Lyme disease is caused by a spirochete: a type of bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, which is transmitted to dogs by a tick. The most common type of tick to carry Lyme disease is the Deer Tick. Once in the blood stream, the Lyme disease organism is carried to many parts of the body but tends to localize in the joints.
Lyme disease affects both dogs and people, but people cannot get it directly from a dog. The disease is transmitted by ticks, therefore preventing tick bites is important for your health and that of your dog.
Clinical Signs of Lyme Disease
Humans with Lyme disease develop a characteristic “bull’s-eye” rash around the bite in three to thirty days. This makes the disease easy to diagnose at an early stage. Lyme disease is more difficult to detect in animals. Dogs and cats do not develop this characteristic rash. Other symptoms may be delayed or go unrecognized because the symptoms are similar to those of many other diseases. Lyme disease in animals is often not even considered until other diseases have been eliminated.
Celebrate National Mutt Day in the USA on July 31 and December 2. This is a fun celebration of mixed breed dogs. Created in 2005 by celebrity pet and family life expert, Colleen Paige, National Mutt Day brings awareness to the plight of mixed breed dogs in shelters around the country and encourages people to adopt shelter dogs rather than buy “designer dogs” from puppy mills.
When it comes to canine heart disease, early diagnosis and timely treatment can make a crucial difference for your pet. It is necessary for pet parents like you to be familiar with the various signs of canine heart disease. This way you can bring any possible health issue to your vet’s attention as soon as possible.
Symptoms of Heart Problems in Dogs
1. Coughing. This is a very frequent sign of many kinds of illness in dogs, one being canine heart disease. Minor coughs rarely persist for more than three days. If, even after a few days, your pooch still coughs or experiences other unusual symptoms, immediately seek veterinary attention.
This is a foster dog diary post about Bandit. New information will be added to the end of this post so all info on this dog is kept in one place and in chronological order. If you subscribe for updates, a short note will be sent when updates are posted. If you don’t subscribe, check back periodically to see what’s been added.
Last Updated: Jan 26, 2020
Bandit has been in foster care with Steele Away Home – Canine Foster and Rescue for quite some time. He came into the program with mild aggression issues – more like intimidation issues. Anyone who came up to him timidly would get growled at. A confident approach yielded acceptance. That foster believes she has him worked through that and, for a change, PMFC gets to be the Finishing School instead of Boot Camp.
Base Info:
Arrival date: Nov. 19, 2019
Breed: Shepherd Mix
Sex: Male
Age: Puppy, Young Adult, Mature, Senior
Weight: @ 50 Pounds
Neutered: Yes
General Health: Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor
Temperament: Playful, happy, friendly
Gets Along with: People, Dogs, (Cats unknown)
Crate Trained: Yes
Housebroken: Yes
Departure date: January 13, 2020, going to S.A.V.E.
History
Bandit was raised by a couple who lived in a camper. When that was no longer a suitable arrangement he went through a couple of homes and into rescue because he had developed a bad attitude. Can you blame him? But Ashton seems to have done a fine job of working him through that and restoring peace and happiness to this giddy boy.
Progress Summary:
Detailed notes on this foster dog’s progress are posted below the summary.
Dog to Dog Behavior
Relates well to other dogs: Yes. A tad (playfully) overbearing for some.
Can eat food/treats near other dogs: Yes
Preferred style of play: He loves to run, playing tug-o-war, and tussling with other dogs.
Dog to People Behavior
Is affectionate: Yes
Is good with:
. Men: Yes
. Women: Yes
. Children: Yes
4Health Salmon & Potato recipe, 1½ cups AM, 1¼ cups PM. Peanut Butter Treats as rewards for crating and kenneling.
Progress Updates
In chronological order, newest at the bottom. Some pictures are linked to a more detailed Doggy Tale about that update, click those to open the related story.
GALLERY
Buddy and The Bandit, cooking up some mischief.
Detailed Notes
Nov. 19
Bandit has been living with Ashton for a couple of months as she worked him through an “intimidation” issue. Upon his arrival I greeted him and he responded warmly. He and Blondie Bear got acquainted, played a little, then Bandit went off to sniff out the play yard. Before she left, Ashton put Bandit in his kennel and he responded well. He is getting along with his neighbors: Major and Spartacus, and all the house dogs have been out to greet him.
At bed time, Bandit went inside the bunkhouse with Major and Spartacus. I showed him which crate is his, he went in after the cookie I tossed in, then sniffed out his blankets before settling in to sleep.
In the morning all was well in his crate. He walked with me back to the play yard and kennels, where his breakfast was waiting. But it was too early for him to eat (6:00 AM). He preferred to go out in the play yard and run in the dark. And run, and run, and run…
Nov 22
While all three main kennels were occupied, Bandit occupied the middle one with Major on one side and Spartacus on the other. Bandit would occasionally speak loudly at Spartacus (a small beagle). Starty is about as unassuming as anyone could be. We know that Bandit had issues of trying intimidate those who seemed weak or afraid of him. So when Major left I moved Bandit into the kennel Major had vacated (after sanitizing it, of course). For the time being that leaves an empty kennel between them to mitigate any chance of hostility between them.
I allowed Buddy Beagle to come outside today for the mid-day play session. Buddy and Bandit played together a little then got into a contest of dominance, first with paws on shoulders, then trying to mount one another. That got Buddy to growling so I ended play time between them. Bandit seemed to be good natured through the whole episode, it was Buddy who felt pressured to stand up to the bigger dog.
Bandit has kept his room clean, waiting for his play times to relieve himself. He has been quiet almost all of the time, and he loves going inside at night to sleep in his crate. He’s not thrilled about the crate part, but does not fight it either. So far he has been friendly with everyone who has been here.
Nov. 26
Bandit is getting frustrated. He wants SO much to be a house dog, sees other dogs going into the house and stands at the door, barking “LET ME IN”.
But despite his frustrations he is being good. He keeps his kennel clean. He keeps his crate clean at night, has not torn up bedding in either location, and he plays well with others. Two of the beagles are intimidated by his size and enthusiasm and won’t play with him. One Beagle, the smallest one, turns the table on him by getting in under Bandit and pushing his legs. This confuses Bandit so that he hops around with an adorably confused look on his face, “What’s going on, what is he doing?” then he heads for his kennel. This 23 pound Beagle is just too much for him!
Probably because of his frustration he has not warmed up to me much. He is not unfriendly, just would rather be running in the yard than getting petted by me on his play times. He used to come when I called him and would let me pet him a while. Now he comes to within about 20 feet and stands there looking at me like, “When I get what *I* want, you get what you want.” That has to be the Shepherd in him!
Nov 30
Bandit likes to play in the yard with Blondie Bear. When it’s his play time I leave him out for extra time while I do a chore: yard pick-up, mail run, or maybe a spot of gardening. Today I was heading out for the mail run. Bandit was down in the low corner. I went out the middle gate. I didn’t pay too much attention to Bandit’s activity because he would have to come all the way around the garden to get to where I was.
But in a masterful stroke of precision timing, just as I pushed the gate open enough to slip out, I heard, Pa-dum, pa-dum, pa-dum then felt a WHOOSH as Bandit rocketed through the gate with me. NOOOOOOO!
Until a dog will respond to “Come” consistently I always attach a “handle” before I let them out into the yard. This is a piece of light rope about 8 feet long with a piston clip on one end. Nothing on the other end that might hurt him should it snag on something as he flies around the yard. Something I can stomp on, then grab when he’s playing keep away. Which he does sometimes.
Rather than getting upset (and letting him know he’s pushed my buttons) I talked to him the same as I would in the yard. He ran a loop around my Mom’s house (probably to say “Hello” to the mail carrier who was picking up a box down there) then a loop around me to say, “Lookee, lookee, I’m FREE!” then off into the woods above our house. I could hear his progress as he crashed through the brush, but could not see him.
I began to envision the poster: “Last seen heading north on Piney Mountain Rd”. But then I heard it: children’s laughter. Ah, ha!
I went down the driveway and began hiking along the roadway to the next house. When I got there, there were three young boys, the dog who lives there, and the Dad in the yard. Dad had Bandit by that rope “handle” and was looking at the tag I put on all of our dogs collars, just in case. I called out a “hello” and asked him to hang onto my escapee.
The boys gathered around Bandit and all seemed to be having a good time. So, we can add “good with kids” to his resume. This is not my favorite way to learn this, though.
Dec 8
Today I tested Bandit with Josephine and Buddy Beagle.
Dec 12
Bandit was not happy with sleeping in the bunkhouse alone after Dawson Wigglestump left to go to Boston. But we have a new friend for him: Burton Flirtsworthy. But Burton is a lover not a wrestler, and he’s weakened by being starved half to death. We’re feeding him 5 times a day and teaching him to be a good boy. Can he handle being Bandit’s friend?
Bandit has a lot of style. He does the “shake” (paw) thing with extra flair, running in the yard is a fluid motion, and even when just lounging around in the sun he makes it look like he’s the best at it there is.
Bandit is willing to play with any of the other dogs. Some of them are not so willing because he’s a bit rambunctious in his play style, and that’s intimidating at first. But he can scale back to play with smaller dogs too. (See Dec. 8 entry)
Dec 28
Buddy and The Bandit, cooking up some mischief.
Bandit is becoming frustrated at not being invited inside to be a house dog and is acting out a bit: tearing up his bed pads in his kennel and deliberately peeing and pooping in there even right after he’s been out in the yard.
The bedding in the crate he sleeps in at night remains untouched, and he has not defiled that. That is “in doors”, so is closer to what he wants.
We have had no incidents of intimidation or aggression with him. He can be pigheaded about thinks like coming back in his kennel after free-play. I still have to put a “handle” on him to have any hope of catching him before he says he done playing. If I let him go until he says he’s done, he will return and freely enter his kennel to get a drink and a treat. Before then, he will play keep-away with me.
Jan 5
Today Bandit met his match for exuberant play: a skinny little beagle girl. Who’d-a-thunk it!
Jan 26, 2020
SAVE Announced today: “Bandit has left the building (on his humom’s lap 🤣)! He found a family complete with a fur brother named Moose! Happy life ahead!”
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This is a foster dog diary post about Spartacus (whom we affectionately refer to as Snoopicus). New information will be added to the end of this post so all info on this dog is kept in one place and in chronological order. If you subscribe for updates, a short note will be sent when updates are posted. If you don’t subscribe, check back periodically to see what’s been added.
Last Updated: Dec. 10
Spartacus is a small, affectionate full-blooded Beagle. Initial impressions are good as far as his relating to us and to the other doggos housed here.
Departure date: December 6th, 2019, headed for New Hampshire
History
Picked up as a stray by Newport Animal Control on November 5th and not claimed, Spartacus was put up for adoption. Animal Rescue Network of New England (ARNNE) asked me to foster him for them while he gets neutered, rabies shot, HW test, etc.
Progress Summary:
Detailed notes on this foster dog’s progress are posted below the summary.
Dog to Dog Behavior
Relates well to other dogs: Yes
Can eat food/treats near other dogs: Yes
Preferred style of play: So far he has not engaged the others in play. Likes to go on patrol with them.
Dog to People Behavior
Is affectionate: Yes
Is good with:
. Men: Yes
. Women: Yes
. Children: Unknown but expected to be very good with kids.
Jumps up on people: Yeeees, but he’s so small and sweet about it he does no damage.
Mouths: No
Walks well on a leash: Yes
House Dog Training
Willingly enters his crate: Yes, with bribe
Is calm/quiet while in crate: Most of the time.
Understands going outside to potty: Yes
Alerts me of need to go outside: Yes
Is destructive of bedding and/or toys: No
Refrains from kitchen counter cruising: Yes (couldn’t reach them if he tried)
Stays off people furniture: NO
Commands:
Comes when called: Depends on what’s in it for him.
Heartworm preventative:
. 11/29/2019, Ivermectin solution, .03 ml
NOTES:
.
.
Diet
Sparty is a picky eater. Does not care for cheese, does like peanut butter.
Now eating 4health Salmon & Potato kibble straight, and enjoying it.
3/4 cup AM, 3/4 cup PM
Prefers to drink water out of a stainless steel bowl, does not like plastic containers.
LOVES our Peanut Butter Dog Treats
Gallery
Patrolling for the Red Baron
WOW this is amazing!
My hiney hurts
Part of the gang now
Progress Updates
In chronological order, newest at the bottom. Some pictures are linked to a more detailed Doggy Tale about that update, click those to open the related story.
November 19
Spartacus rode home from NAC well. He sang his song of Beagle Delight all the way. Introductions to the rest of the Piney Mountain Gang went smoothly. His only concern during play time is marking everything he sees, but that will start to diminish once we have his nuts nipped. Sparty likes to snuggle and is gentle about it.
At bed time I took both of the kennel boys inside the bunkhouse to be crated for the night. Spartacus was okay with that as long as I was in the room with them, but cried when I left. He settled down eventually and hid crate blanket was clean and dry this morning.
He prefers canned food to kibble. Meaning that if I give him a dish of kibble he dumps it over and kicks the kibble all around his kennel. “Okay, okay, I get the message!” I gave him canned food this morning and he ate that.
Nov. 22
Spartacus has been improving in his behavior: less baying and crying, less jumping up on me to get attention as soon as I enter his kennel as he has been getting frequent doses of attention and play time. He is quite lovey and stays quiet as long as his people aren’t ignoring him.
He has been allowed to play with Blondie, Callie, and Buddy Beagle. The two big girls were a passing fancy: he sniffed each of them thoroughly and moved off to engage in the very serious business of marking every tree, bush, and fence post in the yard. That will decrease after neutering
With Buddy it was different. Buddy isn’t much bigger than Sparty and he’s a Beagle. Sparty followed Buddy all around but never really engaged him in play. Hero worship, maybe.
Spartacus has done okay at keeping his room clean. He has not torn up his blankets. The first day he left a poop or two and a puddle in there. But once he realized he was going to be let out every couple of hours, he stopped that and has kept his room clean.
Sparty is exceptionally sweet, gentle, and an avid snuggler.
Nov. 26
My hiney hurts!
Today Spartacus was neutered, microchipped, got his rabies shot, and examined for Health Certification so he can travel across state lines. All parasite testing turned out negative. He came through his surgery well. He is quite uncomfortable this evening, but he came home with Carprophen so I’ll give him a dose after his potty run.
He will be staying inside the house for at least the next week so I can keep an eye on him. Then, if he and the house dogs all get along well, he’ll probably just stay in with us until transport on Dec. 6th.
Nov 27th
Sparty and I had kind of a rough night last night. Neither a cone nor a Kong Cloud in his size is sufficient to keep him from licking at his incision. So I put a couple of rectangular dog beds together, Marie brought my bed pillow and a blanket and Spartacus and I camped on the den floor. He was happy to snuggle in beside me and I could tell if he tried to curl up to get at his privates and prevent it. Right after he got his pain meds we both got a few hours of sleep. Once those wore off he became fidgety and needed more supervision.
Part of the gang now
In the morning the other dogs accepted his running loose and he made himself at home while Marie fixed the people breakfast and I fed doggos inside and outside.
Spartacus had eaten last night’s dinner earlier in the morning as breakfast. I gave him just a few more kibbles so he wouldn’t feel deprived, but he ignored them, eating just the peanut butter clump that hid his morning pill.
I claim this bed in the name of all Beagledom.
When Marie went to the bedroom to get dressed for work, Sparty accompanied her and laid claim to the People bed as his.
Uhhh, no. I don’t think so, lil feller. You are cute and all, but that causes issues with the other house dogs. Let’s just keep things peaceful while you’re here, okay?
Sparty’s in-house behavior has, so far, been excellent. He has not been baying or crying and he has not challenged the other dogs in any way.
Nov. 29
Nov. 30
We have a “No dogs on the sofa” rule in our house. We have one sofa, one easy chair, and our bed. The dogs have like 12 pieces of dog furniture for their use. We don’t think it’s unreasonable to be able to sit down when we want to. Spartacus has challenged that rule several times. I always lift him down gently and place him on a vacant dog bed explaining, “That’s for the people to sit on.”
Today I entered the living room and found this. I went over to pick him up and move him, but he glared at me around his cone and said, “You never sit on this part. You can still sit on that part. There’s no reason I can’t sit here.”
“Yeah, but … ummm … you can’t just … I mean, it’s not that …”
Hmmm … he had me there. So I left him sitting where he was.
I wonder what law school he’s going to attend when he gets to New Hampshire.
Dec. 3
We removed Sparty’s cone on Sunday. When I looked at Spartacus’s incision last night it looked fine. When we got to Cedarwood this morning for his follow-up look-see, part of it had opened up. Chad cleaned it and glued it shut. There is no infection yet, but I am to watch it and if it starts showing signs of infection we’re to go back and get some antibiotics that he can take with him. He’s also in a cone again.
This is my chair now and I will take my meals here from now on.
Yesterday, Having conquered the sofa, Spartacus chose to invade the dining room.
He’s also found some new places to lie in the sun.
Dec. 7
We got to the rendezvous point in Bulls Gap okay Friday night. Spartacus did not enjoy the ride: squirming and trying to climb onto the dashboard most of the way. Once we got into I-81, he went in the back and snoozed.
We arrived early because the transport service said we should: in case they were running fast. They have a phone number we can call to get the expected arrival times at each stop. That said they were running late by 20 minutes. So I helped a group of fellas whose car had died and needed a jump start.
10:20 came and went and the phone still said they’d be there at 10:20.
At 10:45 we got a call from Amanda (a name I know because Christine (my contact at ARNNE) mentioned her as being a coordinator for HEARTS LLC) who said she was there at the truck stop to pick up Spartacus so we could go on home. The transport had suffered a flat tire and were going to be delayed a while. I told her where we were and what we were driving and she found us. Marie said, “I think we should check her credentials, she may be some kind of Beagle thief.”
As it turned out, the transport was broken down at the I-80/I-40 split and we were going to go right past it to get home, we could have dropped him off to them there. I wondered if Amanda always drove out in front of the transport like that, then we remembered that HEARTS are HQ’d in Greenville, so Bulls Gap is just a short ways from there. It was fortuitous that they had a blow out there and not at Lebanon TN, the other end of the state.
Dec. 8
I got word last night (Saturday) that Spartacus has arrived safely at the quarantine center in NH. He will spend a couple of days there, then be released to his foster mom while his adoption is processed. His foster mom and adopter may be the same person. ARNNE likes doing foster-to-adopt as a trial run before the adoption is formalized. I like that system too because when it works out it means less stress on the dog by not being passed through another home on his way to the forever home.
I’ll be watching for the adoption photo!
Dec 10
Spartacus is out of quarantine, making himself at home in a short-term foster home, and will be going to his adoptive home later today. ARNNE says, of his adopters, “He’s going to his adoptive home today in Dracut, MA. His adopters are twin sisters in their late 50s who are retired. They have a fenced yard and an impeccable home.” He ought to be very happy there!
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Boomer had his Immiticide treatments for his heartworm condition last week and spent several days feeling quite puny. He’s doing better now. He’s got a sparkle in his eye and a bounce in his step again. He’s ready to run and play. So this is an especially dangerous time in his treatment.
He feels better and the heartworms in his system are dead. But when they die the worms can float down-stream in his circulatory system: right into the myriad of vessels and capillaries in his lungs where they lodge and block the blood flow. He needs to be calm until his body can absorb the dead worm tissue.
Getting his heart rate up through running and rambunctious play greatly increases the chances that something in his lung will become clogged and “blow out” (pulmonary embolism) causing bleeding into his lung. This is often fatal.
This is a foster dog diary post about Major. New information will be added to the end of this post so all info on this dog is kept in one place and in chronological order. If you subscribe for updates, a short note will be sent when updates are posted. If you don’t subscribe, check back periodically to see what’s been added.
Last Updated: November 21
Major was a family dog. I don’t know what changed in their family but on January 19, 2019 his family surrendered him to the local animal shelter, and his troubles were just beginning.
Temperament: Playful, affectionate, bouncy. Occasional bursts of violence.
Gets Along with Dogs: Undecided
Gets Along with Cats: Unknown
Gets Along with People: Usually
Gets Along with Children: Undecided
Housebroken/Crate Trained: Yes
Departure date: November 21
History
Major’s family brought him to the Friends Animal Shelter in Newport to surrender him. While they were there, Major appeared to be a happy, bouncy boy. But when his family left him there and went away, Major became upset, then angry, then vicious.
The shelter asked me to come look at him and determine if they were going to have to destroy him. Their staff was unable to handle him or clean his kennel. I arrived with a pocket full of peanut butter dog treats. Nearly all dogs love these things. In about 20 minutes I had him calmly eating out of my hand. I showed their Vet Tech, Carol, what I had done and how to handle him. She continued these techniques and got him settled enough to place him up for adoption.
Except he was not adopted. Nine months later, he’s still there and is showing signs of shelter psychosis. And he gets vicious with some shelter staffers. So they reached out to me once again, would I foster him to get him out of the shelter environment and help him regain his sanity? Yes, of course I will help Major.
Progress Summary:
Detailed notes on this foster dog’s progress are posted below the summary.
Dog to Dog Behavior
Relates well to other dogs: Yes (everyone I’ve tried him with)
Can eat food/treats near other dogs: Yes
Dog to People Behavior
Is affectionate: Yes
Is good with:
. Men: Yes
. Women: Yes
. Children: Unknown
Jumps up on people: Sometimes
Mouths: No
Walks well on a leash: Working on that (see Oct 14 below)
Heartworm preventative:
. 09/13/2019, Ivermectin solution, 0.6 ml
. 10/14/2019, Ivermectin/glycerine, 0.7 ml
NOTES:
. Showed signs of stress at the shelter, is aggressive with select staff members. During assessment on 08/31 to 09/07 he responded well to both Marie and I on all visits.
Diet
4health Salmon and Potato recipe, 1½ cups AM, 1¼ cups PM. I am underfeeding to get his weight down.
Gallery
Progress Updates
In chronological order, newest at the bottom. Some pictures are linked to a more detailed Doggy Tale about that update, click those to open the related story.
Sept 8
I have visited with Major 3 times now and have had no trouble with him. I can go into his kennel, pet him, hand him treats, and he will sit on command. If I encourage play, he gets revved up quickly and can be a bit overwhelming. He *needs* some room to run and a low stress environment. He will get that on Monday.
Sept 9
I picked up Major today. He gave me no trouble at all, in fact once I got my transport box inside his kennel I prepared to lure him into the box with treats. But as soon as I opened the door, Major scooted inside and said, “I’m ready, lets go!” Carol helped me load him up and he rode well on the trip home.
He enjoyed exploring our play yard and has settled into his room. All the other dogs have come by to say “howdy” and no ugliness came of it. We’re off to a great start.
Sept 10
Major responds well to the “come” and “sit” command. Generally, even if he is all the way across the yard from me, if I call out “Major, COME!” he will come racing across the yard as though it is pure joy to comply. The only exception so far has been if he’s “busy” either doing his business or seeking a place to do it, he will finish up and then come running. That’s okay by me!
And let’s do a food aggression test …
Sept 12
Major has been here three full days now and has not once peed or pooped in his kennel. I let him out every few hours during the day and he takes care of his needs in the yard. I praise him for that, but he may well be housebroken already.
Major is also getting quite playful now that he’s settling in and getting to know the others. He and Blondie Bear had their first play session. Things were tense at first …
Sept 16
Major has not been especially, “frisky” when it comes to solo play time, either in his room or in the yard. But this morning he decided to frisk things up a bit by tossing around his Benebone.
Sept 18
Major appears to have lost some weight: he’s got more of a waist to him now. That might be why he’s more willing to run and play now. That will only help speed the trimming down and toning up process. He has an appointment at Cedarwood for a Rabies shot on Friday. I’ll weigh him on their big scale then and see how he’s doing. He has still kept his kennel immaculate. He really wants to be a house dog again.
Sept 20
Major and I had a nice play session, then it was time to take him for his rabies shot. He let me put a harness on him (better control than a collar should he need to be controlled) and I thought about letting him ride behind the seats, but he can get pretty bouncy, and with no one else around to help settle him, that could get dangerous. I can’t drive and soothe a big bouncy dog. So I decided to use the transport box. I opened up the back of the truck and the door on the box and said, “In your room” and Major stood up, put his front feet on the tailgate, and hopped on his back feet. He was willing but couldn’t get them up there, so I gave him a boost. He didn’t like that, swing around and bit me on the face.
Puncture wounds this time, no flaps of skin hanging. But his teeth hit my jaw bone, and that HURTS.
I put an ice pack on it and called the vet to cancel our appointment. Then I notified the animal shelter of the incident, haven’t heard back from them yet. Than I mopped the blood off the floor and went to sit down for a bit to just mash that ice pack onto my jaw and cheek.
When the bleeding had almost stopped I fixed a sandwich for lunch and rehashed the morning, looking for what I did wrong. There are several things. But to do them better would require more than just me being present. That seems to be a recurring theme.
On the brighter side, when I let him out for his afternoon play, he responded to me as he always does, not appearing to be holding any animosity toward me.
Oct. 4th
It’s been two weeks since our unfortunate incident and there has been no more incidents of aggression. In fact he has been responding to me as he always had before: a big happy, bouncy boy.
I want to try him at playing with some of the other dogs, but I need a helper to do that right, because if it goes badly it will go bad quickly with Major.
One thing I do have to give him credit for is that in the (almost) month he’s been here, he has always kept his kennel pristinely clean. All I’ve ever had to remove from his floor is fur. Major seems majorly housebroken. I truly wish I knew if he could be trusted to to get cranky with the other dogs, I’m sure he’d be happier as a house dog and that would get him back on track faster.
He doesn’t spend a lot of time in the yard either. He might linger more if he had a playmate but most times he goes out to take care of business, then is ready to go to his room and get his cookie.
Occasionally Blondie Bear with play with him a little, but she’s not into the rough and tumble play any more.
Oct. 11
Fur is all I ever remove from Major’s room.
This week has been just holding steady for Major. No hint of aggression, keeping his room immaculate, playing well with Blondie, and showing signs that he’d like to play with Rosco.
The cool weather makes him bouncier than ever and he’s doing more running. The running is good, the bouncing can be a little intimidating. I think he’s picking some of that up from Rosco. Rosco has the bad habit of running around me, jumping up and nipping my hands to get my attention. Major’s picking up Rosco’s bad habit. But when I push him away and say, “down!” he does settle. Once he’s staying down I’ll pet him.
Oct. 14
Major is still dedicated to keeping his kennel clean. He is doing better at leash walking, and was calm during his petting session today.
Nov 11
The past month has seen improvement in Majors leash walking skills, and regression on his people interaction skills. He’s gone back to jumping up on me, something I had him broken of. I’m pretty sure this is because he sees Rosco doing it and getting attention from is — even if it is a scolding. I need to spend more quality time just hanging out with Major.
He seems to want to play with the other dogs, but his body language is hard to read: not sure if it play or a fight he’s after. But he IS quite the Homebody. He likes his room, appreciates the blankets and cushions, and keeps his room clean and tidy. He really should be an in-the-house dog. If only I could be sure what his intentions toward the others are.
Nov. 21
It was getting really cold at night a while back and I crated Major in the bunkhouse from 9:00 PM until breakfast time at 6:00 AM. He really liked being inside and eagerly looked forward to settling into his crate for the night. Once the cold snap was past I continued crating him at night, just because he did like it so much and was so good in his crate.
Last night was no different from any other: I took him in ahead of the other two, when we got through the building door I let go of his lead and closed the door while Major scooted into his crate, turned around and plopped down ready to receive his cookie after I retrieved the slip-lead and closed the crate door. Only this time when I reached in for the lead he bit me! Viciously. Not a playful nip gone awry. Blood was pouring out of my hand (graphic image), so I secured Major’s crate door, scolded him briefly, then went in my house to make repairs before moving the other two dogs inside.
I notified the Friends Shelter of the incident and asked them to come pick him up. Obviously, I’m not making the progress with him that I thought I was.
I was going to leave him in his crate this morning but, not knowing when or if anyone was coming for him — and knowing that needing to “go” and being crated would SERIOUSLY stress him out, I decided to move him to his kennel for breakfast, then allow his morning potty run – just like always. He did fine until I tried to pop the buckle on his collar (wanted to salvage the collar and tag) and he snapped at me again. He missed. I’ll sacrifice the collar and tag.
When Elishia (Shelter Manager) and crew arrived with a large trap to transport him in, he went into the box warily but once the door was closed and he was trapped he was baring his teeth and snarling at everyone.
The shelter staff all had a good cry this morning while they prepared. I’m feeling sick to my stomach for having failed him. Most of the time Major was a big, bouncy, happy boy. But that tendency to suddenly lash out without warning or apparent cause is deeply disturbing. We hoped that some resort time at Piney Mountain would allow him to de-stress and recover. But, as Elishia put it, “When he lost his family it broke him, and he’s just not getting over that.”
Rest in peace, Major, may you find happier times over the Rainbow Bridge.
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There is thunder. Cochise tries desperately to tell Doug that something HORRIBLE is going on outside and that he NEEDS to come check it out. But, alas, Doug is not paying attention. What ever is a Guardian of the Realm to do?
We’re kind of poking fun here, but some dogs can be seriously stressed out by loud noises like thunder, fireworks and gun shots. What can be done to calm them?
Cold weather is moving in. Many shelter and rescue dogs will be needing some extra warmth in the coming months. Fleece blankets are warm, snuggly, and durable.
Wal-Mart currently has a sale on fleece blankets with prices starting at $2.50 each. We encourage you to purchase a few and donate them to your favorite rescue or animal shelter.
Amazon.com also has some great prices on “bulk packs” of fleece blankets that contain anywhere from 12 to 50 blankets and can be delivered to the rescue or shelter of your choice.
If you would like to help Piney Mountain Foster Care keep our residents snuggly warm but don’t want to shop, you can donate here (button to the right), and specify that your donation is to be used for blankets. We will thank you, and the dogs will thank you.
We do not leave the dogs in outside kennels in the bitter cold. They are taken inside and crated in the bunkhouse. The bunk house is kept at 50° to reduce shock when going out to potty after being inside for a long period. So having warm blankets in their crates is a great comfort to them. And when it’s warm enough to be outside, putting a blanket on their Kuranda bed makes that nicer to lounge on as well.
Piney Mountain Foster Care, Inc. is a registered (Tennessee) non-profit corporation, and 501(c)(3) recognition is pending.
Regular visits to your dog’s veterinarian are an essential part of life if your dog is to remain healthy. Your dog will need a regular check-up and routine inoculations at the minimum, and dealing with health issues or accidents as the need arises. Getting your dog to the vet and answering the questions are tough enough but if your dog is feeling stress at the same time, it can be a really unpleasant experience for both of you (and the vet – and everyone else in the facility!) Wouldn’t it be much better to have your dog enjoy, even looked forward to his regular veterinarian visits?
Preparation Avoids Stress
The first step is getting there. If you have a puppy it’s probably not an issue, if you have adopted an older dog her history may cause her to not like riding in your car. Also, if the only time she rides is to go to the vet, and past vet visits were unpleasant, then she will associate riding with an unpleasant destination. Dissipate any stressful associations by taking her riding to pleasant places: a park for a walk, or to a dog-friendly store to do some shopping, if you haul trash to a collection center, take the dog with you. Do NOT take the dog if you will leave her locked in your car while you go inside, especially if it’s warm out. The purpose of the outing is for your dog to have fun with you while riding or immediately after riding in the car, dispelling the idea that a car ride means bad things are about to happen to her.
Humans with Lyme disease develop a characteristic “bull’s-eye” rash around the bite in three to thirty days. This makes the disease easy to diagnose at an early stage. Lyme disease is more difficult to detect in animals. Dogs and cats do not develop this characteristic rash. Other symptoms may be delayed or go unrecognized because the symptoms are similar to those of many other diseases. Lyme disease in animals is often not even considered until other diseases have been eliminated.
When Elishia (Shelter Manager) and crew arrived with a large trap to transport him in, he went into the box warily but once the door was closed and he was trapped he was baring his teeth and snarling at everyone.
