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 "stray" dogs. Dozens running everywhere and they weren't well off but always found a little to eat for everyone. "Ach, ya let me see what we have in the kitchen" she'd say. I miss her.

People used to bring the dogs out there and "set them free". 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 "special" 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 "mini me". 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 "houses" 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 "lawn visit" 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 "spoiled."

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

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! >:D<

((&)) ((@))

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 "what kind of dog food do you buy?" 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 "aunt" 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.