The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Pets & Working Animals => Dogs => Topic started by: SallyintNorth on October 30, 2020, 05:25:40 pm
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Another thread had some nice stories and some "the right dog will enter my life when the time is right" type beliefs, and I thought a thread for such stories would be nice.
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Moses, GSD x Collie x Lab type, rescue : I was totally suckered into taking the one no-one wanted at the local Dogs' Home. I wasn't even there to choose a dog, I was a vet student and thought I should know about dogs' homes.
He lived in my college digs (completely illegal) so the first thing he had to learn was to hide under the desk on command! By the end of my time at Uni he was something of a celebrity, was welcome in Vet Anatomy lectures, had his own bowl (a big glass ashtray) in the college bar, and students would buy him his favourite tipple, a tomato juice.
These days it couldn't happen, with all the home checks and so on. (I lived in a bedsit in a shared house with a tiny patch of yard at the back of the house, open to the river.) I think mine and Moses' lives would have been the poorer had he not come home with me that day.
I could write pages, if not a book...
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Vici and Veni. 7 month old large black bitches, unneutered, close to starving to death, crossed the road in front of me a couple of weeks before Christmas.
No way could I take on untrained unneutered youngsters; I had a job in which I travelled quite a bit (Moses came with me). But the RSPCA said, "You can bring them in but they will be put to sleep after 7 days. We can't home dogs like that at this time of year and we will be inundated after Christmas."
So, I got them fit and housetrained and had a vet friend neuter them for a reduced fee (as I was happy for him to let his vet student do the ops, under supervision of course). I wasn't 100% certain of the temperament of the bigger one, Veni, but I found a nice home for her sister.
Veni grew into an amazing, empathetic, funny, clever, comedian of a dog, and Moses loved having her company. Of course she stayed with me the rest of her days.
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What actually brought those thoughts to the fore then - with you wanting to share ??
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What actually brought those thoughts to the fore then - with you wanting to share ??
It was the convo on another thread where Polyanya was saying that the right dog would turn up at the right time.
I wrote a reply to Fleecewife's comment
I like your belief in serendipity - when the time comes you will find the right dog - we have benefitted enormously from serendipity in our lives 8)
I think this too. I keep surfing dog types and looking at what's around, but I have no clear pre-made choice for what I will want when Dot goes. Something which appeals will show up at the right time, thru Dogs Trust or one of the Border Collie rescues - or will wander up the drive or cross the road in front of me or some such!
I think I am going to start a thread for "how I got this dog" stories... Yep, here (https://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php?topic=111313.0) it is
which set me thinking of all the dogs who've arrived in my life in their various ways!
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Meg. A cross breed terrier I found on a farm in Ireland 20 years ago.The farmer had two sibling puppies left from a few he had taken in from a dog pound where they had no prospects other than euthanasia after 7 days of not being claimed. They all lived in and around his farm with his own working dogs.
His wife was a children’s therapist with a small therapeutic centre based on the farm - and her experience of communicating with young children and working through their difficulties with them whilst they were cuddling a puppy was very positive.
They welcomed holiday makers like me and my family to stay on holiday and pointed out to all visitors that the dogs could not stay for ever ...... so loads of dogs were ‘rescued’ by holiday makers. I am not sure how many well cuddled and well socialised puppies passed through that farm from the pound to loving homes each summer as a result of this kindly couple.
Obviously I said we could not possibly take another dog on but said if they were still on the farm in October of that year I would come back for her. Sooo, just as obviously I returned and collected her ( and her brother who then lived out his days with a friend’s family.) Meg was the sweetest natured gentle little dog and lived at my feet for the next 15 years.
I wept buckets when she died.
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which set me thinking of all the dogs who've arrived in my life in their various ways!
Great thread Sally, but I think you need to change the title to "how this dog got me".
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Great thread Sally, but I think you need to change the title to "how this dog got me".
Done - I think :thinking:
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This is a story about Jan Dog.
Jan was a small working collie who some walkers had seen chained up in a farmyard, all skin and bones, and with injuries consistent with having been beaten. The RSPCA took her in and later re-homed her to my Aunt's smallholding.
It was then we understood why she might have been beaten - she was a truly terrible sheepdog :roflanim: . OK, that probably had more to do with the training she'd received than anything else, but even after several years, she was only just more help than hinderance.
Due to the treatment she'd received, she also hated men, and would initially cower away in the corner whenever one was around.
The thing is, I was just a boy at the time, and I felt much the same way about dogs. My Sister was attacked and badly bitten by a dog when I was very young, and I had never really gotten over seeing that. I was also really scared of my Aunt's Alsatian, who in hindsight was just bouncy, but who I found terrifying.
So here you have a young boy who's terrified of dogs, and a young dog who's terrified of men. It was ever so strange, but it felt like we just understood each other, and pretty soon Jan was my constant companion whenever I was staying with my Aunt.
She remains the only dog I've ever really trusted. I really don't like dogs. But I did love Jan.
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She remains the only dog I've ever really trusted. I really don't like dogs. But I did love Jan.
If I'd known that I'd never have let you in the door :roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim:
Seriously though you never showed fear, or did I automatically keep my monsters in their cages when you were here? :excited: :excited:
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Judy was the dog I never quite had.
I wanted to be a vet, and you needed to have done some farm practice before starting training, so I found myself some farm practise on a local dairy farm.
They had 2 collie dogs, Sweep and Judy. Sweep was Eddie the farmer's dog, and would work for him but ignored me completely. Sometimes she would deign to bring the cattle in (because it was time, not because I asked her to) but mostly I had to do it myself.
Eddie had said that Judy, the younger dog, was hopeless, and he pretty much ignored her. I liked her, so I used to take her with me as I went about the farm doing my jobs. Eddie saw that we had a bond, and said that as she was useless, I could have her if I liked.
Gradually Judy started to actively help me to bring the cattle in.
Of course Eddie saw this, realised she wasn't hopeless after all, and withdrew his offer!
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I can't really contribute much to this thread as apart from my first dog (a cross cocker/labrador) I've always chosen my dogs and they have always been pedigreed and KC registered, and preferably line bred.
However, looking back, that first mongrel was probably what started my love of obedience. Susie was one of 7 pups born to my friend Angela's cocker spaniel, by next door's black lab - she and her family lived near my primary school and I was in every day looking at teh pups and playing with them as they grew. Angela's mum had said to her she had to help find homes as it was her leaving the garden gate open that caused them to be conceived. :innocent:
So, at 10 years old with no concept of the responsibilities of owning a dog, I said that me and Angela would take one of the pups to my home to be my best friend. My mum said, it's too late to take her back at this time of night, so she can stay one night, then you'll take her right back to Angela's house. I was screaming with anger at my mum, as was my sister, My Dad was quiet - I clearly remember that. She was nicknamed Black Eyed Susie - her eyes were indeed very dark toning with her almost comepletly black coat.
Well you know how dogs work - they wriggle their way into everyones hearts. :eyelashes: My Dad had always wanted a dog unknown to me, and my sister and I just adored Susie from the start. Thinking back she was probably a little young to come away from her mum, but my Mum ensured she had milk daily, even in hard times, just after the war. Mum had been used to having a dog around as my Granda had a working springer (Major - my childhood guardian and best friend), so obviously knew the work and expense she was looking ahead to.
Dad became very attached to Susie and taught her many tricks, not just the lying down, playing dead, rolling over, giving paws, etc but also allowing our budgie, Nicky, to land on her head and to walk across in front of her hopping over her paws. I learned from him how to keep a dog focused and to do as commanded with love.
Unfortunately, Susie developed mammary tumours in middle age (about 9 or 10) as many spaniels do, and at the same time my Dad was in hospital following a burst appendix and peritonitis. He was very ill and was ther for months. He never got over not seeing her again after being discharged from hospital, and never had another dog
My next dog was a red cocker, from my husband's boss who was emigrating - 15 years after Susie died. She was KC registered, we mated her to her great uncle, a golden Show Champion, she had a lovely litter of 7 bitches, we registerd an affix and sold them to family homes, and the rest as they say is history :roflanim:
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...... that first mongrel....
Come on Doganjo. Don’t be shy. You DID once have a designer cross breed. ???? Might have started the trend. Goodness me a ‘cockerdor’
( I will get my coat )
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:roflanim: :roflanim: :roflanim:
In 1953 she was a mongrel. :innocent: I've never been against mongrels at all - ever.
What I AM against is stupid designer names where greeders can obtain greatly exaggerated prices for them.
Susie cost me nothing, she had a wonderful life living on scraps - no designer dog food. and she was loved every second of her life.
I am thinking of getting a friend for Missy as she is missing Rio, Allez and Belle, who have all died within a year. I may get a rescue once restrictions are relaxed. It may be a crossbreed or mongrel. Or I may not. Depends whether I think my health will allow me to run round a show ring again :huff:
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Sally what a lovely thread - all the tails (pun intended :roflanim:) on here are so heartwarming, what a nice bunch of folk we are :D
My Charlie came from the RSPCA after we had been burgled soon after I had lost my Mum and our large scary Hungarian Kuvasz - I just didn't feel safe in the house anymore. So we went looking in the shelter and it was quite inhibiting with all the dogs barking and jumping at the cages, but there was Charlie a magnificent large German Shepherd standing still, quiet and just looking. I was blown away. Anyway Charlie came to live with us and moved to Shetland, what a gentleman, we loved him to bits. Sadly p.t.s. at 14.
A few years later Holly (Lab) was a rehome, she was a gentle soul and loved her tennis ball, we went through quite a few during her time with us. Sadly p.t.s. last month aged 14 1/2:'(
And then I must mention Josh - my soul mate - a Lhasa Apso - he came as a puppy and bonded with me immediately and I with him, he really was like my third child. We had many years of happiness and laughs with him. When he was 11 he got pancreatitis, then diabetes, then went blind. I gave him insulin twice a day until he died at 14 1/2. One of the saddest days of my life. I think it co-incidental that we seem to have lost a lot of dogs at 14.
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So sad :'( but lovely too. I certainly wouldn't have been able to resist Charlie either - dogs have their hearts in their eyes.
[member=1]Dan[/member] can we have a 'love dogs' icon pretty please? :dog: :love:
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meg. a home bred collie pup was never meant to be kept. when showing someone the pups i sat in the pen and meg crawled in beneath my legs. at 9wk old i had her out (with het mum) gatheting for shearing and the farmer offered me 3 times the price her sisters were sold for. i declined and meg ran with me for 14 years. even taking back the title of main dog for a spell at 12 year old, when her daughter needed 12 wks cage rest for an operation. it may sound soppy for a farmer with a team of dogs but its one of the saddest moments of my life loosing her and i can only hope to find another dog half as gifted in my lifetime
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may sound soppy for a farmer with a team of dogs but its one of the saddest moments of my life loosing her and i can only hope to find another dog half as gifted in my lifetime
Not soppy at all. When you have a dog with whom you make that connection, when the communication and teamwork become things you don't even think about, aren't even consciously aware of... That is going to leave a hole.
Dot, now nearly 13 and rather hard of hearing, and I still work the sheep. When she started to be deaf, I had to realise that if she was out of earshot and made the wrong judgement about what we were doing, I would just have to go with her flow and finish the job she was now on. And then put the sheep where I really wanted them afterwards, once we were close by again and I could give her direction. I felt good about being a caring enough owner / partner to make this accommodation for my faithful colleague and friend, so that she wouldn't ever have to feel bad about getting it "wrong"; I would never let her realise that. :love: :dog:
Well, more fool me. It's a two-way thing, and the dog's ability to read sheep far outstrips mine, and clearly her ability to read me also outstrips my ability to fool her.
We did some work with the sheep at the weekend, and I realised when I got back that I had barely given her any input whatsoever, and yet she had done everything perfectly, including things where I generally have to give her some instruction or even put her the other side of the gate.
My clever, dedicated partner has realised that I can't seem to advise her vocally as well any more as I used to, and has worked out other signs she can pick up on. I'm telling her what I want and I have no idea how I am doing it - but she does.
Maybe I will be lucky and her successor and I will develop the same bond and working relationship. But it takes years to get to that level of connection and trust. She will be a big miss, and that's for sure. For now, I just cherish every day with her and especially every day when we can work the sheep and it goes well! :hugdog:
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may sound soppy for a farmer with a team of dogs but its one of the saddest moments of my life loosing her and i can only hope to find another dog half as gifted in my lifetime
Not soppy at all. When you have a dog with whom you make that connection, when the communication and teamwork become things you don't even think about, aren't even consciously aware of... That is going to leave a hole.
Dot, now nearly 13 and rather hard of hearing, and I still work the sheep. When she started to be deaf, I had to realise that if she was out of earshot and made the wrong judgement about what we were doing, I would just have to go with her flow and finish the job she was now on. And then put the sheep where I really wanted them afterwards, once we were close by again and I could give her direction. I felt good about being a caring enough owner / partner to make this accommodation for my faithful colleague and friend, so that she wouldn't ever have to feel bad about getting it "wrong"; I would never let her realise that. :love: :dog:
Well, more fool me. It's a two-way thing, and the dog's ability to read sheep far outstrips mine, and clearly her ability to read me also outstrips my ability to fool her.
We did some work with the sheep at the weekend, and I realised when I got back that I had barely given her any input whatsoever, and yet she had done everything perfectly, including things where I generally have to give her some instruction or even put her the other side of the gate.
My clever, dedicated partner has realised that I can't seem to advise her vocally as well any more as I used to, and has worked out other signs she can pick up on. I'm telling her what I want and I have no idea how I am doing it - but she does.
Maybe I will be lucky and her successor and I will develop the same bond and working relationship. But it takes years to get to that level of connection and trust. She will be a big miss, and that's for sure. For now, I just cherish every day with her and especially every day when we can work the sheep and it goes well! :hugdog:
aye. its amazing how much we move our hands etc without realizing. and sometimes in the long run thats a great advantage. heres hoping dot enjoys sign langauge for many years yet.
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'I dont mind what sex it is ..... but I want rough coated' I said as I met a litter of 12 collie puppies ..... I had first choice out of the 6 tricoloured (the Merles already having been spoken for) .
I visited those puppies weekly till at 5 weeks it was time to make a decision .... sat on the flour surrounded by puppy mayhem .... one little girl crawled up onto my lap, stretched up and licked my face. Ok so I had been chosen!
No ofcourse she wasn't going to be rough coated but she did have adorable black spots on her pink nose .... so 6 months on she is here and driving me potty!
( she has developed a lovely longer white ruff and some feathering down legs) ....
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Houses and dogs... things where we say I want A and I do not want B and then fall in love with a B that has no A! :D
After my second rescue GSD x collie, I was certain that I wanted something different. I had loved both, but both had had issues which had made them not the easiest dogs to own. The one from his GSD roots and the other from his collie side.
It took me a long time and visits to several dogs' homes over several months to find the dog that spoke to me, and I wonder if you can guess what sort it was... ::)
But the Universe had smiled; Horace was 3rd time lucky, and was simply the easiest dog to own you could ever have wished for. The most difficult thing about owning Horace was getting him back from friends who had looked after him when I was away! lol
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Houses and dogs... things where we say I want A and I do not want B and then fall in love with a B that has no A! :D
The most difficult thing about owning Horace was getting him back from friends who had looked after him when I was away! lol
These 2 sentences sum up Jovi .... we watched him go over rainbow bridge a year ago .... and not sure even now I can really write about him :gloomy: ..... might try later.