Can Allergies Coexist with a Rescue Dog Like Duke?

[turbo]

Despite our allergies, etc, my wife and I have been wanting a dog to share our small place with. Here is a really bad flash-shot of Duke. He's a 2 year old boxer/chocolate Lab mix. We just took him to visit Max the Wonder Dog (pit bull/German shepherd cross) who lives down the road, and there was tail-wagging and butt-sniffing all around. Well, the two dogs anyway. ;-)

Duke is friendly and strong as an ox. We took him out on the back deck and gave him a nice warm bath with my fragrance-free liquid soap/shampoo, and he was very patient. He liked getting toweled off after, and when I gave him a rawhide bone as an after-bath treat, he flipped. He kept leaning on my legs, making little whining sounds while chomping the bone and looking up at me. He's crashed out on his new dog-bed with his bone and his favorite toy from the shelter - a cloth mouse in a Santa suit.

We took him for a couple of week trial period, and paid the shelter $150 for his adoption. As long as our allergies remain tolerable, he's a keeper. If we have to take him back (my wife would have to be half-dead before she'd complain about her allergies), we let the shelter keep the $150 and hopefully they will let him stay a bit longer for another shot at adoption. The shelter was full and he was the longest-residence dog at the shelter, so he would have been the next one to go to the short-term shelter that euthanizes dogs after a week or two if they are not adopted. We couldn't let that happen.

 

[lisab]

Congrats, Turbo!

What a very good-looking boy...yes you are, Duke, yes you are, aren't you? Aren't you a good boy? Who's the good boy, who's that boy?

 

[hypatia]

I love him! What a great mug, I'm so very happy for you. He looks like he has a bit of cherry eye, but it may not develop into a problem. A good bath every 4 weeks will help keep the allergies down and some fish oil in his diet will keep the skin from drying out.
He sounds so very glad to be with you.

 

[turbo]

Thanks, Hy and Basil. One of his first adventures on our back deck was that while he was awaiting a pail of rinse-water during his bath, I pinched a leaf on one of our basil plants. I love the smell of bruised basil, and his eyes opened up like "WOW". That doggy-nose was probably pretty overwhelmed by that scent.

He is crashed out on his new bed, and probably hoping that he is not just dreaming all of this. My wife and I have been discussing adopting a rescue-dog for months. I have had a lot of weather-related respiratory problems all summer and we kept putting off action on that front. Meanwhile, Duke has been languishing in a Humane Society shelter since May. Poor guy. If he had been sent to a shelter with poorer funding, he would already have been euthanized. Next time I take a donation of food and cleaning products to them, Duke will be my co-pilot. The manager, her assistant, and the maintenance guy all love him. The assistant takes her kids to work lots of times (can't afford day-care for those pre-schoolers) and she says that she always let Duke out into the big fenced yard with them because he was so nice. That's a big deal to me. I have nieces and nephews and a younger brother who bring infants and toddlers here. My brother is bringing his 20 month old daughter here tomorrow to meet Duke, and I have no worries about this dog.

About cherry eye...is that something that can be exacerbated by living conditions? This poor dog has been in a rather sterile cage with daily access to a concrete-floored chain-link run and some exercise in a grassy place with other compatible dogs from time to time. I want to be able to take good care of him and hope that we can keep dander to levels that my wife and I can tolerate.

We have only had him home for a few hours and we love him. He's not an inveterate crotch-sniffer and he hasn't cut any ripe farts. He's a better house-guest than lots of humans, so far.

 

[Astronuc]

Hi, Duke!

 

[turbo]

Hi, Duke!

Woof! (He hasn't registered yet, so please accept a PF reply by proxy.)

 

[dlgoff]

OMG turbo. He's great.

You do realize how much he will eat don't you?

 

[lisab]

OMG turbo. He's great.

You do realize how much he will eat don't you?

He does have that chow-hound look to him, doesn't he ?

 

[dlgoff]

He does have that chow-hound look to him, doesn't he ?

Oh yea. My old Duke (black lab) eat like a horse.

I wonder if his Duke has webbed toes. My old Duke could swim down nearly 10 feet when we use to go scuba diving.

 

[Moonbear]

He looks so sweet! I'm surprised he was at the shelter so long. Hard to imagine people passed over such a handsome pup.

Hopefully monthly baths will be all that's needed to keep the dander and allergies under control so you can give him a permanent home.

 

[turbo]

Oh, yeah! These breeds can eat like crazy. All his toes are webbed, so he can probably swim like a fish, too. Plus, he is lean enough and dense enough to dive like a pro if he wants to. Most Labs have enough body-fat to work in cold water, but this guy has enough boxer in him to make him lean. I want to take him to my mother-in-laws camp in the next week or two and let him roam. I've got got a feeling that he'd want to be in the water. Max doesn't like swimming, and it might be a good thing for him to get some group-swims with Duke. Max doesn't want to be out-done by any other dog and he already likes Duke so much that he wanted to follow us back home tonight.

 

[dlgoff]

If you like to go fishing, you might have the problem I had. And watch your beer!

 

[turbo]

He looks so sweet! I'm surprised he was at the shelter so long. Hard to imagine people passed over such a handsome pup.

Hopefully monthly baths will be all that's needed to keep the dander and allergies under control so you can give him a permanent home.

There are lots of trailer-denizens around here that breed boxers, pit-bulls, etc, and there can be undesirable consequences. Breed dogs that are protective, defensive, etc, and couple them with people who are paranoid or fearful, and you can have problems with dogs that are inappropriately aggressive. Duke has moved about once in the last 1/2 hour, so that he can look at me while I'm typing. He's happy and I hope my wife and I can accommodate him and keep our health. He is a powerful compact dog, and I'm afraid that too many people looked at him as a pit-bull mix and were fearful of adopting him. I just took him for a short walk, and after an unproductive session (re #2) he is at my feet, gnawing at a rawhide bone and craving contact. If I give him a little ear-rub, the bone is forgotten and he leans into my touch.

 

[Sorry!]

Aww turbo :D looks like it's a great dog. I can't wait to live on my own and get a dog :P.

Congrats on this and good job on choosing to rescue one.

 

[turbo]

Aww turbo :D looks like it's a great dog. I can't wait to live on my own and get a dog :P.

Congrats on this and good job on choosing to rescue one.

Rescues are tops. I have a cousin with a really sweet terrier, but the best dogs that I have ever known are mutts, and I didn't want to think that if my wife and I wanted a dog that we would let some shelter-dog die. We aren't wired that way. Right now, Duke is lying with his hind-end on my feet chewing on his rawhide bone. The world is at peace and we are one.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Rescue dogs are the best.

 

[Evo]

Awwww! Congrats turbo! What an adorable dog.

One of the best dogs I ever had was a bite case that was scheduled for euthanasia. He was 6 weeks old and could barely stand up. I asked the pound how a puppy that weak and tiny could have attacked anyone, they agreed it was ridiculous and allowed me to adopt him. Pound puppies are awesome.

 

[drizzle]

how did I miss this? oh, Duke is so cute, make sure to introduce PFers to him, he’ll soon be part of us

 

[hypatia]

I'm not sure about what can cause cherry eye to become worse, but when he goes for his vet check-up, I'm sure they could tell you more about it.

 

[Huckleberry]

That's a cool dog you got there, Turbo. My parents got a few cats while I was growing up. I always wanted a dog. Dogs are the best, and that one you got there looks like a champ. I'd say he'll be part of the family in no time, but I think he already is.

 

[SticksandStones]

Awesome dog, Turbo!

I feel you on the allergies though. I love my dogs but every time I go home to visit them I need to load up on antihistamines just to be able to see and breath. :(

 

[Equate]

We have only had him home for a few hours and we love him. He's not an inveterate crotch-sniffer and he hasn't cut any ripe farts. He's a better house-guest than lots of humans, so far.

Something tells me you will keep him, no matter what.

Congrats!

 

[turbo]

how did I miss this? oh, Duke is so cute, make sure to introduce PFers to him, he’ll soon be part of us

Duke says "Hi!". We just took a little walk outside and now he is snoozing at my feet. He heard something outside and alerted us with a little bark. I waited for 15-20 minutes or so before getting up because I don't want him to think that he can make noise just to get some company in the middle of the night. He's a very sweet dog. He might need a bit of extra attention for a while, but I'm going to make sure that he is not calling the shots.

BTW, the "drops" off the apple trees out front have been disappearing at night. We have deer and at least one bear in the neighborhood, and they're about the only critters that can make several apples at a time disappear without a trace. Last spring, a bear tore down our suet feeders (coated, welded-wire suet cages) and cleaned them out. I'll have to give a little more thought to Duke's safety.

BTW, I wouldn't have chosen "Duke" as a name (Jimmy is nice!), but he already responds to that and I don't want to mess him up. Living in a shelter since May is already bad enough, and he needs safety and consistency.

 

[Monique]

What a beautiful dog, I hope that everything works out with the allergies. While growing up I was always surrounded by big dogs and they are really the best, as long as they know who is the boss.

There are lots of trailer-denizens around here that breed boxers, pit-bulls, etc, and there can be undesirable consequences. Breed dogs that are protective, defensive, etc, and couple them with people who are paranoid or fearful, and you can have problems with dogs that are inappropriately aggressive.

We did once have a boxer that my parents got from a breeder and he turned out to have hip dysplasia, so he had to have surgery on his hips and my mom took care of him during the time he could not walk. He turned out to be really screwed up after that, all the things you just mentioned: protective, defensive, paranoid, fearful and inappropriately aggressive. He saw my mom as someone he should protect so he would attack me anytime he could, except when I would be alone in the room with him because then he would be extremely submissive. The most annoying thing was that he would preferably attack from behind, so I could never turn my back to him. I feel fortunate that it never escalated into something worse, but we did have to put him asleep (so sad).

The fact that the people from the dog pound let their kids play with the dog really is telling of the personality of Duke, you did a good thing

 

[Andre]

Great critter Turbo, congratulations. Don't worry about the bear. Dogs and bears can be good good friends.

I used to have Siberian Huskies a long time ago, but I'm bad at saying goodbye for ever after short dog lifes. And the more dogs, the more often Therefore we shifted to kittens.

 

[GeorginaS]

He's gorgeous, turbo.

 

[turbo]

Duke has had a busy day. We visited neighbors this morning, so he could learn his way around the neighborhood, and we visited his new doggy-friend Max again. This afternoon, my brother visited with his 20-month-old daughter Hayley. She LOVES Duke and was all over him. Here, he is trying to relax in the sun while she used the carding brush on him. Earlier, she was eating a fudge-sicle and practically had it up his nose a couple of times, and he was so good and patient. Never tried to take a lick of it, even. I think Duke is an alien, not a dog. I can't imagine that someone had made the effort to train him so well, only to abandon him.

 

[fuzzyfelt]

He is gorgeous!

 

[turbo]

Thanks again, all! Duke is such a sweetie, and every time my wife or I come into a room or out on the deck, his tail starts wagging. He comes to me on command, and he has accepted me as his master, so we have gotten "sit" down pretty well.

This back road is a busy one, with lots of speeders, so instead of trying to train him to stay away from the road, whenever I hear a vehicle coming, I say "car!" and get him well onto the shoulder, and we stop and stay put until the vehicle has passed, then I say "OK" and we start walking again. I don't want to keep him chained up or fenced in when he is outside, so he has to learn that if he has been let out to relieve himself, he has to avoid the road when vehicles are approaching.

 

[Math Is Hard]

He does look like a sweet dog. I'm very happy for you all.

 

[turbo]

He does look like a sweet dog. I'm very happy for you all.

My wife has a grin on her face all the time. She had to leave us guys "batching it" while she tends to her elderly mother tonight and tomorrow, and she really didn't want to go. It's her mother's birthday, and she's taking her out to dinner at a place that has nice seafood buffets, but she'd rather be here with our new pal.

 

[turbo]

One more gratuitous "happy dog" picture. You'll all get sick of this mug if I keep posting pictures of Duke, but I'm like a proud new papa. The shadow you see is of my niece Hayley, armed with a brush and moving in for a grooming session. Duke is so patient and nice. I had to tell Hayley to leave his ears alone etc (because this is his first day here and we don't know his tolerance levels) but he was very calm and patient with her. He would make a wonderful service dog, but I'm not letting him go.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

That's a good looking dog Turbo. I miss having animals around.

Great critter Turbo, congratulations. Don't worry about the bear. Dogs and bears can be good good friends.

Wow... I almost remember some movie from when I was a kid about a dog and a bear that become friends. Maybe some random Benji movie. I had thought Polar bears were pretty aggressive as bears go.



Aren't your black bears fairly mild mannered Turbo? Certainly they can still be dangerous, I'm just curious how likely something like in those pics might happen around there.

 

[turbo]

That's a good looking dog Turbo. I miss having animals around.

Aren't your black bears fairly mild mannered Turbo? Certainly they can still be dangerous, I'm just curious how likely something like in those pics might happen around there.

I love having dogs in my life, and I miss it. Our black bears are very wary and shy, but can be stressed when their food/fat supplies are limited.

 

[physics girl phd]

Congrats Turbo! Give him a good scratching behind the ears for me.

 

[Borek]

We can proclaim Duke to be the unofficial PF mascot

 

[Moonbear]

Duke has had a busy day. We visited neighbors this morning, so he could learn his way around the neighborhood, and we visited his new doggy-friend Max again. This afternoon, my brother visited with his 20-month-old daughter Hayley. She LOVES Duke and was all over him. Here, he is trying to relax in the sun while she used the carding brush on him. Earlier, she was eating a fudge-sicle and practically had it up his nose a couple of times, and he was so good and patient. Never tried to take a lick of it, even. I think Duke is an alien, not a dog. I can't imagine that someone had made the effort to train him so well, only to abandon him.

Wow! That's amazing how calm and relaxed he is around a little tot. It really does leave you wondering why someone gave him up when he's such a wonderful sweetie! Maybe the shelter staff did a lot of the training, or maybe it was a hard luck story of someone not being able to afford to care for him, or couldn't handle the puppy chewing stage. You say he's only 2 years old? Is it possible he's older? He just seems so calm and mature...usually 2 year old pups are nearly as rambunctious as 2 year old kids!

 

[waht]

One more gratuitous "happy dog" picture. You'll all get sick of this mug if I keep posting pictures of Duke, but I'm like a proud new papa.

never enough, more pics please of Duke.

 

[turbo]

I wanted to drop off some food for my father this morning, so I thought it would be a good time to get Duke used to riding in my vehicle. He wasn't too keen on getting in, so I had to load him in stages - first the front-end, then the back-end. All the way up there (about 20 minutes or so) he kept fretting and whining - I think his previous trips had been to places he didn't like or people who he didn't like (vet's office, picked up by animal control, and drop-off at the shelter). He brightened up when we got to my father's place, and he got to explore the property and meet my father. His tail was always in motion, and he acted like he didn't want to leave, though he had a big doggy grin all the way home, and seemed happy to get back here.

I have to get him acclimated to higher-grade dog food than he was getting at the shelter, so maybe a couple more days of that until the flatulence subsides - already he's better today than yesterday. The loose stools of yesterday seem to be improving, too. Until he's used to his new grub (Iam's Lamb and Rice), most of treats are going to be praise and ear-rubs.

 

[sas3]

wOOF ARf GErrr rUFF oooo WoOf

(He will know what it means)

 

[Norman]

Congrats on the beautiful dog! Glad to hear he is well behaved. I miss dogs a lot, so its nice to read about your experience and think hopefully soon I can get one for my family. Maybe once our youngest is out of diapers.

 

[turbo]

Wow! That's amazing how calm and relaxed he is around a little tot. It really does leave you wondering why someone gave him up when he's such a wonderful sweetie! Maybe the shelter staff did a lot of the training, or maybe it was a hard luck story of someone not being able to afford to care for him, or couldn't handle the puppy chewing stage. You say he's only 2 years old? Is it possible he's older? He just seems so calm and mature...usually 2 year old pups are nearly as rambunctious as 2 year old kids!

I'm afraid it may be the hard-luck story, Moonie. Lots of manufacturing facilities in central Maine have shut their doors, and if people are going to have to move to try to get another job AND pay to feed a fair-sized dog, AND try to find a cheap rental that allows pets, that's a lot of deal killers. It had to be something really heart-breaking.

On Saturday when we were waiting for my brother to show up with his little girl, my wife had frozen up a large batch of biscuit dough (See Food Thread for details) and had some dough left over, so she baked up an oversized biscuit for me. I was sitting on the deck with Duke, scratching his head, eating a hot fresh biscuit slathered with butter and washing it down with a cold beer. He never begged or even gave me that hang-dog sad-eyes look that Labs are so good at. He just leaned into my legs enjoying the ear-rubs and attention. I have never seen such a well-disciplined dog, especially fresh out of a shelter, when you might expect to see some problematic behavior after 4 months of imprisonment, and who knows how long living as a stray after getting abandoned.

The lady at the shelter told me that they have had a lot of abandonments being brought in by local animal control officers. Normally, if somebody drops off a dog at the shelter, they try to collect a fee for caring for the dog and trying to find it an adoptive home. In recent months, she said they concentrate on studying the registration records in the region where the dog was found, so that they can identify the former owner and get them to voluntarily relinquish "ownership" and they forget about trying to charge them a fee. If people have lost their jobs and perhaps their homes (especially with kids to take care of), the Humane Society doesn't press them for a relinquishment fee. I would guess that Duke was brought up in a home with small children, simply because he is so good with them. Sad.

 

[dlgoff]

... maybe a couple more days of that until the flatulence subsides...

Nope. You can't take the Lab out of him. It's their trait.
But you might be able to train him to ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5wSnekHx8Y"

 

[turbo]

Nope. You can't take the Lab out of him. It's their trait.
But you might be able to train him to ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5wSnekHx8Y"

Air freshener would put me in the ER very promptly. I'll just have to pretend that I'm at "deer camp" and remember that Duke is a whole lot nicer than the guys I used to hunt with.

Duke met my father for the first time today. My father loves him already, and says that if we have any problems with Duke, he has a home (like we need to be concerned about that). My wife and I both love the dog, so he's staying, but a hardy mix like this would be great for my father. He's 83, but he lives alone, takes care of his place, his apple tree, grounds maintenance, gardening, etc all by himself, and he walks at least 3-4 miles a day for his own fitness. A nice dog like Duke would be a great fit for someone like him. Big enough and hardy enough to walk every day under some adverse conditions, big enough and loving enough to be a great home-defender should the need arise, and still loving and sweet enough to tolerate all the great-grandchildren.

Saturday, my 20 month old niece Hayley visited and she was playing with Duke's nose, ears, tail, etc, and lifting up his jowly lips to look at his teeth. Duke just sighed, rolled his eyes, and tried to enjoy his sack-out time in the sun. I don't know who trained this dog, but whoever it was could earn a very healthy salary training dogs for the wealthy, who just don't have the time to invest in their pets. Duke is a perfect red-neck dog, but you could drop him into a wealthy urban environment and he'd fit right in. The guy has manners and temperment.

 

[lisab]

Duke met my father for the first time today. My father loves him already, and says that if we have any problems with Duke, he has a home (like we need to be concerned about that). My wife and I both love the dog, so he's staying, but a hardy mix like this would be great for my father. He's 83, but he lives alone, takes care of his place, his apple tree, grounds maintenance, gardening, etc all by himself, and he walks at least 3-4 miles a day for his own fitness. A nice dog like Duke would be a great fit for someone like him. Big enough and hardy enough to walk every day under some adverse conditions, big enough and loving enough to be a great home-defender should the need arise, and still loving and sweet enough to tolerate all the great-grandchildren.

Sounds like it may be time to go back to the shelter and find your dad a good dog .

 

[turbo]

Sounds like it may be time to go back to the shelter and find your dad a good dog .

We got really lucky with Duke. Can I hope to get equally lucky with another shelter dog? The first day here, Duke refused to beg for food, refused to steal from a baby when he should have been tempted, and he let her violate his personal space in so many ways. I can't think of too many shelter dogs that I'd roll the dice with in respect to a 20-month-old toddler. I watched his body language, as did my baby brother, and we just laid back. Hayley could have started nibbling on his nose and Duke's response would have been to avoid her and to come to me for "cover".

My father was really good with the family's late dog Lady, but the sad truth is that I (as a little kid) trained that dog and taught her everything she needed to know. We got her when I was about 7 or so, and I tried to keep her up to speed for the next decade or more. I knew nothing about training dogs, but whenever Lady did something that I asked her to (not just things that I liked) I would praise her, and that was enough to ensure her absolute loyalty and trust. I don't have time to train another "Lady" for him, although it seems like someone has abandoned a beautifully-trained, patient, and empathetic rescue-dog that we stumbled onto.

 

[turbo]

A little update. Duke is training me. When he's on-leash, he'll pull like crazy, especially when we're going to visit his pal Max, so yesterday I got a heavy chain slip-collar and took him for a walk, and he heeled perfectly. What a dummy I am! Whoever trained him used a slip-collar for training, walking, etc, and that nylon collar for casual wear, tags, etc.

Max defers to Duke, now. When I'd throw a toy or a ball for them to fetch, and Max got to it first, he'd either watch the toy and let Duke get it to retrieve, or he'd drop the toy in front of Duke and let him have it. As long as Duke is on-leash, Max is pretty possessive with his toys, but when Duke is loose, the whole dynamic changes, and he let's Duke have first shot at the toys. Max is a German shepherd/pit-bull mix and Duke is boxer and chocolate Lab, and they are very similar in size and build. Apart from some non-contact wrangling when they first met, the two dogs haven't had any conflict, but they seem to have some kind of understanding between them.

 

[turbo]

A little set-back today. Duke and I had a fine day until this afternoon when Max's owner and his daughter and her children showed up to bring Duke some gourmet dog-biscuits and a hand-lettered sign (Yard Protected By Duke) that they bought at the Fryeburg agricultural fair. I went outside with Duke (off-leash) and we mingled and visited with our guests until Duke got the notion to run out into the road and explore another neighbor's property. I hollered "Come" and variations thereof that normally work just fine, and he ignored me until I ran him down and hauled him home by his collar. I shunned him and didn't speak to him or praise him for a couple of hours. He laid at my feet looking at me with really sad eyes, and never let me out of his sight. Even now, when I have "made up" by scratching him, praising him for little things, and giving him small treats, he is lying at my feet and acting a bit hang-dog. Shame might work over time when he misbehaves, but how can I stop him from doing something very dangerous in the short-term?

The last time I trained a dog was when I was a kid, and that dog was a pup and we were soul-mates. This dog loves me, but he is already 2-3 years old and I want to accelerate his training and make him safe around roads, vehicles, etc. Anybody have any favorite training regimens for adult dogs?

 

[lisab]

Was this the first time he's been out in the yard off-leash, with your attention diverted (to your visitors)?

 

[turbo]

Was this the first time he's been out in the yard off-leash, with your attention diverted (to your visitors)?

Yes. I have had him in more spacious places off-leash, exercised him, and got him to come to me, put on his training collar (with leash) and then walked him back home.

Our house is very close (maybe 50-60') to the road, and people travel this little country road at very high rates of speed. The road has a weight limit of 60K# GVW and a speed limit of 45mph, yet fully-loaded log trucks (110-120#, I'd bet) sail through here at at least 50mph routinely. It is a short-cut between Rte 43 and Rte 201, and little savings in fuel for truckers make short-cuts very attractive.