Dogs.

Keweenaw County Yooper · Nov 24, 2021

Buggs67 · Nov 24, 2021

We've had several dogs simultaneously since we bought our first house in 1983. The first was a stray who wandered into the yard. Golden mutt. Great dog. Since then we have many, both pound puppies and bure/cross-breeds. GSD/Lab mutt, Rottie/Dobie mix, Rottie/Lab mix, Rottie pure breed, GSD bure breed, Heinz 57 variety rescue pup.

When we last went looking to rescue a puppy in 2014 we had trouble. First we wanted a puppy to add to the two other dogs. Adding an adult to an existing pack is hard. No puppies to be found and the rescues that did have puppies wouldn't let us have them because of their RULES. Some "rescues" were shipping in dogs from Central America to "adopt out" at hundreds of dollars.

Long story short; we ended up buying a Golden Doodle, Golden Doodle Retriever mom, standard Poodle dad. Finbar is the best, smartest, calmest dog we've ever had. He's black but we're OK with that. Never needed to be crated or crate trained, never needed to be leashed. When Mr Tully, the Heinz 57 variety (my wife ran his DNA) died we bought another G/D from the same breeder. Different parents and different temperament but still intelligent, easy going, and more loving than Finbar. While she is well behaved and trained she chases the deer. And I mean for a good 1/2+ mile. She comes back but it worries my wife.

Jstpssng · Nov 24, 2021

Buggs67 said:
We've had several dogs simultaneously since we bought our first house in 1983. The first was a stray who wandered into the yard. Golden mutt. Great dog. Since then we have many, both pound puppies and bure/cross-breeds. GSD/Lab mutt, Rottie/Dobie mix, Rottie/Lab mix, Rottie pure breed, GSD bure breed, Heinz 57 variety rescue pup.

When we last went looking to rescue a puppy in 2014 we had trouble. First we wanted a puppy to add to the two other dogs. Adding an adult to an existing pack is hard. No puppies to be found and the rescues that did have puppies wouldn't let us have them because of their RULES. Some "rescues" were shipping in dogs from Central klAmerica to "adopt out" at hundreds of dollars.

Long story short; we ended up buying a Golden Doodle, Golden Doodle Retriever mom, standard Poodle dad. Finbar is the best, smartest, calmest dog we've ever had. He's black but we're OK with that. Never needed to be crated or crate trained, never needed to be leashed. When Mr Tully, the Heinz 57 variety (my wife ran his DNA) died we bought another G/D from the same breeder. Different parents and different temperament but still intelligent, easy going, and more loving than Finbar. While she is well behaved and trained she chases the deer. And I mean for a good 1/2+ mile. She comes back but it worries my wife.View attachment 722153 View attachment 722154 View attachment 722155

That’s when I would consider a shock collar. Aside from chewing, when I got Ruger his only bad habit was chasing cars. He'd spent the first year of his life on a chain so really didn't know any better. One day I got tired of it; I was pruning and the orchard owner came out. AS he left my dog started chasing him. Tom stopped the truck so that I could get the dog and left when I started spanking him. I know that's socially unacceptable but he's never chased another vehicle.

Larry Caldwell · Nov 24, 2021

My standard poodle does not run deer. The deer know that, and pretty much ignore her.

Dftodd · Nov 24, 2021

Larry Caldwell said:
My standard poodle does not run deer. The deer know that, and pretty much ignore her.

Same with our German Shepherd.

Was out messing with the smoker. The shepherd was running around the back yard (1.5 acres fenced).

Saw a deer hop the fence over by the apple tree. Deer wandered to within 30ft of the shepherd, rooting around for acorns. Shepherd look at the deer, deer looked at the shepherd. Shepherd went back to stalking the squirrel, and the deer went back to the acorns

Deer hung out in the yard with the dog for about 10 minutes or so before hoping the back fence and moving on.

2LaneCruzer · Nov 25, 2021

Larry Caldwell · Nov 25, 2021

Larry Caldwell said:
Two years ago I adopted Ella, a standard poodle with Addison's Disease. With medication she can lead a normal life. The ongoing expense is about $200/month, but that's do-able.

Last week she was diagnosed with pyothorax. She aspirated a foxtail, which became lodged in her lung and festered. The only way to save her was major surgery. Boom. When the rubble settled, I was out over $11,000 that I had not budgeted for.

At the moment, the whole bill is riding on plastic. I can take out a HELOC to minimize interest fees. Meanwhile, Ella's original owner, John Simpkins, has started a Go Fund Me to help with Ella's vet bill. If you can help, two old retired people would be very grateful.

Yes, it's a lot to spend on a dog, but I have always said I would give anything to have five more years with any dog I have ever had. This is my chance. Ella is only 4, and has a decade in front of her.

Donate to Please help with Ella's Veterinary expenses, organized by Larry Caldwell

Recently my former dog, Ella inhaled a foxtail which became lodged in her l… Larry Caldwell needs your support for Please help with Ella's Veterinary expenses

www.gofundme.com

Just FYI, Ella is recovering well, with a good prognosis. She still looks like she tangled with a runaway lawnmower, but other than that you would never know she's only 3.5 weeks post surgery.

The bottom line is that the whole mess cost me a little over $12,000. The Go Fund Me brought in a little over $7400, so Uncle Sam will get his money on April 15 instead of having to run a tab with the IRS. I always said I would give anything to have any of my dogs for another 5 years. This gave me the chance to put my money where my mouth is, and a lot of other people's money too.

For those who donated, thank you so much. It made my winter warmer, and Ella's too.