Would you?

[nctransplant]

So she's the one that loves peanut butter, huh?

In all seriousness, good luck to you and Olivia. I know your situation. Vinnie was riddled with tumors when we elected to put her down at the age of 13. Broke my heart.

My oldest Brittany is 17.5 yo. I'm afraid her day is coming soon too. I basically retired her last year because she is almost deaf. Took her out a few times by herself, still pointed and retrieved quail. She is a special one I dread the day I have to make a decision about her.

 

[gunslingerdick]

My oldest Brittany is 17.5 yo. I'm afraid her day is coming soon too. I basically retired her last year because she is almost deaf. Took her out a few times by herself, still pointed and retrieved quail. She is a special one I dread the day I have to make a decision about her.

That brings up a question for me. You obviously have several dogs so I'm assuming all the ones you have now aren't the first dogs you've had. I was so attached to Vinnie that my next dog didn't stand a chance. We got Bernie about 6 months after Vin died. We got her from the shelter of course. And she's sweet. But it seems as if pretty much everything she does irritates me. I don't know why. My boys love her and my wife loves her. And I think all Bernie really wants is for me to love her. I take her running on the trails with me but that's about our only bonding activity. She never chooses to sit with me at home but honestly, I don't blame her. I'm always getting after her for something. And I'm pretty sure it's all because she's not Vinnie. I'm certain she was abused before we got her. She's a bit skittish and jumpy. And I hate to say it, but that irritates me too. Everything she does seems so spastic. If my family is sitting on the couch and one of us gets up, she spasticly gets up too. If I walk back to the bedroom, she runs down the hallway after me just to watch me put on a shirt. She's always begging for food (not my fault, my wife caused that), she's pissed on the floor in the basement more times than I can count and she goes berserk with her barking if anyone even walks down the street in front of our house (this one I don't mind that much, she's actually a pretty good watch dog but it does get old). But all of those things annoy me and they shouldn't. It makes me sad that I've had such a hard time warming up to her.

So my question after all that is, have you had the same experiences and how did you get over it?

 

[Raising Heel]

So she's the one that loves peanut butter, huh?

That wasn't her in the picture, but sure.

 

[nctransplant]

That brings up a question for me. You obviously have several dogs so I'm assuming all the ones you have now aren't the first dogs you've had. I was so attached to Vinnie that my next dog didn't stand a chance. We got Bernie about 6 months after Vin died. We got her from the shelter of course. And she's sweet. But it seems as if pretty much everything she does irritates me. I don't know why. My boys love her and my wife loves her. And I think all Bernie really wants is for me to love her. I take her running on the trails with me but that's about our only bonding activity. She never chooses to sit with me at home but honestly, I don't blame her. I'm always getting after her for something. And I'm pretty sure it's all because she's not Vinnie. I'm certain she was abused before we got her. She's a bit skittish and jumpy. And I hate to say it, but that irritates me too. Everything she does seems so spastic. If my family is sitting on the couch and one of us gets up, she spasticly gets up too. If I walk back to the bedroom, she runs down the hallway after me just to watch me put on a shirt. She's always begging for food (not my fault, my wife caused that), she's pissed on the floor in the basement more times than I can count and she goes berserk with her barking if anyone even walks down the street in front of our house (this one I don't mind that much, she's actually a pretty good watch dog but it does get old). But all of those things annoy me and they shouldn't. It makes me sad that I've had such a hard time warming up to her.

So my question after all that is, have you had the same experiences and how did you get over it?

I can understand your feeling. I am raising a Brittanny in the house now(still a hunting dog) for the first time. I have a feeling this will be my favorite dog ever. My wife has a miniature sheltie that just took up at our house. She's skittish and has nothing to do with me till we go to bed, then she wants me to rub her. I just can't get close to this dog. I guess personalty makes a difference with dog just like people.

 

[Hark_The_Sound_2010]

Anyway, please send a prayer or good thoughts or whatever her way.

I'm in. Hoping for the best for Olivia.

 

[Littlejon]

Dang! Where to start?

First, I LOVE Brittanies and want one BAD! Had one growing up that we hunted with and he was my first real dog as a child. I worked for a vet in HS and he had a female Brittany that was absolutely the smartest, most well behaved (and trained) dog I have ever seen anywhere.

Anyway, we got a Beagle several years ago when my boys were little (they are 19 & 17 now). Molly was great and I loved that dog. She would jump up onto the recliner with me, curl up at my feet and we would relax in front of the TV every night. We were busy in our lives back then, so we didn't get to walk her every day, but my retiree neighbor did. Matter of fact, she loves all our dogs, but that is another story. Anyway, neighbor was walking Molly one day and was across the street from our house about to return home when Molly's harness came loose. Before the neighbor could grab her, she darted out to run over to another neighbor and was hit by a truck. Nothing anyone could do, but that was rough on all of us. Molly was 4 years old at the time.

We immediately looked for another one and Molly's niece (one of her sisters had just had a litter they were weaning) was the last female in the litter. We got her and brought her home, but she and I didn't really bond initially. Lucy was nothing like Molly and we just didn't click for a long time. I tried, but she tried my patience. Daily. Worst (and funniest according to my wife) was when I went out back one snowy day and stepped in a large pile of crap on the back step. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why that stupid dog would drag poo up onto the steps like that. Then it happened again not long after that. Over the next couple of years, we had it happen a few times, always when weather was particularly bad. Then one day we figured it out. I was on my way to work one very cold, rainy January morning when I forgot something. I started back in when I spotted a furry rear-end hanging out the dog door taking a crap. Yes, I kid you not, the dog didn't want to go outside in the cold and wet, so she backed her ass up and out the dog door and crapped right there on the steps! If I had a video camera, I would be $10,000 richer right now! I guess she figured it was worth the wrath I would unleash not to have to get cold and wet.

Anyway, over the years she kinda grew on me. We eventually bonded more and then about 2 years ago she started getting sick. She was 9 years old, so I knew time wasn't on her side. Turns out she had renal failure and was beyond treatment. We opted to put her down and I carried her in to the vet I worked for many moons ago (who was as close to her as I was by then) to put her down. Hardest thing we ever did. We buried her next to Molly.

So, then my MIL (Who got us the previous 2 Beagles) calls a month or so later and tells us someone she knows had a Beagle that wouldn't hunt and he was looking to get rid of her. We, of course, were interested. Sally was a tiny little thing, a beautiful golden color (which was unusual) and seemed really sweet, so the wife got her and brought her home. Good grief, were we in for a ride! She must've been abused because she was terrified of men, particularly teenage boys. My two boys to this day can't get real close to her unless they approach her real slow. She also had heart worms, which we discovered not long after bringing her home. Turns out she was also quite the escape artist, getting under, and even OVER the the fence so many times I finally had to electrify it.

Wife thought she was lonely because she had been raised in a pen with lots of other dogs, so she starts looking for a companion. And along comes Jasper. He was a rescue as well who was housed in a shelter not far from our home. Lady who ran the shelter said he had some rat terrier in him, but I am not sure what he is. He was fixed, which is the only reason we considered him. Lady brings him over to meet Sally and they hit it off. Since he had been returned to the shelter twice (last lady brought him back after 2 days saying he wouldn't eat or let her pet him - DUH!), he was free. He, too, was skittish and didn't let me touch him. We had a devil of a time getting the two of them to come inside to eat or out of the rain early on. But, they hit it off wonderfully. Now they come in when we want them to, I can get my hands on both of them and they are a hoot playing and carrying on. Jasper hates bad weather, but is still leery of my youngest son (17 years old), so he sits on the back porch and whines until we go get him. Sally still has issues where people are concerned, but she is getting better.

So, GSD, the message in this "War & Peace" diatribe is to be patient. Sometimes it takes a while for them to grow on you, especially those who piss you off regularly. Ours have "gone downhill" since Molly, but these last two crack me up. I can't get close to them like Molly, but they are still a hoot and I don't guess I would trade them for anything. I am sure when the day comes for either of them to leave this earth, I will cry like a baby just like I did with Molly and Lucy.

 

[Raising Heel]

That brings up a question for me. You obviously have several dogs so I'm assuming all the ones you have now aren't the first dogs you've had. I was so attached to Vinnie that my next dog didn't stand a chance. We got Bernie about 6 months after Vin died. We got her from the shelter of course. And she's sweet. But it seems as if pretty much everything she does irritates me. I don't know why. My boys love her and my wife loves her. And I think all Bernie really wants is for me to love her. I take her running on the trails with me but that's about our only bonding activity. She never chooses to sit with me at home but honestly, I don't blame her. I'm always getting after her for something. And I'm pretty sure it's all because she's not Vinnie. I'm certain she was abused before we got her. She's a bit skittish and jumpy. And I hate to say it, but that irritates me too. Everything she does seems so spastic. If my family is sitting on the couch and one of us gets up, she spasticly gets up too. If I walk back to the bedroom, she runs down the hallway after me just to watch me put on a shirt. She's always begging for food (not my fault, my wife caused that), she's pissed on the floor in the basement more times than I can count and she goes berserk with her barking if anyone even walks down the street in front of our house (this one I don't mind that much, she's actually a pretty good watch dog but it does get old). But all of those things annoy me and they shouldn't. It makes me sad that I've had such a hard time warming up to her.

So my question after all that is, have you had the same experiences and how did you get over it?

Minus the predecessor dog, you have just described my baby dog Lila to a t. She was almost certainly abused before she became a shelter dog. To this day (6 years later), if I raise my voice at one of the other dogs (read: Niam) she flattens out like a pancake because she's so scared and submissive.

She's also super excitable and obsessed with frisbee. Any time I go to the back door -- to put something on the grill, pull the blinds, flip on the patio light -- she bolts for the door like we're going out to play frisbee. She's actually knocked my feet out from under me a few times, which is definitely aggravating.

Like Lila, Bernie is probably broken in a way that will never be fixed. You have to deal with her a little differently than other dogs. Differently maybe than how you want to. In the words of Otis Redding, try a little tenderness. Try to sit with her for a couple minutes each day. Pet her and talk to her in a calming voice. It will probably help you both.

How long have you had her? Like @Littlejon said, it might take some time for both of you to come around.

 

[Littlejon]

Let me also say that neither Sally nor Jasper care for any of us to pick them up and hold them or put them in our laps. They love for us to pet them, but as far as picking them up or holding them, they are not fond of that at all. Just a byproduct of how they were raised with little to no affection and, in Sally's case, probably a good dose of abuse, too.

With that said, they know when I get home (aside from the fact you can hear my old truck squeaking a mile away!) and are like a couple of kids in a candy store when I roll up. They jump and run around and are as happy to see me as can be, but they want their affection their own way, not my way. That makes it much harder to bond, but they are what they are.

 

[nctransplant]

Dang! Where to start?

First, I LOVE Brittanies and want one BAD! Had one growing up that we hunted with and he was my first real dog as a child. I worked for a vet in HS and he had a female Brittany that was absolutely the smartest, most well behaved (and trained) dog I have ever seen anywhere.

Anyway, we got a Beagle several years ago when my boys were little (they are 19 & 17 now). Molly was great and I loved that dog. She would jump up onto the recliner with me, curl up at my feet and we would relax in front of the TV every night. We were busy in our lives back then, so we didn't get to walk her every day, but my retiree neighbor did. Matter of fact, she loves all our dogs, but that is another story. Anyway, neighbor was walking Molly one day and was across the street from our house about to return home when Molly's harness came loose. Before the neighbor could grab her, she darted out to run over to another neighbor and was hit by a truck. Nothing anyone could do, but that was rough on all of us. Molly was 4 years old at the time.

We immediately looked for another one and Molly's niece (one of her sisters had just had a litter they were weaning) was the last female in the litter. We got her and brought her home, but she and I didn't really bond initially. Lucy was nothing like Molly and we just didn't click for a long time. I tried, but she tried my patience. Daily. Worst (and funniest according to my wife) was when I went out back one snowy day and stepped in a large pile of crap on the back step. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why that stupid dog would drag poo up onto the steps like that. Then it happened again not long after that. Over the next couple of years, we had it happen a few times, always when weather was particularly bad. Then one day we figured it out. I was on my way to work one very cold, rainy January morning when I forgot something. I started back in when I spotted a furry rear-end hanging out the dog door taking a crap. Yes, I kid you not, the dog didn't want to go outside in the cold and wet, so she backed her ass up and out the dog door and crapped right there on the steps! If I had a video camera, I would be $10,000 richer right now! I guess she figured it was worth the wrath I would unleash not to have to get cold and wet.

Anyway, over the years she kinda grew on me. We eventually bonded more and then about 2 years ago she started getting sick. She was 9 years old, so I knew time wasn't on her side. Turns out she had renal failure and was beyond treatment. We opted to put her down and I carried her in to the vet I worked for many moons ago (who was as close to her as I was by then) to put her down. Hardest thing we ever did. We buried her next to Molly.

So, then my MIL (Who got us the previous 2 Beagles) calls a month or so later and tells us someone she knows had a Beagle that wouldn't hunt and he was looking to get rid of her. We, of course, were interested. Sally was a tiny little thing, a beautiful golden color (which was unusual) and seemed really sweet, so the wife got her and brought her home. Good grief, were we in for a ride! She must've been abused because she was terrified of men, particularly teenage boys. My two boys to this day can't get real close to her unless they approach her real slow. She also had heart worms, which we discovered not long after bringing her home. Turns out she was also quite the escape artist, getting under, and even OVER the the fence so many times I finally had to electrify it.

Wife thought she was lonely because she had been raised in a pen with lots of other dogs, so she starts looking for a companion. And along comes Jasper. He was a rescue as well who was housed in a shelter not far from our home. Lady who ran the shelter said he had some rat terrier in him, but I am not sure what he is. He was fixed, which is the only reason we considered him. Lady brings him over to meet Sally and they hit it off. Since he had been returned to the shelter twice (last lady brought him back after 2 days saying he wouldn't eat or let her pet him - DUH!), he was free. He, too, was skittish and didn't let me touch him. We had a devil of a time getting the two of them to come inside to eat or out of the rain early on. But, they hit it off wonderfully. Now they come in when we want them to, I can get my hands on both of them and they are a hoot playing and carrying on. Jasper hates bad weather, but is still leery of my youngest son (17 years old), so he sits on the back porch and whines until we go get him. Sally still has issues where people are concerned, but she is getting better.

So, GSD, the message in this "War & Peace" diatribe is to be patient. Sometimes it takes a while for them to grow on you, especially those who piss you off regularly. Ours have "gone downhill" since Molly, but these last two crack me up. I can't get close to them like Molly, but they are still a hoot and I don't guess I would trade them for anything. I am sure when the day comes for either of them to leave this earth, I will cry like a baby just like I did with Molly and Lucy.

If you ever decide on a Brit, I got a guy, LOL. He's near Winston Salem and no ways as expensive as others. Unless you want to drive all the way to Nebraska.

 

[gunslingerdick]

Minus the predecessor dog, you have just described my baby dog Lila to a t. She was almost certainly abused before she became a shelter dog. To this day (6 years later), if I raise my voice at one of the other dogs (read: Niam) she flattens out like a pancake because she's so scared and submissive.

She's also super excitable and obsessed with frisbee. Any time I go to the back door -- to put something on the grill, pull the blinds, flip on the patio light -- she bolts for the door like we're going out to play frisbee. She's actually knocked my feet out from under me a few times, which is definitely aggravating.

Like Lila, Bernie is probably broken in a way that will never be fixed. You have to deal with her a little differently than other dogs. Differently maybe than how you want to. In the words of Otis Redding, try a little tenderness. Try to sit with her for a couple minutes each day. Pet her and talk to her in a calming voice. It will probably help you both.

How long have you had her? Like @Littlejon said, it might take some time for both of you to come around.

We've had Bernie for about 3 years. And believe me, I've tried pretty much every tactic. But I saw little to no progress and simply lost interest. I felt like I was banging my head on a brick wall. I've kind of resided myself to Bernie being my boys' dog and I'm gonna go get me one that suits me a little better.

 

[Raising Heel]

Last week Olivia had a grade 3 mast cell tumor removed from her back leg. They got all of it and it hasn't spread to her lymph vessels. But, MCTs are notoriously unpredictable and grade 3 is the most aggressive type there is. The three year survival rate is only 15%. I'm taking her in for scans to make sure it hasn't spread to any other part of her body.

Anyway, please send a prayer or good thoughts or whatever her way. She's still a vivacious, loving, happy dog and I'd like to have her around as long as possible. Thanks, y'all.

Happy to announce that Olivia's scans all came back clean. Woo hoo! She'll probably have to go back for more at some point but for now I'm one relieved and happy dude.