Secular Confessions

Today is Cosmo's birthday....my girl is 9 today!

And yeah she had some attitude with Koda. Well and I was always standing in the direction she was looking and she is so super attached to me. My family likes Molly better as she is more friendly and loves everyone. Cosmo really loves my sister too...and I think was irritated that my sister was involved with Koda instead of hugging and kissing on her. I have never seen her have trouble with a big dog before.

People in my neighborhood all know Cosmo too....as the doggie in the window. LOL She lays up on the back of the couch watching out the living room in the morning for DH to come home, at night for me to come home and whenever we are gone. She's always up there and you can see her from the street.

Is Bruno still making improvement?

Mandy, please give Gwennie a tummy rub for me. That's so heartbreaking to hear how badly she's grieving. How would she react to going on a road trip to some place really fun for her to break her out of her routine so she'd have to readjust once she gets back home again? Disrupting routine may make for an easier adjustment in the long run. Speaking naively about dogs here, but trips always helped me get past my sadness.

Jen, that group picture is adorable. :)

LOVE Weimars and Ridgebacks and Viszlas too. Danes are wonderful dogs too, IMO. My DH has always loved GSDs, having grown up around them, and we almost adopted one, but the one we almost rescued kept getting enormous erections when he saw me. LOL. It freaked me out.

I've always been partial to big hairy dogs, English sheepies, Bouvs, Briards, Irish wolfhounds. Suja, why do you think Bouviers are more dog than a Giant Schnauzer? They look physically so similar. Is it temperament? I was looking at both breeds at one point. I almost rescued a Bouv, but got turned off by the rescue society's "adoption" fees that I could never pin them down on, but understood were in the 4 figures.

Kate, hi! Nice to see you online (although I saw you often on FB, so didn't feel like you were completely gone). Your question about anxiety remedies... I was going to suggest a probiotic. I guess there's a centrally important vagus(?) nerve in the gut whose signaling can be affected by probiotic bacteria. ( http://m.psychologytoday.com/blog/ev...s-help-anxiety ) Our naturopath has put Bodhi on probiotics to calm him down, and his combined treatments have calmed him down considerably, so we know of at least one other endorsement. We buy a probiotic from pureformulas.com called Flora Boost. If you do buy one online, just make sure it's shelf-stable so it doesn't require refrigeration while shipping. Also, have you tried St. John's Wort? It's readily available, cheap, and seems to work on over half the people who use it for anxiety and/or depression.

(Sorry about run-on sentences above. I'm multitasking.)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by raspberry

Thanks for the reply Suja. What about the Humane Society? Too many unknowns with a small child at home?

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While I wouldn't completely rule them out, my preference for homes with kids is always a fostered dog first, because there are fewer unknowns. It is entirely possible that you could get a great dog from the humane society, but you'll have to do a little more legwork. Sometimes, dogs come in with a lot of history, and then you can establish a comfort level, but without it (and often, owners lie), you'd have to do a fairly thorough evaluation of the dog to make sure that it doesn't raise any red flags. Also, not all humane societies are created equal, and there are lots that do temperament test their dogs, so you may want to find out what your local one does. If they can explain what they do and why, then you have a better shot at getting a more complete picture of the dog. I hate to recommend breeds because I don't really know what exactly you are looking for, but there are less popular breeds like the Smooth Collie (think Lassie, but without the hair), that are pretty amazing family dogs.

Myles, yeah, Bouviers are pretty different temperamentally than Giant Schnauzers, IME. The ones I've known have taken their 'guardian' status much more seriously than the Giants, although both tend towards being territorial. Ooh, and let me guess, the "rescue" in question was Gentle Giants? If it's them, it's a good thing you didn't, IMO.

ETA: You'd think, with all the time I've spent here, that I would've figured out how to multi-quote, but I haven't.

Thanks Myles! I'll look into those. For some reason I feel perfectly fine today. I mean yesterday I was a mess and today I'm fine. I don't get it.
Josh went in for K screening (to make sure he's not behind in any area) and did great. I asked him if they asked him his phone number, address or how to spell his last name (3 things he's proud of knowing) and he said "No, but I told her anyway." XD

Jen, I didn't realize she was part beagle! I see it now! Too cute :)

a friend of mine has two Bouvs, they are great dogs. BUT they are gassy. I mean foul, clear the room gassy. I guess the breed is known for it. So add that to my list. Low flatulence. thankyouverymuch.

Happy Birthday to Cosmo! That picture of baby Molly is too stinking cute. She is cute now too, but I am a sucker for puppies. I get what you are saying about bonding with a puppy over getting an adult dog. I had 1 rescue dog, all my other dogs I got as puppies, and I definitely felt the bond more with the dogs I had raised. Our rescue dog was a sweetheart but I could feel the difference. I think it really depends on the animal's temperament.

Suja, when it comes time for us to adopt, want to fly to sunny SW Florida and be our adoption broker?

Happy, bday, Cosmo!

On a happy dog note, my girlfriend just adopted a handful of chickens from the neighbor next door. Her dog, a shepherd mix, was really wary and nervous around them at first, but now her instincts have kicked in and she goes out and "counts noses" every night before going to bed.
:wub:

Suja, I totally see why a Bouvier would be more work, temperamentally speaking (and we don't have the ventilation for a gassy dog anyway ;)). There was one in my former neighborhood that tried to herd anything that came its way. I still just love the look of them. They are magnificent dogs, imho. I've heard sad things about Gentle Giants; the one I tried to adopt from was posing as a "Bouviers in need" organization, but was really just a front for showdog owners to sell off their animals once they had no use for them anymore. That makes me SMH... to own a dog for ribbons/prizes and not for lifelong companionship.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by raspberry

Suja, when it comes time for us to adopt, want to fly to sunny SW Florida and be our adoption broker?

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LOL! It's not *that* hard! But, if we time it right, we can be there for a visit to Disney (DH can take Mira), and I can go play with doggies with you. Win-win!

Good job Josh!

Yeah Molly has thin little poodle legs but definitely beagle eyes and beagle nose. Made potty training a little harder for me because she was nose to the ground most of the time and it always looked like she was looking for a spot to potty. She tried out beagle baying for the first few weeks we had her but decided to go with a bark. LOL More beagle in personality. Her coat is crazy...thin and short on the belly but the back is pretty long and her beard makes her look part terrier. Hair is mostly a more coarse coat. Sheds more than Cosmo and we were having tumbleweeds until I started brushing her 2-3 times a week. That has helped a LOT.

I'm really thinking about one of these when we don't have Cosmo anymore and we don't have a small child.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU3Ba-TaKZo

Or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R72NjafeB7U

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cosmosmom

I'm really thinking about one of these when we don't have Cosmo anymore and we don't have a small child.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU3Ba-TaKZo

Or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R72NjafeB7U

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SCWTs are nice dogs, but not ones I want to live with. By and large, I'm not a terrier person, unless they are of the bully persuasion. And the beard would drive me insane. And Eskies bark. In a shrill voice that can shatter glass. That's kind of a deal breaker.

It's pretty wonderful there are 100s of breeds out there, 'cause what works for one person clearly doesn't for someone else.

I have a feeling the barking might be a deal break for DH too. Reason I stopped looking at shelties.

For the longest time, DH wanted a Welsh terrier pretty badly. Ended up with Cosmo the cockapoo instead....I grew up with cockapoos and he grew up with springer spaniels (not my favorite....like the brittany spaniel better).

If I ever was going to go with a big dog, I would get a goldendoodle I think. Kind of a fan of the poodle mixes. :) We were going to get another cockapoo but than someone at work had an accidental litter and we ended up with Molly.

Really I would probably trim the eyes and beard up some on a wheaten. I know one who does that and still looks really cute. Same way if I had a full on poodle, would never keep her in a show cut.

Our vet decided to wait until today to give Bruno his second shot. He had it earlier today and he is looking in pain. But still wagging his tail, yet not trying to bite up things, so I know he doesn't feel well. Even though I don't like that he bites up everything, especially since he will be 4 years old in March and I feel he should be beyond this biting phase by now, he is pretty funny with his biting. He will just grab something when we are all sitting around and start biting it up, like Ky's shoe or Elle's teddy bear that she isn't suppose to leave downstairs anyway. He'll just sit right in front of us like "well, I guess I should tear this thing up" and act like all is well and it is pretty hilarious when he does it. He even ignores Elle's screaming, as usually it is something of hers he is biting up, which is why she doesn't like him all that much. She likes him more now that he is sick since he isn't as destructive. Over the past couple weeks though he was back to his old self and he was getting on her nerves so she has been cutting her eyes at him, and he will just lick her and make her scream some more lol.

But I can tell he is pretty sore right now. DH has an expression that probably mirrors how Bruno feels. He was talking of him dying again (he was really talking about it and near tears when Bruno was coughing up blood) and how we should sue Heartguard and the vet if he dies. I reassured him Bruno wouldn't die, he's gotten over the worse part according to a vet tech associate I know who says the first round of the shot is worse on the dog during this process and that he shouldn't have as many issues with the 2nd and 3rd, which he will get tomorrow so I am happy that the shot portion of this is almost over.

Erin

Um, :hi:

This is Pharoah. Or Osiris. We haven't decided yet. But DH wanted him and I couldn't say no after seeing that face.

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f2...o/IMG_0026.jpg

ADORBS!!!! Too cute!!! Tell us the story!

Okay, I'm not one for conflict but I do find it strange that there has been no mention of politics on the board this week. A weird little bubble. Which in some ways I am fine with, but also think is artificial. I don't know - something that is such a passionate subject for so many but nary a word here. Strange feeling of the elephant in the room (pun not intended until I wrote it and saw that!)

I was thinking the same thing Katy!

About politics and all. But to put it out there, I wasn't so impressed with the president's speech. I think he could have done better, it was kind of "blah" to me and a repeat of most of his other speeches. I also feel like he downplayed himself purposefully, like not wanting to come off as too optimistic or something.

LOVED Bill Clinton though! He made me miss him. I used to really admire him when I was younger even though I thought he was a perv lol. I feel he has been the best president of my lifetime so far and I don't expect anyone to top him when it comes to the economy and the growth of the country in general.

I also loved Michelle's speech. It was amazing to me that on a political forum I frequent they felt she was faking the emotion of her speech and taking acting lessons from Dem celebrities lol. I thought she did a great job though and it was the best speech of her life. I also enjoyed the speech by Deval Patrick and John Kerry of all people tonight. Wish he would have been that great back in 2004, it would have made that election a better contest if he'd had that kind of energy. Bush gave him way more ammunition that Romney IMO.

I feel the DNC was much better than the RNC, which was pretty lame and just...boring IMO. The GOP did not seem as excited about Romney as the Dems are about Obama, which I expected as Dems are just the party types more IMO. My friend went to the convention and she was going on and on about how they were going to "show out" at the convention and get their party on and how no one can throw a party better than Democrats. I think she is right.

I also saw my state rep in the audience who lives down the street from me and our local councilman as well, he was in a different section though, they don't get along so that was funny to me.

Erin

Oh Mandy, he's adorable! He's a rottie? Boy I thought I moved quickly with things like that! LOL When my DH finally agrees to something, I pretty much find one that day.

I like to think a lot about breeds and stuff for the future....but the reality is that when it's time, I will probably just go with something local like Molly. I didn't set out looking for a beagle poodle mix but when I saw the post at work on the classifieds I wanted one. Usually big hunting dogs or farm dogs as a lot of our sites up here are pretty rural. Like Molly's mom was on a farm and a hunting beagle that belonged to the son and the other kids (like 6 or 7 in the family) let the family poodle out with her by accident.

How is Gwennie doing with her new baby brother? I hope that he thinks she is just the coolest thing ever and gives her the attention and companionship she needs.

Your DH is home generally, right? That is so helpful with a new puppy. Dh sleeps during the day but was there to potty train and he doesn't sleep the whole time. Big benefit of working opposite shifts.

DH found him online. He was local, and one of the breeds we were looking at most (he's a Rottie) and just so adorable. So DH decided to call and see if he was still available and whether the family was willing to wait a week or two for us to be ready to bring a dog over. The guy said we could have him, and the sooner the better - wouldn't hold him. He was a litter of one, and mom stopped feeding him so they've been giving him puppy food mixed into milk. He's only 6 weeks. We decided to take him. We gave him a bowl of milk/puppy food and he ate it right up, but I was planning to look into whether we can buy puppy formula at the pet store. He's very friendly and Gwennie is definitely interested and doesn't have time to mope. Not so sure she likes him, but haven't seen any hostile behavior so I think it will just take time. It's good to see her up and about and not moping so much anymore, though. This seems REALLY soon, but it just feels like things fell into place and it was the choice we had to make right now. Talk to me in a week and see how I feel about it, though.

Katy, I do think people are avoiding like crazy. I was going to ask a question or two but didn't want to stir up trouble. I guess everyone else feels the same way?

Honestly I just don't really care that much about the conventions. I catch the good sound bites on the news and I'm sure I will see a recap on Bill Maher tomorrow. :) But I already know how I will vote so don't really see the point. DH was like, those are just a big pep rally for adults. LOL

Yeah, DH is home during the day mostly except he does have some classes he is taking, but he's only gone for a couple of hours max. That's one of the reasons it seemed like a good time for a puppy - someone can be home with him so he won't spend hours on end in a crate every day. I'm glad about that.

Awww! I'm still not sure that Cosmo likes Molly. LOL I know Molly irritates her....but on the other hand Cosmo is VERY protective of her. Really like human siblings....she can be annoyed with her sister but nobody else better touch her.

I would think that if the pet store didn't, that the vet would have pupppy formula. I would think that he would probably need to see the vet very soon anyway. We always go asap....brought Molly home on Saturday and she was in Monday. Good thing as she had coccidia and needed meds for that and she had a double ear infection (hadn't had one since). Plus we needed worming meds and wanted to know the schedule for shots.

Adult dogs really seem to know that it's a baby and treat them very differently.

And yes you might be thinking you were crazy in a week....there was a week or so when i thought we had made a big mistake with Molly. But now I just adore her and we couldn't imagine life without her. Just keep reminding yourself that there is an end and eventually he will go potty in the right spot and he will stop biting you.

Oh, he's definitely going in for shots and a well check ASAP.

Mandy, OMG OMG OMG!!! Sooo cute!!! His eyes are wet little mirrors. I'm so happy you added that little chunk of joy into your home. Boy are you guys gonna be busy these next few months. LOL. Make sure you take weekly pics, and please share!

Congratulations, Mandy! He's adorable!

Make sure you do lots and lots of socialization, especially around other dogs before the socialization window closes (at 12 weeks). Singleton pups tend to have massive socialization handicaps, especially with stuff like bite inhibition, and given the breed, you don't want to take any chances. If you have puppy socialization classes around you, you might want to make that a priority. Also, I have no idea who you use for your home owner's insurance, but make sure they don't discriminate on the basis of breed (they'll drop coverage if they find out).

I didn't know that about singleton puppies - thanks. We're going to do some basic classes at PetsMart just to get him out and around other people and animals. Our insurance should be good as we had the two dogs when we moved in, but definitely a different breed and I'll double-check.

Erin - I felt the same about the speech tonight, but no ne could have topped Clinton's kickass speech from last night. That had to be one of the best speeches I have ever seen. He's a rock star!

Too cute Mandy! Congrats!

Mandy, IME, PetsMart classes are kind of hit or miss, and their trainers may or may not have a clue, so be careful. If you have other known safe dogs around, get him exposed early (IIRC, those classes don't allow pups under 10 weeks). This gives you some idea of extra handling you may need to do for singleton puppies : http://www.dogbehaviorblog.com/2008/...ton-puppi.html

AFAIK, Statefarm and Farmer's are the only ones with no breed restrictions. (Wrong! http://www.examiner.com/article/dog-...d-restrictions)

Erin, I'm okay with no politics here, as I get a boatload of it on FB. I finally broke down and contributed. Citizens United is one of the worst decisions ever made by SCOTUS.