Meet Kelly! My wife’s cousin (Jodi) passed away and his wish was for my wife to care for his dog. No one found Jodi for 3 days, and Kelly was in the house with him the whole time. She’s had quite a rough go of things the last couple weeks. She was staying with Jodi’s farmhand (who found him dead). We brought her home yesterday and she seems to be adjusting to our other dogs just fine. She’s only 6, so we’ll have her for a long time. She’s a total sweetheart.
Condolences to the family. Congrats to you and to Kelly. A good turn from an unfortunate circumstance.
Thanks for the condolences, guys. We took Kelly to the vet for a check up and she’s doing great. We walk our dogs 2x/day (morning and after dinner). She’s really never been walked on a leash, but she’s doing great! Got a nice harness for her and she walks right by my side. I can’t begin to understand how confused she might be with all that’s happened to her, but I like to think we’re giving her a fantastic home filled with love and attention to help her in this new phase of her life.
She's really cute. Just remember, dogs are pack animals. She loved Jodi for sure, but they won't handle death like we do. When death happens, they move on. You're her new pack, and she'll recognize you all if you've met before. She'll be weird as she figures her place out in this new pack, but she'll figure it out and be part of the family. It's good that you already put her to work by doing the walks. Dogs love working and fulfilling our needs. Walks twice a day will be her job, and it will provide stability and purpose. I would recommend treating her the same as the other dogs as much as possible. She won't be grieving like we would. She's just seeking her new purpose. These are just my opinions and I only say them to encourage you. I'll be putting my almost 15 y/o pitbull down in the next few weeks. Dang dogs are awesome.
Thx for the excellent advice. We are trying to integrate her to our pack just like any other dog. She seems to respond well to me, perhaps because all she’s known so far as a pack leader is a male. My main issue/concern now is making sure she doesn’t jump the fence into the woods behind the house. She used to live in the country, so she’s used to “running free” even though she was a house dog. We have deer behind the house and she’s seen them. She can easily jump our 4’ tall vinyl fence. I’m looking into fitting an electric fence into the existing fence. We have a sprinkler system, so I’d rather not have them install the wire underground. (A lot of the heads are installed near the fence line. Any additional advice?
Thanks so much for the advice. Regarding you dog and your decision to put him down, I sincerely feel for you. It’s never easy no matter how many times you go through it. An option you might want to consider is having it done in the comfort of your own home, for the dog’s and your sake. We’ve don’t this a few times and will never go to the vet again to have a pet put down. I’m in no way, shape, or form associated with this incredible organization, but please see if they’re in your area. If they aren’t, perhaps they can recommend someone. My sincere condolences on your upcoming decision. https://www.lapoflove.com/
I had totally considered the in home route. I got her some calming drugs from the vet so I'm gonna dope her up real good before we leave for the last trip. As for the fence jumping. She'll likely eventually follow suite with the other dogs in the yard. But I know from seeing German Shepards in yards that they can get pretty bored and have an instinct to chase things. I'd just ask others with that breed how to handle and connect with them.
Lol! Yep, a snoozing cat. My wife’s old neighbors moved out and left a litter of kittens. Most didn’t make it, but two did. They were wild/feral cats. She eventually coaxed them to take food from her. I built a shelter in her garage for them. One eventually passed away in his bed in her garage. When we married and moved in together, we brought Bobby with us, of course. He’s the absolute best. He near blind and deaf, but just craves human affection. It’s as if he knows how shitty he had it before, so he’s so thankful for what he has now. Even non-cat people love him! Yeah, my wife is an animal nut, for sure!