Puppies!

I saw a post come through on the freecycle list for 4 male Boxer mix puppies. I got in touch with the people and made arrangements to pick them up on Saturday. I thought about stopping there on my way into town, but I went to town first and stopped there on the way home. As I was walking in, a pair of women were walking out with one of the pups, a fawn brindle and white fellow. If I'd stopped on my way into town instead of on the way home, I'd have gotten all 4. But I talked to the women about getting their new pup neutered, gave them info about the low-cost spay/neuter clinic, offered to drive him down there when I go, and gave them my card so they could contact me if they changed their minds about keeping him or had any trouble getting him settled in.

Here are the three boys I picked up:

Bentley

Brando

Duncan

The mom is a Boxer mix, they said with Beagle and Bassett, but nobody's got short legs and I don't see any Bassett influence. Beagle maybe, though. The dad is a small fawn Boxer mix, he looks almost purebred. There has to have been another dad, though, because both Duncan and Brando have soft, feathery coats. Maybe setter? Both adults have gentle, calm temperaments, that bodes well for the adult temperament of the pups. I talked to the owners of the mama dog about getting her spayed, and they're going to let me take her to the s/n clinic the next time I go.

Donovan, the cute little Shih Tzu boy is going to his new home this afternoon. I'm glad he's going - he just needs more attention and lap time than he was getting here - and I'm sure he'll be glad to be in a quieter environment where he can get more snuggles.

We had an incident this last week. Rudy, the 10-year old Rat Terrier mix, has always been a little crosspatch. He's just not a happy guy, and he's quite dominant. His previous owners probably let him do whatever he wanted, I doubt they told him 'no' very often. I pulled him from the pound the end of October, on impulse. I'd gone in to get Beanie the Beagle/Dachshund mix, and Rudy was in the next kennel run, skinny, dull-coated, and looking thoroughly miserable. When I found out he was already neutered and up-to-date on his rabies vaccine and would only cost me $20 to pull, I thought, "how can I leave him here? Poor little guy." So Rudy came home that day too.

The "miserable" look I saw at the pound has never left his face. He threatened to bite me on a regular basis and I knew he meant it, so I didn't push him. I didn't think he'd do more than nip, though, so I hoped to find him a nice quiet home with an indulgent senior citizen, where he could live out the rest of his life without being a threat to anyone. Earlier this past week, he refused to go outside with the little dogs. Instead, he stood in the kitchen and, looking me straight in the eye, peed on the floor. I scooped him up and went to put him in a crate, and he turned into Cujo, biting furiously and viciously. He nailed me in the heel of my hand, a deep tearing puncture, and he'd have gotten me several more times if I didn't have really good reflexes. That makes him not placeable, and I won't live with a dog that'll bite me like that. So he's halfway through a 10-day rabies hold, and later this week he'll be euthanized.

(Rudy must have had some nasty bacteria in his mouth, because even though I started Keflex immediately after he bit me my hand got infected. $120 for a doctor's office visit and a stronger antibiotic (Augmentin), and many hours of soaking my hand later, I'm healing. Still sore, but not infected any more.)

I've been bitten by one of my own dogs, but it was an accident - I was trying to break up a disagreement and he was aiming for another dog, not for me. He has a tendency toward redirected aggression - if he can't get to the dog he's ticked at, he'll turn around and go for whichever dog is closest to him. He rarely actually bites the other dog, it's mostly just noise, but if a human was between him and his target, they could get bitten. And that's why he's mine - 98% of the time he's a sweet, silly boy, I love him, and I'm willing to take the chance he'll bite me again, but he's not safe to place. If he - or any of my personal dogs - ever deliberately bit me with the intent and intensity with which Rudy bit me, we'd be on our way to the vet as soon as I could find my car keys. It would break my heart, but I'd do it.

I hate having to euthanize dogs, it's the hardest part of doing responsible rescue, but sometimes it has to be done. I firmly believe the public is entitled to safe dogs, and we won't accept owner surrenders with a bite history, and I won't pull dogs from the shelter that fail my temperament test. (I didn't temp test Rudy (though I doubt he'd have exhibited aggression at the pound, he was pretty cowed), I acted on emotional impulse. I should know by now that never turns out good.) Once a dog is in the program, if I discover s/he's not safe to place, I'll euthanize. At least Rudy has had 4 months of good food (he's gained a couple of pounds, his coat is glossy, and he's healthy), and he got a second chance. There's nothing else I can do for him, except buy him a couple of cheeseburgers at McDonald's on the way to the vet.

Bibi the mill cockapoo continues to make slow but sure progress. This past week she started approaching me when I was sitting, and doesn't shy away when I reach out to pet her. I sure do like her, I hope someone will see her potential and help her become the delightful companion I know she can be.