New Addition Possible (4 Legged Kind)

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

There is an Australian Cattle Dog at CNHS that I'm itching for Joe to meet.   I took some cat litter and cat food out this morning and had a look see around.  She is very sweet and licked at my hand through her kennel bars.  I came home and Joe just started bouncing off the walls when he got the scent. 

So, we have decided to take Joe out for a meet and greet this afternoon.  If it goes like we expect, she'll come home with us.  Keeping with the Rock & Roll theme, her name will be Missy (Melissa Ethridge).  She's a native of Leavenworth, KS where we lived for 25 years.  Her mother worked with my best friends husband so I got to meet her once, right before she started getting a lot of air play.  Anyway, she's a kick butt rocker and one that Bob & I both really love so it will be Missy & Joe with any luck.

We're having great weather so it would be perfect for the two to have some quality outside play time right now.  If we come home with her, I'll definitely take some pictures of the two and post them.

Virginia

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

Missy is home.  Two of the CNHS workers handled the meet and greet.  One had Missy and the other had Joe, both on leads.  They ignored each for other for 5-10 minutes and then started grabbing each other's necks and tussling like they were long lost buddies.  She is Australian Cattle primarily and he is lab/retriever/blue heeler so Joe's much larger than she is. 

Haven't been able to get any pictures yet because she runs so fast in the yard that she is just a brown blur.  She's way faster than Joe.  Left them out for close to an hour and they pretty much ran non stop.  Joe would like to nap as she wore him out but it's just too exciting right now for him to stop.

We haven't officially adopted her yet.  We are fostering for 2 weeks as Bob is concerned there might be too much energy (like in the house).  He's got a rod and screws in his left leg and if they would hit him in that leg full tilt, it would be disastrous.  So our plan is to see if we can keep them playing outside until their energy level comes down to a reasonable level and then they can do the lower energy tussling in the house.  If they insist on being totally crazy, it just won't work but we will see how it plays out.

She's a real cute little girl though so I'm hoping they become best of friends with no real problems.

Virginia

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

Well we survived the evening and night.  She has way more energy and speed than Joe, but he darn sure keeps trying.  Bob thinks she might have some greyhound or whippet blood in her, which would explain some of her speed.

Anyway, they spent most of their evening outside running and running and running.  Got them to settle down for maybe 45 minutes and then Missy woke up and they were off again.  I spent the night on the couch to see how she would do as far as housebreaking because that is a big unknown.  We didn't have any accidents during the evening but they were out so much of it that I would have been shocked if there had been.  When it was time to settle, we had to "order" Joe over to his bed pillow on the floor and he made great sighs and other sounds of disappointment over it.  Missy is a little instigator, she weighs only 30 pounds and you can really feel her ribs, so I held her until Joe settled and Bob turned all the lights off.  I hoped she would settle at my feet but, nope, she draped herself on my abdomen and then stretched up until she was over my face.  Seriously!  I was cracking up.  I pushed her off my face and we both fell asleep.  I woke up at some point in the night and she had scoched in between my head and the back of the couch and my head was about 3/4 off of the couch.  I persuaded her to move back to my abdomen which she did and was still sprawled across me when Bob came out to wake me and turn on the lights.

Once the lights came on, bam, she was awake and roaring to go.  Went out for a quick "business" trip and they came in and tussled a little bit but they started getting energetic enough that I threw them out.  Last check they were both streaking across the yard.

Bob and I are hoping that most of the energy we are seeing is pent-up from having been at a shelter off and on since the last of October and excitement over having such a willing playmate.  Though I was pleasantly surprised to find out that she had been in a play session with Broc, another shelter dog, when we went for our meet and greet.  Just one way to work on socialization skills and a really great one.

I keep looking for an off switch on her and haven't found it yet ; )  Time to let them in to see how they are going to be this morning.

Virginia

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

LOL  We have success!  It took 5 hours of pretty solid playing/tussling but she finally exhausted herself and is crashed out at my feet.  Joe prefers Bob's extra large (Best Chairs Beast) recliner and is also blissfully crashed out!  The quiet is wonderful.  Every once in a while one will make that contended sound they make when asleep and all is right with their worlds.

I'm getting optimistic that this will work out.  I think it will take less time every day as she begins to relax and feel at home.  At least that is my hope.  I'll get her into obedience training starting the 16th of Feb.  I'm also digging out my old class notes and see if I can jump start her.

Virginia

[brmax]

Virginia your a regular matchmaker! and I think the name is cute, regularly use it.
Them dogs have some cool gray/blue lite spotted black, and nice dogs. I had one as a young feller mine had a couple brown socks of sorts. Its kind of funny and like people I guess, talents within all of us and some send us in directions we like.
Good day there
Floyd

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

Thanks Floyd!

She's really a cutie! Brown, tan and white.  We have had a couple of "temperament moments".   Yesterday afternoon, Joe was whooped and wanted a nap and Missy came over and started tussling with him.  He gave a pretty ferocious growl and barred his teeth and she scattered away.  I was surprised she didn't pee all over herself.  This morning, Missy was playing with an old glove and Joe decided he wanted it or wanted to play tug of war, don't know which.  Missy didn't want to share.  Joe got in her face and she jumped on him.  Because we have hard wood floors, they couldn't get their grip and were slipping and sliding all over the living room.  It could have been funny but I wanted to nip it in the bud so I pulled out my best "command" voice and b*tched at both of them.  Next thing I knew, I had one on each side of me on the couch.  They both slept for maybe an hour while I drank coffee and surfed the web.

I think that is the biggest difference that I'm making with Missy as opposed to Joe.  I don't use my wimpy, don't really want to discipline like I did early on with Joe.  You have to remember that it had been 12 years since we had a puppy when we got Joe so everything was cute (until he started getting huge and still jumping on me or chewing holes in my hand, etc).  Now I know that it's easier to stop that behavior the first time it is exhibited so I have no qualms about using my authoritative voice (much to Bob's relief).  I still plan on doing a 6 week obedience class with her.  It is really fun and it definitely a bonding experience as well.

Need to at least try to get a little work done today, even though it's Friday and a horribly non productive week.

Virginia

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

Guess I forget to say the most important thing.  Bob told me yesterday afternoon that we will make it work.  He has seen that the key is keeping them outside enjoying our yard until they get their energy used up.  Then they come in and tussle quietly until they finish wearing each other out.  9:30 and they are both sound asleep after some yard time.  Not as much as yesterday as it is 30 degrees colder. 

At any rate, I'm going to the Humane Society today to pay her fees and finalize her adoption.  We did call yesterday to tell them that we are keeping her.  Our vet said that she is a mini australian cattle dog as she is 14 months and 30 pounds.  Joe is twice her weight and almost double her size, granted he has lab/retriever in him but she should be a little bigger if she was a full size ACD.

Virginia

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

OK, here are two pictures of Joe and Missy.  Think it is pretty obvious that they are both really pleased with their lives at the moment.





They definitely are "Besties"

Virginia

[gene]

Cute dogs!

I've gotten too old for that much energy.  :)

When my yellow lab goes to the great hunting ground in the sky, I want our next dog to be ceramic.  ;D

I told this joke to a customer a few months ago and she pointed to the ceramic poodle by her fireplace. This is exactly what her and her husband did when their last poodle died. LOL They had a string of 5 poodles throughout their lives.c

Best of luck with the new dog, Virginia. They do look like they are a family.

gene

[Allany]

Virginia
I hate to burst your bubble but i don't think there is much cattle dog in that one just going from your pictures
The red and blue cattle dogs are usually mottley and not normally such a distinct red and white
They are a solid dog with a thick head and apart from the smithfield cattle dog which is a lot finer and tall the pure cattle dog is thickset and shorter
Might be easier to tell from a better photo but there might be more kelpie in there
However nice looking dog just the same

Allan

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

Joe (black dog) has some blue heeler, you can see it in his paws and tail where he's got the black/white mottled colors.  His head shape and expressions are dead on with the on-line pictures of blue heelers I saw.

As far as Missy, I'm clueless.  Just taking CNHS at their word.  I thought they were different from blue heelers.  I know she is supposed to be a mini ACD as she's 14 months and only weighs 30 pounds and is not quite half of Joe.  Certainly has the speed and agility of an ACD.  Though Bob & I both think her shape and speed might be in keeping with a greyhound or whippet.  I'm taking her to our vet on Wed for a check-up (supposed to within 5 days of adoption) and Doc used to raise ACD's so we'll see what she has to say.

I don't really care what her blood lines are.  She and Joe get along fabulously and we both have fallen totally and completely in love with her so no matter.

Thanks for the info though.

Virginia

[Mike]

good for you Virginia    ive always had one dog, they got fat and lazy  now with 2 the sister has her larger brother running who would get fat and lazy   , gene I thought the same way after putting 2 dogs down a week later last tine I cane home with a brother and sister

[Mojo]

Typically, you have success with a male and female pairing. Where I have experienced problems is when you introduce two females, especially if one is an alpha female.

I had a GSD that we adopted and our current female GSD was an alpha female. They got into some pretty terrifying fights. I finally had to take the younger female back after a bad fight ended up with blood all over our house. They would have killed each other if we were not there to break up the fight. Our older female got tore up pretty bad.

The same holds true for women. I am pretty sure that if I moved my mistress into the house there would be some fights between my wife and her.........lol.:) ( Just kidding of course )

Two males can do the same thing unless they can establish a pack hierarchy. When someone calls me for advice on pairing a new dog with an established household dog  I always recommend having opposite sex dogs in the same home. You were very wise to do this.

Good luck with the new doggie. :)

Chris

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

Aw Mike, that is just the cutest picture ever.  You cannot tell where one dog stops and the next dog begins.  You take great pictures!

Missy is just the best little girl!  Funny thing is that she has not barked the entire time she's been here.  I asked CNHS if they had ever heard her bark and no one there has either so I wonder if some a-hole had her vocal cords cut or something.  I have heard her growl when she and Joe are playing tug of war.  Otherwise she is quiet as a mouse.  Still no accidents at all.  

We left the bedroom open yesterday as we're feeling more confident that she is housebroken and I went in there to find her and Joe up on the bed tussling.  Funniest darn thing I've ever seen.

She has been so good for Joe.  He was getting very frustrated, I could tell.  A lot of his negative behaviors were surfacing again (garbage diving, grabbing my shirt sleeves and not wanting to let go, and so forth) and I knew it was an energy issue because we had gone down to only one walk a day due to not enough light hours for me to get my work done and walk him twice a day.  Then  we didn't walk most of last week because the streets were iced over and slick as could be.  I watched a car do a donut in front of our house one day and told Joe, sorry dude I'm not even going to try it.  I'm surprised we even have a house left.

So we got Missy on Wednesday.  We didn't see much of either dog that night truth be told as every time we'd let them in, they would start playing hard (like jump on the couch so hard they would slam it into the wall hard) so we would throw them back outside.  They didn't really settle down until bedtime and I had to hold Missy until Joe "settled".  Thur morning was much of the same but since then they will go out for half an hour to forty five minutes at a time and then come in.  If it is really cold, they will chill when they come in but the last two afternoons they have pretty much been out all afternoon just running and running and running.  But Joe has not been in the garbage, has not grabbed my shirt sleeves, had a bad habit of pushing the shades aside so he could bark at nothing and hasn't done that either.  He will occasionally bark excessively outside but most of the time if I open the door and tell him "No Bark", he stops that.  Difference in his behavior is seriously night and day.  Bob and I are so glad we decided to adopt that outrageous little girl.  Joe is just so happy now.  He has his people to take care of but he also has a 4 legged friend that gives as well as she takes.  I've felt for months like that was Joe's only issue but wasn't willing to put Jim down to find Joe a replacement so it's all worked nicely.

Gotta get my self in gear.  Didn't get much done this week.  Got a little done yesterday but need to get a lot done today so that I'm not swamped this week.  A lot of Feb weddings apparently as I now have three to do alterations on, as well as a "barely there" prom dress (I hope she doesn't bend over) and had a barber come over Friday to get an estimate on recovering the 5 chairs in his waiting room so my winter doldrums appear to be over already.

Virginia

[Virgs Sew n Sew]

Thanks Chris!  The reason we did this was because of Bob's little brother George, who I speak of from time to time.  Once they put their male Horton down, they got a female lab/retriever/blue heeler mix.  George insisted that we bring Joe over with us for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.  Well all three of their females and Joe had an absolute blast playing together but Joe and little Mittens (CNHS named her, not George) really hit it off well.  We've started having play dates on Saturdays and those two are like BFFs.  But, I kept his behavior with George's girls in the back of my head.  There were a couple of males that I would have loved to have but they were older than Joe and significantly bigger and I knew that would not cut it with my alpha male Joe.  The meet and greet went unbelievably well.  Their staff told us that are not used to having meet and greets go quite that well.  I attribute that to George having us over for play dates which significantly improved Joe's socialization skills.  So really I have George to thank for it all.  Plus George told me not to wait to get the remodeling done but to go for a meet and greet if I thought there was a good match for Joe.  I just cannot imagine any other dog fitting in near as well as Missy has.

Virginia