coastie_wife

As the parent of a child and 2 dogs:) I have to add that sometimes it doesn't matter how well you teach your child that they should not approach a dog without permission. Hell, my son is almost 8 and still doesn't quite *get* that people he doesn't know are strangers, rather than friends he just hasn't made yet :roll: I have told him to ask before approaching dogs, and 90% of the time he does, but that doesn't mean it's a perfect system. People bringing their dogs in public need to realize that the world is not perfect==there will be people with ill behaved children around. Irregardless if their child knows better--until a certain age the child doesn't necessarily listen. My son, like I wrote, is usually in a cart or handling a leash while we're in Petsmart, so he is unable to approach people with dogs. The same doesn't hold for people walking their dogs in our front yard, however. I would find it amazing if someone walking their dog in my yard (causing my dogs to bark) yelled at my 7 yr old for approaching their dog. If you are going to walk your dog in public, expect to be approached. Not being a perfect society every approach is not going to be perfect. I agree that children should not just approach a dog without warning, but at the same time, if your dog has issues where you are worried about them biting a child or other person......don't subject the public to them.

Letting people know about this kind of treatment is a big step. Do what you can in your area to let folks know. I realize it may not sound like pet abuse....but our previous home (in alabama) we were looking to purchase a chihuahua puppy for my mother from some local breeders. They sold at a flea market, and the dogs looked healthy. They also sold from the pet store they ran, but privately since it's illegal to sell dogs from pet stores there. They looked happy, but I had a nagging feeling and contacted the local SPCA. I was simply one more person to turn them in, and shortly after they raided the peoples store. They found over 60 dogs, most of them sick and half starved. They were WAY beyond puppy millers--they were killing these dogs through neglect. If you think abuse is occuring, don't hesitate to contact the SPCA and inquire. It's possible a lot of other people have turned them in as well, and your call may just be the one that makes a difference.

My 7 year old son, despite my constant nagging, lol, doesn't know a stranger. He also, like me at that age, doesn't know a mean dog. We watch him vigilently at stores like Petsmart (actually he's skinny enough that we usually stick him in the cart, lol, or if the dogs are with us hand him a leash....that keeps him busy) but that doesn't mean he doesn't occasionally get away from us, just as our dogs get out of hand at times. In my opinion taking a fearful or aggressive dog out in public is a big no no. I had to put our weim to sleep last year for those reasons, but long before that final decision was made we decided he was not safe for the public due to his aggression in private. That said, I agree that some people should be shot for allowing their children to act in certain ways. I'm sure these are the same people who allow their children to run wild in grocery stores and toy stores, and wonder why people get irritated with them for using the toy aisles as babysitters. I dont' *allow* my son to approach people with dogs without asking permission before approaching, but until recently it really didn't sink in. He has finally realized that not everyone with a dog on a leash wants him running up and petting the dog--which is why I have spent the last 7 yrs grabbing him when he attempts to do so, lol.

ROFL--my dogs fit ALL of those characteristics :roll: I think I am going to have to give the coins in a pop can a go--my mother has used it for excessive barking in her home (she's got 4 chihuahuas and a bassett hound, lol) and it does okay. Otherwise I'm not sure, I'm hoping it's temporary since they have always barked a lot, but the constant barking is relatively new.

Let me also add I don't give in to their every desire as soon as they bark....I know that's positive reinforcement. Unfortunately, no matter how happy/unhappy they are it's pretty much a reason to bark in their heads, lol.

....is driving me nuts!!!! My dogs (a chi-something mix and a beagle/terrier mix) start barking at 7:30 am (sometimes as early as 6 am) and honestly don't stop until about 8pm at night. They bark when they want outside, they bark when they want in the house, they bark if they get tangled on their leads, they bark if a cat/dog/bunny/bird/person walks by, they bark when they play, they bark when they're happy, they bark when they're upset. I know chi's and beagles are big time barkers....but this barking all day thing only started about 3 weeks ago....and I'm about ready to pull my hair out. Does anyone have any suggestions about how to minimize the barking?? They take turns too....one will bark for about an hour, then the other starts. They have toys, they get plenty of attention and they get plenty of exercise, so I really don't know what else to do.

There are SO many lawsuits against Petland it's not even funny. It doesn't matter *which* Petland you're asking about, almost all of them have had lawsuits brought against them. I've heard suits about them selling non-akc puppies as akc; selling mixed breeds as purebreds; and selling sick/deficient puppies who either die or have ongoing medical conditions throughout their lives. So yeah, they're a little fishy, lol. Just do a google search on Petland and you can find a lot of stuff on them. When we were looking to get a new dog last year I did research on them because there was one 60 miles from our home. And then I went to the actual store as well--NONE of the dogs they advertised as having for sale were there (amazing since it was a new listing that day, lol), and none of the dogs looked like they were in even half decent condition. I would adopt a sick dog or one with medical conditions, but I sure as hell wouldn't pay $600-2k for one, lol.

Thanks so much to everyone who replied to my dilemma. I really don't think she's outright abusive as much as clueless, be it 'fur' children or regular children she is borderline neglectful. The good thing is that we have not yet been contacted about the recommendation on foster children......I know I cannot in good consience give her one, but haven't decided exactly how to approach that situation yet. Thanks again, Copper :)

Yeah, his uncle does real well when dealing with the kids....much more so than his new wife. The real hard part for me is that I *like* the new wife, much more so than the previous one. The problem is her foster children thing......obviously I'm not the only one who finds her parenting skills lacking....and I'm just not one of those parents who is overboard with the protection issue, be it dogs or human kids :wink:

This spring I had to leave my family (2 dogs, husband and 7 yr old son) to go stay with my mother and father while my father dealt with some health problems (we lived in SW Alabama, family was in the DC area) for a period of 2 months. During those 2 months, my husband and son were prepping for a cross-country move. My husband chose to leave one of our dogs (an 11 month old beagle/terrier mix) with his brother and new wife, the other (9 month old chihuahua mix) with his mother. Our son also went back and forth between the two, while my husband searched for a home in our new area of residence. It has been a month since we retreived our dogs, and although our female (the chi mix) is the same aggressive, pain in the ass lovable little dog she always was, our beagle/terrier mix has become extremely fearful and passive. He now cowers every time either of us come near him to pick him up or when he's had an accident. He NEVER did these things before. When my son was returned to us, we discovered his aunt had not given him his allergy medicine all week. She explained that at 7 he should be old enough to remember it himself (he only began taking it 3 weeks before, and she doesn't have any children, so she's never raised any or taught any, lol). She also returned all of his clothes dirty, because he didn't tell her he needed them washed. She also returned him sunburned and peeling despite the sunblock we gave her when he was left in her care because 'he didn't put it on'. He is very fair haired and fair skinned. It's pretty clear to me she's at the very least neglectful. His cousin (who is her stepson and the same age as him) is allowed to stay up well after midnight when he visits (I know this because she allowed my son to do the same--when he said he was tired around 11pm she sent him to bed).....but the reaction of my dogs tells me she just *might* be abusive as well. Now she's offering to take my son and my dogs again *any time*....and I just don't know what to say.....at this point I don't think I'd trust her with my tortoise....and she's also asking for good recommendations for them to take in a foster child.... I guess my question would be....am I the only one who is blown away at the aspect of: a. leaving my child, dog or plant with this woman due to the previous reception and b. would you give someone who did these things (someone you've known only less than a year since that's the duration of the relationship) a good response to whoever does the interviews regarding foster children?

When we brought home our female chi mix Foxy back in april she was in heat. We had no idea regarding her age or anything else, just that she was female and not spayed. A week or 2 after her heat ended her nipples and vulva got swollen and her belly got swollen as well, and she began leaking milk and nesting. When she was checked out by the vet he said she *probably* was in a false pregnancy, very common in first heat (due to the formation of her teeth, etc he thought she was about 8 months old) because in a false pregnancy the symptoms arise more quickly than they do in a true pregnancy. He was right:) She is scheduled to be fixed next week. Not so worried about pregnancy so much as she does not go outside unsupervised (and our male dog is neutered) but she is an aggressive female who marks her territory like a male, lol. I have been told that might help curb the behavior in her. Then again, we neuter all of our dogs, the only reason she isn't yet is that we took her in RIGHT before we moved cross country and simply ran out of money and time, lol.

My family went through a decision regarding aggression less than a year ago, so I would like to add my $.02. My husband and I are very big weimaraner fans. Lifelong, both of us. We did research, and research, and more research before we decided that yes, we wanted to adopt a weim. We kept our eyes open and found an 18 month old male who was up for adoption in our area. The family told us they were giving him up for adoption because they had a newborn child and he was too excitable and big for them to handle anymore. They had spent almost 1k in training on him, he was very obedient, very well trained. They also mentioned they had had him for only a year, meaning he was first given up for adoption at 6 months of age by his original owner. That should have been some kind of signal for us. Smokey was a wonderful dog. Well trained, beautiful, gentle with our son. We had him neutered right away as his previous 2 sets of owners had not. We continued with his training, and he loved it....and we loved him. About 4 months after we brought him home he began becoming aggressive and dominant, but only toward me. I am not a passive or permissive woman, but every time I sought help the only answer I was given was "Don't be so permissive with him....he needs someone dominant". I wonder now that if my husband had contacted those same people if they would have been as condescending and unhelpful...... I do not have regular menstrual cycles, so it took me close to a year to realize he was only attacking me right before my period. It took another 6 months or so to confirm that yes, he was REALLY strange acting at that time of the month. We had already had him fixed, that should not have been a problem. However, it was, and he continued nipping me at least every few months. This I could have put up with forever. Being growled at and nipped on the hand every few months is a non-issue to a dog lover like me....but the last year we owned him he got progressively worse. He attacked my husband twice, the last time drawing blood. He began going from jumping at the door and barking when delivery men came to physically attacking anyone who came to the door. The last straw was when he attacked a child who lived across the street from us, who he had been around since he was 18 months old and who had never been unsupervised with him, so I know she had never hurt him. I attempted to find him a home, but I was too honest. Having spoken with the people we adopted him from, we found out that they gave him up to us because he was being aggressive to the wife in *that* family. They assumed it was because she wasn't domineering enough to him. Had they simply been honest with us we still would have taken him home, but my husband wouldn't have scars today, because we wouldn't have put up with it as long as we did. We finally ended up needing to put him down. It was a horrible day, I still love him, and so does my son.......but I simply could no longer deny that he was a danger to me, my family, and other people. It wasn't his fault--had we known when we brought him home there was an aggression problem we *might* have been able to get him further training.....but by the time we realized how bad the problem was it was too late.....

Sorry for the late reply--just moved in so LOTS of box moving, lol. Our dogs are a 1 yr old beagle/terrier mix and an almost 1 yr old chihuahua mix. BOTH chase birds, cats and bunnies. *BUT* in general, an area such as our neighborhood doesn't have a lot of problems with other dogs, people since it's a secured neighborhood. We do intend on training long before the dogs have the chance to find out there is a punishment for passing the signs.

When I first read this I thought it had to do with reptiles (ie exotics) and was about to go on about how good they can be as pets..... People can be such jackasses. There is a reason certain things are quantified as pets, and others are not.

Recently our family moved to a neighborhood where we are not allowed to have physical fences--not our ideal but unfortunately the best choice for the entire family. I have read positive and not so positive things on invisible fences, but since we don't know anyone with one, I thought this might be a good area to present it==has anyone on here used the invisible fence and if so, had positive or negative results? I'll be honest, I really don't care to hear negative responses from people who have not used it. I have read the negative and I am aware of the websites putting this system down. I am interested with direct contact with this system.

My previous posting was SOOOOO much more harsh than I meant for it to be, please accept my apologies. I was irritable and having a crappy day. Sorry to come across so dang troll-like. :oops:

I am setting her appt with our vet tomorrow. Really not concerned with future litters since *all* of our dogs have been fixed, but was wondering what the symptoms we could look for were.

Took in a neighborhood stray about 7 weeks ago. She was in heat when we took her in, after over 3 months of watching her run around the neighborhood. She was in our home for just short of 3 weeks before leaving (my fault.....left her and our other dog uncrated and the front door blew open.....he was still home but she had run off) and has been back for 2 weeks. When she returned her nipples and vulva were back to *normal* size, but 4 days ago her nipples started swelling....she began being cranky with our *fixed* rat terrier/beagle mix dog, started nesting, her nipples started leaking, and she stopped eating normally. I *do* realize that false pregnancy is very common, but was wondering what to look for if it is NOT false. She is an 8# chihuahua mix and most of the dogs she ran with were 30+ pound dogs.