We're looking at adopting a dog after we get back from vacation in about 6 weeks. Anyone have recommendations on local shelters/rescue societies?

Any idea what size dog you want?

We're looking at adopting a dog after we get back from vacation in about 6 weeks. Anyone have recommendations on local shelters/rescue societies?

 

Last 3 animals my family has gotten were from Anderson Animal Shelter in South Elgin. They do a good job.

Any idea what size dog you want?

 

Probably medium-ish, 40 lb range.

Probably medium-ish, 40 lb range.

Home with a yard or apartment/condo?

 

Do you want a relatively active dog or a lazier loungier type?

We're looking at adopting a dog after we get back from vacation in about 6 weeks. Anyone have recommendations on local shelters/rescue societies?

I adopted from Tails Humane Society, which is in DeKalb.

Edited May 2, 201213 yr by smalls2598

Home with a yard or apartment/condo?

 

Do you want a relatively active dog or a lazier loungier type?

 

Home with a big, fenced yard and a couple of cats. Most likely on the active side.

Krush,

 

We had the same thing... but our dog's baby teeth have begun to fall off and now he's a chewing machine (he especially likes furniture and arms - though he has a very soft mouth). Re-directing him to stuff he is supposed to chew on has worked wonders.

 

For everyone else, our dog is a pulling machine when on leash. We've been working on heel, but we are currently using a regular collar and there has been little to no progress. I broke down and bought the Gentle Leader today. Has anyone used that product before?

I've seen people have success with the pinch-type collars before.

Home with a big, fenced yard and a couple of cats. Most likely on the active side.

Any allergies in the family?

Any allergies in the family?

 

I have random dog allergies. I'm allergic to boxers and my in-law's golden but not other goldens. I pump myself full of allergy medication for the cats anyway.

I have random dog allergies. I'm allergic to boxers and my in-law's golden but not other goldens. I pump myself full of allergy medication for the cats anyway.

Oh alright...

 

Well, since I know you are a big hunter...hah, sorry, I couldn't resist...

 

There are lots of great dogs you could choose in the 40 pound range...40 Pound Dog Breeds

 

Pick a few you like, and then look up local or regional rescue groups for those breeds and see what you can find...

 

 

Home with a big, fenced yard and a couple of cats. Most likely on the active side.

 

We have two cats. If you go to a Humane Society type of place instead of through a rescue organization, find out if they have been fostered and what, if any, exposure to cats they have had.

That's going to be my wife's biggest concern by far. She knows that they're going to hate it, at least for a while, but she doesn't want to introduce anything dangerous.

When we caught our pup chewing on something he wasn't suppose to, we would correct it by directing his chewing towards acceptable toys. That was a stage I hated training threw.

 

Bitter apple worked on something's for us

The chewing is related to the development of her teeth and gums...it has nothing to do with the chronology of her being adopted by you...(Edit: I should say most likely...it is possible it is a reaction to stress, but given her age, it probably is her teeth and gums)

 

Her baby teeth might be getting ready to fall out or her gums may be aching...it's just part of having a puppy.

 

When you catch her chewing on something she shouldn't be, tell her NO and take it away. Replace it with something she IS allowed to chew on, and when she does, say Good Girl!

 

Repeat forever and ever. Eventually she should be able to learn what is off-limits and what she is allowed to chew on. And DO NOT buy toys shaped like an object you do not want her to chew on....such as a dog toy shaped like a shoe...then she will think your shoes are toys...I've never understood this one...

 

Also, learn from your mistakes and take as much temptation away from her as possible...when you leave put things up high or in an enclosed room she has no access to.

Yeah, we've been trying to say no every time we catch her, but aren't able to keep an eye on her 24/7. We hate putting her in the cage during those times (other than sleep time) because she goes absolutely bonkers in there, and she's been better about potty training etc.

 

We put things in other rooms or up high, only things near ground most of the time is furniture, and no moving that. We were thinking about setting up a play pen area with a dog fence or whatever to give her room to roam and be out of the cage, but not be able to get to furniture. Thoughts? Would that work? Or just strictly use the cage for unsupervised times?

 

 

Yeah, we've been trying to say no every time we catch her, but aren't able to keep an eye on her 24/7. We hate putting her in the cage during those times (other than sleep time) because she goes absolutely bonkers in there, and she's been better about potty training etc.

 

We put things in other rooms or up high, only things near ground most of the time is furniture, and no moving that. We were thinking about setting up a play pen area with a dog fence or whatever to give her room to roam and be out of the cage, but not be able to get to furniture. Thoughts? Would that work? Or just strictly use the cage for unsupervised times?

You could certainly try that...and you could try the bitter apple for things you can't move (the couch)...

 

I've had the same problem with my Dane puppy...it requires a lot of patience and tolerance...

That's going to be my wife's biggest concern by far. She knows that they're going to hate it, at least for a while, but she doesn't want to introduce anything dangerous.

 

Yeah, our puppy LOVES the cats but the cats are extremely skeptical of him. One of our cats likes to tease him from behind the safety of the dog gate. The other one likes to snuggle with him when he's sleeping. He just wants to chase them... always.

 

Do your cats have their front claws?

Yeah, our puppy LOVES the cats but the cats are extremely skeptical of him. One of our cats likes to tease him from behind the safety of the dog gate. The other one likes to snuggle with him when he's sleeping. He just wants to chase them... always.

 

Do your cats have their front claws?

 

One does, one doesn't. The older cat that doesn't have claws was terrified of the kitten for a few weeks when we brought her home, so I'm sure she'll love the dog.

My buddy Kyle just spur-of-the-moment bought a black lab/boxer mix puppy. He is only like 6 weeks old right now. Very tiny little guy. My roommate is dating him, so Kyle often brings little Duke over to hang out. He loves to bite and sleep, that's about it. When he is tired he will cuddle, but he seems kind of like a loner dog. He often hides when he is tired, or lays in tight spaces. He will climb up on the couch and try and wedge himself between the back of the couch and the cushion. It's kind of weird.

 

We looked up pictures of lab/boxer mixes, and this guy looks like he will be very intimidating when he is fully grown. Real badass and scary looking. This is what he looks like now though.....

 

That's going to be my wife's biggest concern by far. She knows that they're going to hate it, at least for a while, but she doesn't want to introduce anything dangerous.

 

I have one skiddish cat. When we introduced a new dog, she was very scared at first, but gradually got better. One thing that helped was a very tall cat tree. She could sit at the top and observe the dog walking around without feeling threatened at all. She eventually learned the dog was no big deal.

I have one skiddish cat. When we introduced a new dog, she was very scared at first, but gradually got better. One thing that helped was a very tall cat tree. She could sit at the top and observe the dog walking around without feeling threatened at all. She eventually learned the dog was no big deal.

 

Yeah, having lots of high places for cats to escape is key to their being comfortable in general. Having an up-high path out of the room is good, too.

Took my dog in to the spay and neuter clinic on Tuesday. They call us shortly after we drop her off and tell us they don't want to perform the surgery because she'd riddled with cancer...all over her abdominal wall, spleen, uterus, liver.

 

After two days of grief and sadness that our dog probably won't live a month, we take her to our regular vet for exploratory surgery to figure out how bad it is and how long she has before it kills her. He calls us shortly after he starts the operation to inform us that all her organs look FINE and that all he could find was a couple nodules in her abdominal tissue which are probably nothing (but being tested). He removed them.

 

TLDR: one vet tells us our dog has horrible cancer, two days later another says she's fine

My buddy Kyle just spur-of-the-moment bought a black lab/boxer mix puppy. He is only like 6 weeks old right now. Very tiny little guy. My roommate is dating him, so Kyle often brings little Duke over to hang out. He loves to bite and sleep, that's about it. When he is tired he will cuddle, but he seems kind of like a loner dog. He often hides when he is tired, or lays in tight spaces. He will climb up on the couch and try and wedge himself between the back of the couch and the cushion. It's kind of weird.

We looked up pictures of lab/boxer mixes, and this guy looks like he will be very intimidating when he is fully grown. Real badass and scary looking. This is what he looks like now though.....

 

 

I wouldnt worry about that. If he is 6 weeks, he is probably just having some seperation anxiety, he is used to be jammed in with a litter of puppies.

Took my dog in to the spay and neuter clinic on Tuesday. They call us shortly after we drop her off and tell us they don't want to perform the surgery because she'd riddled with cancer...all over her abdominal wall, spleen, uterus, liver.

 

After two days of grief and sadness that our dog probably won't live a month, we take her to our regular vet for exploratory surgery to figure out how bad it is and how long she has before it kills her. He calls us shortly after he starts the operation to inform us that all her organs look FINE and that all he could find was a couple nodules in her abdominal tissue which are probably nothing (but being tested). He removed them.

 

TLDR: one vet tells us our dog has horrible cancer, two days later another says she's fine

That's great news...I guess that's just a reminder to always get a second opinion...Sorry you had to go through that, CW

Fisk scooped up and ate an Ibuprofen pill my dad dropped before he could pick it up. Spent all Mon night throwing up. We had called vet mon around 5 and told them what happened and they said if he doesn't throw up in the next hour, bring him in, so when he threw up soon after, we thought that was it but it wasn't. Still should have taken him in.

Early Tues, like 5 am, I tried calling vet places. One had an on call emergency vet so I had him paged and when he called back, said he couldn't see dog until 10. Some emergency vet.

He god hydrated and stayed all day at this place and is now on bland diet until tomorrow.

I feel bad because I should have acted better Monday night. He'll be fine.

 

CW, how does a vet make uh an awful mistake?