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02 Jul 03 - 02:35 PM (#975352) Subject: BS: HEY!! Dog Lovers--Neat Story From: catspaw49 I know that many of you watch "Animal Planet" and tomorrow (Thursday, July 3) at 2:30 Eastern they are airing a story with a happy ending. The episode of their series "Pet Story" is called "Duncan." Here's a link to the TV Guide page with airing time detail (there's another airing later) CLICK HERE An article from the Tuscon paper is HERE. Nancy Grimm is another good internet friend of mine from the Weimaraner Community Forum and she really is "good people." BTW, the dog Nali also mentioned in the article is the #7 rated Obedience Weim in the entire country right now. Many of us on that Forum are members of the Weim Rescue Railroad and/or also own rescued Weimaraners. It's neat story that you might enjoy. Spaw |
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02 Jul 03 - 02:58 PM (#975368) Subject: RE: BS: HEY!! Dog Lovers--Neat Story From: Kim C Good story. I have to wonder what kind of people take on a pet and then don't care for it. I think there's a special place in Hell for them. But there's where Fate steps in - if his original owners had done right, the folks in Arizona wouldn't have had him for a therapy dog. Sampson, our mutt foundling, is 4 months old, over 30 pounds, and up to my knee. His feet are huge. When I told my mom we found him in a parking lot at the park, she said, "you took somebody's puppy." I said, anyone that would let an 8-week-old puppy run around loose in a busy neighborhood doesn't need to keep him anyhow. I watched the newspaper for awhile, but nobody seemed to have lost him. He ain't leaving now! He has two nicknames: Gatorhead, because when he grins, he looks like an alligator, and Grossfuss, which is German for Big Foot. |
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02 Jul 03 - 04:31 PM (#975447) Subject: RE: BS: HEY!! Dog Lovers--Neat Story From: GUEST,AggieD We used to have a great dog by the name of Benji, who had been badly neglected. He was so thin when he came to us via some friends who did animal rescue, that he couldn't even sit down, or lay down in one position for any length of time. Apparently he had been left to roam the streets by the family that owned him. They had taken him as a puppy believing him to be a German Shepherd, when he was in fact more like a Collie/Retriever cross, so there was no way he would ever make the guard dog that they wanted, far too soft & cuddly, so they let him roam. A friendly local butcher took pity on him & fed him, but his daughter had been bitten by another dog, so he couldn't give him a home, & contacted our friends. They already knew about him & had tried to educate the owners on responsible pet keeping, but apparently they wouldn't feed him & he learnt to knock pans of baked beans(refried beans I think in the US) off the stove. We took him in & with lots of TLC & good food, worming etc. he soon became a lovely pet that everyone loved. Although he never did quite lose that wanderlust. We are sure there were several litters around our estate that had that cheeky look of our Benji.And he never lost his love of beans! |
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02 Jul 03 - 04:41 PM (#975455) Subject: RE: BS: HEY!! Dog Lovers--Neat Story From: KateG As far as I'm concerned, rescue is the ONLY way to go when you need a dog. All of our dogs were adopted when they were about 1-2 years old, they were already housebroken but still young and more than willing to learn. My current companion is a 2 year old Rottweiler who was dumped in the woods of Massachussets. She been through obedience training and recently passed the tests to become a therapy dog so we can go cheer up old folks in the County nursing home. She's also a whiz at agility, and we'll probably start competing come fall. Her predecessor was a big lug of a male Rottie who was abandoned at a local shelter. He spent nearly 10 years helping me remind inner city kids that they were actually good kids and that there were better things to do than smoke dope in the men's room of our museum. Given the thousands of dogs waiting in shelters and rescues for homes and being euthanized every day, rescue is the only way to go. |
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02 Jul 03 - 05:09 PM (#975485) Subject: RE: BS: HEY!! Dog Lovers--Neat Story From: Kim C We rescued a Rottie once, many years ago. We were new to our house at the time, and the landlady wouldn't let us keep her, as we already had one dog, and hadn't been there long enough to prove ourselves as worthy tenants. Fair enough. But she said we could keep her long enough to find her a home, which we did. Poor thing wandered into the yard all scrawny and literally collapsed. Mister carried her into the house, and we made a little spot for her, where she slept for three days. She eventually started to eat, and to get her spunk back. She was a very sweet dog, and I wish we could have kept her, but it wasn't to be. We did find a home for her. She has probably gone to Doggie Heaven by now. |
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03 Jul 03 - 01:18 PM (#976065) Subject: RE: BS: HEY!! Dog Lovers--Neat Story From: Raptor Thanks Spaw that made my day. As foeveryone else Rescuing is fine but if you don't Spay Or Nuter your dog you are just as bad as the folks that are not carring for thier dogs! If we control the population than there will less dogs and cats to have to rescue! |
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03 Jul 03 - 01:56 PM (#976092) Subject: RE: BS: HEY!! Dog Lovers--Neat Story From: catspaw49 Spay and neuter is great advice! The problem with purebred dogs comes from BYB's (backyard breeders) who do nothing for the improvement of the breed, pet stores share with BYB's the fact that they will sell to anyone, and "Puppy Mills" that supply the pet stores. Ideally a good breeder isn't in it for the bucks....many of them barely break even or lose money. They are committed to the breed and to it's continued improvement. They interview prospective owners and often refuse to sell to them. The pups are sold on a non-breeding contract and if a problem should occur the breeder states they are to be notified and will help replace the dog or take it back. Many breeds have problems that serious breeders guard against whereas BYB's often aren't even aware! Not every breed is for everyone and many new owners have no idea how to train or even what to train for. Geeziz.....Don't get me started.......... Spaw |
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03 Jul 03 - 03:07 PM (#976127) Subject: RE: BS: HEY!! Dog Lovers--Neat Story From: JenEllen Don't get YOU started? Don't get ME started...*bg* But thanks for the lovely tip on the show. For anyone who is able to catch the re-run....BRING KLEENEX! (Of course, I used half the box on the damned show before Duncan's. Any story about a dog that the folks at the pound name "Lucky" has got to be a tear-jerker!) Wonderful people, and a wonderfully deserving dog. Go Dunc! |
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03 Jul 03 - 03:21 PM (#976135) Subject: RE: BS: HEY!! Dog Lovers--Neat Story From: Kim C Well, Sampson is going to have his turn at neutering in September, when he'll be six months old! |
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03 Jul 03 - 03:59 PM (#976162) Subject: RE: BS: HEY!! Dog Lovers--Neat Story From: catspaw49 I love the way they handle a show! The focus is on the animal all the time. Like you JE, I got all choked up over Lucky too. Here's what I posted for Nancy on the thread over at the Weim Forum: They did a fantastic job Nancy!!! It was indeed the story of Duncan with all the humans playing the bit parts. You have every right to be very happy and proud of the job they did and no reason to feel like you're "a publicity hog" as you were fearing. As to Duncan.....He is truly a beautiful Weim! Excellent build and proportion and very handsome! I have always had very docile Weims and he would have been a good match in looks and temperment for my girl Gretchen many years ago. The only question I have is.........Who was that old gray haired broad? (Obviously I get in trouble over there too) Spaw |
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03 Jul 03 - 04:36 PM (#976180) Subject: RE: BS: HEY!! Dog Lovers--Neat Story From: JenEllen I know, Spaw, and it sounds silly, but if you get to see a repeat of it, watch his tail. As he was getting passed along the Weimie-Express, each new person he greeted, that tail was down, but as soon as Nancy called him, wiggle city, man. He knew. What a lucky dog. |
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03 Jul 03 - 04:46 PM (#976190) Subject: RE: BS: HEY!! Dog Lovers--Neat Story From: katlaughing Anyone tape it? We don't get AP on the stewpyd cable here! |
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03 Jul 03 - 07:01 PM (#976264) Subject: RE: BS: HEY!! Dog Lovers--Neat Story From: gnu KateG said : "As far as I'm concerned, rescue is the ONLY way to go when you need a dog." I agree, BUT !!! If you don't know squat about dogs, the people at the shelter may not be of any help... even worse, they may direct you to that dog that they just can't seem to pawn off on anyone. And for good reason. If you don't want to read a sad story, pass this up. My buddy and his wife, who know squat about dogs, got one at the SPCA and, the first time I looked it the eyes, I told my ex to "keep an eye on him". Shivers, period. I could see it, I could sense it. Long story short... after nipping and biting a dozen or more people, he attacked and mauled an 83 year old lady and that was the end of him. Why the SPCA had not done the job in the first place really amazed me. Anyone knowlegeble would have detected this "problem" immediately, as I had, with only a glance. I suppose it's because funds are limited and sometimes people who know squat about dogs get hired at the shelter. Beware... if you don't know squat about animals, find someone who does before you go to the pound. That said, the pound is the place to get your dog if you know dogs. That's where I'll be getting my next dog, fer sure !! |
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03 Jul 03 - 08:51 PM (#976322) Subject: RE: BS: HEY!! Dog Lovers--Neat Story From: JenEllen Gnu, a lot of that sort of thing can be avoided entirely! More animal-person grumbling, but a RESPONSIBLE person does a few trial runs at a shelter first. Go for some walks with the dog, take the kids to meet the dog, take it out for walks with other dogs to see how it socializes.... Sad commentary, but it's what happens when people see animals as possessions, they take the first cute one, thinking it's a 'thing' and not a 'being' with quirks like any human. It'd be like getting married to someone you happened to see from across the room. No one would bet any kind of money on THAT relationship lasting. I tell prospective owners the same thing I tell my dating friends: Don't go for the first cute bitch you see, man, date AROUND! *bg* |
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03 Jul 03 - 09:42 PM (#976336) Subject: RE: BS: HEY!! Dog Lovers--Neat Story From: LilyFestre How anyone can take in a dog without knowing that each one is an individual with their own personalites, likes and dislikes is beyond me. We have 7 labs and one little yippy terrier who thinks she owns the joint! One of our dogs was rescued. He was about a year or so old when we got him. Molsie had belonged to a teenager who apparently hadn't taken proper care of him and his parents made him get rid of the dog. It took us a year to have Molsie come to us when we called, without cowering....head down, slinking, tail between his legs, etc. I can't imagine what his life must have been like. Of all our dogs, he is the second largest and most gentle. Wish I got Animal Planet here (only get 3 channels...on a good day) on our here on our little mountaintop! Lily =^..^= |
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03 Jul 03 - 10:40 PM (#976369) Subject: RE: BS: HEY!! Dog Lovers--Neat Story From: John Hardly god I WISH it was just backyard breeders who were hurting the breeds. Outline would be in line some time(s) <<<(the "S" didn't fit the alliteration). Sick to death of breeders breeding for appearance -- not soundness. Sick to death of judges who do all but take payola. Sick to death of an AKC in which any dog shown long enough can be called "Champion" --the most inflated word in the canine world lexicon. Give me letters after a name over letters before a name any day. John (Pop to two CDX Agility X Mals) ps. LOVE rescue programs -- have seen my local shelter ruined by attempted no-kill policy (lasted a year before multiple parvo outbreaks showed them the flaw in their well-meaning plan) |
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03 Jul 03 - 10:45 PM (#976371) Subject: RE: BS: HEY!! Dog Lovers--Neat Story From: catspaw49 Nothing wrong with the shelters, but let me put in a word for the many Breed Rescues as well. There is a Rescue for almost every purebred dog out there and these folks do an awful lot of work for no money, enticing vets to give free and reduced rate treatments and they are also VERY careful about who adopts the dogs. They screen well and are very selective because they have knowledge of the characteristics of the breed as well as the individual dogs. In our case, most of the WCA local Weim clubs have a Rescue setup including foster care and try to coordinate with the other locals in screening applicants. We also have the Weimaraner Rescue Railroad which was a part of Duncan's journey and which I am happy to be a part of, to transport dogs to their new and forever homes. I think one of the longest jaunts so far was a Weim in Kansas City going to British Columbia. Spaw |
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03 Jul 03 - 11:30 PM (#976379) Subject: RE: BS: HEY!! Dog Lovers--Neat Story From: catspaw49 "Sick to death of breeders breeding for appearance -- not soundness. Sick to death of judges who do all but take payola. Sick to death of an AKC in which any dog shown long enough can be called "Champion" --the most inflated word in the canine world lexicon." Well said John and I certainly agree. In my case, even the Weimaraner Club of America is involved. There is an auto-immune problem within the breed now and giving full shot series to pups with this potential deficiency can kill them. Now it may sound harsh, but for sake of the breed, the only way to clear the lines is to NOT breed these dogs and to find out if they are A-I problems by giving the shots. My breeder recommends this and does it (and hence has dogs without the problem. The WCA on the other hand suggest that the shot schedule be split into parts over a 6 month period. This will mask the problem, but you don't have any little dead puppies. While losing a pup makes me very sad and I cry too....Having a dog you've grown attached to after 3 or 4 years develop an Auto-Immune disorder which may not be curable and having your "buddy" now die is infinitely worse on the psyche and worse for the breed. The US and Canada are the only two countries where this problem continues to exist, or has existed at all. And to combine that problem with your other point......What was the top Weim in Canada based on that bullshit point system just died....AT 5 YEARS OF AGE!!!! Less than half of a Weimaraner's normal life expectancy and the dog died because it was AI deficient and pneumonia killed him. Sadly, this dog sired a total of 14 pups, all highly prized of couse, but I don't want him or his pups in the lines of any dog I would own!!! When this dog came up with a memoriam thread on the Forum, the two sides of this issue really got into it hot and heavy. When I suggested that none of his pups were valuable at all to the breed and should not be bred..........the shit flew!!! Spaw |
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04 Jul 03 - 08:57 AM (#976592) Subject: RE: BS: HEY!! Dog Lovers--Neat Story From: John Hardly yer a brave man, catspaw, to take on the dog world! That's exactly what I'm talking about. We have a good friend who just put a championship title on two sibling dogs -- neither of them even met the standard, much less the common sense goal of soundness. They are both "woolies" -- coats WAY too long. That's not a cosmetic flaw. They ice up when they are like that, and cannot handle the trail because of it. Then, as if not meeting the standard isn't enough, the male was just put down (barely 4 yrs old) riddled with cancer (his owners put multiple thousands into treating this last fall). The female of the pair had such a screwed up reproductive system within the first year of life that they nearly lost her. Their dam has diabetes (found at 5 yrs). Here's the kicker.... The breeder (not the owner) didn't want to breed these two -- no, they DEMANDED that they be bred as per the sale contract. The male (put down at barely 4, remember) now has two generations of progeny on the ground. The most "reputable" breeder in the breed is now selling dogs under a contract to have their stomachs "tacked" as a condition of sale. Huh?!! Because the breed has so much bloat in it........rather than try to breed it out (that would take time and care -- and demand that some of the cosmetic cuteness be put at risk -- especially in her line that is winning everywhere)........whe wants everyone to "tack" the dogs!! If it were up to me there would be no champion awarded to dogs less than 4 years of age. It wouldn't sell but that's because the breeders are hoping to break even in an endeavor that is never going to make money. They are judging the value of a pursuit on material gain rather than the intrinsic value of dog breeding. Delaying the age of a champion would be so slow and only the most serious breeders, with the good of the breed in mind, would pursue it (cause it would just about rule out any financial gain -- as they couldn't breed their one and two year old bitches). Obedience and Agility (and other trial/perfomance pursuits), the dog can either do it or not -- no subjective judge giving 5 points to the handler and 5 to the dog! rant off. |
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04 Jul 03 - 09:17 AM (#976603) Subject: RE: BS: HEY!! Dog Lovers--Neat Story From: catspaw49 Well John, I can see that both of us are probably pretty unpopular at times!!! I'd love to see a different way of judging conformation and an entirely different way of awarding CH. status.....but you and I know it just ain't likely! Spaw |
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04 Jul 03 - 02:22 PM (#976803) Subject: RE: BS: HEY!! Dog Lovers--Neat Story From: KateG Congrats to Spaw and John for taking on dumb*** breeding policies. You are so right. The American penchant for breeding for "pretty" only, is why all the serious working dogs are from imported bloodlines. And I'll second (and third and fourth) Spaws recommendations for breed rescues. My first Rottweiler was a pound puppy. Fortunately the shelter was a reputable one and required me to enroll him in obedience training as a condition of adoption (should be required of all dogs IMO, but don't get me started on that one). It had been on my agenda anyway, since he was to be a working dog, but I was really glad to have professional support and guidance in civilizing a sweet but pushy and pig-headed adolescent male. He was not the first dog I had trained, but there is a world of difference between a submissive female spaniel mutt and a dominant male guard dog. My current Rottie came from a rescue group, and it was a wonderful experience. I had long discussions with two different rescue groups about my plans for the new dog, my training theories, my lifestyle etc., etc. The dogs were all temperment tested before being accepted into the rescue program: and the Rottie-only group strongly advised the shelters they worked with to put down the ones that flunked the test, thus making more room/time for non-problematic dogs. The dogs then spent at least a month in foster homes, being observed with men, women, kids, cats, other dogs etc. and being taught the rudiments of manners. They made a real effort to match the right dog with the right owner, and at least in my case they hit the nail on the head! And all the advice to spay and neuter...the only way to go. (Fortunately, most shelters and rescues won't let unaltered dogs go home till they've been fixed). |
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04 Jul 03 - 05:24 PM (#976925) Subject: RE: BS: HEY!! Dog Lovers--Neat Story From: katlaughing Wyoming has two no-kill shelters, one of which has been so for over 25 years. They are both very successful, esp. the main one which I was affiliated with AND the kennel manager was EXTREMELY picky about who adopted any of her charges. She woudl keep them forever, if need be, rather than let them go to someone who wasn't up to snuff. Of course, if there was a rash of a contagious disease, they would be quarantined and put down if necessary, but on the whole it was a no-kill shelter and still is, as well as very successful, in fact they are building a large, beautiful new structure. kat |
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03 May 05 - 05:18 PM (#1477342) Subject: RE: BS: HEY!! Dog Lovers--Neat Story From: John Hardly this is hilarious! |
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03 May 05 - 06:59 PM (#1477439) Subject: RE: BS: HEY!! Dog Lovers--Neat Story From: Sorcha John, Spaw, I agree too! |