Bear Down Wildcats

(There's continued reluctance about the other thread, and I get it. It makes sense.)

We went to the Pima Animal Care Center yesterday and came home with a dog to foster. He's a 2 year-old black lab/bull terrier mix (I think). We named him Beckett.




Other than fostering, I have no idea how to see whether my asthma can handle living with a dog. My allergist said, "Spend time with dogs and see how you do."

I'm already getting super attached to him.

Good for you!

Looks like a great boy? Get's along w/ your daughter?

Hope you have wonderful life with Beckett. He'll have you waiting on dogot in no time.

Any idea what breed mix? Love the spot on his chest.

My dogs now cry at my bedroom door when I am taking my shower, since they know their daily walk is coming up. One nice thing about the pandemic, then retirement, is that we are home almost all the time now. No more having them be alone for hours every day.

Great looking dog. I have asthma and it took some time to acclimate to our pup.

Being home more has brought more separation anxiety for our girl. When we get to travel it’s always hard to leave

Alieberman wrote: ↑Mon Jan 24, 2022 11:44 am Good for you!

Looks like a great boy? Get's along w/ your daughter?

Yeah, he's just so good-natured. He isn't really trained, though, so he'll kind of hop up and dig his paws into your chest. That's quite a thump on a 5 year-old kid. We really want to start training.

Merkin wrote: ↑Mon Jan 24, 2022 11:50 am Any idea what breed mix? Love the spot on his chest.

My dogs now cry at my bedroom door when I am taking my shower, since they know their daily walk is coming up. One nice thing about the pandemic, then retirement, is that we are home almost all the time now. No more having them be alone for hours every day.

The paperwork says a mix of black lab and terrier. I'm thinking black lab and bull terrier, specifically.

azcat49 wrote: ↑Mon Jan 24, 2022 12:00 pm Great looking dog. I have asthma and it took some time to acclimate to our pup.

Being home more has brought more separation anxiety for our girl. When we get to travel it’s always hard to leave

That's encouraging that you acclimated. I took a couple puffs of albuterol before going to sleep last night and haven't needed anything since. I only did it as a precaution. Been working on the couch with him all morning and have no problems. Seems promising, right?

Interesting mix. I grew up with Black Labs and they are smart, even-tempered and fun.

Terriers are more like Kerr Kriisa

If you have to choose between the dog and your asthma... Fuck Asthma.

Since this is my first time with a dog, does the following sound about right?

- We give him a substantial walk twice a day.

- We take him into the back yard where he sniffs a lot of stuff and barks at people passing in the alley.

- He wants to roughhouse frequently, and I oblige.

- When I work on the sofa, he plops down next to me, and often snoozes with snores.

- When I come home from a brief errand, he's beside himself with full-body wags, leaps, and howls.

- He follows me all around the house and waits outside the bathroom door while I pee.

- He barks fiercely and vigilantly when a delivery person brings a package. He seems like he'd risk his life to protect us against any "threat".

- I've done nothing to earn any of this intense love and loyalty, and I feel like shit when we all sit down to dinner and offer him nothing but a cup of dry kibble and a chew toy or a rawhide bone.

Based on that description- sounds like you have a dog.

A very good dog

I'll take "Things dogs do" for $300 Alex.

Our dog acts like we just got back from a 12 month tour in Iraq every time we go to the store for 15 minutes or more.

Sounds like you found a very good boy LH.

Welcome to our world LH.

But there is no better feeling in the world than when you are having a shitty day, no matter what the cause, and they are there for you to provide that unconditional love.

So, what do dogs think about us not offering any of this amazing food?

It's like, "I love you! You can try some if I accidentally drop a small piece of it on the dirty floor! But I probably won't. Come stare at me while I eat this sandwich."

They get over it quickly...until the next time.

LH- Sounds like everything is perfect.

My 1 piece of advice- An issue that many Pandemic Puppies have faced is that many of them have become used to no strangers coming into the house during lockdown. Then when people started having friends/ family come over again- the dogs then became weird around these new people and protective. Don't know your comfort level about having people over these days- but the sooner your pup knows people you invite into your house are good people, the better.

Alieberman wrote: ↑Tue Jan 25, 2022 12:33 pm LH- Sounds like everything is perfect.

My 1 piece of advice- An issue that many Pandemic Puppies have faced is that many of them have become used to no strangers coming into the house during lockdown. Then when people started having friends/ family come over again- the dogs then became weird around these new people and protective. Don't know your comfort level about having people over these days- but the sooner your pup knows people you invite into your house are good people, the better.

That's great! Thanks. I wouldn't have thought of that.

My dogs thing they are fierce wolf dogs when someone comes to the door, such as a delivery person, but once the door is opened they are the delivery person's best friend.

One thing to watch out for in the desert is that dogs cannot tolerate hot concrete in the summer on their paws.

My dogs are so spoiled, they get bacon and eggs every Friday and Saturday for breakfast. Even have their own special plates.

Merkin wrote: ↑Tue Jan 25, 2022 1:03 pm My dogs are so spoiled, they get bacon and eggs every Friday and Saturday for breakfast. Even have their own special plates.

My dog loves bread so she get's a croissant every morning from either Dunkin (my stop) or Starbucks (where my wife goes).

And my dog loves rides in the car...

EastCoastCat wrote: ↑Tue Jan 25, 2022 2:00 pm And my dog loves rides in the car...

As my kids grew up and left, my dogs used to go with me in my truck on shopping trips as my new kids.

But people get so upset if you leave animals in a car, even with the windows cracked, and I live in a cool climate, so rarely take them now. You can legally break into a car to save an animal here in California.

My wife at a shopping center some time back, and some concerned individuals called about a dog in a Tesla with the windows up. Cops showed up, along with other concerned citizens. Before they could break the window, the owner showed up.

No one realized Teslas have dog mode.

So, even something like a croissant every day is okay as a treat?

Not really good for them but we are weak.

In your opinion, is this a medical green light for me to adopt my amazing foster dog? I specified to my allergist and the nurse all of my symptoms so far.

The nurse emailed the physician this:

He was not sure if he should or shouldn't adopt the dog, because he was worried that his symptoms might get worse.

And the physician responded to me directly this:

It's hard to say how your reaction to the dog will progress. Clearly the saliva appears to be giving you some contact reaction. I would encourage taking daily antihistamine and even pre-treat with a benadryl or second antihistamine pill before contact with the dog if possible. If the symptoms are not controlled or progress with other symptoms (such as runny nose, cough, wheezing) then I would strongly recommend allergy shots to dog as we have previously discussed.

I hope this helps.

If you are willing to take the necessary steps to help alleviate your allergy symptoms or just live with them … fuck yes

Alieberman wrote: ↑Thu Jan 27, 2022 7:53 am If you are willing to take the necessary steps to help alleviate your allergy symptoms or just live with them … fuck yes

I'm willing!

azgreg wrote: ↑Thu Jan 27, 2022 8:19 am

Our dogs look related.

So when I'm sitting in a room listening to a lecture on medicine in the 19th century Arab world, are the audience members around me thinking, "I want to go home to my dog"?

At 5:00 pm yesterday, my wife, who is from Philadelphia, walked our dog into a cholla, creating a non-critical medical case involving terrible pain.

Due to so many veterinarians being sick right now, there was only one animal hospital in all of Tucson taking non-critical cases until the next day. So, I spent from 5:45 yesterday until 6:00 this morning in the lobby of an animal ER, trying to nurse my suffering dog with cactus barbs all over his face.

He's back home now, wobbly from the sedative and on antibiotics and pain medication.

This follows a pipe bursting in our house at the start of the USC game. So, I missed both USC and ASU.

As a dog owner, how often do you spend the night in the animal ER? Once a month? Less?

It's quite an ordeal. Thich Nhat Hahn says we shouldn't avoid the suffering in the world. But witnessing so many emergencies come through the door all night, and so many people losing their best friends, is pretty heavy.

Is this the right thread for this?

My dogs have never been to the vet since I have had them, about 7 or 8 years each. But never had any health issues.

Although my prior dog did, but wrong thread for that.

I walk them pretty much every day. You don't realize how many dogs are in your neighborhood until you walk 2 dogs on every street.

Dogs don't often need urgent care but when they do, the emergency MUST take place late on a Sunday night before a Monday holiday.

This is the way

Alieberman wrote: ↑Tue Feb 08, 2022 1:45 pm Dogs don't often need urgent care but when they do, the emergency MUST take place late on a Sunday night before a Monday holiday.

This is the way

Absolutely. And the techs were all such incredibly professional people with the weight of the world on their shoulders with STAT emergency after STAT emergency. And all the while they were apologizing to me and Beckett. All I could say was, "Don't worry! Thank you!!!"

Puppers got a few vaccine boosters this morning then went on a hike with Mrs azgreg. She's a tuckered puppy.

We lost both our dogs within a couple months of each other last year and was not ready to get another one until recently. Now I learn my wife has me set up to face time with a new puppy this afternoon. She has a friend in another state who has a puppy up for adoption, is this as crazy as it sounds to me? Facetiming an animal?

gronk4heisman wrote: ↑Wed Mar 02, 2022 10:21 am We lost both our dogs within a couple months of each other last year and was not ready to get another one until recently. Now I learn my wife has me set up to face time with a new puppy this afternoon. She has a friend in another state who has a puppy up for adoption, is this as crazy as it sounds to me? Facetiming an animal?

LOL

Our dog is so dumb he doesn't even look at computer/phone/TV screens so it would have been no help when we adopted him.

UAEebs86 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 02, 2022 10:30 am

gronk4heisman wrote: ↑Wed Mar 02, 2022 10:21 am We lost both our dogs within a couple months of each other last year and was not ready to get another one until recently. Now I learn my wife has me set up to face time with a new puppy this afternoon. She has a friend in another state who has a puppy up for adoption, is this as crazy as it sounds to me? Facetiming an animal?

LOL

Our dog is so dumb he doesn't even look at computer/phone/TV screens so it would have been no help when we adopted him.

We had a dog once that would run behind the TV whenever a dog barked on TV. Never did notice on on the TV.

Parrots absolutely watch TV. My parrot was scared shitless of the Good Witch in the Wizard of Oz. Had no problem with the Wicked Witch of the West. Come to think of it, maybe most of us share that, honestly.

Longhorned wrote: ↑Wed Mar 02, 2022 10:38 am Parrots absolutely watch TV. My parrot was scared shitless of the Good Witch in the Wizard of Oz. Had no problem with the Wicked Witch of the West. Come to think of it, maybe most of us share that, honestly.

What did your parrot think of Sean Miller?

Alieberman wrote: ↑Wed Mar 02, 2022 10:40 am

Longhorned wrote: ↑Wed Mar 02, 2022 10:38 am Parrots absolutely watch TV. My parrot was scared shitless of the Good Witch in the Wizard of Oz. Had no problem with the Wicked Witch of the West. Come to think of it, maybe most of us share that, honestly.

What did your parrot think of Sean Miller?

No issues. But he was seriously stressed out during games because he sensed from me that the world might be about to end.

I don't know whether I'm calmer with the current team or what, but my dog lays on the couch with me during games and just lets me be me.

gronk4heisman wrote: ↑Wed Mar 02, 2022 10:21 am We lost both our dogs within a couple months of each other last year and was not ready to get another one until recently. Now I learn my wife has me set up to face time with a new puppy this afternoon. She has a friend in another state who has a puppy up for adoption, is this as crazy as it sounds to me? Facetiming an animal?

To put it succinctly… fuck yes.

The main problem with face timing with a puppy is that it's embarrassing.

Longhorned wrote: ↑Wed Mar 02, 2022 10:50 am The main problem with face timing with a puppy is that it's embarrassing.

I am considering whether to ask for a divorce over this request

Longhorned wrote: ↑Wed Mar 02, 2022 10:50 am The main problem with face timing with a puppy is that it's embarrassing.

When your dog has to tell you to unmute yourself... it's pretty emasculating

Longhorned wrote: ↑Wed Mar 02, 2022 10:50 am The main problem with face timing with a puppy is that it's embarrassing.

For you or the dog?

For all involved.

This dog was about to be euthanized before a rescue group stepped up and saved him. (He had been hit by a car and shot... as well as blind in 1 eye due to glaucoma)

Today is his 9 year gotcha day with us.... and he is very much my best friend