Short version: Howdy! I'm from Texas and the wife and I just adopted our first dobie. I'm sniffing around the forum reading the stickies.
Long version:
We lost our retired racer greyhound last year around Thanksgiving (osteosarcoma) and we really didn't feel emotionally ready to do it again.
But I saw a pic of this sweet little homeless critter on the city pound website and my heart went out to her. She'd been picked up running stray a couple weeks ago and no one had claimed her. The pound estimates her to be 7-8mos old. I'll take their word for it until we know better.
Here's her mugshot:
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Seriously now, who wouldn't want to show that dog some love?
Did some quick research on health problems associated with the breed so I'd know a bit of what to look for. We went down to see her; in the midst of all the barking dog chaos she sat quietly halfway to the kennel door, then started inching up on us. When we were close enough she tried to lick us through the chain link.
Spent a couple hours with her at the shelter, then went home to make preparations for the new pack member: get out the stainless bowls, re-assemble the crate, find the dog blankets and beds.
Got her home later that day; it took about 10mins before she was laying on the floor on her back, wiggling around with all her legs in the air. (In the greyhound world this is known as roaching, because with their feet in the air they look like dead roach. Dunno if that's a doberman term or not.) I think she likes it here.
She seems genuinely comfortable in the house and sleeps the sleep of angels:
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The good stuff: Alert and attentive without being nervous. Uses the bathroom in the back yard; no accidents thus far. I leave the crate open so she can go in/out at will during the day. Quiet -- she barked a soft "ruff" and growled a couple times when she heard people in the alley on the other side of the fence. She's bright and stops behaviors when she hears "No". Very sweet. Likes to lick, and likes to sit in/across your lap.
Issues and challenges:
Will get her to the vet in the coming week for a once-over and to schedule getting her fixed, if it's age-appropriate for her. Dunno how that part works yet.
Anyhow, thanks for reading this book. I look forward to learning what I need to know to do a good job with this dog.
Long version:
We lost our retired racer greyhound last year around Thanksgiving (osteosarcoma) and we really didn't feel emotionally ready to do it again.
But I saw a pic of this sweet little homeless critter on the city pound website and my heart went out to her. She'd been picked up running stray a couple weeks ago and no one had claimed her. The pound estimates her to be 7-8mos old. I'll take their word for it until we know better.
Here's her mugshot:
Seriously now, who wouldn't want to show that dog some love?
Did some quick research on health problems associated with the breed so I'd know a bit of what to look for. We went down to see her; in the midst of all the barking dog chaos she sat quietly halfway to the kennel door, then started inching up on us. When we were close enough she tried to lick us through the chain link.
Spent a couple hours with her at the shelter, then went home to make preparations for the new pack member: get out the stainless bowls, re-assemble the crate, find the dog blankets and beds.
Got her home later that day; it took about 10mins before she was laying on the floor on her back, wiggling around with all her legs in the air. (In the greyhound world this is known as roaching, because with their feet in the air they look like dead roach. Dunno if that's a doberman term or not.) I think she likes it here.
She seems genuinely comfortable in the house and sleeps the sleep of angels:
The good stuff: Alert and attentive without being nervous. Uses the bathroom in the back yard; no accidents thus far. I leave the crate open so she can go in/out at will during the day. Quiet -- she barked a soft "ruff" and growled a couple times when she heard people in the alley on the other side of the fence. She's bright and stops behaviors when she hears "No". Very sweet. Likes to lick, and likes to sit in/across your lap.
Issues and challenges:
- She appears healthy but uncared for. Her nails were very long and sharp. One was already torn off some time ago, presumably after getting caught on something. I started working on them but she's wiggly. Her ears were dirty and we're making progress there. She smelled a bit but we all took a shower in the walk-in.
- she does not appear to have any leash experience at all. She doesn't dislike it, she just seems to be unfamiliar with the concept.
- she is scared of the street in general and moving vehicles in particular; not too surprising for a running stray, I guess.. Took her on a short walk down the block and it took a few minutes to figure out what was scaring her.
- she was eating like she was starving. I started giving her smaller, more frequent meals and see seems to be responding; she's actually chewing some of the kibble now instead of inhaling it. Again, maybe not unusual for a stray.
Will get her to the vet in the coming week for a once-over and to schedule getting her fixed, if it's age-appropriate for her. Dunno how that part works yet.
Anyhow, thanks for reading this book. I look forward to learning what I need to know to do a good job with this dog.
