SWMBO just found a dog with a note on his collar "this is a good dog, take care"

[Rivenin]

and here is a quick picture i just took, in his new swagger lol (just picked him up a new harness), notice the problem with the "bloat"? my gf didn't say anything about how bad it was till i saw him... lol but the doc said 2 weeks with the "bloat meds" and everything will come out and he will go back to his normal weight (he weighs 30lbs right now)

oh yeah, and they went through him with combs and checked his ears and such, no fleas, no ticks, no mites, no bad juju!

 

[DakotaRules]

Your a good person! Give the dog a happy home and hell treat you with happy memories. My dog is a rescue and the best dog! Have fun with buddy!

 

[jgln]

what reality is there in a made up scenario?

We adopted a dog off the street and that is exactly what happened. After 3-4 months I was petting her and she darn near chewed my hands off. Wouldn't stop, finally just had to get through the pain and grab her by the back of the neck and hold her in the air. 1-2" very deep gashes in both hands. I still have big scars....and the dog. Long story but yeah we kept her even after another attact which was even worse. Dog has like a split personality and just goes off. I wanted to get rid of her...again a long story. We now kind of know to let her come to us and only touch her if her tail is wagging. I never let her around kids anymore and keep a close eye on her when others are around. I am crazy for keeping her I know. Good dog.....when she is not crazy. We got her over a year old so who knows what kind of life she had previously. Lab-Chow mix, I read Chows can have bad tempers. Such a nice dog until the $hit hits the fan. When we first got her she slept standing up until she fell over, that lasted for almost a month.

So yes, maybe he made that story up but it does happen. Oh, we live on 10 acres with a few other houses on 10 acres not like our dog is on one side of a fence and some 3yr old on the other...and never outside the house off a leash.

 

[BrewKnurd]

So yes, maybe he made that story up but it does happen. Oh, we live on 10 acres with a few other houses on 10 acres not like our dog is on one side of a fence and some 3yr old on the other...and never outside the house off a leash.

First off, my sympathies for your unfortunate experience. Secondly, situations such as yours obviously do happen, and I wasn't claiming they don't. They are in the very significant minority when it comes to dogs. I would have had no issue with the dog attacking being presented as a possibility, albeit a very small one. I was just pointing out that I don't agree with classifying made up scenarios, no matter how possible, as reality,

 

[jgln]

First off, my sympathies for your unfortunate experience. Secondly, situations such as yours obviously do happen, and I wasn't claiming they don't. They are in the very significant minority when it comes to dogs. I would have had no issue with the dog attacking being presented as a possibility, albeit a very small one. I was just pointing out that I don't agree with classifying made up scenarios, no matter how possible, as reality,

No problem, was kind of an excuse to tell my story.

 

[TheKeg81]

CRAP. that was, in fact, my zombie apocalypse plan. Guess I kinda screwed myself there.

You bring the beer, I got you covered. I come from an area where there are often more guns than people in the household. This usually is a result of upgrading guns (410 -> 16/20ga -> 12ga) as you become more mature.

To stay on topic: Glad to see the puppy is going to have a great home. My most recent dog was a hand me down, so she was not neglected, but the best damn dog I've ever had. So much so, I don't plan on getting another as they'd all pale in comparison to her at this point.

 

[SharonaZamboni]

I'm surprised and glad to hear that Buddy is doing well with bloat. It can be fatal to dogs within a few hours, if the stomach actually twists. Also, dogs tend to have repeat occurrences after the first episode.

jgln-It's good of you to keep that dog. Sounds like she had some very bad experiences before you got her, and things scare her, which makes her feel she needs to be defensive. Sleeping standing up- poor dog!

 

[BasementBrewmistress]

Turns out they told the couple that he had degenerative heart failure and also bloat (which is where the dogs belly cavity fills with fluid) so i paniced at that point, and they couldn't afford it...

No excuse. A few years back my husband and I both lost our jobs and house due to my medical issues, but I still made sure my dog (had degenerative heart valves) stayed medicated until he passed away...it meant going without sometimes, but he was an awesome dog, pretty much like a kid to us, and we don't regret it. The cardiac vets never gave us a break on the price either.... So if we can go through all that crap AND still care for our pet, I don't want to hear some BS excuse. Grrrrrr.

Kudos to you for taking this guy in. Might take a few bucks to get him as healthy as he can be, but it's worth it.

 

[Barnzy02]

really awesome of you to take the dog in.

My fiance works with rescue dogs and i can't imagine the thought process of some people that get a dog then when it gets too big, or they just decide they don't want it anymore can just leave it somewhere to fend for itself.

Really gets under my skin.

 

[DregAddict]

Good for you and your GF!! I had a similar thing happen with my dog Kaiser. I work on the LV strip and I found him wandering around the bushes inside my property. He was full grown at the time and he's a german shepherd, so nobody wanted to approach him to see if he was friendly. I got a rope from our engineeringing department, fashioned a makeshift leash, and crawled into the bushes with some turkey from my lunch. As soon as I got to him he started eating the food from my hand and I was able to put the rope around his neck. We walked out of the bushes just as if we were going on a daily walk.

He had no collar and didn't respond to commands, but he was obviouslysomeones pet that had just been abandoned. And as I said, working on the strip, there really aren't many neighborhoods nearby. So he was obviously just dumped by someone that didn't want to care for him.

The worst part about it is that there is an extremely reputable German shepherd rescue within a 30 minute driving distance. One simple Internet search and a quick drive would have given his previous owners a safe place to leave him.

I've had Kaiser for 2 years now, ad he's the best dog ever. Not a single behavioral or health problem. He's great with people and other dogs(thinks my brothers Pomeranian is his GF). And he is completely devoted to me. He honestly won't leave my side from the moment I come home to the moment I leave. Dogs know when they are cared for well(especially if they were previously in distress) and they repay you with extreme loyalty.

 

[Varmintman]

One of my pet peeves is people dropping there animals off out in the country because they do not want to pay animal control or drive to a pet clinic thing.

I have had cats, dogs, rabbits and if you can believe even a chicken once dropped off at my place. It bugs me to do it but the kind thing for these animals is try to find a home or put them down. I know I am not going to drive clear into town and pay some one to take the animal and I have plenty of pets as it is.

Man I do not understand how a person can think that a dog will survive out in the country. Cats can go feral but you drop a dog off and you have condemned it to a slow death.

 

[BasementBrewmistress]

cats can go feral but you drop a dog off and you have condemned it to a slow death.

+1

 

[DakotaRules]

This is a very heart warming thread of the kindness of home brewers.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

I'm a huge dog lover and while what they did was absolutely wrong, I just have this vision of two desperate old people bawling their eyes out as they do the last thing they could think of. Again, Im just feeling a bit of mercy here, not supporting what they did at all. I'm so happy to hear that the ole boy ran into SWMBO when he did. Sounds like a whole lot of luck and some good vibes and juju.

 

[TyTanium]

I'm a huge dog lover and while what they did was absolutely wrong, I just have this vision of two desperate old people bawling their eyes out as they do the last thing they could think of. Again, Im just feeling a bit of mercy here, not supporting what they did at all. I'm so happy to hear that the ole boy ran into SWMBO when he did. Sounds like a whole lot of luck and some good vibes and juju.

And a great movie script.

 

[TheTooth]

I'm a huge dog lover and while what they did was absolutely wrong, I just have this vision of two desperate old people bawling their eyes out as they do the last thing they could think of. Again, Im just feeling a bit of mercy here, not supporting what they did at all. I'm so happy to hear that the ole boy ran into SWMBO when he did. Sounds like a whole lot of luck and some good vibes and juju.

I was thinking the same thing. There are some desperate elderly people who are barely getting by. It's possible that what is cheap medication for you and me was more than they could afford. While not right, I kinda feel bad for them if that's the only option they felt they had.

On another note, our dog is named Buddy as well. We adopted him from the local shelter and he's awesome. Clearly he was abused somewhat with his previous owner as he would cower away from loud voices or if you raised your arm for something (I assume thinking he'd be getting hit). He's much better now and is attached to my wife like velcro when she's around. We had him before she was pregnant and now he's great with our almost-2-year-old. The two of them romp around and play all the time.

My family has always gotten their dogs from shelters, and I will likely always do the same. There are just too many great dogs out there that need homes for me to consider buying a new papered puppy from a mill somewhere.

 

[jgln]

I'm surprised and glad to hear that Buddy is doing well with bloat. It can be fatal to dogs within a few hours, if the stomach actually twists. Also, dogs tend to have repeat occurrences after the first episode.

jgln-It's good of you to keep that dog. Sounds like she had some very bad experiences before you got her, and things scare her, which makes her feel she needs to be defensive. Sleeping standing up- poor dog!

Yeah, we love the dog and she loves us. I think she forgets where she is sometimes and gets defensive right away. Once she realizes the danger is over she almost seems to get ashamed of how she acted. Every couple months we get a growl from under the coffee table if we move suddenly but then a tail wag. That is they key for us, watch the tail. Wagging=ok, not wagging be careful. She has never even growled once when I step over her in the dark at night (she is black) to go to the bathroom while she sleeps outside our bedroom door.

I think the dog has mental issues. After she bit me, badly, and snapped out of her "trance" she acted sorry about what she did, hard to explain but she was.

When I get home from work or up get up from bed she goes crazy with joy. She actually smiles. Loves her belly rubbed. My wife gets her to jump back and forth through a hoop, neat.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

I'm by no means a vet, but it does indeed sound as if the poor girl has neurological issues. If a dog will sleep standing up with its legs crossed, thats not a good sign.

This immediately made me think of a dog on the show "Dog Town." One of the tests this one particular chow underwent at the vet's to determine the degree of brain damage is that the vet crossed her back legs and timed how long it took for her to uncross. Vet wound up having to uncross her himself, poor thing. Is there a vet on the forums? Is there some sort of testing they can do?

Yeah, we love the dog and she loves us. I think she forgets where she is sometimes and gets defensive right away. Once she realizes the danger is over she almost seems to get ashamed of how she acted. Every couple months we get a growl from under the coffee table if we move suddenly but then a tail wag. That is they key for us, watch the tail. Wagging=ok, not wagging be careful. She has never even growled once when I step over her in the dark at night (she is black) to go to the bathroom while she sleeps outside our bedroom door.

I think the dog has mental issues. After she bit me, badly, and snapped out of her "trance" she acted sorry about what she did, hard to explain but she was.

When I get home from work or up get up from bed she goes crazy with joy. She actually smiles. Loves her belly rubbed. My wife gets her to jump back and forth through a hoop, neat.

 

[Psych]

Yep, great dog, until he attacks you as you sleep and you suddenly find out the REAL reason the old owners got rid of him!!!

LOL awesome

Yeah OP, that's one cuuuute pup there, and good on you and your swmbo for taking him in thus far.

 

[JeepDiver]

If the dog has Bloat you may want to read up on it. http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/gastric-volvulus-bloat-dogs-life-threatening-emergency From this article, there are 2 types, the one I am familar with is when the stomach twists, which can kill a dog quickly.

The article says the two may or may not be related, but best to understand the symptoms and have the emergency vet number/address handy. Good for you rescuing the pooch, and best luck

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

That is one cute puppy!! That is a good thing, 'coz cute dogs taste better. Fact!

 

[bb239605]

That is one cute puppy!! That is a good thing, 'coz cute dogs taste better. Fact!

exactly what my friends from the Philippines say

 

[PistolsAtDawn]

I'll bet that dog will be the best you've ever had! I had a beagle mix who lived to be nearly 17! He is still to this day in my thoughts constantly, and he's been gone for over 5 years now.

Seriously? Are you really equating a dog with a human?

That would be ridiculous. Dogs are far superior.

I'd take a dog over a stinking child any day. To hell with the human race. I'd rather save the animals.

Amen, brother! (Present company excluded. Most HBT members seem pretty all right to me. )

I've volunteered for a no-kill pet shelter before. I will never get anything but a rescue dog after seeing how many sweet pups wind up at places like that. It was hard not to take a few of them home.

Both of my girlfriend's dogs were rescue dogs. The English Black Lab, Ethernopian (named after Starvin' Marvin on South Park), is still very skittish around strangers and loud noises. But he's one of the sweetest dogs you'll ever meet. I'd sure like to meet the miserable SOB that abused him and repay him ten fold. I don't know what all he went through (probably for the best), but he and his sister were found nearly starved to death. She was too weak to recover, sadly. He's missing half of his tail.

I just don't understand how a person can abuse or abandon an animal. That just makes that person less-than-human in my eyes. I hope karma catches up with that guy.

 

[SharonaZamboni]

I can kinda see where the abandoner is coming from, though. Lots of "shelters" are just death row. If I felt that was my last best hope, I'd be a wreck the rest of my life with the wondering.
There's no way I'd give up a pup found with that note attached! Maybe OP could put an ad in the local paper or something that lets the previous owners know the dog has found a good home. Or the vet's office could forward the message.

 

[PistolsAtDawn]

Sorry, but I CANNOT see where the adandoner is coming from, and I don't know how you can even sorta understand. There's no excuse to just dump an animal. Dogs have been bread to depend on humans. You can't just expect a dog to survive on their own.

To make matters worse, they obviously found out the dog needed medical care, and then they dumped him after that. THAT is far worse than any shelter they could have driven him to. Had Rivenin's girlfriend (or anyone else) not found him and taken him in, it's very likely he'd be dead already from dehydration or worse. A quick, painless death at an animal shelter is far more humane than what they condemned him to by simply abandoning him.

There are plenty of things they could have done differently, but they chose a loathsome option.

 

[Beer-lord]

Just to be an ass, I have to say my piece about our adorable chocolate lab (who is a good dog). Came home from work 2 days ago, unlocked the door and immediately smelled ****. I meant ****!
The dog, 4 years old, has never, ever messed our house,even when a pup. He must have been really sick.
Craped all over the throw rug (not the worse place for it) and puked there too. He was scared I was gonna beat his butt but I just took him outside and left the mess for the wife to pick up. Seriously, she wanted the dog. I like it but don't need the extra trouble so she got to cleanup.
Told you I was an ass!

 

[david_42]

One of my pet peeves is people dropping there animals off out in the country because they do not want to pay animal control or drive to a pet clinic thing.

When I was an undergrad back in the '70s, people would "let their dogs go free" (Rural, upstate N.Y. ). Always at the end of the Spring term. Some dogs would survive, despite the winter weather and form packs. Attacking pets, children, farm animals. The county finally declared open season on unlicensed dogs outside the city limits.

Good looking dog, OP. Sounds like his medical problems are controllable.

 

[SharonaZamboni]

Hey Beer-lord
You're exactly what a pet needs. Understand that there was a problem and act accordingly. HWMC kicked(or something) our 5 year old cat for messing in the house. Now she's petrified. Yowls when he's here, and has just begun to spend time as usual when he's not.
There's a zillion opinions about surrendering pets, and that's the last thing I'd do myself. I'm just trying to be optimistic and keep from crying about poor Buddy's circumstances.

 

[maffewl]

cute puppy!

Everyone needs a brew hound...... Come on..... Keep him

this!

 

[CreamyGoodness]

I told SWMBO last night this story. Unlike myself, she felt no mercy for the couple that surrendered buddy in this fashion. "If you have a pet or a child you can't stop trying until you have either taken care of them or found someone who can."

I think she's right, when she puts it like that.