Adopted a dog today
 

My girlfriend has been searching for a Mini Schnauzer for the last 5 years and recently a friend of hers that works with shelters in central FL has been sending her listings of dogs she has found. I've had Megan fwd these to me since I am usually free to go check them out and see the dog and make calls since her job makes it difficult to do so.

She sent me a listing this morning from the orange county animal services of a 1 year old female mini schnauzer. I call and as I am backing out of the garage the lady on the phone said no one has put an application in for her. I get to the shelter in 20 minutes so I can check the dog out. I find its cage and whistle for it and it comes right to me with its tail wagging and a happy face.

I have it taken out to the interaction area so I can check her out. Now this dog has only been in the shelter for 12-24 hours so everything is new to her. the first 5 minutes or so there she is more interested smelling things and exploring but eventually she notices me and interacts a bit. Very calm and sweet.

I was approved to adopt her and $55 later she's mine. Now we wait until the 7 day holding period is up and then they spay, give her shots, and chip her and we can take her home.

Tomorrow we're going back so Megan can check the dog out herself and approve of it or not.

I've been reading a lot about this breed for some time now and I think the only reason why she was very calm and not super interactive while I had her outside is because its that breeds nature to be like that until the leader (the human) welcomes the guests and the dog then sees that the person is ok to interact with. Very intelligent breed I assume.

we'll see how tomorrow goes. I like the dog and think she's going to be a nice addition.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net...39059793_n.jpg

they cut all of her matted hair off.

aww it's cute

Nobody knows............ the troubles she's seen............ nobody knows her ....... sorrows ........... :D

Congrats! My wife wants to get a dog too.

But after just having moved in, I think we'll have to fix the new house first :D

What's the dog's name?

We haven't figured that out yet.

More important, does the dog approve of you?

I fully expect it to be a gratifying experience for the both of you. A person that cares enough for an animal to share their excitement with others has the right attitude for being the caretaker of a pet.

Cute dog! Make sure you share the name after you come up with it.

She has named her, Lily.

That fits! Take care of her and she'll reward you.

All the best!:)

Schnauzers are great dogs. Me ex-wife had one. Her father told me that if I took her I had to take the dog too!:D No problem. Sporty was a great dog and a wonderful pet. . IIRC, schnauzers generally live a long life. Ours lived 17years.

Good luck.

congrats on adopting a companion animal!

Start watching dog whisperer if available in your area and you currently do not. It really expanded my knowledge of training dogs. Previously I thought I was fairly good at it.

One of our two dogs even asks to go on the treadmill now. It seems pretty funny to some people when they are in the house visiting. I suspect they thought he was asking to go out. The guy was totally right. Reduce the energy with exercise and they will absorb almost any concept. No he cannot do a song and dance routine yet. Still it is amazing how much he has learnt in the recent period.

I think the opposite sex have a secret progam man whisperer they follow. Actually in jest a woman we know was complaining about money reciently. I suggested writing a book called man whisperer might enrich her.

After reflecting on it it really may not have been a bad ideal. If that did not sell no book would in my opinion. :D

Adopting an animal, any animal, should be a lifetime commitment. Hopefully you realize this and are in a position to be able to care for the animal it's entire life, not just as long as it suits your fancy. The reason shelters are loaded to the gunnels isn't so much because people fail to spay and neuter, it's because they think it'd be cute to have a dog or kitten and aren't prepared emotionally or financially for the long haul.
I don't mean to sound like Debbie Downer. It's a cute dog, good luck with it and thanks for adopting rather than spending a fortune at some puppy mill.

Nice dog, good luck with her.

Yes they are a commitment for their lifetimes. Right now we are possibly approaching the final event with one of our dogs. He has a heart condition that responded to treatment for quite some time. Enlarged heart pressing against the esophagus.

Some of the symptoms are starting to appear again. As I type this I just heard him coughing a little again in the background. He has always been an excellent addition to the family. I will go out of my way to make absolutly certain he will get a double dose of what he likes to do the most this weekend and forward. This is primarily extra long exploritory walks with no leash. He has a whole very large area he likes to examine intensley for any changes since the last time we covered it.

All good things come to an end unfortunatly. I am hoping he can get past the present to spend his possible remaining time at the cottage this summer. The next couple of days may tell the story.

His medication has been increased somewhat with no effect unless it takes some time to work. We have had dogs for all of our lives. I get no enjoyment out of the final stages other than I will not let them suffer too long if there is no quality of life left.

What has always bothered me a lot is in our society our dogs are treated better than children in some impoverished societies. Actually starving to death. There is something not right about this piciure.

.I am aware as far as is known they have no concept of death as only man has. If true this might be a nice upside. The other dog knows he is having issues I noticed as well. They play every day in a reasonable fashion that the newer dog initiates. He has stopped initiating the play three days ago.

I questioned the wisdom of aquireing another dog awhile back at our ages. It is a reasonable assumption that he will probably outlive us. I have no concerns now as anyone that wanted a really good gentle friendly intelligent robust dog with common sense would line up to get this fellow.

He is substantially burmese mountain dog with a slight mix of another breed that we have not been able to identify yet. A now about 1 1/2 year old shelter aquisition with no history as well. Other than the area he was picked up in.

Unfortunatly he stands to lose his best friend maybe very soon. I hope not but it may be what it is. I am not too sad because he had a really good life in my opinion. I am certain if he had free choice he still would have lived his life pretty well as he did.

Congrats, she is a very lucky puppy.

Cute pup, J!

You don't know my girlfriend. She comes from a family of animal rights activist and animal rescuers. Her mom has taken in and fostered countless cats, dogs, horses, birds, Deer, fish, hedgehogs, etc. you name it she has cared for it and continues to rescue animals

I'd rather adopt a dog and give it a nice home. We also took in a stray cat and she lives with us but prefers to be outside. Keep her cooped up too log and she pees in the corner. But a very loving cat.

I know a dog is a commitment and I don't think it's just a fashion accessory. When I have my own home I know I will probay have a few rescue pitbulls and other dogs.

Lets see the girlfriend!

Well spoken. (BOTH of you.)

I haven't owned a dog since 1958 ( 1/2 cocker spaniel and half irish setter, beautiful).

I've been thinking about another one lately.

Maybe a golden retriever or a chocolate lab; or even a Yorkie!; opr a medium mutt, but it would need to be a very mature dog. Mellow not hyper.

Constant travelling all the time in retirement has ruled it out so far.

But I like the idea of likely living longer by taking it on daily exercise and bathroom walks.

Unconditional love - if that exists! --- the idea of that-- doesn't hurt my feelings too much either.... i guess...:)

Forgive me, I didn't know your experience or commitment level. Irresponsible animal ownership is a sore spot for me. Good luck!

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Nope, not doing that. Can't trust you guys. Heh

Shelter called today to tell me that lily has heartworms and if I am to take her home I need to sign a waiver. I asked how much treatment is and they said anywhere from $500-$3000. Awesome, not.

So, what's the best plan of action?

2nd opinion on costs and treatment. Many clinics base their cost on the size and weight of the animal, smaller being cheaper.

I suppose I can see about that

Her mom did ask her own vet in ID, and that vet did confirm the cost can be ridiculous.

Don,

I have learned some more recent information about heart worm treatment than what I used to hear.

What they now do with some of these dogs is go ahead and start treating them with Heartgard. It prevents new worms and in many cases will eventually kill the worms and save the dog. It's kind of a crap shoot, but at least it has a chance of keeping them above ground.

Sorry to hear this. All the best wishes for Lily!

That approach has been around. A shot of Ivomec (a couple cents) will kill all of the life stages of heartworm except for the adults. The adults die of old age but will damage the heart until they do. How much damage? Nobody knows.

Our free dog came with heart worms. Fourteen years ago it was $600 or so. Now Dog is declining mentally faster than physically. The decision to let one go is tough. After 14 years they know you better than you know yourself.

Good fellow. Your place in Paradise is assured. I'm sure you two will give it plenty of love and attention.

How far are you from Amelia Island? They keep bugging me to bring the Hispano next year and it would be nice to pay my respects to you.

Thanks everyone. I'm rather close to Amelia island

Do some research on heartworms. The arsenic based cure can be rough on the dog since it's basically poison, then the dog has to process the dead adult worms through the bloodstream.

Some alternative treatments, as noted, basically concede the adult worms will live and do damage for a while but the pills will prevent new ones. Less expensive, maybe less harmful based on what your assumptions of the extent of the infection, maybe less effective. The results of the blood test might help make a decision rather than simply "tests positive."

We got our stray adopted but positive for heartworm dog treated cheaply with the adulticide arsenic through a shelter/adoption program. Do some local research on options other than the vet for treatment.

What To Do When Your Dog Has Heartworms

http://www.houstoncollierescue.org/download_info_files/heartworm%20treatment%20aftercare.pdf

when we looked at her and such she was very calm. not sure if its because she was nervouse or unsure or if she has a very bad case of heartworms.

She is home now. Going to find a vet and bring her in to get her checked out. She's pretty tired but that could be from her spaying just a few hours ago. She follows me around and does wag her tail.
Also when we let her out in the courtyard she did her business. Which is a good sign.

Seems upping the medicine dose brought him back to normal over a few day period. Did take him on more walks last Sunday than normal at the beach. Seemed to enjoy them all and tollerated them well.

He does bear a remote resemblance to the posters new dog. Heartworm is unknown this far north I believe or very rare perhaps.

It's day two with lily and she has warmed up. I came into the house to be treated by a tail wagging, smiling dog. She jumped up a little but I settled her down so she doesn't break her incision that was just done Wednesday. Wasn't sure if she needed to go out, so I. Brought her out and she immediately went back in through her doggy door. Guess she knows how to use the door. Plus it has been raining all day.

She still doesn't understand the concept of stairs, she will go up to the first landing and then g back down. Odd? Tomorrow w go to the vet.

Right now she is chilling against me while I play around on my iPad.

I am happy to hear she's doing well! when she's feeling better post more pictures!

Went to the vet today. She gave us a quote for the heart worm injections and its around $450-500 total for that method. Since Lily is only around a year old she has might only just have a very very mild case of heart worms. The Doc gave us a prescription for a med to prep Lily for the Heartgard stuff we also received.

Megan is probably going to talk to her mom about which way to go, either way the worse case scenario for the long or short kill method of heart worms is death of the animal. I'd rather see her die of a natural cause than intentionally injecting her with a poison.

In other news after we got back I let her out into the courtyard and did not notice the chickens were out and about. I turned around to see her stalking one of them and then go after it. She chased after them and one almost went over the fence. No idea if she was playing or if she wanted to eat it. I'll have to put her on the leash and see what she does next time. I do not want to find a bloody mess one day.

check it out

Lily running - YouTube

video of lily having some fun

That, is not purebred schnauzer....looks like it has some terrier or something in it based on the body/head shape. This is what a pure mini-schnauzer looks like:

http://www.dogfamily.org/images/mini...chnauzer-2.jpg

Cute all the same though, good luck with it, schnauzers are protective and high energy.

She's a schnorkie

Does she ever sleep on her back? our pug does. That's where I got the new screen name for Chilicut... "Pug Plastic Monkey Nuts". :D

our cats do that. means they are quite comfortable around ya