Equal time for dogs and other pets!!! Tell us those stories!
 

I love the cat thread. But I have dogs as well (and a bunny--and three kids). I think our other pets deserve equal time.

We have a wonderful pet sitter and it's much cheaper to keep our menagerie at home. What have your other little darlings been up to while you're away? I'll go first.

We had a psychotic Boston Terrier. Seriously deranged. We got him as a puppy and I think he was deprived of oxygen at birth. He chewed, he dug, he peed--constantly--he was completely out of control. We worked with this dog for over a year. He was expelled from canine kindergarten. Then we "home-schooled" him with a trainer who gave up. After that we sent him to "boarding school" and he came home worse. The vet put him on anti-depressants--didn't help. Completely exasperated, we brought in a behavorist (doggy therapist). After spending an hour with us, she announced that the dog wasn't the problem--we were--too much stimuli or some such nonsense. "Let me find a good home for him," she said. "No way," I said. "Please get rid of him," my husband said.

The final straw came the day we returned from a weekend away. We came in to a mass of feathers (from torn up pillows), a flood of pee, mountains of poop and overturned plants. My husband was livid, calling the pet-sitter every curse word in the book. She KNEW the rule was that the dog was locked in the bathroom while we were gone. Upon further investigation, we found that "Willy" had gone through the dry wall and insulation--he literally dug his way out of the bathroom to freedom. Without any discussion, I placed the call and Willy has lived happily and politely ever since with a single nurse in a beachfront condo.

Glad you were able to find a new home for Willy - maybe a "single" mommy was what he needed! I'm a dog lover, and the only problem with my travels is leaving my dogs. I always feel so guilty, but they seem to love the petsitter, and survive. I had multiple dogs at one time (now I'm down to 2), and didn't mind leaving so much then, as they had plenty of company.

I love going to France, as I think dogs in restaurants are great - and I don't even mind dodging the dog poop on the streets of Paris! That seems to be getting better - maybe people are using those poop-bag dispensers you see on the streets. The French dogs seem so well-behaved. Actually, the children I saw there seem the same way - very polite. We Americans could learn something from the French in our training methods!

Jayne, it sounds like you went through a lot with the Boston Terrier, BUT..."locked in the bathroom while we were gone?" Yikes. I can't understand why you refused the behaviorist's offer to find him a new home and I'm glad you finally relented and found a better situation for him.

Poor Willy, be locked in the bathroom while you were away, this is surely cruelty to an animal despite that your intentions were good. I am so glad that he finally found peace and happiness with a new Mom.

I think I would be pretty pyschotic myself if someone locked me in the bathroom for long periods at a time!
Happy for Willy he got a new home.

I too have a psycho-dog (yet not as bad as Willy)

I left for 4 hours and my golden retriever, Winston(a.k.a Houdini) got out of a locked crate and proceeded to eat, not just chew but consume, my husband's size 12 leather oxford. He was kind enough to leave the sole of the shoe in the middle of the living room floor as he napped after his big meal.

Needless to say, there was soon a pile of black muck on my kitchen floor.

And for all you people who are criticizing Jayne for locking her dog in a bathroom when people are not there:
Yeah it may sound initially a little off, but where do your dogs go if you can't get a pet sitter in the home? To a kennel where often the space is much smaller than a bathroom.

That's why my husband has never been willing to kennel our dog, because it just seemed too harsh for the poor guy. Sadly, our dog has developed diabetes lately. He's doing well on his new regime. It was awfully difficult when he had to spend several days in doggie hospital.

Point taken 123 but dogs are social animals and it seems to make them crazy to be alone.

To sastify the travel portion of this post: There are doggie care centers that don't lock them away in kennels. There is a professional dog care woman where we walk our dogs and each morning she is out with a huge group of dogs that she walks off leash. The dogs are well behaved and listen to her. I asked her how she managed this and she told me they know that dogs like to know someone is in charge so she establishes alpha dog status quickly and there are no problems.
My own dog had been locked in a bathroom and when I got her it would freak her out if I was in the bathroom soaking in the tub. She's still a little skittish about the bathroom but only because it means she'll be taking her own bath there when it's too cold outside.

xxx123, I would no sooner take a dog to a kennel that was going to keep it confined in a small space than I would lock a dog in a bathroom for 2 days. These are living creatures, not things. We cannot "turn them off" when it is convenient.

When we have pets, we have a responsibility to care for them, physically <i>and</i> emotionally. A dog does not understand why he is suddenly put into solitary confinement, nor does he know that he will be released in 2 days or a week. As far as he knows, this is the new permanent condition of his life. Can you imagine how terrifying and stressful that is?

As much as I love to travel, if I couldn't make satisfactory arrangements for my animals I would stay home.

I take my lab to a kennel here in the city when I go on trips. He gets a large pen (much larger than my bathroom) and comes back very happy and energized. I think he likes it better than being at home watching the National Geographic channel all day. As for mischevious behaviour - he got into the habit or shredding my 400 thread pillow cases - until I smartened up and put my pillows in my closet (doh!).

Jeez, I didn't know the bathroom comment would cause such as issue, so PUUHHleeze let me clarify. The vet, the handler AND the doggy psychologist all suggested a small but ample space for this dog. If you know dogs, you know that many trainers, reputable breeders and vets suggest &quot;crating&quot; dogs as a part of their routine. Dogs are den dwellers and love to have a cozy consistent space to call their own. In addition, dogs do not like to soil their dens, thus aiding in their obedience training. We feel that a crate is too confining, and fortunately we have enough bathrooms that one can be dedicated to our animals. FYI, the bathroom is a former master bath and is the size of a small bedroom.

Our current dogs, a Wheaton Terrier, a Boston Terrier (this one is sane and lovely) and a new lab puppy all have the option to sleep with us, but often choose to sleep in their own dens--OUR master bath.

If my dogs had the choice of being able to stay at home while we were out of town, albeit in our bathrooms, I'm sure they would choose that over a loud smelly kennel with unfamiliar faces.

For your further information, I serve on the board of the local humane society, my children and I have fostered dozens of abandoned kittens and puppies over the years, we make an annual weekly trek to Best Friends, a habitat for abandoned animals in Utah-- It is a volunteer vacation. Do I sound snippy? Good. The next time you accuse someone of being cruel to animals, know your facts.

P.S. ALL 12 of our pets are rescues.

Well honestly my first thought was that all of the reputable dog rescue outfits that I've come in contact with (big believer in adoption) require that you agree to crate train the dog. And I also agree that crate training does seem to be a positive influence on not only their behavior but the overall disposition as well. It's said that the small, personal space is a comfort and that seems true. &quot;Go get on your bed&quot; and ours head there straight away.

However... and I truly don't mean to gang up as I know there are times when it seems like it's too much. We have two bouncy 50+ pound monsters, eh pups around here, one of which is not yet a year old. But I have to say that most dogs would have taken some pretty drastic measures to get out of that bathroom! They're very social creatures and will get more than a little unhinged at solitude.

We drive them both (plus the cat) 4.5 hours (each way) to my family so they can watch them, and fly from there. Silly I know, but we've never boarded them.

I'm sure some kennels are good and provide good care to the dogs. Our dog is used to being around at least 1-2 family members at any given time, and has his own fenced backyard, a porch on a perch so he can look out, and lots of attention. For him, going to a kennel would be a rather extreme difference.

Jayne, I was typing as you were. Trust me, I can't type that fast, so timing and all that.

I'll admit that the first vision I had was a little hall bath as well. Our &quot;crate&quot; now is small areas secured with a child gate, for the puppy anyway. She still tends to go looking for trouble at night (think toppled trash cans). I think as long as they can see others and have some stimulation, the crate &quot;philosophy&quot; works very well.

Jayne, you wrote: &quot;The next time you accuse someone of being cruel to animals, know your facts.&quot; I am very relieved to know the facts, but to be fair, you didn't provide them in your original post.

I was taken aback by the &quot;locked in a bathroom&quot; remark and I am certainly glad to hear the rest of the story. Thanks for clarifying. Unfortunately, as you know all too well from your work with the Humane Society and foster animals, people do not always care for their pets in the kindest way. Bless you for the work that you do.

Gee Jayne I can see where you might feel ganged up on. On the bright side, isn't it nice to know that there are so many nice, well traveled and literate people that love dogs too? It's like message board heaven.

Clifton, if you love animals it's a very passionate topic if you think one is being treated cruelly. You make a good point--I guess most would assume that it would be a small bath. Hopefully everyone feels better knowing it's not a compact area. We live in Florida, and they LOVE sleeping in our huge garden tub--cool on the tummies. We have a 15X12 walkin closet that is part of their bathroom &quot;suite&quot; and the Boston loves sleeping in our laundry basket.

We had gotten Willie to help perk up our 17-year-old Wheaton, but the little thing was so hyper it drove our old boy nuts (he lived to the ripe old age of 19.5--also a rescue).

Initially the bathrooms were our choice because they were tiled. We've since renovated and we have NO carpet since we have so many animals in and out. But the dogs still love the bathroom. The lab we just inherited was given up by her owners because of a chronic bladder issue--surgery will take care of it--but thank goodness she loves bathroom along with our other two--now if we could just figure out a way to toilet train them...

Thanks Marilyn--it's good to know that so many of us love animals. That's one reason why I love traveling in Europe--their dogs are like family and they take them everywhere. You can get a &quot;doggy fix&quot; just about any time you need one!

After 10 days in Paris, I'm dying for a &quot;pocketbook dog,&quot; if you know what I mean. They were all so adorable and well-behaved, shopping, riding the Metro, lunching out in cafes. Unfortunately, the 2 cats in the family (both rescues)vote a united bloc: <b>NO!</b>

On a more serious note, I volunteer at a wildlife rehab hospital and see the ill effects of oblivious humans all the time. And you are right about being passionate -- I go berserk over mistreatment of animals.

It's almost a curse to love animals. My sister and I took my youngest to his summer camp in North Carolina this year and found the most pathetic kitten eating out of the dumpster at our hotel. The manager said the mother cat &quot;dropped a litter every few months&quot; her kittens were now having kittens. He told us we could NOT bring the kitten in. So of course we sneeked him in. We tried to get the mom but she was terrified. My sister put him under her jacket, however, halfway through the lobby his little tail poked out the bottom and I was praying the manager would see it! We drove that darn cat all the way back to Florida (THAT was a treat) and Mountain Kitty has lived happily ever after with my sister.

I'm very glad I misunderstood. They're very good company for each other, dogs, but I bet your Wheaton probably was a bit exhausted by Willie! He'd earned some peace and quiet by then. :) I'm glad ours are just a year apart (1yr and 2yr). Since the pup has come along, the older one is so much more active and fit and alert.

Abuse and neglect get to me as well. Much of my family came from farm areas outside of the city. My great aunt and uncle who I used to spend months with on their little farm took in so many &quot;stray&quot; dogs. Dozens running everywhere and they weren't well off but always found a little to eat for everyone. &quot;Ach, ya let me see what we have in the kitchen&quot; she'd say. I miss her.

People used to bring the dogs out there and &quot;set them free&quot;. As if they were a captured bird. They were rid of the dog and had managed to convince themselves that a domesticated dog would just find a way to get by. No guilt, and I would guess a large majority of them starved or were run over on the back roads. Some of the sweetest dogs, but not trained, often still puppies. I don't get some people.

Clifton, I would get this thread deleted if I told you what I think should be done with people who abandon their pets. It is beyond my comprehension.

On a happier note, there is a relatively new organization near me (Pt. Reyes Station, CA) called Planned Feralhood. They trap feral cats, volunteer vets administer shots and neuter them, and then they are released again. They have also set up feeding stations to be sure the cats don't starve. Gradually they hope to reduce the feral cat population, or at least keep it from growing. Isn't that a fantastic idea?

Well, I just have to tell our latest dog story (obviously, we're all dog people):

Last month our son and daughter-in-law looked out to discover in their yard a little Mama Dog and six puppies--think Benjie, but smaller, and in dire need of baths.

After a little detective work, it appears that someone put them out at a nearby school, and with unerring instinct they found the right house.

The whole neighborhood fell in love with the Dawg family, and took up a collection with which they were taken to the vet for check-ups and shots.

One neighbor has a friend who operates a dog grooming parlor, so she volunteered to clean them up, and posters and ads went up.

Within a week, all, even Mama, had new homes! Of course, one of the pups now lives with our son's family. Their two children had, of course, fallen in love with them, so now they have Lolly to keep yellow lab Shelley company.

It is so hard to believe that people will just throw away precious little animals!

Marilyn, you know I couldn't agree more! Terrific idea. I'm always in such admiration for those who take the time to help solve a problem like that.

Good on them!

I'm already started to feel anxious about leaving our 5 month old Chessie puppy at Christmas. We had plans to go see my parents for Christmas before we even got her, and I wish we could take her with, but I would never put her in the baggage part of the plane. Luckily, she is going on a doggy vacation to my in-laws house, so she will be with family.

Jayne, I too am sorry if I sounded harsh, I have unfortunately seen the result of people putting their dogs somewhere convenient for them and torture for the dog, and often because a trainer told them too. Trainers are not fool proof either.
I also picture a bathroom as four walls and no stimuli for a dog, whereas a kennel or crate is open wire and they still feel like they are part of the world.
My Pup had a crate when we got him and he was also confined to the kitchen . During the day the crate door was open, but we had gates across the kitchen doors. The cat (and we) could come and go, so he felt part of our world. He never destroyed a thing, the cat ended up taking over the crate and the gates came down.
I wish you well with your new pups, I admire people who are so giving to animals.
(My daughter works with the Greyhound rescue people in Florida)

I had a dog for 14 years who routinely traveled with me, staying in up to 15 motels in a year. He flew a few times, but only if the weather was right and it was a direct flight. (I had this image of his going around a baggage carousal in a city I wasn't in)

My primary hobby is reading science fiction and attending SF literature conventions. Since Charlie traveled with me, he would be at those convention hotels.

One year someone asked me to bring Charlie along to their room party that night. He was a big hit and it became normal for him to make the rounds of parties and spend some time through the day at convention activities.

In time, most conventions provided a badge for him, some listed his bio with the other celebrities and a couple of times the convention organizers negotiated for a hotel with a no pets policy to permit him to stay in the hotel.

The year that he died, he was scheduled to be the Fan Guest of Honor at a convention in Tulsa.

His home page at http://sff.net/people/sfreader/charlie.htm

Thanks for letting me share this.

Keith

I had no idea there were so many animal lovers on this board! I worked for several years at a humane society, and had the habit of bringing home &quot;special&quot; animals to keep instead of seeing them put to sleep. One of these, my dog Goofy, came in when he was only a couple hours old. For those of you who have fostered animals, you probably know that animals are VERY hard to save when they are this little. In fact, we didn't realize how young he was at first, because he was the size of a three week old puppy. Now (6 years later) he is well over 100 lbs, and we had to make him an outside dog (which I REALLY hated to do) when he was about 4 months old. I know, I will probably get blasted, but we had no choice: his tail would knock a hole in the wall, and I have constant bruises on my legs because of the tail, which just won't stop. But, he seems to like it, he loves it when it rains.

Keith I get a message saying the website's not responding. Are you sure the URL is correct?

Ahhh Keith, what a lovely story and thanks for making me weep this morning~

mclaurie, it must have been a temporary internet thing, it is still loading.

Scarlett, if that made you cry, I think this short story about a dog by a friend of mine will also get to you - http://sff.net/people/sfreader/teddy.htm

Keith

I love these threads too. I went to get a collar for my cat last weekend and came home with a new kitten. I had 2 brothers (rescues) age 7 that I have had since birth and one passed away last year due to a cancerous tumor. It only took 4 days for the grumpy old man Brutus to cuddle up with the new 4 month old Bentley this week. Both are solid black and he looks like &quot;mini me&quot;. I actually paint pictures of Brutus and have sold dozens on E-bay with different hats and characters. I cannot imagine my life without animals, we have had them around since I was a kid. I forgot what it was like to have someone take short naps(sometimes I check Brutus just to see if he is still breathing :-), help you do everything and actually play with toys. Happy Holidays everyone !

I don't normally post here but I do enjoy reading some of your stories and thought I'd chime in. Apt. complex's are big dumping grounds too for unwanted animals. It kills me that people have a pet and then move and leave them behind. We have one now that is about 2 years old but he looks like he is only 3 months. I've been trying to get near him but he won't let me. I put food out for him and he'll let me watch him from about 7 feet away. Any closer and he runs.
Up the street from my home is a garden nursery. I was walking my dog up there a few months ago and to my surprise behind the nursery I saw about 30 cats/kittens. Some org comes out and takes care of them as far as food and water goes. They've set up dog houses so they have a warm place to sleep. They too have fixed them all and release them back out. Its a terrific idea!
My own dog was kenneled once and all I can say is never again. Now I have relatives watch her if I can't take her along. She doesn't do anything wrong becuase shes 6 now but when she was a pup she was a handful! She ate the wires underneath my dad's ex-girlfriends truck which was hysterical because she didn't like my dog! She never found out about it either - my dad got it repaired and made up some story!

We leave our dog at a nearby kennel when we go on vacation. It's a great place - little &quot;houses&quot; with pens, and each has a little fenced running area out the back door. Someone is there 24/7 and they let the dogs out several times a day. The dogs love it. When we get about a block away, they start barking and whining (the good kind) and wagging their tales. We literally have to hold them back when we pull up to the front door as they are excited to get there.

As for bathrooms, our dogs stay in the master bathroom every day for about 5 hours. They have their chew toys, pillows, and two windows to look out. And more importantly, each other's company. I think almost every dog is happier with a canine companion. My H says that God gave us two arms and hands so we could pet 2 dogs....

I, too, had no idea there were so many animal lovers on this board. Fantastic! I am on the board for our local Animal Welfare Foundation, as well, so I agree with you all with regards to those people that abandon any type of animal. It's incomprehensibile to me.

I have rescued just about everything from dogs to cats to chickens to goats to turtles to birds. Some are more heart warming stories than others, but I can't stand to see an animal suffer....period. This is, of course, much to my husband's chagrin, at times.

I feel very fortunate that our Jack Russel Terrier and Chihuahua have a wonderful place to stay when we travel. Our close friends, who have children and a very large yard with other animals, keep them and they just have a ball there. They get so spoiled that they alwyas come home with a little weight on them, not to mention suddenly wanting to sleep in the bed. The same friend also looks out for our cat and turtles, as well.

We were very unhappy when our son brought home a dalmation pit mix. Afraid is more clearly the word. As we got to know this sweet timid dog we realized that the bias was ours. We love this dog as a family member now! Unfortunately...she escaped when she was out for a &quot;lawn visit&quot; one day. A woman driving by picked her up and took her to the kennel where she works. We searched and searched and finally the kennel called Humane Society. We (happily!)went to pick her up at this wonderful kennel where they refused to charge for her stay and told us stories of her adventure. We still bring her back occasionally so she can visit. Some kennels are loving places for dogs!

Oh goodie! Dog talk!

Our beautiful and extremely well behaved black and silver German Shepherd came from the Humane Society. She is a little shy, so I'll omit her real name. You can call her &quot;spoiled.&quot;

Sometimes I look at her as she naps on her four-quilt-thick bed and think, &quot;I wish had your life.&quot;

We adopted her on a whim, which is a big no-no, but we simple could not resist her big brown eyes. Now we couldn't imagine life without her.

Luckily, all of our neurotic pampering hasn't changed her sweet, sensitive, and gentle nature. We are very fortunate to have relatives who adore her and are willing to take her in when we are away. We can be confidant that the pampering continues in our absence!

If it wasn't for the hard work of shelters like the Humane Society, we would have never had her in our lives. Bravo to everyone involved in these important organizations! &gt;:D&lt;

((&amp;)) ((@))

Oh Keith, I can't take stories like that !!

On CNN there was a story about a young woman, driving in a car with her dog. They crashed, the car hurtled over a guard rail and down into a ravine. The dog was thrown out, terribly hurt, the car broke up as it went down. Finally at the bottom, it stopped with the young woman lying beside it.
The dog, broken and bleeding, climbed back up to the road and crawled into the road , in front of the cars, whimpering for help.
A man stopped in time, rushed to the dog, as another car stopped. He said, this dog has been hit by a car when the other man said look, pointing at the broken guard rail.
The poor pup crawled to the rail and they ran down, finding the young woman, lying face down in the mud.
Today-three weeks later, they brought the sweet mended again dog to the hospital to visit the girl who will be home for Christmas...weep weep~

I need to post a funny one after that... at least it's a HAPPY tearjerker! :)

We had a 90+ pound yellow lab who absolutely loved food. He ate EVERYTHING, although he was surprisingly fit. The only food I have ever seen him deny was a mushroom. Anyway, it was his custom, if at 4:30-5:00 no one had fed him his afternoon meal, to bark and jump at anyone who stood up in the house. He'd try to convince the very one feeding him that he needed to be fed... again.

We were all wise to his tricks but failed to mention this little habit to our petsitter. When a call home mid-week produced the question of &quot;what kind of dog food do you buy?&quot; we were a little concerned, since we had left over half a 40 POUND BAG of food...

We returned home to a barrel on legs. I never knew a dog could visibly gain that much weight in one week.

Needless to say, he had some extra exercise sessions during the following weeks. Rest his furry little soul.

Count me in with the Travelling Dog People!

Due to circumstances, I don't have one of my own, but I am proud &quot;aunt&quot; and dogsitter to my best friend's brood of rescues -- 3 more-or-less Australian cattle dogs and Spud the Wonderdog, a disgustingly cute Schipperke-Pomeranian cross. And, ceb1222, I've been burnt by that same second-meal scam when I've gone to visit them.

My best friend recommended me as a dogsitter to friends of hers, and now I'm their dogsitter, too. In that capacity, I have set off their burglar alarm twice, drenched their bathroom when a badly-installed faucet came off in my hand, and taken home the back door key that they keep inside for letting Abby out. So why do they put up with me? Easy, Abby and I adore each other.