Saturday, July 24, 2010
Restless...
I keep pacing back and forth, hoping that I finally got the right dog breed. Hoping that I can find the right dog. A good dog, a healthy dog. Why is getting a dog, no matter how good the breeding, like playing a game of Russian Roulette?
Which Breed is THE Breed?
Today was fun. No second thoughts on that one. The only thing not fun about it was the heat (which was an extremely humid 94 degrees), and the sunburn. I still haven't learned the lesson about sunscreen lotion. Maybe next year?
Today we went to the confirmation/obedience/rally show in Medina, Ohio. There was every breed and flavor of dog that you could imagine. There were fluffy Pomeranians to massive Cane Corsos. Amoung all those dogs, was a Leonberger.
Let me tell you about the Leonberger; soft, sweet, politely mannered, yet curious to see that is going on, the two that were there were large, and in your face polite. One was a female seven month old puppy. She was easily the size of Sere, if not larger. The male was tall. Gorgeous and tall, probably around 160lbs. The owner and the breeder were both there on hand to talk about the breed. When I asked her about the energy level she informed us that they were probably a little more active then the berner, but not much more so. Another question that I asked her was what health questions to ask breeders that we might think of getting puppies from. She said to make sure they had their hips, and elbows checked, but to also make sure that they had thyroid, and a new test neuro-something. It is a new test that was released this month, to check for a neural problem that Leos seem to be prone to. Ugh, wish I could remember the name of the test!
The next breed that we went to go meet was the Great Dane. The breeder/owner/handler that we talked to owned a number of danes. With her today was a nine month old harlequin male. She said she knew that he would not win today due to being so skinny, and not having his width, so she had not concerned herself with doing a full doll up on him. Still he was so sweet! Great Danes are still in the running for maybe a later breed. For now though, I want a dog that I can do activities with that won't endanger the house! He was TALL! He reminded me of our Irish Wolfhounds. His tail wasn't quite as powerful, but it was still a viable weapon. I regret I didn't really get to talk much about health with her. She had her mind focused on the dog and the heat.
Part of the reason why we went was to look over the Golden Retriever. They were the last dogs to show in ring one. While they were lining up a woman sat down below us on the bleachers (which no one else was on due to them being in the sun, and the light they were reflecting back), each dog that went past she would make a comment about under her breath. Thomas and I had not had a chance to talk to any of the Golden's people, so thinking it a great opportunity I asked if she owned a Golden. She turned around and looked at me, and after brief smiled answered in the negative.
"I used to own and show them ten years ago. Now I can't even stand the thought of one in the house. I have been a dog trainer for thirty two years, and now just the sight of them upsets me."
Understandably Thomas I started to get into a discussion with her. She warned us off the goldens due to their health problems, behavior problems, and aggression problems. She now owns Irish Setters. When we told her we had a Bernese Mountain Dog she shook her head,"Great dogs, short life. Another breed with to many health problems." Well, we agreed with her on that assessment! However, we love Sere!
Once we got home, we went over the breeds that we had seen, and a few others that hadn't been on the list before. We assessed our feeling about each breed, and our information. Then we decided. The next dog is going to be a leonberger or a bernese. If we have to wait a while we will. We want a breed that will fit our home, and our lifestyle.
Of course, ironies abound in life. Thomas looked up bernese mountain dog in the akc listings once more, as we had every day this past two weeks, and there was a litter listed with two girls and four boys for $600-800. When I called the number I found out the history of the dogs. Turns out that both the mother and the father are over six years old. They were rescued from a puppy mill. The rescuers took them to their local vet, and discovered that not only were the dogs malnourished, but that they both had heart worm, and oh yes, the female was pregnant! So they spent $600 for the medication to clean up the male's health, but they couldn't do any thing for the female. They still need to get her heart worms taken care of once the pups are old enough to leave mom, and are going to spay mom. So the puppies are both a blessing and a curse. The pups are paying for mom and dad's treatments.
Does anyone see the humor and the irony in this? I am looking at still rescuing puppy mill dogs. This time though it is from a kind family that saved them of their own accord and simply want safe loving homes for the dogs. They are not making me feel a monster for not spaying my dog, when the doc told me not to.
We are going to go look at the pups tomorrow and see if their is indeed one that we want to bring home.
Today we went to the confirmation/obedience/rally show in Medina, Ohio. There was every breed and flavor of dog that you could imagine. There were fluffy Pomeranians to massive Cane Corsos. Amoung all those dogs, was a Leonberger.
Let me tell you about the Leonberger; soft, sweet, politely mannered, yet curious to see that is going on, the two that were there were large, and in your face polite. One was a female seven month old puppy. She was easily the size of Sere, if not larger. The male was tall. Gorgeous and tall, probably around 160lbs. The owner and the breeder were both there on hand to talk about the breed. When I asked her about the energy level she informed us that they were probably a little more active then the berner, but not much more so. Another question that I asked her was what health questions to ask breeders that we might think of getting puppies from. She said to make sure they had their hips, and elbows checked, but to also make sure that they had thyroid, and a new test neuro-something. It is a new test that was released this month, to check for a neural problem that Leos seem to be prone to. Ugh, wish I could remember the name of the test!
The next breed that we went to go meet was the Great Dane. The breeder/owner/handler that we talked to owned a number of danes. With her today was a nine month old harlequin male. She said she knew that he would not win today due to being so skinny, and not having his width, so she had not concerned herself with doing a full doll up on him. Still he was so sweet! Great Danes are still in the running for maybe a later breed. For now though, I want a dog that I can do activities with that won't endanger the house! He was TALL! He reminded me of our Irish Wolfhounds. His tail wasn't quite as powerful, but it was still a viable weapon. I regret I didn't really get to talk much about health with her. She had her mind focused on the dog and the heat.
Part of the reason why we went was to look over the Golden Retriever. They were the last dogs to show in ring one. While they were lining up a woman sat down below us on the bleachers (which no one else was on due to them being in the sun, and the light they were reflecting back), each dog that went past she would make a comment about under her breath. Thomas and I had not had a chance to talk to any of the Golden's people, so thinking it a great opportunity I asked if she owned a Golden. She turned around and looked at me, and after brief smiled answered in the negative.
"I used to own and show them ten years ago. Now I can't even stand the thought of one in the house. I have been a dog trainer for thirty two years, and now just the sight of them upsets me."
Understandably Thomas I started to get into a discussion with her. She warned us off the goldens due to their health problems, behavior problems, and aggression problems. She now owns Irish Setters. When we told her we had a Bernese Mountain Dog she shook her head,"Great dogs, short life. Another breed with to many health problems." Well, we agreed with her on that assessment! However, we love Sere!
Once we got home, we went over the breeds that we had seen, and a few others that hadn't been on the list before. We assessed our feeling about each breed, and our information. Then we decided. The next dog is going to be a leonberger or a bernese. If we have to wait a while we will. We want a breed that will fit our home, and our lifestyle.
Of course, ironies abound in life. Thomas looked up bernese mountain dog in the akc listings once more, as we had every day this past two weeks, and there was a litter listed with two girls and four boys for $600-800. When I called the number I found out the history of the dogs. Turns out that both the mother and the father are over six years old. They were rescued from a puppy mill. The rescuers took them to their local vet, and discovered that not only were the dogs malnourished, but that they both had heart worm, and oh yes, the female was pregnant! So they spent $600 for the medication to clean up the male's health, but they couldn't do any thing for the female. They still need to get her heart worms taken care of once the pups are old enough to leave mom, and are going to spay mom. So the puppies are both a blessing and a curse. The pups are paying for mom and dad's treatments.
Does anyone see the humor and the irony in this? I am looking at still rescuing puppy mill dogs. This time though it is from a kind family that saved them of their own accord and simply want safe loving homes for the dogs. They are not making me feel a monster for not spaying my dog, when the doc told me not to.
We are going to go look at the pups tomorrow and see if their is indeed one that we want to bring home.
Friday, July 23, 2010
I WANT!!
So...
The vet called. He informed me (through his receptionist), that the best thing I could do if I still wanted to pursue the adoption venue was to get the pathology report from the OTHER vet (the one who had done the test), and that he would write a letter stating that Sere could ABSOLUTELY NOT be spay due to endangerment of life. Somehow I doubt that even that would phase the rescue. I sent the medical records to the breeder. Frankly, my vet, her vet, myself, and herself, are the only ones who need to know what that report says in whole and total. Ethically I hope she informed all her customers about Sere having cancer, and did not breed those two lines again.
So...
Talked to mom finally, and told her what was going on with the whole puppy situation. That basically we were, now, looking to simply purchase a dog. When I mentioned to her that the dog was going to be a learning dog, she suggest that I not go with an extra large breed, and instead look for one that was medium to large. Needless to say I was at first hurt. The idea of training with a dog that was not large...well...lets just say, something that required some new thinking. I have grown up with the larger breeds. I love the larger breeds!
However, mom had a point.
So the husband came home, and I told him about the conversation. He was came in aching from playing 18 holes of golf. If you know him, you know that he is not the most physically active of people. It was also the hottest day of the year so far. He hurt, and he was sapped from the heat. Still, he listened to me, and my concerns and worries. Finally he picked up one of the many dog books around the bed and paged though it, and casually asked, "So, how about a golden retriever?"
"Huh?"
"Great at obedience, and good family dog."
"Huh."
"They are fluffy."
"Hrm..."
"Go look them up."
Researched them, and as it turns out, many people compare the Bernese attitude similar to the Golden's. The puppies are cute. Oh my, oh my are they CUTE! I almost called up one breeder right on the spot to demand a pup, but the Husband asked me to wait until after we have gone to the dog show tomorrow and talked to folk about other breeds. Once more, he makes a good point.
God Bless him, I think I would have gone insane by now with all this mixed up business. Sere was SO much easier a purchase!
The vet called. He informed me (through his receptionist), that the best thing I could do if I still wanted to pursue the adoption venue was to get the pathology report from the OTHER vet (the one who had done the test), and that he would write a letter stating that Sere could ABSOLUTELY NOT be spay due to endangerment of life. Somehow I doubt that even that would phase the rescue. I sent the medical records to the breeder. Frankly, my vet, her vet, myself, and herself, are the only ones who need to know what that report says in whole and total. Ethically I hope she informed all her customers about Sere having cancer, and did not breed those two lines again.
So...
Talked to mom finally, and told her what was going on with the whole puppy situation. That basically we were, now, looking to simply purchase a dog. When I mentioned to her that the dog was going to be a learning dog, she suggest that I not go with an extra large breed, and instead look for one that was medium to large. Needless to say I was at first hurt. The idea of training with a dog that was not large...well...lets just say, something that required some new thinking. I have grown up with the larger breeds. I love the larger breeds!
However, mom had a point.
So the husband came home, and I told him about the conversation. He was came in aching from playing 18 holes of golf. If you know him, you know that he is not the most physically active of people. It was also the hottest day of the year so far. He hurt, and he was sapped from the heat. Still, he listened to me, and my concerns and worries. Finally he picked up one of the many dog books around the bed and paged though it, and casually asked, "So, how about a golden retriever?"
"Huh?"
"Great at obedience, and good family dog."
"Huh."
"They are fluffy."
"Hrm..."
"Go look them up."
Researched them, and as it turns out, many people compare the Bernese attitude similar to the Golden's. The puppies are cute. Oh my, oh my are they CUTE! I almost called up one breeder right on the spot to demand a pup, but the Husband asked me to wait until after we have gone to the dog show tomorrow and talked to folk about other breeds. Once more, he makes a good point.
God Bless him, I think I would have gone insane by now with all this mixed up business. Sere was SO much easier a purchase!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Keep Those Wheels Turning!
So, fast update. The pup that I fell in love with that was put up yesterday for adoption on Petfinder.com, is already gone (she was at Stark County Animal Shelter). Someone must have been flipping though pages at about the same time I was last night. I hope she gets a good home. I feel better knowing she is safe though. Still, that morbid part of me still wants to take an hour long drive down and do the puppy test on her.
I called the vet's office. The Doctor B was not in today. Instead the receptionist told me that she will have him call me back sometime tomorrow afternoon. When I told her about the trouble, she informed me that it was the norm for a rescue to make it hard to adopt a dog. It is actually a common practice, according to her.
Rec: "...which is a shame. So many dogs need homes, and they make it impossible for the majority of people."
So, I am most likely not going to be getting a rescue dog. All because the dog that I chose to keep close to my heart has cancer, and I chose to take the doctor's advice and not spay her.
I think instead I am going to ask the vets office to keep an ear out for anyone with a large litter of pups, of large dogs, and see if I might like one of those.
In the mean time, we will work on the fence. Since we will be acquiring a puppy eventually (I hope)!
I called the vet's office. The Doctor B was not in today. Instead the receptionist told me that she will have him call me back sometime tomorrow afternoon. When I told her about the trouble, she informed me that it was the norm for a rescue to make it hard to adopt a dog. It is actually a common practice, according to her.
Rec: "...which is a shame. So many dogs need homes, and they make it impossible for the majority of people."
So, I am most likely not going to be getting a rescue dog. All because the dog that I chose to keep close to my heart has cancer, and I chose to take the doctor's advice and not spay her.
I think instead I am going to ask the vets office to keep an ear out for anyone with a large litter of pups, of large dogs, and see if I might like one of those.
In the mean time, we will work on the fence. Since we will be acquiring a puppy eventually (I hope)!
Sleep!!
So, I have been up all night mulling over my conversation with VB. Part of me is outraged at being called a liar. That is the only way I can interpret what she meant by her many demands. The other part of me does understand. After all, those puppies are in her care. Her duty is to find the best home for them.
We are a damn good home, if I might say so.
Soo, I got onto the AKC website, and researched mixed breeds. Perhaps the way to go is a shelter dog. Part of me is leery about a shelter dog, but millions are adopted each year that AREN'T problematic...right?
There is one girl that has caught my eye. She looks like a mastiff/shepherd mix. She doesn't have an organization backing her. She looks like she will be large, she looks like she has the soft mastiff fur, and the pointed muzzle of a shepherd (no drool!). I dunno. I will go talk to my vet, and maybe do a trip down to Canton later today. First though, I need to get about five hours of sleep!
We are a damn good home, if I might say so.
Soo, I got onto the AKC website, and researched mixed breeds. Perhaps the way to go is a shelter dog. Part of me is leery about a shelter dog, but millions are adopted each year that AREN'T problematic...right?
There is one girl that has caught my eye. She looks like a mastiff/shepherd mix. She doesn't have an organization backing her. She looks like she will be large, she looks like she has the soft mastiff fur, and the pointed muzzle of a shepherd (no drool!). I dunno. I will go talk to my vet, and maybe do a trip down to Canton later today. First though, I need to get about five hours of sleep!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Once More, the Foot goes INTO the Mouth...
Sooo, been emailing VB back and forth. Thought it was a good idea to start the next ball rolling on the the acquiring of a puppy, by giving her my vet information. This way I figure she will see that I am indeed a responsible pet owner, and do indeed take my animals in to get treated. While I was typing the email up, I thought it best (since the vet practice warned me that it would be asked) to inform her that Serenade is NOT spayed due to having been diagnosed with cancer when she was a puppy.
VB: What is wrong with her health that she cannot be spayed? It is a relatively minor, routine surgery
I then explained to her everything that I can remember happening the past three years ago with Sere, and her diagnosis
GST: The first tumor appeared on her elbow (on her front leg) just after thanksgiving. We took her into the vet, they ran the test and came back with cancer...About that time the second tumor showed up behind her other elbow.
Hrm, thought that would be enough of an explanation. Instead I got this fired right back at me:
VB: What type of cancer did your puppy have at 7 mos old? Wow, how terrible! That would be verrry rare!
Where? What type? Confirmed by pathology?
I assume you did you notified the breeder? What did he/she say? did you put her data into in BernerGarde so the owners of her relatives would all know?
Now please don't take me wrong here, I have poured over the Bernese Mountain Club Dogs official website, but BernerGarde, well I always assumed it had to do with other medical problems of the breed. I had read about it, looked at it, and put it aside as something that was not helpful to me in the immediate future since I had no plans to breed Sere. I did not realize that I could even COMMUNICATE with BernerGarde considering I am not a part of any Berner club. I don't show my dog, she is my pet, a companion. Not wanting to sound totally stupid and clueless I informed VB:
GST: As for contacting BernerGarde, ummm...I can do that even though I am not a member of any Berner club? They would probably want specifics, which I don't have much of.
As for the "...which I don't have much of," this is the truth. I had a lab test done. I was informed my dog had cancer. I was told to go see a specialist who wanted $800 per visit. We could not afford $800 for one doctors visit, we would balk on that for ourselves, let alone for a dog! So, we took her to see our current vet, who told us we could do loads more testing, could have the tumors removed for $3k, and do kemo for $10k. Or, we could let nature take its course. Why do more testing when you sit down and decide to let nature run its course? WHY?! Sere will tell us when it is her time. We made that agreement with each other. All in all we have been blessed.
Now though, I feel small that I didn't go off on a grand crusade to find out what was wrong with my dog. Course, I feel even worse because I can't find the lab work. Heh, I was so angry I think I might have just pitched it all.
VB: BernerGarde could not possibly care less if you are a member of any regional BMD club.
Well, now I know that...should I inform them about Sere? I don't have any real specifics though on her lab work (that I recall). Ugh, my gut is getting upset.
Well, I wanted a learning experience. Now the joy tastes like ash. Gee this was fun. Probably won't be getting a puppy anytime soon.
Ah, and on the comment about spaying being a minor surgery; any time anesthesia is used on a large breed dog it is NOT minor. Spaying is NOT minor, it is a major surgery that you want to make sure is performed by a knowledgeable vet.
Well, guess I find out tomorrow or later this week if my emails will be ignored, or if I will be informed that I am not material fit to be an adoptive parent. Is adopting a dog normally this difficult?
VB: What is wrong with her health that she cannot be spayed? It is a relatively minor, routine surgery
I then explained to her everything that I can remember happening the past three years ago with Sere, and her diagnosis
GST: The first tumor appeared on her elbow (on her front leg) just after thanksgiving. We took her into the vet, they ran the test and came back with cancer...About that time the second tumor showed up behind her other elbow.
Hrm, thought that would be enough of an explanation. Instead I got this fired right back at me:
VB: What type of cancer did your puppy have at 7 mos old? Wow, how terrible! That would be verrry rare!
Where? What type? Confirmed by pathology?
I assume you did you notified the breeder? What did he/she say? did you put her data into in BernerGarde so the owners of her relatives would all know?
Now please don't take me wrong here, I have poured over the Bernese Mountain Club Dogs official website, but BernerGarde, well I always assumed it had to do with other medical problems of the breed. I had read about it, looked at it, and put it aside as something that was not helpful to me in the immediate future since I had no plans to breed Sere. I did not realize that I could even COMMUNICATE with BernerGarde considering I am not a part of any Berner club. I don't show my dog, she is my pet, a companion. Not wanting to sound totally stupid and clueless I informed VB:
GST: As for contacting BernerGarde, ummm...I can do that even though I am not a member of any Berner club? They would probably want specifics, which I don't have much of.
As for the "...which I don't have much of," this is the truth. I had a lab test done. I was informed my dog had cancer. I was told to go see a specialist who wanted $800 per visit. We could not afford $800 for one doctors visit, we would balk on that for ourselves, let alone for a dog! So, we took her to see our current vet, who told us we could do loads more testing, could have the tumors removed for $3k, and do kemo for $10k. Or, we could let nature take its course. Why do more testing when you sit down and decide to let nature run its course? WHY?! Sere will tell us when it is her time. We made that agreement with each other. All in all we have been blessed.
Now though, I feel small that I didn't go off on a grand crusade to find out what was wrong with my dog. Course, I feel even worse because I can't find the lab work. Heh, I was so angry I think I might have just pitched it all.
VB: BernerGarde could not possibly care less if you are a member of any regional BMD club.
Well, now I know that...should I inform them about Sere? I don't have any real specifics though on her lab work (that I recall). Ugh, my gut is getting upset.
Well, I wanted a learning experience. Now the joy tastes like ash. Gee this was fun. Probably won't be getting a puppy anytime soon.
Ah, and on the comment about spaying being a minor surgery; any time anesthesia is used on a large breed dog it is NOT minor. Spaying is NOT minor, it is a major surgery that you want to make sure is performed by a knowledgeable vet.
Well, guess I find out tomorrow or later this week if my emails will be ignored, or if I will be informed that I am not material fit to be an adoptive parent. Is adopting a dog normally this difficult?
...and the Flags are Up!
So, I was actually awake at 8:00 this morning. A big shock to those who know me, I know. However it was due to Sere awakening me at her normal time (the normal goosing wake up call), to take her out. Well I did my normal roll out of bed, and realized that the husband, who declared the night before that he was going to work from home, was in the shower. Not good. Why not good? We only have one bathroom. Figure that one out.
So after running Sere out, I got to sit for a half hour trying to divert the mind from other necessaries. While I was doing this I happened to look out the box window, and noticed an SUV parking in street. The gentleman got out, put cones around the white SUV, and proceeded to put little flags up all around our front yard. He then disappeared into the back (where I had indicated that we would be digging), came back around to the front, got in his SUV, and drove off.
By this time the husband was out of the shower (WOOT!), I used the facilities, and decided to take a look in the back. There is precisely one, yes ONE flag back there, sitting right at the bottom of the deck steps. It, unlike the others in the front that read GAS or ELECTRIC says one pretty simple word: CLEAR.
I think we are ready to start figuring out where to put that fence.
So after running Sere out, I got to sit for a half hour trying to divert the mind from other necessaries. While I was doing this I happened to look out the box window, and noticed an SUV parking in street. The gentleman got out, put cones around the white SUV, and proceeded to put little flags up all around our front yard. He then disappeared into the back (where I had indicated that we would be digging), came back around to the front, got in his SUV, and drove off.
By this time the husband was out of the shower (WOOT!), I used the facilities, and decided to take a look in the back. There is precisely one, yes ONE flag back there, sitting right at the bottom of the deck steps. It, unlike the others in the front that read GAS or ELECTRIC says one pretty simple word: CLEAR.
I think we are ready to start figuring out where to put that fence.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
I put the OOPS in OUPS
Well yesterday I went out to mow the lawn so that when Ohio Utilities Protection Services sends out the various utility companies they would not have to wade through 3 foot long grass. Well the joke was on me...or should I say on the lawn mower?
I was careful to pick the blades up when I was running over really rough terrain. Really I was! Apparently not careful enough. Halfway though mowing the back I put the blade down after going through a particular rough patch. The mower stopped. No idling, it just stopped. Ohkay, maybe something is jammed? Move the mower forward and back and try again! Put the blades down, and STOP. Hrm. This is not right. Move the mower up to the garage, maybe it is running out of gas? Nope gas is good. Alright, lets try putting the blades down on a flat surface. SMOKE!!!
Well, long story short, after I huffed and puffed and decided that the repair place had put the belt on wrong, I called them and told them to come out and get the mower. They said it to be the carborator. I told them I didn't think so. However I was open to whatever idea would get the damn thing working again.
When the gentleman came out to pick up our little red tractor, today, he said he wanted to get it onto the trailer and see what it looked like underneath. Sure, I was curious too! Lets cut it to this summary. The reason why the mower is no longer working is due to operator error. That's right! Somewhere along the way I apparently decided to pick up a hijacker in the form of a 3 inch log. Yea!! There goes more money!!
We couldn't get the damn thing OFF the blades, so once more, for two weeks we are without a mower. Why do we have mower problems every summer?!!
I was careful to pick the blades up when I was running over really rough terrain. Really I was! Apparently not careful enough. Halfway though mowing the back I put the blade down after going through a particular rough patch. The mower stopped. No idling, it just stopped. Ohkay, maybe something is jammed? Move the mower forward and back and try again! Put the blades down, and STOP. Hrm. This is not right. Move the mower up to the garage, maybe it is running out of gas? Nope gas is good. Alright, lets try putting the blades down on a flat surface. SMOKE!!!
Well, long story short, after I huffed and puffed and decided that the repair place had put the belt on wrong, I called them and told them to come out and get the mower. They said it to be the carborator. I told them I didn't think so. However I was open to whatever idea would get the damn thing working again.
When the gentleman came out to pick up our little red tractor, today, he said he wanted to get it onto the trailer and see what it looked like underneath. Sure, I was curious too! Lets cut it to this summary. The reason why the mower is no longer working is due to operator error. That's right! Somewhere along the way I apparently decided to pick up a hijacker in the form of a 3 inch log. Yea!! There goes more money!!
We couldn't get the damn thing OFF the blades, so once more, for two weeks we are without a mower. Why do we have mower problems every summer?!!
Monday, July 19, 2010
What do I want
It all started on Thursday when my husband called me and told me to look at the link that he had sent to my email. I did, and there were puppies. Adorable, fluffy, intent, Leonbergers to be precise. There is perhaps no word in the English dictionary to describe how cute those puppies were, and frankly I don't have the time to research them in the thesaurus. Just take my word for it, they were tooth achingly cute.
For the past year my husband and I have discussed adding another dog to our household. Since our current Berner is four years old, and has successfully battled a cancer that has lead to her on and off again health, it has been a raging debate on whether it would be fair to her. However, these past two months we have noticed that Serenade is now starting to stand up more slowly, and is calculating whether or not getting up to is up to her best interest. With this slow decline in health, it became obvious that we would eventually have to get a new dog.
Still, the shock of my husband being the one to initiate the dog search was rather startling. After I got over the shock of the pictures, I shot off a texted and asked him, "Why? Why are you showing me pictures of puppies now?" After the normal delay that one expects from a text the reply back surprised me. He wanted me to learn. For the past few years I have been trying to figure out the AKC, dog competitions, and hit this beautiful glass wall. I can see all the things going on, on the other side of course. I have not been able to find the door. He decided it was time I found the door. Thus puppies were being sent to me, link after link. The Leonberger was a breed that we had discussed for the past three years (they were admitted into the AKC officially this past June), the Great Dane was another breed that we had discussed many times, but were never able to speak to the three breeders that family friends and co-workers had recommended. Looking at all the puppies out there, I did want to run my fingers through them, and introduce myself to them, but the majority of me kept turning my chair and looking at my gorgeous Bernese Mountain Dog. I wanted a Bernese Mountain Dog.
For the past year and a half I have casually paged through Petfinder.com, seeing if there were any Berners out there that needed homes. Over and over again one particular rescue group came up with Berners that they have saved from puppy mills. These dogs have been used as breeders or are puppies that have been taken due to over crowding and poor care. They have also taken in rescues that were dumped at shelters. Not only does this rescue go out and place these dogs in good homes, they continue one with training.
One particular bitch was posted that look like she would be perfect for our family. She and her brother (both a year old) had been dumped in a shelter over the Fourth of July weekend. I have never 'adopted' a dog before. I have only talked to breeders, and purchased Serenade. My mom when she obtained the Irish Wolfhounds that we grew up with talked to the breeders and would sometimes drive hundreds of miles to pick up one of the three dogs that I grew up with. So the idea of 'adopting' is not something I am familiar with. I first called the organization, and then sent them an email as well. Then sat back and bit my fingernails for the rest of the weekend.
When I finally got the first email from a person in the organization, it was to inform me that the pretty girl that I had wanted to meet (to see if she was compatible with Sere) had already been placed. There was good news though, or sad news, depending on how you want to look at it; the organization had just rescued three twelve week old female berners from a puppy mill.
After thinking about it, mulling it over, and discussing it, we decided that perhaps the puppy would be better to obtain then an older dog. Sere would perhaps adjust better with a younger dog. We know she is going to be assertive, and yes, jealous, when the new dog arrives. Obtaining a puppy instead of an adolescent might make pack adjustments more simple. On that I suppose we shall see. So, we contacted the organization and told them that we would are interested. I also informed my contact (VB) that I would like to learn carting, and other canine sports. She has agreed to mentor me. I was and am so ecstatic!
So, we come to today. Today was a busy day. In order to obtain the pup we must have a fence. Yes, a fence. We had always meant to get a fence when Sere joined our family, but when we discovered that with her illness if she exercised to much she would be severely sick for the next three day, we learned to keep her exercise time short (short walk, short play-nothing overly strenuous), when she was younger she didn't know when to stop. Now that she is older she can give us a look and will just stop and we will sit and let her rest. The fence therefore never became a large priority. Now it has become one.
I have so far called the city and obtained an application for permit to install a fence ($40.00-and an inspection once it is put up), called the Ohio Utilities Protection Agency, to ask that they send out the proper people before we start digging fence posts and hitting gas wells, and been trying to figure out where we want to install this darn contraption! On that front we will have to wait until the father-in-law returns from his out of town trip to offer up his advice.
For the past year my husband and I have discussed adding another dog to our household. Since our current Berner is four years old, and has successfully battled a cancer that has lead to her on and off again health, it has been a raging debate on whether it would be fair to her. However, these past two months we have noticed that Serenade is now starting to stand up more slowly, and is calculating whether or not getting up to is up to her best interest. With this slow decline in health, it became obvious that we would eventually have to get a new dog.
Still, the shock of my husband being the one to initiate the dog search was rather startling. After I got over the shock of the pictures, I shot off a texted and asked him, "Why? Why are you showing me pictures of puppies now?" After the normal delay that one expects from a text the reply back surprised me. He wanted me to learn. For the past few years I have been trying to figure out the AKC, dog competitions, and hit this beautiful glass wall. I can see all the things going on, on the other side of course. I have not been able to find the door. He decided it was time I found the door. Thus puppies were being sent to me, link after link. The Leonberger was a breed that we had discussed for the past three years (they were admitted into the AKC officially this past June), the Great Dane was another breed that we had discussed many times, but were never able to speak to the three breeders that family friends and co-workers had recommended. Looking at all the puppies out there, I did want to run my fingers through them, and introduce myself to them, but the majority of me kept turning my chair and looking at my gorgeous Bernese Mountain Dog. I wanted a Bernese Mountain Dog.
For the past year and a half I have casually paged through Petfinder.com, seeing if there were any Berners out there that needed homes. Over and over again one particular rescue group came up with Berners that they have saved from puppy mills. These dogs have been used as breeders or are puppies that have been taken due to over crowding and poor care. They have also taken in rescues that were dumped at shelters. Not only does this rescue go out and place these dogs in good homes, they continue one with training.
One particular bitch was posted that look like she would be perfect for our family. She and her brother (both a year old) had been dumped in a shelter over the Fourth of July weekend. I have never 'adopted' a dog before. I have only talked to breeders, and purchased Serenade. My mom when she obtained the Irish Wolfhounds that we grew up with talked to the breeders and would sometimes drive hundreds of miles to pick up one of the three dogs that I grew up with. So the idea of 'adopting' is not something I am familiar with. I first called the organization, and then sent them an email as well. Then sat back and bit my fingernails for the rest of the weekend.
When I finally got the first email from a person in the organization, it was to inform me that the pretty girl that I had wanted to meet (to see if she was compatible with Sere) had already been placed. There was good news though, or sad news, depending on how you want to look at it; the organization had just rescued three twelve week old female berners from a puppy mill.
After thinking about it, mulling it over, and discussing it, we decided that perhaps the puppy would be better to obtain then an older dog. Sere would perhaps adjust better with a younger dog. We know she is going to be assertive, and yes, jealous, when the new dog arrives. Obtaining a puppy instead of an adolescent might make pack adjustments more simple. On that I suppose we shall see. So, we contacted the organization and told them that we would are interested. I also informed my contact (VB) that I would like to learn carting, and other canine sports. She has agreed to mentor me. I was and am so ecstatic!
So, we come to today. Today was a busy day. In order to obtain the pup we must have a fence. Yes, a fence. We had always meant to get a fence when Sere joined our family, but when we discovered that with her illness if she exercised to much she would be severely sick for the next three day, we learned to keep her exercise time short (short walk, short play-nothing overly strenuous), when she was younger she didn't know when to stop. Now that she is older she can give us a look and will just stop and we will sit and let her rest. The fence therefore never became a large priority. Now it has become one.
I have so far called the city and obtained an application for permit to install a fence ($40.00-and an inspection once it is put up), called the Ohio Utilities Protection Agency, to ask that they send out the proper people before we start digging fence posts and hitting gas wells, and been trying to figure out where we want to install this darn contraption! On that front we will have to wait until the father-in-law returns from his out of town trip to offer up his advice.
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