BS: Our Amazing Dogs

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: ranger1
Date: 22 Nov 16 - 07:54 PM

Tired Beau tonight, a rare occurrence. Today, we had a walk, a run, and went to the beach. We have, through several not-terribly-scientific trials, come to the conclusion that 1 Beau = 5 other dogs.

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: leeneia
Date: 20 Nov 16 - 10:57 PM

Thompson, I love the idea of a borderline collie. And I love the story about her finding the keys.

What I learned about cat food may apply to farty dogs. Supermarket pet food contains plant fiber to bulk it up. This is not natural food for cats, and it irritates the digestive tract, producing a state of near-diarrhea. The result is a stinky litter box.

Buying better food, such as Iams or Science Diet, makes for a healthier cat and a nicer box. The food costs more per bag, but the cat needs less of it.

Worth trying with dogs, I think.

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: robomatic
Date: 20 Nov 16 - 02:09 PM

Most Famous Rescue Greyhound

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: Thompson
Date: 20 Nov 16 - 02:37 AM

My dog Bríd is a rescue - she rescued me when she arrived, full of joy and naughtiness as a three-month-old pup, and has been equally full of that joy for the last 16 years. She's a Borderline Collie - her mother was three-quarters border collie and a quarter labrador and her father was pure border collie.

She's always been scarily bright; one time when she was around two, I drove out to Greystones to sit on the beach and have a read and bring her for a walk. I lay down and read for a while, went and threw a ball into the sea for a while for her to race in and swim for it, had a long walk along the beach, sat down again in more or less the same spot. It was windy, so I decided the hell with this and we walked back to the car.

It was at this stage that I discovered that I'd lost my car keys. I tried to work out where on the big beach I'd been sitting and lying, and went back there. No sign of the keys. Bríd was romping around, and totally illogically I turned on her and scolded her - "If we don't find my keys I can't drive home!"

Bríd looked up at me, looked down and started sniffing, then started digging - and up cake the keys from under the sand! You can imagine the praise, and the happy, proud romps!

She's always stayed downstairs - I have asthma - and always slept halfway between the front and back doors. But last year she started sleeping pressed up against the front door, so we moved her duvet up there; the reason - old age had made her almost deaf.

Bríd still loves a walk, and romps creakily when she sees me reaching for my coat, but a walk for her now is about 50 metres before she comes back and sinks, exhausted, on to her duvet in front of the stove.

May I add my voice to those suggesting to bring a farty dog to the vet. There are some breeds that are naturally flatulent - I remember an aged labrador belonging to friends who made dinner a nightmare by the combination of barking endlessly till treats were thrown and lying down and farting like an army band - but there can be physical causes like worms and some serious diseases, so I'd be inclined to consult a good vet.

In the case of a rescue greyhound, part of the problem may be demolishing food at speed as a habitual way of eating from being fed in a pack and having to eat fast before the others get your food. This means the dog gulps down air. If that's the case, you might be able to train her to eat more slowly by feeding her a bit, then waiting a little, then feeding her another bit, and so on, while keeping the atmos very calm.

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: wysiwyg
Date: 19 Nov 16 - 02:45 PM

We lost two dogs this year and still have the amazing third. Old Faulkner went to sleep in August and is pushing up lilacs at our Ohio retirement cottage. Younger Biscuit (beagle/bassett) was re-homed thru the no-kill shelter where we'd gotten her; she found a new home as a single dog within 2 weeks, and is deliriously happy.

Newbie the unadoptable pit/shep/rott mix (little, 50 pounds), is the Only Dog now, and at our age may be our last.

Newbie's claim to "amazing" is her companionship skills and smarts. She also loves car rides and hanging out IN the car while I do stuff, so is ideal for my activist life nowadays. Perfect size for the car, and only eats cats now very seldom (prozac). Yesterday she showed bully-dog stubborness (the upside), by effectively and perfectly recalling all her September steering commands (applying these from scooter training to walkering). Pulling as requested, turns as needed.

OTOH her prozac seems to have erased "fetch" and "go get," pending retraining. I'll take that over dead housecats any day.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: Ebbie
Date: 19 Nov 16 - 11:34 AM

Ellery, my hairless dog,is a rescued dog. He was allegedly born in Florida and brought north by his original family. The only reason I adopted him was that I could no longer bear a little dog like that sitting alone in a concrete cell for more than 8 weeks. I'm sure that the reason he wasn't adopted earlier is that he needed expensive surgery on both his hind legs, and most families' budgets can't justify spending that kind of money.

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: Donuel
Date: 19 Nov 16 - 05:03 AM

Borzoi's in the Amazon
Hairless dogs in Alaska
We need friends everywhere
but come on.

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: Ebbie
Date: 19 Nov 16 - 04:23 AM

leenia, shortly after I had the bout of pneumonia I got a shot. Not sure if it is the newer one or not. Should call.

keberoxu, yesterday I was talking with an acquaintance about animals and the ethics of eating them. He admitted that he has had horse and cat but not dog. (That's how he talked.) He argued that there's nothing inherently wrong about eating dog, that it is meat, and that if one were starving, one wouldn't hesitate. I agreed that there have been circumstances where one couldn't blame them- historic, desperate North pole explorers, for instance, but that 'eating dog' per se, is beyond the pale. Anything that is capable of feeling love and devotion, etc, etc.

Which brought up vegetarianism. Which brought us around to agreeing that probably we don't need to eat mammals. Sheesh.

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: keberoxu
Date: 18 Nov 16 - 02:04 PM

Not surprised to hear of the existence of a pets thread.
It has sense to me that dogs, as well as cats, would have pet/owner threads of their own, as there are so many pets/owners specifically of dogs and cats.

The trouble with doing a Mudcat search for threads on pet cats, is that somehow it brings up dear departed Catspaw and his possums.

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: leeneia
Date: 18 Nov 16 - 10:05 AM

Perhaps those farting dogs need different food, probably with less fiber in it. Ask the vet.

Ebbie, have you had both of your pneumonia vaccinations?

Ranger, thanks for the pictures of Beau.

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: Ebbie
Date: 18 Nov 16 - 04:23 AM

A poodle I had for many years watched out for me. On occasions when a group of us would go to an old swimming hole not far from home she was fine with just watching me from the banks. At a certain point, however, she always decided I had been in long enough. She would swim out to me, grab my swimsuit by the strap and tow me back to land. I would remonstrate with her but never scolded her for it. Thought maybe she knew something I didn't. :)

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: Felipa
Date: 17 Nov 16 - 06:50 AM

recent news items in Britain and Northern Ireland

Cornwall: Walnut the whippet wasnt well at the exceptionally old age of 18. Owner carried Walnut for a last walk along the beach before euthanasia and hundreds of well-wishers brought their dogs along as the story was spread by social media.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-37955748
There are loads of articles and videos on line - local Plymouth media, UK national papers including the Mirror, Guardian and Telegraph
Contrary opinion:


Dog in Northern Ireland saved child who got into the automatic clothes drying machine (by alerting the child's parents). http://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2016/11/15/news/boy-five-injured-after-climbing-into-tumble-dryer-783864/

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: ranger1
Date: 16 Nov 16 - 02:56 PM

The vet in Tennessee told the woman who fostered him that they were hot spots. My vet isn't convinced that's what they really were, but they were mostly healed when he arrived. My suspicion is that they may have started out as some sort of bacterial infection, as he was being kept in an outside pen that was, according to his foster mom, a sewer overflow. He may have a couple of small bald spots due to scarring, but they have healed cleanly, and most of the hair has grown back.

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: Donuel
Date: 16 Nov 16 - 02:51 PM

Dogs help veterans cope with PTSD

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: keberoxu
Date: 16 Nov 16 - 11:23 AM

Well, Ranger1, now that you and Beau have been introduced on the appropriate thread:

....WTF happened to Beau's back?! You posted elsewhere about sores and deep wounds?

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: Donuel
Date: 16 Nov 16 - 09:13 AM

com-on lady

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: Donuel
Date: 16 Nov 16 - 09:01 AM

The original thread was about our pets. It was huge and was started many years ago.


Ellery is thinking Food? outside? walk? common lady food? walk? anything? common make my day. surprise me. Walk? outside? drive?

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: Ebbie
Date: 16 Nov 16 - 04:23 AM

Nice to have this thread pop back up! I love talk about dogs and to hear others' stories.

My Ellery, now 8 years old, is getting along fine. He had severe separation anxiety (he was already two years old when I got him but had evidently never been taught that it's OK to be alone sometimes) but keeps improving- he will now go spend time in a different room from me and just check on me from time to time. Mostly, if I can't take him along when I leave, I have a friend who takes him in, and he's fine with that.

One peculiarity he has: food is not a motivator to him. In fact, he usually has to try a tiny bit of food - and I mean, tiny! - before he decides after a couple of bites that it is, #1, edible and #2, good.

He responds well to voice and nuance, a smart and affectionate dog. I just wish I could tell what he's thinking when he stands in front of me and stares into my eyes!

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: ranger1
Date: 16 Nov 16 - 12:33 AM

J-boy and I had to have Bandit put to sleep at the beginning of August. Beau came to stay at the end of September. It was a very long eight weeks in between dogs. Beau is probably mostly terrier, some beagle, and many, many other things. I doubt there has been a purebred in his lineage in a very long time. And that's the way I like it. I've been telling people he's a Tennessee Brat Terrier. Some get the joke, some don't. He's about a year old, and around 30 pounds. Both the youngest dog I've ever owned, and the smallest. He's a lot of company, very much a little scamp, very bright, and he keeps me laughing. He and the cat are working things out. He tries to stay out of her way, she reminds him every so often with a hiss and a slap that she's the queen of the castle, thank you very much. I have caught them snuggling several times, though, so I think they'll eventually get along fine.

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: keberoxu
Date: 15 Nov 16 - 07:00 PM

This thread has been asleep for some time. Some Mudcat threads , it could be said of them, let sleeping threads lie, as with sleeping dogs. Some dogs anyhow.

In the time this thread has been asleep, dogs have gone their way to the Rainbow Bridge. Sadly, so have some of their owners. Happily, some Mudcatters have dog companions that they didn't have the last time this thread was up.

I live in a no-pets apartment building, but I like animals, and I get vicarious enjoyment from the pleasure that people, and the dogs who own them, reciprocate in, or however one says that.

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 13 May 14 - 02:51 PM

Hello there Patsy! I agree that it's strange how much people are prepared to pay for a pedigree dog, then neglect it and cause it to stray and/or suffer. That cocker spaniel I mentioned above was a pedigree bitch and probably cost about £500. I also dislike this silly fashion for little chihuahuas and toy Yorkies bought by trendy girls who only want to dress them in clothes and stick them in their handbags. The owners obviously just can't imagine how the dog feels.
When I bought my two Siamese kittens (brothers called Minty and Murphy) as companions for my old Siamese Smokey, the breeder sensibly came to our house to see exactly where they would be living and check that I knew about their needs. I admired that and didn't mind at all. She also told me to contact her if I found I didn't want them (as if!!) and she'd take them back. Cats and dogs have needs, feelings and affection to give and receive. They aren't objects or toys.

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: GUEST,Patsy
Date: 13 May 14 - 02:10 PM

What does amaze me are the expensive breeds that are abandoned, not that any animal should be treated that way whether it is a thoroughbred or mongrel. Whatever is it that makes people neglect, mistreat or abandon dogs after spending a lot of money to purchase them in the first place? The cost of dogs, care of the dog or license fee hasn't deterred this from happening still.

What is the answer? Luckily rescue centres do match up prospective owners with dogs to find out if the home or owner is right for the temperament or disposition of the dog but do independent breeders do the same as thoroughly? People can seem convincing but after the dog is taken home then I presume that the breeder just has to hope that all will be well.

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 13 May 14 - 03:22 AM

I absolutely adore Paul O'Grady's 'For The Love Of Dogs' on TV, featuring the long-established Battersea Dogs' Home in London. He's surprisingly upbeat and not too sentimental. It's very heart-warming to watch as a dog finds a new home after treatment and care by the staff. Far too many people get a dog without thinking it through. A dog needs plenty of human contact and interaction. It can't be left for hours on end alone, shut in a yard, house or garden. It needs long walks (not just a quick trot to the corner and back) It needs grooming, worming, de-flea-ing, inoculations, training. It's a lot of work and responsibility, and ignorant spur-of-the-moment buyers cause a lot of suffering and often abandon the animal later. Thank goodness there are kind and sensible people (such as those on this thread) who understand dogs and are prepared to take in a poor needy rescue dog and give it a new and happy life. Lovely, lovely dogs! (And cats!!)

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: GUEST,Musket
Date: 13 May 14 - 03:11 AM

Mind you....

My dog isn't completely amazing. Oh, his food in to dog eggs out ratio never ceases to amaze, and his noxious qualities are already mentioned on this thread.

But you know what? He is totally crap at poker.

I thought the poker face expression would be an advantage but no.

Every time you deal him a decent hand, his tail starts wagging.

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 May 14 - 11:09 AM

A friend of mine will be doing a lot of dog sitting in the neighborhood this summer as various people take trips. He was looking for more work a couple of years ago so I started putting out the word about his helpfulness here (working in my garden, taking out trees, etc.) and a couple of other neighbors took up the cause and now he says he is quite busy. He still does a lot of yard work, but the real treasure is that he's trusted (we've known him for a long time) and he likes the dogs. Theses neighbors know him because he has done a lot of their yard work and occasional painting and dry wall, but the dog sitting could be a real calling - people will pay substantial sums to let their animals be cared for at home while they're away.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: Janie
Date: 07 May 14 - 11:44 PM

They are creatures, just as we are creatures. Because of our long and mutually satisfying/beneficial association over thousands of years of coevolution we often "grok" across species lines in ways that seem magical or mystical from our species-centric point-of-view. Via magical and mystical to the extent it furthers our appreciation of the connection we have with these other species. Let us always respect they are different species and our connection with them is likely perceived differently on their part.

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 07 May 14 - 03:49 PM

Exactly, Musket. The man and I always laugh and he says, "Those Siamese cats would make three nice sandwiches for her!" It's a pity, because I took in an emergency temporary cocker spaniel bitch not so long ago. Her owners (a horrible South African couple we used to clean for) announced they were going away for the whole weekend and were just intending to leave her tied up in their yard with some water and some dog biscuits. I was horrified and said I'd either call the RSPCA or have her myself. They didn't much care, so I brought her home. Our cats were quite calm surprisingly, and she was jolly, and not nasty to them. I cried absolute buckets when I handed her back. They gave her away soon after. I just hope she found a good home. Her name was Pela. I felt she loved me too. Oh dear... (tears...)

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: GUEST,Musket
Date: 07 May 14 - 02:58 PM

I don't know Eliza. My greyhound would love to share a house with three cats. Both cats would keep fit. In fact the cat would

Oh...

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 07 May 14 - 02:01 PM

They do Musket.

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 07 May 14 - 01:06 PM

Our local garden centre allows a lovely chap to bring his rescued, re-homed greyhound and collect for the charity that takes them in. His bitch is a brindled one with beautiful markings. I spend ages patting her and talking to her, and slowly but surely she starts to lean against me until she's nearly horizontal with her whole weight against my legs. She gazes up into my eyes in ecstasy, wearing a comfy knitted woolly jacket that the chap's wife knits for her. Apparently she's terribly lame and can't walk far, after being raced to the end of her 'usefulness'. I always contribute as much as I can to his collecting tin. I'd love to adopt one, but of course with three cats it would be highly disastrous!

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: Musket
Date: 07 May 14 - 12:34 PM

I wish my bugger made popping noises. I'd have time to evacuate the street. No. The bugger is into silent but violent butlers revenge farts.

You got lucky there Keith. Popping is almost pleasant.

Our Greyhound was from a rescue place but one specialising in ex racing dogs. The life they lead as racing dogs is cruel by domestic standards but wouldn't fit the abused category your pet must have suffered from. I take my hat off to people who give a dog a second home.

Dogs give so much love back and bring out the best in us.

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 07 May 14 - 10:31 AM

A Chicago Overcoat, Rapparee! Excellent suggestion! If Shariah law applied, he's have his own eyes shot out.
I wonder if Poppy refused to acknowledge her 'real' name because she associated it with suffering, Keith? I once took in an emaciated stray cat, a poor, scared and vicious tabby hanging around in the snow in our garden. I was very patient and eventually he surrendered and came to live with me, and grew quite plump and calm. I called him 'Solo'. Not long after, a neighbour told me he was 'Oscar' and his owners had simply moved away and abandoned him. (Cruel) I tried him with 'Oscar' and he actually hissed and shrank away. I never used that name again, and he remained my Solo until he died of old age.

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 07 May 14 - 09:56 AM

She sometimes lives up to her name with little "popping" noises, but no competition for Musket's old greyhound.

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 07 May 14 - 09:51 AM

She now knows she is Poppy.
She did not respond to the name we were told was hers.

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: Rapparee
Date: 07 May 14 - 09:50 AM

Miz Eliza, should those who shot up Cole ever be found there is a long line of cops, animal welfare workers, and general people waiting to discuss the matter with them...it being in the Chicago area they would like to see them fitted with a "Chicago overcoat" after the discussions are complete. Knitting needles are the least of the topics for the discussion.

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 07 May 14 - 09:36 AM

That's absolutely lovely Keith. It's uplifting to hear of an animal whose life is enormously improved thanks to someone's kindness and love. What is her name?

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 07 May 14 - 03:17 AM

Our current dog is mostly black lab.
A rescue dog we think about 8 when we got her two and a half years ago, so ageing now.
She is so happy now and constantly shows us her love.
She was depressed and fat when she came.
She would not go in the garden by herself for fear of being shut out. She had horrible callouses on her elbows from lying on hard ground.

A different animal now and a joy to share our lives with.

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 07 May 14 - 03:05 AM

That's a bit spooky Ebbie! I've had the odd occasion when one of my cats has looked at 'nothing' late at night in the house, his fur bristling, and given a low 'growl'. Frightens the life out of me! Wonder if they see things we don't?

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: Ebbie
Date: 07 May 14 - 02:32 AM

I play music several times a week with a woman here at the apartment house community room. Yesterday I was packing up when Ellery began barking at a nearby wall of the room, not frenzied and not growling, just barking. In between his barks he looked over his shoulder at me.

Hmmmm? What's that about? (He is not a yappy dog.)

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: Amos
Date: 06 May 14 - 07:41 PM

Maggiue Darlin Dogg, whose secret identity is Mudflanks McFuzzbutt, has been a complete joy to my life ever since I retired and she arrived. We exchange opinions telepathically.    She has a really ironic sense of humor, but has unbridled enthusiasm when it comes to fun and edible treats. Smart, comely, well-mannered, well-built, conisdeerate and cooperative. And, an endless source of humort and affection. Who could ask for more? She's a half-breed Ridgeback, the other half being unknown, possibly beagle. She has four or five distinct graceful paces. Her coat is ticked with reddish gold, and she has the most persuasive built-in mascara. ;And RUN? Oh, my, you should just see her go!

What a complete bargain of joy!

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 06 May 14 - 02:38 PM

Love the name Merlin. I reckon our pets, both cats and dogs, know a lot more about us and our feelings than we give them credit for Claire.

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: Claire M
Date: 06 May 14 - 07:01 AM

Hiya! Used to have a dachshund, Fritz. He was gorgeous. Used to bark @ his own reflection, loved fruitcake, chicken & chocolate (dog =/=owner) & let me put my arms round him & kiss his nose.
Then we had a collie, Sam, who weed on said dachshund's head & used to go "woooo" when he wanted a walk. It wasn't a dog howl, it was a human sounding wooo – we couldn't work out why for ages. Mum used to ask him if he wanted a walk, then say "OOOOO you do, Sam -- yes you do, OOOOO he does" & he was copying the way she said OOOO ! Clever Boy! Got collie now, Merlin, who worries if I cough. It's if he knows I need extra help.

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 05 May 14 - 02:44 PM

Oh rapparree, how utterly WICKED to shoot at a little kitten like that, and blind it. I've never heard anything so dreadful. I'd have literally torn the person limb from limb.

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: Ebbie
Date: 05 May 14 - 02:38 PM

Over the years I have adopted many animals from local 'pounds' and Humane Society facilities. I too have found that most of these animals are not afraid to re-visit those places. Maybe it is because those facilities were their first rescuers?

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: gnu
Date: 05 May 14 - 12:31 PM

Wonderful stories.

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: Rapparee
Date: 05 May 14 - 10:47 AM

Oh, and the Vicktory Dogs.

Of course, there's my friend Cole. When Cole was a kitten he was shot with 37 air gun pellets, including having his eyes shot out. Friends of mine adopted Cole and had him as repaired as possible. Within a couple of weeks in his "forever" home Cole had escaped from the kitchen area where he was kept and had learned to negotiate the stairs to the basement and the second floor. Now grown, NOTHING gets past Cole -- he can literally hear a feather played across the floor. (No, the unmentionably foul scum who "did" Cole were never caught; I pity da fools if they ever are for there is a long line of people waiting to "talk" with them.)

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: Rapparee
Date: 05 May 14 - 10:37 AM

Then there are the Oneida Dogs. Sorry, but I can't get a link to work -- that's our local newspaper!!!

Oneida dogs reunited: Adoptive families gather in Boise to share successes

By Michael H. O'Donnell [e-mail] | Posted: Sunday, April 20, 2014 2:45 am

    Scarred, starving and neglected just one year ago, pit bull terriers rescued from the scene of a triple-homicide near Holbrook had a big reunion with their new owners in Boise this month. They're called the "Oneida dogs."

    Eighteen of the dogs adopted by families in the Boise area met at the Idaho Humane Society complex April 5 to share stories and take photos.

    "It was amazing," said Hannah Parpart, communications and outreach director for the Idaho Humane Society. "Everyone had a great time."

    Parpart had prepared a slideshow to share with stories about all 18 of the terriers that found homes in western Idaho complete with photos taken by their adoptive families.

    Among those attending were Tracy White and Jenn Graham and their rescued pit bulls, Gilbert and Dottie.

    When Dottie arrived at the Humane Society she was 28 pounds underweight and suffered from a heart murmur due to a congenital defect. Today her weight is good and she is on an exercise and medication regiment to keep her going. When Graham adopted Dottie, she joined three other pit bulls at the Graham home.

    "She loves to play with the other dogs in the home," Graham said. "She's a social butterfly and very sweet."

    Dottie has also been asked to play the role of mother to pit bull puppies that Graham takes in temporarily as foster care for the Humane Society.

    "She was a mom so she does very well with the puppies," Graham said.

    Where Dottie was once limited to the length of a chain on ranch 25 miles west of Malad City, she now takes car rides wherever the Graham clan goes.

    "She loves to go in the car and she gets to go a lot of places," Graham said. "She loves to go to the shelter."

    Parpart said it may surprise people how much the rescued dogs have no fear of the shelter in Boise — a place that made their new lives possible as they were examined, treated and fed.

    "It was so nice seeing the 'Oneida families' and all those dogs together," Graham said about the reunion. "They were so healthy and happy."

    While Dottie was an older adult dog, Gilbert was about two when he was adopted by the Tracy White family. Shannon White works for the Idaho Humane Society and it was her mother who took Gilbert in.

    "He's doing awesome," Shannon White said. "He loves to go camping and has become best friends with mom's miniature schnauzer and coyote mix."

    Gilbert doesn't just socialize well with the other dogs in his adoptive family, he mixes well with other dogs at large family reunions the Whites hold often. And because Tracy White splits time between Grandview, Idaho, and Winnemucca, Nev., Gilbert's world has been expanded tremendously.

    Shannon said the transition wasn't easy for Gilbert and many of the other pit bulls rescued from the ranch in Southeast Idaho.

    "A lot of them became very demanding," she said.

    In the case of Gilbert, he had a habit of grabbing his leash whenever he was anxious.

    "We used that to teach him coping skills," Shannon said. "He was afraid of new stimuli during the night time."

    The Whites discovered that as long has Gilbert had a toy or leash he could hold in his mouth, the anxiety went away.

    "The biggest thing was building trust with these guys," Shannon said about the Oneida dogs.

    Now that Gilbert has found his happy place, he has actually helped raise a litter of kittens at the White household.

    When all the adoptive families gathered at the Boise shelter, they formed a big circle with their rescued dogs. And the owners made plans to repeat the reunion again next year.

    "It was very emotional and nothing short of amazing," Graham said. "It was a new beginning."

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: BrendanB
Date: 05 May 14 - 08:59 AM

We have got a rescue dog, a saluki called Millie. When we got her she was terrified of everything and everyone. It took a long time but she gradually learned to trust people and got happier. Now she is very laid back and calm. She is however very talkative. She looks at you and grumbles until you go and stroke her, she tells you when it is time for her food and sometimes she just chunters on for no apparent reason. She is beautiful and we love her to pieces. She has slowed down a bit now (although she is still quicker than most dogs) but when she was younger her speed was breathtaking. I will never forget the feeling of despair the first time she took off when we were on the beach. She was gone in seconds. Fortunately she came back about two minutes later, ran in a big circle and then came to us with (I swear) a grin on her face.

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: Ebbie
Date: 04 May 14 - 09:59 PM

Good luck to Nigel.

Subject: RE: BS: Our Amazing Dogs
From: Rapparee
Date: 04 May 14 - 09:08 PM

Nigel.

MWDR = MidWest Dachshund Rescue.