Can you rescue an animal in need?

[turbo]

Lola was not the easiest addition to our home, but much easier than Duke. Duke had been abandoned and imprisoned in a shelter for about 5 months. He was clingy and emotional when my wife or I left, even for a short time. Lola has been with us for a few short days, and Duke has "adopted" her, teaching her useful stuff. She used to shadow me relentlessly, but now she has transferred much of that attention to Duke.

If you have the space, resources, and patience to help an abandoned animal, (s)he will reward you with love and attention. Spay/neuter your pets and give them a loving home, and please rescue an animal instead of buying one at a pet store. Puppy mills are an abomination, so please help to wipe them out. Thanks.

 

[turbo]

It has been a few days, and Lola is here to stay. Duke was always a momma's boy and it seems like Lola might be a daddy's girl. What a sweetie.

If you would like to have a pet, please network with friends to see if there is an animal who needs to be given a good home or go to your local animal shelter and adopt a stray. Remember that elderly or ill animals are barely adoptable at best, and you can help.

 

[jedishrfu]

That's great, Turbo!

You aren't allergic to the new pet?

 

[turbo]

Lola had to have a few baths to cut down the fragrances from previous baths/shampoos, but she didn't mind. This morning, my wife jumped into the shower before heading out to do some chores, and Lola hopped in too.

 

[jedishrfu]

Nice pic for a nice dog.

 

[turbo]

Nice pic for a nice dog.

Thank you. She is not a big dog (mix of English bulldog and boxer), but she is tougher than a bag of hammers. I'll have to train her how to walk properly (heel), because she is so strong that walking her on a leash is a challenge. My right hand is still sprained and it is hard to keep her under control.

 

[daveyrocket]

I've found a plastic prong collar works well to keep my dog from pulling too hard on the leash. I often have to remind her with a little jerk but once she's reminded she behaves pretty well.

 

[jedishrfu]

A harness may also work. We have a Rottweiler that pulls a lot even with a prong collar, but once we started using the harness he pulls a lot less. The harness goes around his chest and forelegs and perhaps the secure ness of it that keeps him calm and reminds him of the owners presence.

 

[Evo]

My rescue dogs.

The first is ChaCha, a senior, specials needs chihuahua that was abandoned. The second is a crazed partying Chin pup.

 

[WannabeNewton]

Good ol' ChaCha

 

[Evo]

Her wedding gown

 

[turbo]

Poor Chacha!

 

[Evo]

Poor Chacha!

She was a glowing bride-to-be. Alas, micro left her standing at the altar. She still softly croons his name as she lays in her bed, languishing. miiicro, miiiicrooo.

 

[WannabeNewton]

Her wedding gown

But evo...this is so sudden. And I already have a family.

 

[jedishrfu]

She was a glowing bride-to-be. Alas, micro left her standing at the altar. She still softly croons his name as she lays in her bed, languishing. miiicro, miiiicrooo.

Aha, that explains Micro's absence from our forums and checking into the forum from seedy Motel 6's from time to time.

He's a groom on the run from ChaCha.

 

[Evo]

But evo...this is so sudden. And I already have a family.

Man up! Marry that girl!

Aha, that explains Micro's absence from our forums and checking into the forum from seedy Motel 6's from time to time.

He's a groom on the run from ChaCha.

Scandalous.

 

[turbo]

To get back on-topic: if any PF members want a pet, please, please adopt.

Shelters are full of nice animals, even if some of them need TLC to get back to "normal". Duke was a hard case, since he had been abandoned (and we never had a clue when) and the animal control officer called him a pit bull, which is practically a death penalty for shelter dogs. He had spent about 5 months in the shelter before my wife and I adopted him, and though he fit right in here, he was pretty traumatized by his months in solitary. He is now helping to train and socialize Lola, and will even give up one of his comfy beds if she wants it.

Please adopt a pet instead of buying one. You'll be doing all of us a favor. Let's cut off the puppy-mill/pet store links ASAP. Thank you.

 

[dlgoff]

... she is tougher than a bag of hammers.

Yea. You can see that from the picture. Tight skin holding those muscles in.

 

[turbo]

Lola loves taking baths! If you want to take a shower alone, you have to latch the bathroom door because she will hop right into the tub enclosure with you.

Earlier today, a neighbor brought down her chocolate Lab "Moose". He and Lola wrestled, with lots of play-biting. She is about half his size, but she generally got the upper hand and eventually wore him out. When he grows up, he will remember his Sensei.

 

[dlgoff]

Lola loves taking baths! If you want to take a shower alone, you have to latch the bathroom door because she will hop right into the tub enclosure with you.

She a "water lover". Sounds like the Black Lab I had. It was almost impossible to fish; especially after he had a couple beers.

 

[turbo]

We had rain today. I let her out to do her "business" and she did NOT want to come back into the house. I had a towel ready for her when she decided to come in. When the lake-water warms up, we'll take the dogs to my wife's mother's camp to swim. Hopefully, she can get Duke interested. He is a Lab with big webbed feet, and he will wade, but not swim.

 

[turbo]

Lola had her first vet's visit today, and got her shots. The vet, his assistant, and the receptionist all loved her. We found out that Lola (who appears about 1/2 the size of Duke) weighs 48# to Duke's 52#. She is all muscle and bone. Still no problems with her - she is a handful at times, but waggy and wriggly as can be.

My brother dropped in with his daughter before the vet-visit, and though my 4YO niece wanted to keep Lola on the ground (no jumping!), she eventually got down with her, hugging her and getting kisses. She didn't want to get in the truck to leave, either. Lola breaks another heart.

Please rescue an animal, if your can. Make sure the animal is neutered, so we don't get extra critters to deal with. Given shelter and plenty of food, animals can breed prolifically, so pets need to be neutered.

Each adoption needs to be evaluated individually. The guy that owned Lola appears to be a creep, and I fear that he wanted to breed her to make "fighting dogs". That's OK, since she is so calm and loving. Still, the fact that he wanted to dump her after she had a problematic pregnancy and had to be spayed is warning sign about his character. Her former vet claimed that when she was brought in, she was "badly infested" with fleas.

 

[fuzzyfelt]

She looks really sweet, Turbo.

 

[turbo]

She looks really sweet, Turbo.

She is really sweet. At first, she would always shy away from my hand when I wanted to scratch her head and rub her ears. That is a sure sign that she had been abused. Now, she just leans in for the attention.

Please rescue a dog - never consider buying one.

 

[turbo]

Bump.

If you would like a dog (or another one), please never buy one. There are lots of dogs in shelters that need good homes.

For some reason, my wife and I gravitated to dogs that had been abused. It took a long while to get Duke comfortable here, though he is self-confident and loving now. Lola is coming along pretty nicely. Her main point of friction is with Duke. She wants to sleep with him, and he doesn't want to share his bed. He doesn't "argue" with her - he simply gets up and finds another place to sleep alone.

Please rescue a dog. Even the ones that have been abused/abandoned can make great pets. You have to be patient with abused dogs, but they turn into the most loving pets ever. Give them a stable loving home and that turns them right around. It might take time, but it works.

 

[ModusPwnd]

I've had rescue dogs and I've bought dogs. There is nothing wrong with buying dogs. If we didn't support responsible breeders then all there would be are generic dogs and there wouldn't be breeds at all. By taking in rescues you are implicitly supporting irresponsible breeders. Also, I loved them all, but my bought dogs were far and away better than any of the many rescue dogs I have had and lived with.

Please lay of the guilt trip. We are all happy that you decided to rescue a dog. There is no reason for you to guilt others who don't make the same decision as you.

 

[turbo]

Please lay of the guilt trip. We are all happy that you decided to rescue a dog. There is no reason for you to guilt others who don't make the same decision as you.

No guilt trip implied or intended. There are so many sweet dogs in shelters, and they all need loving homes. Why buy from a pet shop or a breeder when there are dogs in shelters on "death row"?

My cousin and his wife have a white Westie - a cute and obedient dog, but nowhere near as nice and loving as our two rescues. Many years ago, my cousin's father and his partner rescued two dogs from a remote logging camp. The dogs had been beaten and ill-treated and poorly fed. He gave the cutie to my (unwilling) mother for her birthday, and she was the best dog ever. Top-to-bottom, her colors were symmetrical black, brown and white. My uncle's partner kept Freckles (white with dark spots) and she turned out to be a wonderful dog, too. Long-lived, loving, and protective of family.

Who needs pure-breds anyway? If you're aspiring to a shot at Westminster, you're going to have to hire trainers, groomers, etc to even get a chance, after you have paid a lot of money to support the puppy-mills. I'd much rather rescue a mixed-breed and save a life.

BTW, Lola is 50/50 English bulldog and boxer. It is almost certain that her owner wanted to breed her to make fighting dogs (a big business in Maine) and got rid of her when she had to be spayed after a problematic pregnancy. She doesn't have papers, but she is as close to a high-bred dog as you might want. My family and neighbors love her, but they don't give Duke short shrift. He loves everybody. My wife's friend lured her to the shelter to try to get her to rescue a dog. Duke seemed a bit big for this place, but he had been in the shelter for ~5 months and was next in line to get transferred from the ASPCA shelter to a "kill shelter". It was a no-brainer.

Please rescue a dog instead of buying one.

 

[turbo]

I violated the first Lola-dog rule this morning, and attempted to take a shower alone. Latch the bathroom door, or you will have an energetic, muscular dog in the shower with you. Good luck getting her out of there. If you already wet and soapy, you are at a bit of a disadvantage. She will fight to stay in the shower - nothing violent but evasion and squirming works pretty well. I wish we could transfer maybe half of her love for water to Duke. We have to physically lift him into the tub to wash him, and he doesn't like it one bit.

At least the house has been relatively free of pests. Lola hunts down ants and spiders and eats them. "First Contact" is visual, then she smacks them down with her right front foot and eats them. Pretty efficient.

 

[edward]

I rescued an animal in need a little over a year ago. Since then I have seen this sweet little puppy:

Turn into a tree climbing lizard chasing grrr-animal. There is never a dull moment when Daisy and I are outside.

 

[turbo]

Very lovely dog, Edward! And thank you for taking in a rescue. She looks quite happy and content.

 

[Dembadon]

She's a good-looking dog, turbo! It's nice that she and Duke are getting along as well.

We love animals and would probably consider adopting one, but my wife is allergic to both cats and dogs. Even the "hypoallergenic" breeds.

 

[turbo]

Just an update. Rescue dogs can throw you curves. A few days ago, I was looking for Lola and walked back to the bedroom thinking that she might have grabbed the warm spot on the bed when I got up.

Nope. She was standing in the business end of our tub waiting for somebody to turn on the water. Later that afternoon, and the next day and the next, she found a mud-hole and came back home with muddy legs and belly, so she got her nice warm bath. I have never seen a dog that is so intent on getting a bath.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

My wife and I will be looking into adopting a retired greyhound and a mutt from the local humane society. Couldn't ever think of going anywhere else.

 

[turbo]

My wife and I will be looking into adopting a retired greyhound and a mutt from the local humane society. Couldn't ever think of going anywhere else.

Thank you! All dogs need loving homes. Greyhounds are dumped here in Maine at an alarming rate, and this time of year (kids going to college, people changing apartments) the shelters have lots of dogs.

Thank you for adopting!

 

[Ms Music]

Here is my rescue! We have had her nearly a year, and are still dealing with trust issues. No one is home often enough to really work with her well, but she is a very good girl and fairly well adjusted. She just has some trust issues with men, and prefers to sit by herself instead of in your lap. But we are happy with her.

We were told she is about 3 when we got her, which was a couple of days before Halloween. Since she is black, I have decided Halloween will become her birthday. So Oct 31 she will be 4.

 

[Evo]

Here is my rescue! We have had her nearly a year, and are still dealing with trust issues. No one is home often enough to really work with her well, but she is a very good girl and fairly well adjusted. She just has some trust issues with men, and prefers to sit by herself instead of in your lap. But we are happy with her.

We were told she is about 3 when we got her, which was a couple of days before Halloween. Since she is black, I have decided Halloween will become her birthday. So Oct 31 she will be 4.

What a beauty! What's her name?

 

[Ms Music]

Oops, I meant to post after the picture! Her name is Pixie. Fits her rather well, actually. Pointy eared, small statured, mischievous creature.

 

[lisab]

Oops, I meant to post after the picture! Her name is Pixie. Fits her rather well, actually. Pointy eared, small statured, mischievous creature.

She's lovely :!)!

 

[turbo]

What a sweet-looking girl! I have never been a cat-person, but I have been adopted by cats in the past. I was adopted by a long-haired white Persian many years ago. She was as deaf as a post, but she always knew when I was in my neighbors' house, and would greet me and walk along with me until I sat down, and then I was hers. She would get on my lap and purr like crazy while rubbing her face on my chest.

BTW, if you are having trust issues with a cat,; rule #1 is never to look the cat in the eyes or confront them. Cats prefer to cuddle with those that look askance at them. That's why I got adopted by so many cats over the years, until I figured it out. Dogs like direct gazes and cats definitely do not.

 

[lisab]

What a sweet-looking girl! I have never been a cat-person, but I have been adopted by cats in the past. I was adopted by a long-haired white Persian many years ago. She was as deaf as a post, but she always knew when I was in my neighbors' house, and would greet me and walk along with me until I sat down, and then I was hers. She would get on my lap and purr like crazy while rubbing her face on my chest.

BTW, if you are having trust issues with a cat,; rule #1 is never to look the cat in the eyes or confront them. Cats prefer to cuddle with those that look askance at them. That's why I got adopted by so many cats over the years, until I figured it out. Dogs like direct gazes and cats definitely do not.

I think another reason cats are drawn to non-cat-people is because sometimes a cat just wants a warm, still lap to sit on. No talking, petting, or scratching, thanks - just heat, please.

 

[AlephZero]

sometimes a cat just wants a warm, still lap to sit on. No talking, petting, or scratching, thanks - just heat, please.

Only "sometimes?"

Some of my farming relatives used to keep working cats, that fed themselves from whatever they could catch at night. (They also reproduced as and when they saw fit, without any human intervention). But during the day, there was always a large heap of cats as close to the open coal fire in the farmhouse as they could get.

There was a shepherd's crook kept next to the fire, for use when the smell of burning cat fur got too strong and you needed to pull them away without getting too many fingers bitten off.

And for REAL emergencies, there was a bucket of water next to the fire as well.

 

[AlephZero]

A nice rescue dog story here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-23956871

 

[lisab]

Only "sometimes?"

Some of my farming relatives used to keep working cats, that fed themselves from whatever they could catch at night. (They also reproduced as and when they saw fit, without any human intervention). But during the day, there was always a large heap of cats as close to the open coal fire in the farmhouse as they could get.

There was shepherd's crook kept next to the fire, for use when the smell of burning cat fur got too strong and you needed to pull them away getting too many fingers bitten off.

And for REAL emergencies, there was a bucket of water next to the fire as well.

We have an outside cat here. She's not feral at all, in fact she's sweet, but she really doesn't want to be inside. So we make the basement available to her, and I insist on running a heated pad for her down there 9 months of the year.

 

[Ms Music]

Thanks guys!

... rule #1 is never to look the cat in the eyes...

This one is easy. If she doesn't want you to look at her, you get her butt in your face. :) (pat me here!)

AlephZ, my dad was a farmer growing up, and all their animals were working animals. ONLY. You didn't have pets. He let it slide for us kids to always have a cat, but he put his foot down for a dog. No dogs! :sadface:

 

[turbo]

Lola has fitted in well here. She barks loudly (I discourage the loud stuff) and then talks to me, saying "Roo-Roo". I am encouraging her to sneeze afterward, and she's getting good about that.

 

[turbo]

Lola is evolving, and she is such a sweetie. She knows a lot of words, and if I say something that she doesn't understand, she will pick up her ears and tilt her head. (too cute!) She doesn't need many repetitions to pick up the meaning, especially in context. Duke is kind, sweet and loving, and Lola the pit-pull is too intelligent for our own good. Please rescue a dog. Based on our experience with Lola, I would strongly suggest a pit-bull that doesn't have a fighting background. They are cuddly, kissy, and want attention.

One of our neighbors is afraid of Lola because she is a pit-bull. Her elderly husband came over here to apply water-seal to our detached garage, and he fell in love with Lola. She just wanted touching and attention, and that was enough. He loves dogs, and would probably have stolen her if she would leave my wife and me, but he says that after putting down so many dogs to health problems that he can't possible adopt another one.

 

[turbo]

I should mention that contrary to the bad press that pit-bulls get these days, they were long considered "nanny dogs" that should be brought into one's family to take care of the kids. Lola is no exception. When young family members visit, she hangs with them, brings them back to the fold and prevents them from wandering out in the road. I don't know if she has herding instincts, but she is quite effective at keeping little kids out of this busy back road.

She often is not well-acquainted with these little kids (including toddlers), but she has to take care of them anyway. Rescues can be such sweet dogs, and the shelters are full of them. No need to shop for pure-blood dogs. There are so many available.

 

[turbo]

Lola got into the garden yesterday, and feasted on left-over broccoli plants, apparently. She can weaponze any food, but cruciate vegetables are very potent on their own. Oh, well.

When she jumps up on the bed, I encourage her to face me, and my wife can suffer the gas-leaks. Duke was never allowed on the bed, but my wife changed the rules for Lola, who changes the rules for herself. She wants to not only get on the bed, but gets under the covers.

A younger friend showed up with her pickup truck to drop off some ramps that we had loaned her so that she could move. Lola was fascinated by her and stayed pretty close. She asked if Lola stays around reliably, and I told her yes, but that if she left a door of her truck open, she would have a free dog. Lola loves rides. The UPS driver thinks that she is a hoot, since it can take several attempts to get her out of his truck. You don't always know what you get from a rescue dog, but it has been fun.

If you want a dog, please rescue one. I am so happy that Greg will take in a greyhound. Greyhounds from the NH/NY tracks get dumped in Maine, and many homes can't accommodate them due to lack of room and lack of exercise space. Some dogs really need to run.

 

[turbo]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/23/christmas-animal-shelters_n_4492990.html

Christmas is the season for abandoning pets. If you can rescue a shelter animal, now would be a perfect time, especially if you have a quiet home without excitable children. Dogs that have been locked up for a while can be pretty stressed out with too much stimulation in a new home.

 

[HayleySarg]

My cat was a rescue. She was left at the shelter 3 times in her 4 year old life.

She was a gift for a child as a kitten, who quickly bored of her once she wasn't cute anymore. Then she was put in the shelter, only to be adopted by a couple who falsified rental documents and when the landlord found out they had an animal, demanded they get rid of her. The last time was a couple who adopted her, and when they split up, neither wanted her.

She's easily the best cat I've ever had. I will keep her until she passes.