Three choices in life; Give up, Give in or Give all you've got!!

beanielou

Such exciting news
I am so very lucky as I have two surrogate dogs very near to me & I see them most days.Two bearded collies

please-let-me-be-lucky

maddiemay wrote: »

Me again, it might be worth you posting a wanted on freegle for a crate, also keep an an on small ads locally and local FB, Gumtree etc:D

ETA - having a puppy might be rather a good aid to training your family to put things away (if they need it that is LOL) everything is totally fair game to a pup, particularly if it has the scent of favourite human on it.

Asked my bestie what size crate she recommended, and she said 'borrow mine' :T:T.

beanielou wrote: »

Such exciting news
I am so very lucky as I have two surrogate dogs very near to me & I see them most days.Two bearded collies

All the fun and none of the expense! Perfect! Xx

beanielou

& none of the walking :j :j
One of them just had puppies last week

Buffythedebtslayer

OH LUCKY! I am so happy to read you are getting a dog, dogs are just the BEST.

Honestly, they know your every mood and are just such great company and so much fun. My two make me happy every day.

The puppy bit is a nightmare (!) ours developed a love for tissues which they have never grown out of! Just now dog 2 has rushed in to tell us he has finished dinner - swiftly followed by dog1, who is now rolling about the place - his thing after food.

got to clear up from dinner

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Sun_Addict

So pleased for you re the puppy On other's advice we bought a crate, used it on the first night then decided the dog was a family member and let her sleep at the bottom of the bed like we let the cats. Sold the crate a few days later. I always thought I was a cat person, didn't want a dog. Finally gave in to Mr SA's nagging, best thing we ever did, wish we'd done it when the kids were young. I will admit that first weekend I regretted it, puppy peeing and pooping everywhere. I remember being in tears, thought we'd made a huge mistake. A few days later I realised we'd made the best decision ever. I still stand by that. I don't know how I ever got by without a dog before. At first the cats hated her but although the male cat (now deceased) never got on with her and bullied her terribly, the female cat loves her to bits, although she wouldn't come back in the house at first which was worrying. I had a lot of advice from doom and gloom merchants, ignored it and everything has been fine.

You won't regret it, believe me

Eager_Elephant

*Robin* wrote: »

, and a slush fund for replacing 'accidentally' chewed precious possessions..
!

So pleased to read you are getting a dog!!


We have 2 - a choc lab x staffie and an American Bully.
We have wanted dogs for years but it was never the right time as we both work full time etc but then January 2015 we ended up with our choc lab x staffie as my brother was homeless and needed to rehome his dog - she was 6mths old.
Our 2nd dog came to us as an urgent foster and we have now adopted her - she is 4.5 yrs old.


I have to second what Robin has said about a the slush fund - I reckon my 1st dog has cost us thousands in the 19mths we have had her:eek:
I need more than my fingers and toes to count the number of shoes she has chewed :eek:. At the start she chewed both mine and DH's shoes but after a few months she started to only chew my shoes (and my daughters shoes if I had worn them) - I'm sure it means something, maybe she hates me???


The funniest (?) shoe incident was when DH got a new pair of work shoes (£50), after 2 weeks she chewed the left one:mad:, he then got another pair (£50) and she chewed the left one of that as well - I wishes she had done the right one, then he would have had one pairs of shoes at least:rotfl:. He then got another pair (£50) and kept them away from the dog!!!


She also likes earphones, chargers, xbox controllers - anything really:eek:


Sky remotes are a favourite - we used to replace them as she ate them but at £7 a time it was expensive so DH brought a bulk lot of 20 for £70 - 5mths later we had 2 left:eek:


Since we got our 2nd dog she has got a lot better but last night when we took my son to my mum's she carried my handbag upstairs, rooted through it and found a leather bracelet a client had got me and chewed that:eek:. Luckily she never chewed the actual bag - she has chewed quite a few in the past.


Just remembered - glasses are a favourite and at £100+ a time very expensive. DH got some new glasses and left them on the bedside table - yup, she chewed them!! DH took them back and bless the shop, they agreed to replace for free - I think it was because he was honest and said the dog had chewed them rather than making up some story about what happened.


Don't let me put you off getting a puppy as they are great fun:rotfl:

Sun_Addict

My dog has never chewed anything up nor destroyed anything thankfully. Her only vice is her obsession with her ball. Every time I sit down she appears from nowhere and drops it on my knee, expecting me to throw it!

Buffythedebtslayer

Oh Wow, we got off very lightly with our two. We do have a crate, I don't like it, but it has meant they have a safe place. Tissues, the bin (emptied) rabbit poo, guinea pig poo, socks, baby wipes(woryingly they come out whole!), dirt, flower pots, occasional shoes, but they learnt quickly not to do that. Virtually every toy I have given them has been eaten.

Mine are very smart - they learn unintentional things, like when a tv programme finishes and when you finish a phone conversation. They pick up on every mood!

XXX

please-let-me-be-lucky

Oh my goodness EE, think I need to go lie down in a darkened room after reading that :eek:. What on Earth am I letting myself in for?? :rotfl:.

Aw, bet the puppies are tiny Beanie! In some ways our boy is super small, but then in others he and his siblings are filled out and chunky for just 6 weeks.

Buffy, it's lovely to hear you sounding so happy. Your dogs must be very special to you.

SA, I really hope we won't regret it! DS1 showed us a great article about introducing puppies to cats already in the home. It recommended that we took a towel and rubbed it on the puppy to transfer his scent, then rubbed the towel over several places in the house. That way the cat gets used to the scent without any major upset or upheaval. When the pup eventually arrives, the cat recognises him and doesn't feel threatened. It's the equivalent of a human seeing a photo of someone before they meet them apparently.

Buffythedebtslayer

Your post reminded me Lucky, of how much I love them