[DogsBestFriend]

Would SOOO recommend that you get a pal for your dog! We have 3 (having had one first, then rescued the second one for extra company for himself, and finally our little Roxy), and we wouldnt have it any other way. The one thing I would say to you is to make sure that you have your recall/training etc all complete on your current dog. I know so many people who have had dogs that they themselves would have described as difficult (not for one min suggesting that yours is!) but basically the next dog that was brought along essentially to help modify the existing dog’s behaviour, ended up mimicking the current dog’s behaviour and the family end up with 2 unmanageable dogs. Also, the obvious factors of not taking another dog just so you could leave the first alone for longer periods (again, not suggesting that would be your motivator!), and of course, most importantly, introducing them properly – if you need any advice on that, we’ve been through it, just p.m. me and I’ll help as best as I can. In terms of the financial burden, you could query an additional pet being added to your policy with your pet insurance co and they may do you a deal – we got what is known as a multiple pet discount (on 3 dogs though, so not sure about 2). Finally, I firmly believe (and its only my opinion) that no matter how much love/time/attention you give your dog, there is no substitute (dare I say it!!!) for canine companionship! Its truly a delight to see your pet form such a close bond with another dog. Go for it! Keep us posted, and many many years of happiness with your little pack if you decide to go for it!

[DogsBestFriend]

Tks mil for all that info Yvonne! Im just going to digest it and make decision as to which place I will go to – knowing us, it will prob end up being the dearer of the two! I know exactly what u mean, about the one ten euro photo being the carrot to lure you in and even though you’ve forewarned me about this, I’m sure I will be exactly the same on the day! Will have to have a think about it though before I decide – its one of those things I’ve been planning to do for literally the past couple of yrs now and never got round to it, but with Roxy’s arrival to the family, we’d love to get some new ones done now with all three of them – she’s still so very nervous though so not sure if she would be ready for that kinda environment just yet, but we’ill get there! O.H. will be doing his nut at the thoughts of more money being spent, as have just ordered Roxy the same luxurious bed that our other two have, 75 sterling and another 15 quid shipping (she’s well worth it!) – she keeps getting into Harry’s bed and sitting on top of his head as its a nicer bed than her own one at the mo! (She cant fit into our other dal’s bed as there’s not enough room there, but with Harry being a beardie/terrier, there’s plenty of room for her!!!!)….. Anyways, thanks again, will let you know how we go!

[DogsBestFriend]

Tuck is an absolute dote! Delighted to see that he has got such a good home! We r all keeping 3 sets of paws and 2 lots of fingers crossed that you get good news. Hopefully this may reassure you – we have 3 rescues (2 ex Ashton) and one of ours, Harry, a beardie collie cross has had a succession of lumps removed over the past couple of years. We had good news but I understand what you must be going through, we were up the walls with worry about him at the time. Cant remember the technical name for the lumps – basically there are harmless lumps and those not so harmless. Thankfully, Harry has (and still has) the former – they are basically fatty lumps. Some dogs are just more prone to them than others, however, Harry was very overweight at the time (we spoilt him rotten when he came out of kennels – long story!) and if the doggie is carrying a lot of weight, just as he fills out with the weight, the extra weight exacerbates / accelerates the speed at which the lumps grow. Needless to say, Harry was immediately put on a strict diet and he’s done really well, and continues to do so. Unfortunately, with Harry’s coat, the lumps arent so easily detected – I groom all of my 3 daily and I think its a brilliant habit to get into; it helps the dog feel closer to you and just as important, you notice any changes on their body straight away. I agree totally with you on the pet insurance, when we sent Harry’s lumps away to the lab and got the bill from the vet, between that and the actual removal of each lump (he had about 8 in total at the time), the bill wouldve been about 1,500 or thereabouts and t.g. we only had the 75 excess to pay. Unfortunately, more lumps can grow but its very important that you keep an eye on them, feel them (there should be movement in them and they shouldnt cause pain) and always get any lump checked out. Our friends ignored lump on their dog’s hind leg and it turned out to be cancerous, the dog lost his leg but thankfully has survived. I’m sure Tuck will be fine We had the results back from the lab within about 5 days (the vet understands that people are anxious and they will usually endeavour to do their best to get the results to you asap). Again, all crossed for your little man and do let us know how he is! (Sorry for rambling on, hope this helps!)

[DogsBestFriend]

Hiya Daisychains, back again (having a very blonde day today! ) I forgot to say in my earlier post, that if you access the Information Sheets section on the advice board, there’s a very useful fact sheet entitled Children and Dogs, which would give you full advice regarding the dogs and your kids (if you’ve not already had both living together previously if you know what I mean!)………..

[DogsBestFriend]

Whilst I’ve no personal experience of this, I know of at least three different people / families that are currently renting, with dogs. One family has a lovely landlord and they originally moved in with their labrador and have since got a massive newfie pup (the size of a pony!) and its not been a problem with their landlord, provided there is no damage. Obviously you will be liable to cover any costs that your doggie may incur through destructive behaviour etc. Its much more socially acceptable these days, thankfully, to allow dogs into rented. I would suggest that perhaps you could find someplace suitable first, and if possible, meet landlord in person, ideally with your dog, and check if the dog is allowed – have always found face to face better in such situations than the phone. Have asked the people I know who are currently renting with dogs and each of them just got lucky in terms of running it by their landlord, i.e., didnt go to special site etc to seek accommodation. Usually, unfortunately, its the neighbours who can be difficult where dogs are concerned – sometimes they’re peeved enough that a property is rented and they look for any and every excuse to complain to landlord; the dog can often be the tin hat on any complaint! Sorry couldnt be more helpful Bronte. Best of luck in your search!

[DogsBestFriend]

Delighted to hear your good news!
I would strongly advise you to pull out all the stops to try to arrange to get to meet the dogs prior to you taking them home. They have a huge upheaval ahead of them and anything at all you can do to make them feel as safe and comfortable as possible would be much appreciated. Imagine how frightened they may be, taken out of the only home they’ve ever known and leaving with, to them, a stranger. Even if you could only meet them once before you adopt them, it can only be a positive thing.
I would advise you to find out as much as you can about them from their current owner; even ask if she / he will do out a little manual type thing for you with their favourite food / treats / toys / their little quirks. Unfortunately I dont have any knowledge of the schnauzer as a breed but you could either buy a book on the breed or better still make contact with the kennel club, who could in turn put you in touch with an experienced owner who can give you a lot of info about the breed that books or the net will not.
Finally, as dogs love routine and can be very fearful of change, take their bedding / blankets / feeding bowls / toys, anything at all that current owner has that would be familiar to them, to set up in your home. I would recommend that you bring an item of clothing / toy from your home with all your family’s scent on it (including children) if possible and even leave it with the dogs so that they can get used to your scent before you take them home. Find out from current owner what way their beds are positioned so you can mimic this in your house. We have found this really helped us in the past when we have taken other doggies. Try, insofar as you can, to stick to their feeding / walking routines – it really does make a big difference in settling the doggies into their new environment if you can remain as consistent as possible with them. It will be a huge comfort to them to have each other – far more scarier for one poor mite being rehomed alone, so that will help you on your way. Lastly, dont be put off by the fact that you have children – we can all tell you that both are totally compatible as long as they are introduced carefully and boundaries are set for both dog and child! We’re very excited for you! Best of luck with the doggies and keep us posted on how they’re doing – may you all have many long happy years together!

[DogsBestFriend]

Thanks for that guys. Apols for the confusion – Vet said the same Jake n Bailey – I prob confused the issue with what I posted. What I meant to say was that the Vet was trying to get a handle on her seasons and stuff, based on what we had told her about her being in season in the pound, and was giving her a chance to settle in with us and see how she was doing in herself before giving a provisional date for the spay. She did say that they would only spay her once the milk production etc had ceased and she did explain about the hormones etc, so you were bang on there! Like Twists doggie she hasnt been displaying any aggression with the objects of her affection and we’d left her with anything she had stolen, just til the symptoms disappear. Like Twist, I find that she’s absolutely ravenous with the hunger all the time, and although she hasnt been a fussy eater since she came here (apart from banana – she doesnt like them! she is just constantly savage for food! She has been too scared to go outside of the rooms she’s usually in and out of, just sticks to her comfort zones but now she will follow me into the scullery (where all the treats and food are stored!) to see if she can scrounge something! I must ask the vet again why she told us to reduce her food intake – usually we’re ages in there when we go as we have our list prepared in advance of anything we need to ask about the doggie in question, so it was prob just a case of info overload! Appreciate the replies! BTW beautiful doggies! Are they part belgian shepherds?

[DogsBestFriend]

Thanks for sharing! Tesco (Clearwater, Finglas but prob other stores also) having promotions on pet food at the mo. Bakers has at least 5 – 9 euros off the large sack for those of you who use it! Also got a nice surprise when we bought a travel crate for our latest rescue, Roxy, there on Tuesday evening – a lot of the prices on the shelf were incorrect. When I queried the manager, as I had thought the price of the travel crate was very cheap compared to Petstop, he gave me another incorrect price (28.99) and when we got to the till, delighted with the price, we discovered it was in fact another 6 euro cheaper! Doesnt sound much but when you’ve three permanently hungry doggies to feed, every little helps!!

[DogsBestFriend]

What a lovely story! TG you are all safe and well! Re introducing / prepping doggie to your new arrival – before baby arrives, make sure to let hubby bring home an item of clothing worn by the baby and let doggie have a good sniff. There are C.D.’s you can buy online with baby crying and baby noises etc which will desensitise doggie to such alien sounds before the baby arrives so that when baby cries etc, doggie will not be alarmed and bark and frighten the baby! When baby arrives home, let doggie sniff baby (obviously, with caution). Also, try to involve doggie in all manner of things associated with baby, i.e., talk to doggie when changing / feeding baby etc so that he doesnt feel left out. Most importantly two things – try your best to keep doggie’s routine as normal, and obviously never, ever, leave any dog alone with a baby or child, even if you know his / her temperament. Hope this helps! What an exciting (if not stressful!) time for you all. Many many years of happiness and joy with your new little family!

[DogsBestFriend]

Not everything that humans like to consume is good for dogs. Indisputably harmful are alcohol, cocoa and chocolate, with a high proportion of cocoa butter, raw pork, raisins, grapes, all members of the onion family and also hot spicy dishes. A few studies and internet pages now classify further foodstuffs as poorly tolerated by dogs. Among the foods frequently under discussion at present are avocados, peanuts and macadamia nuts.

If anybody would like recipes for a particular condition / occasion such as glossy coat, weight watching dogs, healthy teeth, wind, when doggie unwell, convalescents, stomach and digestion, constipation, or just safe vet approved treaties for your babies, post on advice page and I will oblige!

[DogsBestFriend]

One of our doggies had this prob a couple of yrs ago – got his teeth scaled and polished and have our 2 doggies on a dental care routine (own toothbrushes, complete with poultry flavoured toothpaste!) – just have to start our new addition Roxy on her teeth once she’s a bit more settled. Anyhow, in the meantime, if you get the chance, try this doggie recipe – may not work for all, but has been great for our doggie’s oral hygiene (he’s minty fresh these days, with the hollywood smile!)

Biscuits for healthy teeth

5 oz (150g) whole wheat flour
5 oz (150g) wheat bread flour
3.5 oz (100g) porridge oats
2 oz (60g) shortening (lard, pref. pork lard)
2 tablespoons rapeseed oil
3 tablespoons powdered skimmed milk
6fl oz chicken stock (unsalted)
Flour for dusting
Shelled sunflower seeds to coat

Mix flour, porridge oats, shortening, rapeseed oil and powdered milk thoroughly. Add chicken stock and knead all above to make an easy to shape dough. If nec, add little water.
Preheat over to 4oo degrees f
Scoop out one tablespoon of dough at a time and shape a thick roll on a floured surface. Coat with sunflower seeds.
Cover a baking sheet with baking parchment and place the biscuits on it. Bake in the hot oven for 40 – 50 mins approx. Turn off the heat and allow the doggie biscuits to harden for a few hours (yes, hours!) in the oven – not too hard though, or they will lose teeth!

Hope this helps! This recipe is vet approved / safe for all dogs, unless your particular breed has issues with any of the ingredients. My beardie is fussy enough eater and he enjoyed these!
PS Doggie oral hygiene most important for all of our pets – as with humans, bacteria can build up and cause all sorts of probs for them down the line. Sounds mad brushing their teeth but its easy enough once you desensitize them and get them used to the brush. Our vet sells the kits – toothbrush with 2 different heads, finger toothbrush attachment and poultry toothpaste for 13yoyos – toothpaste lasts forever as you only need a dab and brushes very hardy! Best of luck with smiler!!!!!!!!!

[DogsBestFriend]

Thanks lads! Appreciate the compliments. We’re such proud parents! Roxy spent her first night in the family room overnight with our other two doggies on Sunday night last. TG there was no argy bargy or thrashing / destruction! Parents were keeping a watchful eye / ear on the little pack to make sure all was ok! We couldnt bear to keep her in isolation in the spare bedroom any longer – we wanted her to be part of what was going on below and once we were satisfied they all got along, we decided after a week to take a chance. I’ve got to tell you, the final clinch was that we were sneaking in on her in the bedroom to check all was well (she flinches and cowers if you make a loud noise so we got used to tippey-toeing around her). It was kinda sad and funny at the same time – we discovered her lying flat on the floor, with her ear / snout trying to poke through the wooden floorboards – the family room is directly below the spare room and there she was god love her, trying to listen in on all that was going on below, with the other doggies and the rest of the household! We just had to take her down after that! Herself and Lola (dal) are getting on great – Lola is kinda mothering her, though she will keep her in check when she steps out of line, and Roxy just watches herself and our beardie like a hawk; already mimicking their behaviour. If they hadnt both been impeccably behaved, we would never have even considered taking Roxy – we would have focussed on their behaviour first. Have found from years of experience, one dog very much copies the other so if there was one badly behaved, its highly likely the second one would be too…….. So thats it for now – photies will follow over time…….

[DogsBestFriend]

Finally a quick update on little Roxy! Thankfully she’s house trained (no accidents so far!) and a dream to travel with in the car – just lies down quietly on the back seat and doesnt make a sound, you would forget she’s even there! Apart from one little chewing incident, she’s been fab! Health wise, she’s still being treated for earmites and kennel cough but already she’s much brighter in herself. The damage thats been done to her is very evident in the home situation though – this is a girl who walks all the time with her head down and tail between her legs, cowering as close to the floor as possible, just wanting to be invisible, its so sad. She has already developed a bond with me (very wary of himself though, as a man) and will respond to her new name! After a full week, she will now leap out of her basket and come to greet me, rather than waiting for me to invite her out and her tail wags a good bit now. Big worry was always the intro to our other two doggies and how it would all work out. Well, it went miles better than we could have anticipated (though its very early days). We did a lot of research and asked the vets advice, but a lot of it is just cop on. They were intro’d first on saturday a.m. on neutral patch, in the park, with Roxy on her lead. It was all planned with military precision, himself dropped me and other pair up first and then went off and arrived with herself, by which time they had had a great gad about and our other dal (who is very attached to me) didnt see her mammy with a new doggie. They had a bit of a run about and a long walk then on leads and everything was fine! We headed home and then let them all loose (one at a time) in the back lawn with Roxy. We witnessed something we had never seen before – as a dal, our Lola is very independent of other dogs, and although she would have known our other lad all her life, she will interact only on her terms and as a typical dal, seeks the companionship of humans and the family circle above other dogs. Well, herself and Roxy are nuts about each other! They spent an hour boxing with each other in the back and chasing each other. Roxy even smiled! (Any dal owner, boxer owner etc will know what I mean by this!) It was a joy to watch! Lola will dominate her, as she does, by mounting her, and we’ve been careful to support this, as it will make for a happier pack all round – a dog that knows his place in the pack, be it human or canine, is a happier, well adjusted dog. I would say our beardie who is currently the alpha dog, will remain so, with Lola second in command, followed by Roxy. As I say early days, but paws continuously crossed! Its a lot of hard work and you’ve to be very organised but I know its so worth it. Hope that updates you all – concious I dont want to clog up boards!
BTW, have a lot of doggie recipes, with various ones for farting, glossy coat, overweight doggies, etc., if anyone wants them, I will put any requested one up on the advice type board here to share. I always make the convalescent chicken one for my dogs if they’re post op or have been ill, Roxy is enjoying it at the moment!
Hope you’re all well and will post pics of all of them eventually – priority is with getting Roxy settled in, back on her feet, and vaxed / speyed. Cant do either of the latter yet as she’s still got kennel cough…….

[DogsBestFriend]

Just a quickie to thank you all for your kind msgs of support re Roxy! She is starting to relax and the dal personality is beginning to shine through! Will post at the weekend and fill you all in; just been spending a lot of q.t. with her to help her settle and also running between our other two doggies to make sure they’re routine remains in place so there is no tension when the big introduction takes place (this weekend hopefully!)…….. Keep all paws crossed that all goes well!
Thank crunchie the weekend beckons!

[DogsBestFriend]

Over the moon – we got the phonecall we were so hoping for this morning! (We heard the howling of our other two doggies, who always alert us to the phone ringing by their customary howls!). We picked her up from Ashton this evening. We lifted her into the doggy crate in the back of the car (she’s light as a feather compared to our other dal) and took her on her very first shopping spree to Petstop. Picked up some essentials, though we had her bed and blankets all ready and waiting for her by the radiator in the spare bedroom at home. From there we headed to our vet. Shes been checked over and other than a bad dose of ear mites and several missing teeth from poor diet, poor pet, she seems to be in good enough health. She got a thorough going over and she’s been chipped and insured. Holding off on her vax’s until she’s stronger in case she’s incubating anything and keeping her apart (as per vets advice) for at least 5 days, from our other doggies in case either one of them pick up anything from the other. I admit I had a good cry tonight, and softie hubbie likewise, when we realised just how bad a start in life she’s had. Once she settles with you, she’s calm and such a gentle girl but she jumps at everything, even terrified of her food bowl. I sat on the floor with her for a couple of hours tonight, beside her bed, and made a trail of rice, chicken and nuts going from my hand to her food bowl. It took over haf hr to coax her from the bed and follow the trail of food. We left her to enjoy her meal and came back to a clean bowl! Apols for taking up so much board space (Im new!) but just wanted to let you all know how she is. Will keep them really short in future as well as updating with reg tidbits and pics.

A HUGE thankyou to all you doggie people for your advice and help, especially nice lady with short dark hair whose car was parked next to ours on the way out of Ashton on Sat – you advised us to post on the board! Hope you are all well and hope to meet you again sometime soon! Next big step will be the phased intro of all 3 doggies on neutral turf – hopefully Roxy will be a little more relaxed by then. She loves other dogs and made a beeline for a huge wolfhound in Petstop this evening so I’d say she will love our other pair………

[Author]

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