~:~:~:The Doggie Thread!!:~:~:~

norm wrote:

so norm had a play date yesterday...riley is a tennis ball obsessed lab who had no time for norm and his rough housing playing...so really it became playing fetch with riley and norm just hanging out watching

Norm should come and wrestle with my two NUTS! They knocked a glass topped table over this morning! :? Never a dull moment here!

About a year ago I had to have my dog Gabby put down very suddenly.

http://forums.pearljam.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=80212&p=2461832&hilit=gabby#p2461832

Almost a year later I've gotten a new buddy. His name is Tank (his prior owners named him that). He came from an elderly couple that couldn't take care of him any more. They asked if I could give him a good home. It was an easy answer to give. I've had him about a month now.

Here is Tank.



He loves to play fetch with a tennis ball and will happily brave water for it.



On his first time checking out his new house he discovered the cut out door for the cat and tried to see what was on the other side...




He was tethered in the couple's back yard for the duration of their ownership of him (about 4 years) so he's out of shape. I've been working with him the past month to get him back in shape. He weighed about 100lbs when I brought him to his new home. I don't know what he weighs now, but he's definitely getting in shape. No matter what, though, he'll always be a large-framed dog so when I seem him run I can always think to myself "Tank rolling thick and heavy!"

I found a dog park pretty close to home and he loves it. After about 40 minutes there he's pretty darn tired and ready to just walk around. He has also gone jogging with me. He holds up for about a mile and then is ready to rest for a while.

I'm really glad to have him. There's just something about the companionship of a dog that can put a smile on your face.

HeavyHands wrote:

He was tethered in the couple's back yard for the duration of their ownership of him (about 4 years) so he's out of shape. I've been working with him the past month to get him back in shape. He weighed about 100lbs when I brought him to his new home. I don't know what he weighs now, but he's definitely getting in shape. No matter what, though, he'll always be a large-framed dog so when I seem him run I can always think to myself "Tank rolling thick and heavy!"

I found a dog park pretty close to home and he loves it. After about 40 minutes there he's pretty darn tired and ready to just walk around. He has also gone jogging with me. He holds up for about a mile and then is ready to rest for a while.

I'm really glad to have him. There's just something about the companionship of a dog that can put a smile on your face.

Good for you and I bet Tank is enjoying his new life.

This is my first visit to the Doggie Thread as I don't have a dog but love 'em. We've never owned one because with both of us working we didn't think it fair. As I now work from home and aren't as busy as I used to be it's time. Typically I missed out when the post offices' dog had 9 pups and I couldn't bring myself to get around there and say "I want one"!!! They are also Border Collies, my favourite dogs. My brother and sister have had Borders and they are the most intelligent dogs I've known.

Oh well I'll have to wait a bit longer.

HeavyHands wrote:

About a year ago I had to have my dog Gabby put down very suddenly.

http://forums.pearljam.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=80212&p=2461832&hilit=gabby#p2461832

Almost a year later I've gotten a new buddy. His name is Tank (his prior owners named him that). He came from an elderly couple that couldn't take care of him any more. They asked if I could give him a good home. It was an easy answer to give. I've had him about a month now.

Here is Tank.



He loves to play fetch with a tennis ball and will happily brave water for it.



On his first time checking out his new house he discovered the cut out door for the cat and tried to see what was on the other side...




He was tethered in the couple's back yard for the duration of their ownership of him (about 4 years) so he's out of shape. I've been working with him the past month to get him back in shape. He weighed about 100lbs when I brought him to his new home. I don't know what he weighs now, but he's definitely getting in shape. No matter what, though, he'll always be a large-framed dog so when I seem him run I can always think to myself "Tank rolling thick and heavy!"

I found a dog park pretty close to home and he loves it. After about 40 minutes there he's pretty darn tired and ready to just walk around. He has also gone jogging with me. He holds up for about a mile and then is ready to rest for a while.

I'm really glad to have him. There's just something about the companionship of a dog that can put a smile on your face.

Welcome, Tank! :wave:
So glad to see your dad has a new buddy! :thumbup:

You won't believe this, HH, but I recently remembered your thread from when you had to have Gabby put down. We've had some sad times with our dogs on this board but I'm glad to see you've opened your heart to a new friend!

This thread is great today - I love all the pix of the Boyz and Norm and Tank, we're all so lucky to be dog people. I just took baby Brian out for his "sit" and "down" lesson. He does pretty well for a 13 week old. Of course he's exhausted now and will probably sleep for hours.

HeavyHands wrote:

About a year ago I had to have my dog Gabby put down very suddenly.

http://forums.pearljam.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=80212&p=2461832&hilit=gabby#p2461832

Almost a year later I've gotten a new buddy. His name is Tank (his prior owners named him that). He came from an elderly couple that couldn't take care of him any more. They asked if I could give him a good home. It was an easy answer to give. I've had him about a month now.

Here is Tank.



He loves to play fetch with a tennis ball and will happily brave water for it.



On his first time checking out his new house he discovered the cut out door for the cat and tried to see what was on the other side...




He was tethered in the couple's back yard for the duration of their ownership of him (about 4 years) so he's out of shape. I've been working with him the past month to get him back in shape. He weighed about 100lbs when I brought him to his new home. I don't know what he weighs now, but he's definitely getting in shape. No matter what, though, he'll always be a large-framed dog so when I seem him run I can always think to myself "Tank rolling thick and heavy!"

I found a dog park pretty close to home and he loves it. After about 40 minutes there he's pretty darn tired and ready to just walk around. He has also gone jogging with me. He holds up for about a mile and then is ready to rest for a while.

I'm really glad to have him. There's just something about the companionship of a dog that can put a smile on your face.

looks like you got a good one ! I'm sure he'll KEEP that smile on your face

whoprincess wrote:

You won't believe this, HH, but I recently remembered your thread from when you had to have Gabby put down. We've had some sad times with our dogs on this board but I'm glad to see you've opened your heart to a new friend!

Thanks. I was pretty reluctant to get another dog at first. In fact I had kind of decided that I didn't want to have to deal with that responsibility again. But then I ran across Tank. Like I said, he'd been tied up in this couple's back yard for years. When I would stop by their place he would come out of his house and bark to get my attention. When I would go over to see him he would just lean up against me. It was pretty easy to see that he didn't get much, if any, attention there.

I thought about him for the next couple of months and after a more recent visit to see him his old owners called and asked if I could take him. It was a pretty easy decision to make.

Since having him he's been a real pleasure. He does suffer from separation anxiety, though, when I have to leave and go somewhere. He gets himself all worked up and barks non stop while I'm gone. I've tried getting him as tired as I possibly can, only being gone for short periods of time, and a few other things. Luckily the barking doesn't bother the neighbors so far, but I'm hoping someone in this thread has some advice.

It's really nice to visit this thread again and see all of the pictures.

HeavyHands wrote:

Since having him he's been a real pleasure. He does suffer from separation anxiety, though, when I have to leave and go somewhere. He gets himself all worked up and barks non stop while I'm gone. I've tried getting him as tired as I possibly can, only being gone for short periods of time, and a few other things. Luckily the barking doesn't bother the neighbors so far, but I'm hoping someone in this thread has some advice.

It's really nice to visit this thread again and see all of the pictures.

hopefully, just the fact that you've given tank a better life than he had will cause him to get over his separation anxiety. I'm no expert, but it seems like as he gets more secure the anxiety will fade.

pandora wrote:

eeriepadave wrote:

ok this dog is a better dancer than me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc9xq-TVyHI

WOW
that is the best dancing dog I have ever seen
I think I believe in reincarnation now!

And this one's a Border!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a6NwwpRHfw

unlost dogs wrote:

Lucky, lucky Tank to have found you, and lucky, lucky you to have found Tank!

One thing that worked well for me when I had a single dog (the Late, Great Seamus) was leaving him with one of those hollow-bore bones with no knuckles at the ends. I'd stuff it with peanut butter and give it to him as I was heading out the door. That would keep him busy for a bit.

Also, I always leave talk radio on so they can hear some voices.

At one point we used a citronella collar which was EXCELLENT. It would spritz citronella which would interrupt the barking. He wasn't crazy about the lemon scent, but just by interrupting the barking it was like hitting a "reset" button and making him calm down. The more he'd bark, the more anxious he'd become, so it worked well.

And, the foolproof thing for us... getting a second dog so he was never alone. (And then a third.)

But you may want to start with the bone. And when you give it to him, just walk out calmly. No big fuss with kisses and saying you're sorry to be leaving him, just very calm exit, and then very calmly come home again without doing a big greeting ritual. (That's really hard to do, though!)

Good luck!!!

Thanks so much for the kind words. Those are great suggestions. Now I'll just have to find a way to get to the store to get a bone without him getting all frantic on me.