Need Semi Serious Help!

[Mattie]

Kit,

I know it can be a lot to have people question what you do and it can be very over whelming trust me I know! viewtopic.php?f=4&t=10948 If this link does not work look for the post in dog training advice under knocked my 3 year old down. See I am not the greatest mom either!!

Of course you are a good mum, you were too close, to emotionally involved and couldn't see your way through so you came and asked, you are a very good mum, a very caring mum, which is why we try to help as much as we can even if it is something you don't want to hear.

If everyone is honest they will admit that they have had a kick at sometime or other, maybe several, because they didn't see what others could, this doesn't mean they are a bad person, just that they can't see because they are too close.

[kitdragon2000]

I can understand come critisisam, i had been having trouble with my daughter and pushing the boundries with the dogs when they want to be left alone. so it is a sore spot, its like everyone i ask for help with her, everyone ijnores me. but i didnt appreciate the fact that i had what felt like Everyone attacking me for letting her kiss him. yes when i go back it could have been avoided, but again, i dont appreciate the feeling of being attacked...

One thing l want to know is the liver cancer that Swinger has - is it giving him pain or is it just the pain of the car accident. I think when an animal is teminally ill and has all this going on with him it is the quality of life that is important.

According to the dr. his liver cancer is not painful as long as we keep it under control, usually it does not get painful until the very end. So we are assuming the pain is from the car accident, and he is getting some type of pain medication, we just cant give him to much because of the liver cancer.

With his quality of life myself and the dr. did talk about that for awhile, because of all the problems, but in the begining, when we first found out about the cancer, and we removed his spleen dr. gave him less then a year.... it has been almost 3. So he is fighting to live, and he wants to live, since he's been here for a couple of days he has changed so much. he's playing, barking, trying to steal food with the best of them. but as iv said the new owners will be aware of his problems, but i think he's got alteast another year, and with the way he's acting, i think he Wants that other year, or as long as he has.

He is one of those very needy wanting to be with you 24/7 dogs, (Just like my other male doxie.. I think its a trend.) so I do let him. Heaven forbid if i dont, he will stand at my chair and bark, or at my bed and bark. which is funny, but at the same time... not at 2am when he gets down to get water. He has trouble getting up because of the pelvis, so i understand it... *Sigh* Why am I so nice? *sigh*

[emmabeth]

Thankyou for coming back and re-evaluating what was said.

I can totally appreciate that you felt attacked, but understand that so many people were scared for you and your daughter (some of them are parents too!) and that is why you got that reaction.

I am not a parent, but I can tell you that of the small number of children injured and even killed here in the UK in recent years.. several of those children were playing with, kissing, hugging the dogs that killed them, and I am pretty sure ALL of the incidents occurred when parents took risks they should not have taken.

So you can see why it is forefront on OUR minds what CAN happen - also do not forget that for every single person who posts here there will be hundreds of people who READ those posts but never post themselves. And if they read something such as you saying 'my daughter wakes dogs up by kissing them on the head' and it goes unchallenged, they may well walk away from that thinking it is fine!

I am sorry that your requests for help with your daughter have gone ignored - that is SO frustrating and though this is a dog board I think you will find people here whose experiences (albeit with their dogs) echos that. Seems like some days you ask a person NOT to do something and lo and behold they go and do the EXACT thing you asked them not to do! (Actually I distinctly recall my parents asking people to TOTALLY ignore my sister, s he was 4 years old at the time and had decided it was funny to go around hitting adults. They asked people (friends of theirs) to ignore her and absolutely NOT to laugh if she tried this . All was going well until she ran up to a guy and hit him in the knees with what must have been a hilarious expression on her face and he laughed and said 'no honey, if you REALLY want to hit a guy, hit him HERE' and indicated to his crotch. Well, he WASNT laughing two minutes later when she viciously thumped him in the wossnames - he hit the deck and saw more than just stars!.)

I digress anyway - I think you are doing a great job with Swinger - I would suggest if possible you fix him some steps or a ramp up to your bed so he can get back up there on his own? Is that possible?

[Mattie]

I can understand come critisisam, i had been having trouble with my daughter and pushing the boundries with the dogs when they want to be left alone. so it is a sore spot, its like everyone i ask for help with her, everyone ijnores me. but i didnt appreciate the fact that i had what felt like Everyone attacking me for letting her kiss him. yes when i go back it could have been avoided, but again, i dont appreciate the feeling of being attacked...

Thank you for coming back, we really do have you, your daugher and your dog's safety at heart. When you get to know us better hopefully you will see that we don't make personal attacks but will attack what to us is clearly dangerous. I lived very close to a child that was killed by a dog, it was in all the papers, of course it was the dog's fault, not.

Hindsight is wonderful, pity it doesn't happen before we make a mistake, everyone makes mistakes, it is how we handle the mistake that matters not the mistake itself. You have now seen how dangerous her kissing a dog like that can be, I wonder if we hadn't been so forceful with our replies and pussyfooted around if you would have seen what you now see. I have seen on other forums people asking for advice, the members pussyfooted about with their advice so the seriousness didn't show, the person asking the advice thought that it wasn't a bit problem, the problem got worse and someone was seriously hurt because they advice wasn't clear.

Positive reinforcement will work with your daughter as well as your dogs At her age she will be trying to push the boundaries with quite a lot of things, she is discovering life and finding out what she likes and what she doesn't. Unfortunately she will now be able to open baby gates which will make it more difficult. My dogs all had their own places were my sons were not allowed to approach them if they were there, my dogs quickly learnt that if they went there they were left to rest. These were lovely, comfy beds for the dogs to encourage them to rest there, if they tried to rest somewhere else I sent them to their resting place.

Unfortunately being a mum to a 2.5 year old as well as dogs people are inclined to forget mum is there, been through that as well, put it down to stupid humans

With his quality of life myself and the dr. did talk about that for awhile, because of all the problems, but in the begining, when we first found out about the cancer, and we removed his spleen dr. gave him less then a year.... it has been almost 3. So he is fighting to live, and he wants to live, since he's been here for a couple of days he has changed so much. he's playing, barking, trying to steal food with the best of them. but as iv said the new owners will be aware of his problems, but i think he's got alteast another year, and with the way he's acting, i think he Wants that other year, or as long as he has.

I can understand this as well, I had a Staffy who didn't want to go to the Rainbow Bridge last July, she left me with a vet bill of £2,500, she went in her sleep 4 weeks later, happy and content in her bed next to me. It was how she wanted to go, took me ages to pay the vet bill off but she was worth it.

He is one of those very needy wanting to be with you 24/7 dogs, (Just like my other male doxie.. I think its a trend.) so I do let him. Heaven forbid if i dont, he will stand at my chair and bark, or at my bed and bark. which is funny, but at the same time... not at 2am when he gets down to get water. He has trouble getting up because of the pelvis, so i understand it... *Sigh* Why am I so nice? *sigh*

So that is why my Dolly is like this, she is half doxie

[jakesmom]

Hi Kitdragon,

Now that Swinger seems to be settling with you, no doubt you have condidered how he will cope with moving yet again to a new home.

Is there any chance that the new owners could come to your house so that Swinger can get to know them before moving in with them. Perhaps, if he is up to it, they could take him on a few walks - all dogs love going for a walk.

I think you are doing a great job and Swinger is very lucky to have you looking out for him. It's so sad that his original owners family wouldn't keep him.

Just make sure they know he is not to woken by being touched, and to maybe call his name or make a noise.

All good wishes

[kitdragon2000]

I would suggest if possible you fix him some steps or a ramp up to your bed so he can get back up there on his own? Is that possible?

First let me say I have a queen size mattress, that at this moment is on the floor and has been on the floor since before swinger got here... lol. So yeah, its not even a foot off the floor *sigh* he will jump into the chair when im not in it, (Which is atleast 3 - 4 feet off the ground), but wont jump on my bed... *shakes head.* makes me a little crazy sometimes... espeically @ 2 am... but im nice and hold his collar anyway, (thats what he wants, he wont get into the bed w/o it, and i dont even guide him or anything...)

They asked people (friends of theirs) to ignore her and absolutely NOT to laugh if she tried this . All was going well until she ran up to a guy and hit him in the knees with what must have been a hilarious expression on her face and he laughed and said 'no honey, if you REALLY want to hit a guy, hit him HERE' and indicated to his crotch. Well, he WASNT laughing two minutes later when she viciously thumped him in the wossnames - he hit the deck and saw more than just stars!.)

Gotta say I could see my friends doing this, and my daughter being like your sister... Lol I loved the picture though

So that is why my Dolly is like this, she is half doxie

Seriously!! They are Rediculously needy!! Especially the males, and I have a theory about colors aswell, what color is your Dolly?

Now that Swinger seems to be settling with you, no doubt you have condidered how he will cope with moving yet again to a new home.

Is there any chance that the new owners could come to your house so that Swinger can get to know them before moving in with them. Perhaps, if he is up to it, they could take him on a few walks - all dogs love going for a walk.

Thank you! That is something I am Extreamly worried about, Thats a great idea if i can get them to come, (If they live in Napa, Im in Fairfield, which is a half hour away, and with gas prices...) But mabye a mutual spot?? And he has a blanket that has become his blanket, he gets covered up with it when im not home (My dads Idea) and he curles up with it, I was thinking of giving that to his new home. What do you guys think?? Any other help with transistioning him???

Thanks

[Mattie]

Dolly is a black Working Cocker crossed with a Doxie, she is always up to mischief and is really intelligent.

[Moobear]

can l ask what is a doxie- l pictue a dashund when y0u talk of swinger lol :

[kitdragon2000]

can l ask what is a doxie- l pictue a dashund when y0u talk of swinger

Lol no Swinger IS a dashund, I just can Never spell it right... so i just call them by their nickname, aka Doxies

Dolly is a black Working Cocker crossed with a Doxie, she is always up to mischief and is really intelligent

*Whistles* Yeah thats something all right.. lol bet she's fun!

[Mattie]

Dolly is a black Working Cocker crossed with a Doxie, she is always up to mischief and is really intelligent

*Whistles* Yeah thats something all right.. lol bet she's fun!

She is a big pain in the butt, she can open doors, turning the handle the other way made it easier for her to open, she can jump onto the counters and into the sink, she can open my caravan windows and escape, they have to be chained down grrrr. She gets ratty with my other dogs if she can't get her own way with them and will go for their front legs, Cyril my Staffy will then sit on her until she calms down. That is so funny to watch, at first it made her worse, now she stops immediately.

[Nettle]

Cyril my Staffy will then sit on her until she calms down.

Wonderful training tool there, Mattie!

[Mattie]

It is so funny to watch Nettle, it also shows that there are Staffies that are not aggressive, he could easily kill her if he bit back.

[kitdragon2000]

She is a big pain in the butt, she can open doors, turning the handle the other way made it easier for her to open, she can jump onto the counters and into the sink, she can open my caravan windows and escape, they have to be chained down grrrr. She gets ratty with my other dogs if she can't get her own way with them and will go for their front legs, Cyril my Staffy will then sit on her until she calms down. That is so funny to watch, at first it made her worse, now she stops immediately.

gotta say the image of a dog doing all of this and the staffy sitting on her just made my day

Now followed by a sad note Thursday night Swinger passed away but he passed away happy.. so its.. Ok just thought i would let you guys know.

[jakesmom]

I'm sorry to hear that Kitgragon. But be rightly proud of the part you played in making his final days as happy as you could.

[LinsB]

I have just been reading your post and am so sorry to hear he has passed away x x
You have to think that at least you did you best for him and made what was left of his time as happy and content as you could do.