF! :lol: Your schnauzer sounds incredibly agile!

There are almost as many ways to feed your dog as there are dog owners! You really have to find the way that is best for you and your dog. There are some really knowledgable people on here about dog food so you're in the right place for your questions!

Buck has never barked in his sleep but once in a while he does make little grunty noises. It's pretty cute :-)

Scott is more apprehensive about 2 than I am. He is concerned about being able to give 2 as much attention as 1. I don't think it would be hard since there are 2 of us anyway. I don't like the idea of having to keep them seperated when we aren't home. I never thought about that... Buck likes his crate and I'm pretty sure he spends most of his time in there when I'm not home, but I like the idea of him being able to wonder around if he wants to. I guess that would depend on the dogs though. How many people here keep their dog's seperated when they aren't home?

I am in need of advice and information from you guys! (not an unusual situation) My boyfriend and I are pretty serious (6 years serious) and it's probably heading towards marriage. Right now he has a cat but has considered getting a dog. Obviously I have a dog already. I've never had more than one dog before. So what are the pros and cons of having multiple dogs in the house?

Mouse is right, try taking it back. You washed it according to label instructions and it got ruined. That's not right.

I'm really not sure either. Kody, my standard poodle (he died at 10) never lifted his leg to pee. He squated his entire life and he was probably neutered around 3-4 months old. Buck was neutered when he was about 6 months old (we think) and he lifts his leg all the time. I have never seen him squat.

Buck doesn't like puppies either. He has never hurt one but he generally ignores them and would prefer they not try to "play" with him. He gets very edgy and I do believe that if he did not have a way out and a puppy was constantly pestering him, he would retaliate. Maybe I'm wrong here but I liken it to sending a 5 year old to play with an infant. Puppies don't behave like dogs and don't have the same social skills and for some reason, Buck won't tolerate them. I don't see a pressing need to "fix" this behavior because he is almost always around adult dogs (and does fine with them) and if there are puppies around I will make sure they are not bothering him. I guess I don't see a need to fix every behavioral quirk. Good luck on finding a new class for Cody DAL! Your trainer knows Cody's history well enough to know the risks of having her dog running around off leash around him.

oh, ok. I wondered why two of them were hairless. I came in on the middle of it.

This place is notorious for selling sick and ill bred puppies. There is a class action suit against them in Florida (which is where they operate from). If anybody reading this has bought a puppy from them, PM me and I have a contact who you can talk to. I think they have been prosecuted under puppy lemon laws in Florida but I'm not positive about that.

Geez, this woman sounds thick as a brick!

Oh, it was awful! Anybody have any idea what was going on?

Yeah! Did you see it? Do you know what was wrong with her? That just didn't seem normal to me but maybe it is.

Well, I just sat down and turned on the tv and That's My Baby was on. There's this little dog (I think rat terrier but I'm not positive) giving birth and the dog is SCREAMING through the whole thing! I've never heard such awful screams coming from a dog. I almost had to change the channel. Is that normal for a dog to scream like that? The dog was at the vet's office and the vet was really yanking those pups out. He had to pull pretty hard it looked like. I don't know anything about dogs giving birth but I've seen the show before and none of the animals have screamed like that. Oh, BTW they're all out and 2 of them are hairless...

I'm glad to hear it is working out so well!

That sounds very frustrating! I wonder what kind of dog she was talking about??