I am so super excited! I am going to be able to pick out my puppy this week! She is only a week old, so will be a bit yet before she can come home with me. But I am so excited.
I have been wanting to get a dog or puppy which I can train as a service dog and learned a few weeks ago that a friend’s dog was having puppies. The mamma is 1/2 Lab, 1/2 Rottweiler and she is the sweetest. Whenever I stop by her mamma’s shop she will always come greet me and will “check in” with me all the time I am there, giving sweet loves. And she seems to know when I am having a rough day and will be more attentive then. The daddy is 1/2 Lab, 1/2 Heeler and is also a sweet, intelligent boy.
I know it will be some time before I have a trained service dog, but was just so excited I had to share!
Now I just need to pick a name for her . . . I am tossing around Amber, Kori or Pepper . . . unless something else catches my attention.
Awesome news, Struggling!!!
I’m so happy for you! My sweet Bella makes every day better. It is amazing how pups learn certain words and read your moods. It calms me down just to pet her when I’m having an anxiety filled day.
Will you send us a pic? I love puppies! (There are also LOTS of animal lovers on this site, as I’m sure you’ve already gathered.)
CONGRATS!
Of course I will post a picture! Bella is the name of my puppies mamma - I love that name.
I have another dog and she can be attentive at times. But she is an 11 year old rescue (we got her when she was about 1) and her first year was very traumatic. She still runs if you even touch a fly swatter or if you move to fast/wave your arms to much. And while she will lay beside me when I am having a rough day pain wise - if I am having trouble with my anxiety, I am on my own. I think my anxiety triggers hers and she will go hide.
Oh, that poor pup! I’m so glad that you rescued her! What breed of dog is she? How is she around other animals? How do you think she’ll do with the puppy? In the many years we’ve owned dogs, I’ve seen some of mine just pretend like the puppy wasn’t there (LOL) and others “mother” it as if it were their own.
Tina is a cattle dog cross - I suspect Heeler and Border Collie anyway based on her coloring. And if she had had the training I think she would have made a great herding dog. That instinct is very strong in her. Unfortunately we never had any cattle for her to herd and chickens just are not a good substitute! Now whenever I take her with me up to my daughters to pick up my son (“her boy”) she gets so excited - my daughter raises sheep - she will be literally shaking with excitement and whining. Much to her dismay she does NOT get to go play with the sheep. LOL
She does surprisingly well with other animals though. When she was younger, we had to watch her with other dogs some. Those smaller than her or puppies she was fine with. Bigger dogs it depended - she needed time to get use to them so if they came up to her to quick she tended to see that as aggression and was ready to fight. Thankfully she has mellowed in that department a great deal, though if a dog shows aggression she still will attempt to “clean house” if I would let her. Puppies though have always been ok - she will play with them when she wants to and when she is tired of them she will go hide.
Cats depend. She is not aggressive really - she is not a “kills cats” dog, but some she likes and some she doesn’t. Regardless, cats are great fun to her. She would let them get surpassingly close to her, all the while appearing to ignore them, and then she would suddenly dart their way. The result is that the cat would leap, running mid-air, and take off for who knows where - and meanwhile Tina would be so proud of herself, tail wagging with the biggest doggie grin on her face.
It’s people though that you have to watch her with. She will let me know if someone is here before they have even stopped their vehicle. And only a fool would attempt to enter if I didn’t have hold of her. Out in public, she is not aggressive towards people, but she is fearful. She dislikes men especially, but being female doesn’t get you an automatic pass either. Children are ok, but once they get about half grown or bigger (once they reach the age that they look more like an adult than a child) . . . she is not so sure of them. If she accepts you, you are special. The only man I know that she accepts 100% is my son, but she essential grew up with him. Even after 10 years of love, we never made a good recovery in this area - Which is why I never considered training her as my service dog and why I joke sometimes that she needs an emotional support dog. LOL
Sometimes I wonder if we did the right thing . . . would it have been “kinder” to let her be put down . . . she still, after 10 years has of spoiled rotten love, has major issues with people, fly swatters and other long objects, sudden movements, and loud noises. I like to think anyway, that even though we couldn’t take away all her fears, we have given her some better memories to take with her some day.
I think your “cattle” dog is very lucky to have you! Yes - I imagine herding chickens would either be incredibly funny or turn into a disaster! Maybe your new puppy can be, both, your service dog and Tina’s emotional support animal.
My Bella, even though a toy Aussie, has all of the herding instinct of the larger aussies. She loves to play fetch (we call it “Round it up”). I purchased the Ruff Dog “twig” fetching stick for her, as she was hurt by a real stick she went to fetch - It had a knot that badly bruised the top of her mouth. I won’t let her play with real sticks now! (Live and learn I guess)
You will have so much fun with your new puppy! I can’t wait to see a pic!
I can understand this . . . I won’t buy any of the rawhide type treats anymore. We nearly lost a dog - she got extremely sick after eating one. Vet told us while most dogs can handle them with no trouble, some will have a bad reaction. Don’t know if it is something with how they are made or what. Was the only time we ever had trouble with them, but once was enough!
JCS, shame on you for making fun of Bell. Especially when she’s allowed you to call her by her first name. She hurt herself on a STICK WITH A KNOT -not a twig!
StrugglinginKs, he’s just trying to get a rise out of me - It worked, too!
I’m with you on nixing the rawhide treats. Every evening Bella tells me when it’s time for her chicken jerky treat (just a little spoiled, huh?) LOL
Ah, I see - in my case a twig would’ve been enough… but then she hasn’t got fibro, so my comparing isn’t being fair on me…
I’ll be very pleased if I could allow me to call her Bell one day, too, someday. I feel a new happier song coming up
She says you are back to calling her the very long “majestic” name - I can’t remember what it was…Fibro Brian… And, you may write her a song.
JCS, did you see the pic that Struggling posted of Kori, her new puppy?! !
LOL, Freedom, I’ve named my brain “Brian” apparently. JCS and I often turn letters around in wrods (there I go again!) and it is hard to break the habit just more of the silliness bug, I suspect - that thing just keeps biting me!
I turn letters around, leave letters out and sometimes entire words. But I tend to be very OCD about what I write - I can’t seem to write anything and hit send, I have to reread it, agonize over it, and analyze it to death at least a dozen times first.
She is only a week old, so will be a bit yet before she can come home with me. But I am so excited.
My sweet Bella makes every day better. It is amazing how pups learn certain words and read your moods. It calms me down just to pet her when I’m having an anxiety filled day.
or if you move to fast/wave your arms to much. And while she will lay beside me when I am having a rough day pain wise - if I am having trouble with my anxiety, I am on my own. I think my anxiety triggers hers and she will go hide.
Now whenever I take her with me up to my daughters to pick up my son (“her boy”) she gets so excited - my daughter raises sheep - she will be literally shaking with excitement and whining. Much to her dismay she does NOT get to go play with the sheep. LOL
I can’t wait to see a pic!
Can’t we all?
- in my case a twig would’ve been enough… 
but then she hasn’t got fibro, so my comparing isn’t being fair on me…
And, you may write her a song.
