louise6616

Oh that is too cute!!

thank you haredown - I'm trying to take your opinion with a pinch of salt, but frankly I think you're just downright rude. Why not find another topic? One when you can be helpful rather than offensive?

Thank you so much to all of you for offering some great tips, I will buy a dog kennel and pretend I got it for free. You know what I love the most about DOL? THere are some really geniune, dog loving people, offering constructive advice. And of course, there are others that simply state their opinion or insults to make themselves feel better. I get what you are all saying: rock - me - hardplace. But I already knew that! Maybe to some people listening to your neighbours dog howl and cry and be yelled at etc is ok, but I can't just ignore it. Yes, I still have the dog. No they have not 'asked for her to come home' or phoned or messaged or come to collect her. There isn't much point putting her back in her yard so she can wiggle under the fence right at the minute. And no, I don't care who knocks on my door -I am not sending her home to sleep out in the cold, wet, mud. I will get her a kennel, that way they will hopefully still let her come and play in the day, and we can send her home knowing she isn't going to freeze to death overnight. So thank you so much for the great idea!! I will get her a little jumper too, and pretend I 'had it spare' so they she doesn't freeze to death in winter. Hopefully it will al settle back down soon. One person may not be able to change the world - but for this one dog I have changed her world! the last thing this world needs is another undesexed, unsocialised, scared staffy finding her way into and even worse home!

Oh Little Gifts! I am with you!! No, they don't drop her off or come and get her. I always ask if she can come and play, and take her home later. I'm not sure if they couldn't be bothered to come and get her, or the fact that my big scary boy dog might not let them in the house hahaha - I shouldn't laugh, but I do trust his instinct about people! The girl that owns her is actually nice, just a young girl with no idea about responsibility. She's pretty laid back. The mum, not so. She's a bit more volatile, she would be the one to cause problems. I messaged them saying I was going to dig a big trench - the reply 'what about your dogs and chickens' hmm, good point. Right now they are expecting me to return their dog, actually I think they expected it a few hours ago. But I asked if she was allowed to sleep indoors while the weather was so wet and cold and miserable - no reply, so I haven't taken her home because I don't want her to freeze all night! So it may get ugly if I don't do a little foxtrot soon!!! My reason for offering $$ is I know her car loan sucks up most of her income, they are always 'broke' - so I know the idea of $$ would be very convincing. But, yes, you are right, I might end up paying a LOT of money just to keep her safe! (which would be worth it!) But they would abuse my gesture. I did have some other 'not so legal' ideas! I am pretty certain they want her, they just have a crappy standard of how animals should live. They rent privately. Have lived next door for at least 12months, they will be here a while. Their landlord is always here, he is well aware of the dog and the cat. (funnily enough I have noticed their cat sleeping at my front door recently too!) They would just sell her on gumtree or something, not desexed if for any reason they felt they couldn't keep her. I think the weather has exasperated the issue, I usually always take her home, but knowing she would be out in the freezing cold I just can't bring myself to allow that. And I can't sleep listening to her howling and trying desperately to get under the fence. She is house trained, she hasn't made any mess ever. In the day if the weather is too hot or cold, I leave her indoors with my dogs when I need to go out and everything is perfect. Not sure what tomorrow will bring, I will probably feel like a fugitive by tomorrow having kept her for 48hours! The wet weather is forecast to stay so we'll see! Thanks everyone for your input, I appreciate your perspective and interaction :)

Thanks for sharing your input everyone. I agree with what you are all saying. I think I might make a bit of a fuss about how great it is having her over to play (for my dogs and my kiddos), and how much we miss having foster dogs. Then perhaps suggest that we start a 'doggie day care' arrangement. But, instead of them paying me - I'll pay them. Even if its only $50 a week, it might be enough to keep them happy, without them going and getting another dog. They bought her from the paper, I think paid $100 or $200 for her, if I wanted to purchase her I would need to offer at least double for it to seem attractive, but of course - they will probably just go and buy another dog. When they first bought her I asked if she was desexed, they said they wanted puppies so weren't planning on desexing her... I am praying they have enough common sense to keep her away from any entire males for the next week while she is on heat. Oh no, I most certainly don't want my dogs to have free access to their yard. My big boy dog dislikes them greatly, that would not end well!! I messaged them this morning to ask what time she needed to be home, and could she come back over to play for the day - but no response yet. Thanks everyone :) :)

Yes, I agree Dogmad, I think it is about power and having a dog for the sake of having a dog! They are renting, we own our home. But we have a 1.8metre colourbond fence, so I'm not sure how I could have an opening put in it. I should probably add that I am an ex-foster carer (not that it has anything to do with anything), I am only not fostering because we adopted 2 of our fosters. They know my youngest child (2yr old) just adores the dog, and so far that has been the 'excuse' to have her stay a bit longer in the day. I work from home too, so we are always home.. I would rather have my limbs amputated than know that she is there, miserable, lonely, cold.. But I think showdog is right, and unfortunately as much as I want to help her, I am probably causing the poor pup a lot of stress. I have to find a non threatening way to approach the subject with them. I have a feeling they would be really p***ed off if I suggest we adopt her, as in their eyes 'they love and want her'. They just have really low standards for how animals should be kept. Uuugggh its hard!!

Hi all, would love to hear your thoughts on this.. My neighbour's daughter (i think she's about 21yrs old) got a staffy girl about 4 months ago, making the dog around 9-10months now. This poor pup is just a trophy, not walked, not allowed inside, not included in the family, not even adequate outside bedding in my opinion (a very cheap slim foam bed, on concrete outside). Its yelled at for barking etc. Not desexed and now just coming on heat, not sure about vacc and chip - but doubtful! So hearing and seeing this poor baby home alone and miserable, we asked if she could come over and play with our dogs during the day - my theory being, if I can't take her, then I can at least socialise her and show her love etc. And if she is discarded later on, she has a better chance of being rehomed. I offered to pay for her desexing but they haven't yet agreed. Well, now of course, poor little pup never wants to go home. And when I take her home in the afternoon, she howls and cries and digs under the fence! Right now, as I type this. Its cold and raining out, she has been howling and digging under the fence for a few hours until she managed to wiggle through, and I have her in my home. What am I to do if they are annoyed, upset by this and won't let her come and play anymore? Is there any way I can convince them to surrender her to me? (although, I suspect they would just get another trophy pet to go with their undesexed, un vacced cat) I hate to see her so miserable, she was obviously unsocialised when they got her (she is a little but nervous). IT just breaks my heart to hear her crying, and I am praying they aren't planning on leaving her outside through winter.. Am I just making it worse for everyone, including the dog?

posted in the wrong spot!!!

hey Sylvie, Just wanted to reach out and say if worst case scenario I would be happy to have this little girl. I have done my fair share of fostering and dealing with separation anxiety! we don't foster anymore as we adopted a few fosters, but we are mostly home and our pets are very spoilt! A much better option than pts! Louise :-)

oh Nina & Rhonda, thank god for you!! Such little cuties!

hi, I'm wondering if its possible to test this girl with kids and other dogs? thanks heaps =D

oh my, pheebs she is so beautiful. Sounds like a gem too =) All the best, to you and Lucy =) x

Hi everyone, Thank you everyone for posting. I do appreciate everyone's individual opinions, advice and experiences. I don't really want to join the medication/non medication argument, although I do appreciate individual perspectives. I am not a Veterinarian and I cannot even begin to imagine the scenarios faced by Vets everyday. There are probably many pet owners wishing for a magic pill to solve pet behaviour problems, and every situation very different. When I came home to find the worst of the destructive episodes, my thoughts were not 'oh gosh, I'm gonna kill this dog', it was 'oh my goodness, the poor dog must have been hysterical'. He has damaged his toe nails, has fur missing and little cuts all over him. Fortunately he didn't seriously injure himself. For me, I think when faced with the decision of medication or not, I had to consider his mental state, the cost (its $98 per 30 days), the long and short term side effects, and of course the possibility there may be problems weaning him off the medication. Hindsight is also a marvellous thing! I can see that putting a newly adopted dog in the backyard with a doggie companion, a bone, a kong and some toys and 'assuming' he would be completely content was very naive of me. And I absolutely accept that forcibly putting the dog in the bathroom in order 'to keep him safe' is likely the cause of the situation becoming so destructive. Managing this type of behaviour is so far outside my experience, so the situation as much about desensitising and training the dog, as it is about training the humans. And everyone has limitations to what they can/can't manage. I am absolutely committed to doing my best at solving these problems properly, slowly , carefully and calmly. But I am thankful for the experience, as it will make me a better person, a better pet owner but above all a better role model to all those around me. Thanks soo much for your help everyone :) I genuinely appreciate it ) ) )

Thanks Aidan2, I will start looking for someone reputable in Canberra. Thank you so much, you've given me heaps of great stuff to work with =)

Thanks BC Crazy! That is so nice of you :) Thanks for the reply BC Crazy and itsadogslife To me Archie's not that big (I think other people may feel otherwise!), he weighs 40kgs. But he has looooooooong legs! I tried to put a picture on here, but without sucess. Adopting a dog from the pound is such a gamble, but I chose him over millions of other rescue, non-rescue and pound doggies, so I owe him the chance to be happy, safe and stress free. Aside from the 'separation issues' he is sooo perfect for us. He is so sweet, and gentle, and kind - which is top priority with young children. And he so desperately wants to be a good boy! I had to take my 10month old out to the Dr earlier and my husband said Archie layed on his bed and only cryed a little bit. So already we are making progress on the desensitising, in only 1 week :) Hooray!! Aidan2 has left a link to the most excellent dog training site thingy, I am going to read it again, then read it again, then get my husband to read it and start this training method. I am wary to take him anywhere that he might find 'scary' or think he is being 'punished' as I would hate to escalate the current situation Just to clarify in case I wrote it funny - the vet didn't push me into trying 'clomicalm', she suggested it, explained it and asked if I thought it would be of assistance. I made the decision to try Archie on the medication, because I thought at the very least if it just takes the edge off while we work on training then it is worth it. The other thing I just realised I forgot to mention is I have never reacted or reprimanded him for any of the destruction. Since I din't catch him actually doing it, I figured any form of reaction would create more anxiety for him.

Thanks k9angel! Thank you for your reply :) The odds are all in our favour being that we got a high energy dog for the purpose of taking jogging , and since I am home raising the kiddies it is hopefully easier to break the behaviour than if he was left alone for 8+ hours a day. Also we are very fortunate to live in a an area (Canberra) that is sooo close to nature trails, and doggie parks. He gets lots of 'off leash' time, and meets regular people/dogs on our jogs. I feel so lucky to live here every day when we go out jogging :) Pet ownership is such a commitment, and I take it seriously. Pets are part of the family and always try to include/involve them as much as possible, and consider their needs too. It is hard work though, but we all agree its worth it :) And thank you for the brilliant idea with an empty bottle, he would luuurve that! I will do it today even, since the weather is terrible, that will provide him some stimulation :)

Thanks canine fun sports & toshman. I don't mind if he's inside, he just can't be trusted not to destroy the place. I do like the idea of a secure dog pen (at least if we ever need to be away overnight it makes it easy for pet sitters), and I have looked at some there aren't as costly as I initially thought. I may have to do both a crate inside and large run outside. Eventually our last side of timber fence will be replaced with 1.8m colour bond so he may be able to spend short periods outside, but next door is rented so the owner has no need to rush it. I suspect Archie he hasn't been walked, socialised, shown much affection and had definitely never been inside before, so I suppose in his eyes I am like 'the best darn human in the universe'!! Lucky for him we love to bits so will do everything we can to solve the issue. Thank you so much for you advice :) it is very helpful. I was at a loss where to go to get some good advice, the wrong advice could be catastrophic!

Thank you so much for your reply Aidan2 & Tazar. The link you added (Aidan2) is very detailed, I will read through it carefully a few times tonight. Thank you, its very helpful. I will try and find the strongest, sturdiest crate possible. I'm guessing it will take a little while (maybe a couple of weeks) until he is conditioned to the crate I will just have to leave him inside until then and hope for the best! Yes I think I have a big challenge on my hands, but if we can get through it we'll have 10-15years of happy doggie memories :) The irony is we didn't want a puppy because they are too destructive... hahahahahaha

Hi All, I am hoping someone can offer me some advice, actually any advice is welcomed!!! 6weeks ago we (myself, husband, 2 kids & senior Maltese) adopted from the pound a 18 month old Bull Arab boy, he is my jogging buddy and perfect for that- we go jogging for an hour and a half every morning. He is inside with us, and free to come inside or outside whenever he pleases. He was very nervous when we first bought him home -not of anything at home- but everything/everyone else in the world, but I have worked hard to socialise him and he is more and more confident everyday. Unfortunately he seems to have developed separation anxiety from me, even when the rest of the family is home he will cry for me if I go out, actually he apparently stares at the door and howls, runs a few laps of the house, and then stares at the door and howls over and over. He is rarely left home alone (with the other dog) for longer than 2hrs - so far the longest was 3 1/2hrs. We initially left him outside (with our other dog) if we went out, but he has been jumping over the fence (of course it’s the non-colourbond neighbours side), we added an extra metre of chicken wire to the top he dug under the fence and let the other dog escape, and managed pull down the chicken wire so he could jump over. We also have pet chickens, so i tried putting him in the chicken run (without the chickens), he had bones buried in there, its completely enclosed, and big 10m x 2.5m. But he broke the wire and escaped from there within 30mins. He doesn't go anywhere, seems to just hang around home waiting for me. So anyway, we decided to shut him in the bathroom (its bigger than the laundry), unfortunatly I have to carry him in there as he hates it so much! Even the bathroom didn’t last long, he managed to get the window open (its more than 1m from floor and above the bath tub), break the flyscreen and escape. Then left the most amazing (and expensive) trail of destruction, broken fence, more broken flyscreens, blinds, curtains... I went and had a long talk to my Vet about how I try to break this behaviour, she has given us 'clomicalm' medication, with the view to use for 3months while working hard to 'desensitise' him to my absence, then wean him off. We're trying really hard to put as much time into desensitize him - by getting everyone ready to go out, and only driving around the block before returning home, and ignoring him until he is calm, etc, and just me going out for 5mins too. So I feel like I know what I have to do, and I'm prepared to put the work in. But... There's one little detail i just don't know how to approach... While I'm desensitizing him, and from now onwards, I am supposed to leave him in a place that he feels 'happy and safe', which rules out laundries and bathrooms - we had hoped it would be the backyard as we do spend a lot of time out there playing, rain or shine. The only place I can possibly think of (and that he can't escape from) is inside the house. This not the ideal place to leave a large dog, especially one that is particularly fond of eating shoes.. The first time I left him inside for approx 1hr, perfect dog. The second time, he ate the blinds in the lounge room... I don't really have a clue where i am supposed to leave him. Anywhere i put him, other than inside the house, is not going to feel happy and safe, more like a punishment, so is that just counter productive? Or do I just put him where I hope he will be safe? I thought perhaps a dog crate, but they are either collapsible or plastic and i doubt they would contain him for long!! If I were to get a stronger dog run for outside it would need concrete floor etc and would be very expensive. I really just have no idea how to fix this Thank you for you ideas in advance :)

Good on you Melissa, hope the dog finds a nice new home. Thank god for people that care about dogs :)