Hey, its Jill's dog, Vida. You know, the one in the photo with her. Yep, that's me, the handsome black lab. She's not feeling too great today, so I am finishing up this week's Pet Corner page for her. We have several stories that need follow-ups, so here they are:
Let's start with Sparky, the ship's dog. On May 18, Sparky passed over to the other side. People get really sad when this happens, but I know she is now having fun in the Great Dog Park where all dogs run and play without the pain of old age; where there are no dog fights, and where we will all meet up again someday. Owners Alan and Joyce Bartlett wrote this about Sparky . . .
Let's start with Sparky, the ship's dog. On May 18, Sparky passed over to the other side. People get really sad when this happens, but I know she is now having fun in the Great Dog Park where all dogs run and play without the pain of old age; where there are no dog fights, and where we will all meet up again someday. Owners Alan and Joyce Bartlett wrote this about Sparky . . .
It is with great sadness we report the passing of Sparky, a 16-year-old
Springer Spaniel mix adopted from Saratoga County Animal Shelter in
1994. Sparky was a featured rescued dog in the April 24, 2009 issue of
Pet Corner (see Sparky, the ship's dog). She resided all of her life
with the Bartletts in Malta, NY, recently spending her winters in Mount
Holly, VT with the Gower family. Sparky sailed widely from Cape Cod to
Long Island. She was a loyal companion who was loved by all who knew
her and will be greatly missed.
Sparky was a good girl and we miss her already.
Now we need to follow-up about Rocky, the puppy that was abused in a Stillwater trailer. Rocky is recovering from his surgery and the Friends of the Saratoga County Animal Shelter raised some funds for his medical costs, but we still need more financial help. So if you can send a check for any amount to The Rocky Fund c/o FSCAS, P.O. Box 788, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866, we'd all be very grateful. By the way, the man that did this has been charged under Buster's Law and will be facing a judge soon. Rocky will be adopted into a loving home.
Moving right along, there is a follow-up on Bella, the Maine Coon cat that lost her brother, Beau. Bella still hasn't shown any affection for Bertie, the new kitten, but at least now she will tolerate being in the same room with him. Bertie is still happy-go-lucky and pays no heed to Bella's lack of friendliness. Owners Sue and Dick found out about a book (Cat Vs. Cat by Pam Johnson-Bennett) that deals with the issue of introducing a new cat into the family. So maybe that will give them some ideas to try. What is really interesting, however, is that Dick buried Beau under the bird feeder where he always liked to sit (but never caught any birds). Bella never sat there before, but now that Beau is buried there she spends hours sleeping on his grave under the bird feeder. Yep, Bella keeps challenging Dick and Sue (both are anthropologists) about animal behavior and grieving.
Last but not least there is a follow-up on Max, Sully and me. This I will ask Jill to write because I am biased and might have a hard time reporting fairly on the situation.
Update on Max, Vida and Sully
Things do not always work out as we plan. I thought I would be writing an update this week about how nicely everything was falling into place with our three pets, but the story took a drastic turn after Max had been with us for three weeks.
Three weeks was all it took for Max to really settle in and feel at home. The training was going great and I loved how affectionate he was with both my husband and me. Vida and the cat avoided him most of the time and everything was peaceful. But what started to be a problem was Max's growing need to be first in all things. He had to go out the door first, he had to get into the car first, he had to drink from the water bowls first, he had to get a cookie first, and he had to get my attention first. But this was not insurmountable because I was already teaching him the command, WAIT and training him to wait until I went out, or until Vida went out, etc. Nevertheless, needing to be first was symbolic of a larger dominance issue. The more at home and relaxed Max got, the more we saw his need to dominate.
Once again, I felt this was manageable until Max suddenly attacked Vida as they both stood by the sink, waiting for me to fill the water bowls. There was no blood, only tooth marks on Vida's cheek and ear, but soon they became infected and she needed antibiotics before the swelling went down. When it happened there was lots of noise from both of them--Max with growls and barks and Vida with cries and whimpers. As soon as it happened, I grabbed Max by the scruff of the neck and pulled him off her. He backed away with a surprised look on his face, but he kept his distance while I checked her over.
The worst part of this incident was that Vida, who doesn't have a dominate bone in her body became so afraid of Max that from that point on she refused to go out into the yard if he was already there or come into the house if he was already inside. She wouldn't pass him in the hall to get to her bed or enter my room, where she always slept. In fact, she just seemed to shut down.
What should we do about the matter? At first I thought we should wait a week until Max's vet appointment to be neutered. Being neutered might help the situation, but there are no guarantees and what if, while we wait for the surgery, there was another, more serious incident? Steve and I agonized over the situation, but Vida's' reaction convinced us that keeping Max was not fair to her. After all she spent nine years as my service dog and she is now a senior citizen that deserves a peaceful retirement.
The whole experience was a heartbreaker, but it also was a learning situation. I learned from my dog trainer friend that if there will be a problem with an adoption, it typically happens around the third week when pets and people let down their guard. I also learned it is important to trust my instincts, especially when it comes to the animals. Only now I can admit to myself that I saw some signs of trouble earlier on, but I ignored them because I wanted so much for Max to fit into our family.
I know Max will find his forever home, but I think he needs to be an "only child." He is smart, affectionate, eager to please, and very handsome. I took him back to the shelter after some tears and reassurances from my friends there who said that Steve and I made the right decision for Vida, for us, and even for Max who deserves to be in a home where he is top dog and the only dog.
Postscript: Good news--I just learned that Max was adopted a couple of days ago!
For further information on the Saratoga County Animal Shelter, visit www.saratogacountyny.gov or call (518) 885-4113. Also, if
you have questions about your pets, pet adoption or other related topics send them to jsweet@skidmore.edu.
Sparky was a good girl and we miss her already.
Now we need to follow-up about Rocky, the puppy that was abused in a Stillwater trailer. Rocky is recovering from his surgery and the Friends of the Saratoga County Animal Shelter raised some funds for his medical costs, but we still need more financial help. So if you can send a check for any amount to The Rocky Fund c/o FSCAS, P.O. Box 788, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866, we'd all be very grateful. By the way, the man that did this has been charged under Buster's Law and will be facing a judge soon. Rocky will be adopted into a loving home.
Moving right along, there is a follow-up on Bella, the Maine Coon cat that lost her brother, Beau. Bella still hasn't shown any affection for Bertie, the new kitten, but at least now she will tolerate being in the same room with him. Bertie is still happy-go-lucky and pays no heed to Bella's lack of friendliness. Owners Sue and Dick found out about a book (Cat Vs. Cat by Pam Johnson-Bennett) that deals with the issue of introducing a new cat into the family. So maybe that will give them some ideas to try. What is really interesting, however, is that Dick buried Beau under the bird feeder where he always liked to sit (but never caught any birds). Bella never sat there before, but now that Beau is buried there she spends hours sleeping on his grave under the bird feeder. Yep, Bella keeps challenging Dick and Sue (both are anthropologists) about animal behavior and grieving.
Last but not least there is a follow-up on Max, Sully and me. This I will ask Jill to write because I am biased and might have a hard time reporting fairly on the situation.
Update on Max, Vida and Sully
Things do not always work out as we plan. I thought I would be writing an update this week about how nicely everything was falling into place with our three pets, but the story took a drastic turn after Max had been with us for three weeks.
Three weeks was all it took for Max to really settle in and feel at home. The training was going great and I loved how affectionate he was with both my husband and me. Vida and the cat avoided him most of the time and everything was peaceful. But what started to be a problem was Max's growing need to be first in all things. He had to go out the door first, he had to get into the car first, he had to drink from the water bowls first, he had to get a cookie first, and he had to get my attention first. But this was not insurmountable because I was already teaching him the command, WAIT and training him to wait until I went out, or until Vida went out, etc. Nevertheless, needing to be first was symbolic of a larger dominance issue. The more at home and relaxed Max got, the more we saw his need to dominate.
Once again, I felt this was manageable until Max suddenly attacked Vida as they both stood by the sink, waiting for me to fill the water bowls. There was no blood, only tooth marks on Vida's cheek and ear, but soon they became infected and she needed antibiotics before the swelling went down. When it happened there was lots of noise from both of them--Max with growls and barks and Vida with cries and whimpers. As soon as it happened, I grabbed Max by the scruff of the neck and pulled him off her. He backed away with a surprised look on his face, but he kept his distance while I checked her over.
The worst part of this incident was that Vida, who doesn't have a dominate bone in her body became so afraid of Max that from that point on she refused to go out into the yard if he was already there or come into the house if he was already inside. She wouldn't pass him in the hall to get to her bed or enter my room, where she always slept. In fact, she just seemed to shut down.
What should we do about the matter? At first I thought we should wait a week until Max's vet appointment to be neutered. Being neutered might help the situation, but there are no guarantees and what if, while we wait for the surgery, there was another, more serious incident? Steve and I agonized over the situation, but Vida's' reaction convinced us that keeping Max was not fair to her. After all she spent nine years as my service dog and she is now a senior citizen that deserves a peaceful retirement.
The whole experience was a heartbreaker, but it also was a learning situation. I learned from my dog trainer friend that if there will be a problem with an adoption, it typically happens around the third week when pets and people let down their guard. I also learned it is important to trust my instincts, especially when it comes to the animals. Only now I can admit to myself that I saw some signs of trouble earlier on, but I ignored them because I wanted so much for Max to fit into our family.
I know Max will find his forever home, but I think he needs to be an "only child." He is smart, affectionate, eager to please, and very handsome. I took him back to the shelter after some tears and reassurances from my friends there who said that Steve and I made the right decision for Vida, for us, and even for Max who deserves to be in a home where he is top dog and the only dog.
Postscript: Good news--I just learned that Max was adopted a couple of days ago!
For further information on the Saratoga County Animal Shelter, visit www.saratogacountyny.gov or call (518) 885-4113. Also, if
you have questions about your pets, pet adoption or other related topics send them to jsweet@skidmore.edu.
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