Posted on 08/07/2007 7:33:14 AM PDT by HairOfTheDog
Lyme disease is extremely common in this area, especially this year. My doctor said that she has seen more cases this summer than the past 2-3 years combined. My housemate even got it around the same time that I did. She actually got it about a month before me, and then I came down with the exact same symptoms (We thought it was a weird flu bug). When I got diagnosed, I convinced her to go see a doctor too. Now she is fine, thank goodness.
I think it’s the same thing... it’s piling on the one that’s getting beat up.
I know you don’t want them to hurt each other but you may just have to let them work it out themselves. The next time they get into it, just let the chips fall where they may, unless of course you can see that one of them is fixing to kill the other, but I don’t think it’ll come to that. I’m thinking that once they work out their pecking order, without your intervention, that they’ll settle down and quit all this WhosTheTopDog crap. I’m no dog expert either, althought I’ve had quite a few over the years, but you know me, I can’t seem to keep from throwing in my two cents worth on any subject. ;o) I’ll be interested to see what the more doggy-savy folks have to say.
I may post a thread just to hash all this out with some of them. It’s really got me kinda stressed out. Everything that was once simple is now very complicated. I need to spend today coming up with a system or a plan that’s going to work.
Could you possible turn Barkley into an outside dog?
Becky
I don’t know... it’s not really my style, everyone comes in, everyone goes out, I leave the door open all the time and it’s a free for all.
And I think if he was really left alone he’d probably dig out. He’s still checking the perimeter all the time.
And I probably couldn’t stand the noise if he was out bellering at all the nightly noises.
So no, I don’t think that would work. I really wish someone would just swoop down and take him in a way I wouldn’t feel guilty about. I resent the fact that I feel responsible for all stray things.
Good morning. Yes, we are stipulating that we have first chance if they ever decide to sell her. I know she’ll be at a good home which is good, and Dusty is lazy so she’ll enjoy not having to work very hard. She will be about 10 miles away so I can go check on her occassionally.
I’m with Frog on this - most generally animals work out their pecking order if we humans don’t interfere, and again, most of the time without serious injury. Barkley may feel like since you yelled at Gidget he’s helping you by disciplining her. Not a good idea though to wade into it and pull them apart. You could get hurt quite badly through no fault of theirs really.
I hadn't really thought of that, but that could be a problem, unless you locked him your barn.
I did realize that having an outdoor dog wasn't your style:), it was just a suggestion.
I'm sorry you've been saddled with a problem like this. I know how you feel. Been there done that. It's so hard and pi$$e$ me off so bad when I see what apparently are strays running on the roads. Just the Wed. I had to pick Blake up off his bus. As soon as I stopped at the place I meet the bus, I heard a kitten yowling in the woods. I was so afraid it had been hit, and crawled off. I stayed in the truck and called "kitty, kitty"...After awhile it finally came out of the woods where I could see it. It didn't look hurt, but was obviously very thin:(....I found some left over tater tot's in bag on the seat (it was Jenny's truck:), so I got out and walked towards it. It ran back in the woods which in reality I was thankful for, I was afraid it would come and want to be picked up. It didn't go far and I threw the tater tot's into the woods by it. I did see it had a collar on, and that made me feel even better about not wanting to catch it, but it was pretty thin. The yowling stopped for awhile, but started again, and it came out of the woods again and sat and looked at me in the truck. It ran off when the bus came up. I just hate that sort of thing, and never know what to do. A kitten that size would not survive here, so I knew I couldn't really bring it home, but it's hard to leave things.
Becky
If they are outside and it starts through no interference by me, I might agree they’d eventually work it out. But not in the house and not when I’m around. Cesar breaks them up. He doesn’t just let them fight. I just wish I had his talent for stopping them. When it starts, I yell HEY! KNOCK IT OFF! and ecurbh runs over and start grabbing for collars and it’s this big hyper scene. We can’t have them fighting in the house. Too small too many obstacles to get broken, to many other animals and people in the way!
It’s a hard world for the little things! Breaks my heart. That’s the other thing. I’m feeding all these stray kitties at night and I end up a little worried when Barkley needs to go out at night because he chases them off and bellers. So after dark I try to keep him in.
Just little things are all shaken up. When we’ve had a leftover plate before we could just set it down on the floor and Gidget, Homer, even the cats could all get in there and there wouldn’t be a scuffle. The others have never been food aggressive in the slightest. Now because of Barkley, we have to figure out something else to do... the plate of leftovers is now a big stress event. So no one gets it, and we have to put leftover food in the garbage which then becomes an attractive nuisance in terms of both animals and smells, and something that used to be simple is now very complicated.
~sigh~
$%#@&!!!! The punks next door have been hitting golfballs and they’ve been hitting the house. I just heard a THUNK on the side of the house yard and went outside to see what was wrong. Another golfball in the yard! Argh. The last thing we need is a broken window, on the house or on my car! They’ve also trampled the flower beds, and snooped around in the backyard.
If you can’t settle things with the dogs, do you have the option of giving Barkly back to the rescue that he came from?
Her place is crappy, and not a good match. Her dogs get out all the time. She came by the other day because a bassett was missing. I put more secure temp fencing around my new grass than she has. I wouldn’t feel good about that. He’d get out again, and either end up back here, or hit.
Sorry about the golf balls!
Heh... I’d sure love that!
Except he’d want me to walk the dogs every day. He’s really big on taking them for walks. I’m just not going to do that. I have a big yard on purpose, so I don’t have to walk the dog.
Here’s a note I just sent to Seattle Beagle rescue:
Hi - several weeks ago now I caught a loose neutered beagle “Barkley” and took him in. It turns out he’s 7 years old and had come from a bassett rescue lady up the street. Her dogs get out a lot, she doesn’t have a great kennel setup for as many dogs as she handles, in my opinion. Fencing not adequate. She said the other dogs seemed to stress him out and he dug out.
Anyway, since he seemed to get along pretty well with our dogs, at first he was pretty neutral toward them, and ours toward him. (my other dogs are a 7 year old Dalmation/Lab female Gidget, who is fairly ‘alpha’ type but usually rather standoffish, and Homer, a middle aged lab/pointer mix who is very passive) we agreed to foster him first, then later just sortof ‘adopted’ him very unofficially. We improved our fencing to keep him in, she took him off Petfinder, we took him and had him vetted, he does have a thyroid issue and we’ve got him on those meds.
I’m just not sure he’s settling well into our ‘pack’. We’ve had a couple serious fights now between him and the “dalbrador” Gidget and I’m now very nervous about the whole thing. The first was over food. We discovered early on that Barkley was a little food aggressive. Not toward us, but toward the other dogs. We solved that by making him sit on the other side of the room while we were pouring food and that has worked pretty well. A few nights ago we were late getting home they were very hungry and he didn’t stay and it all blew up. We broke them up but it wasn’t over. Now there’s a hair trigger rift beftween him and Gidget. We had to break up another fight last night. He loves to play with our neighbor’s dog who’s been staying with us, I wouldn’t call him dog aggressive, maybe there’s just too many dogs here right now and he has a particular problem with Gidget. When he turns on her, it’s really hard to get him to switch gears. We had a hard time splitting them up, it took both my husband and me. I’m very nervous that a situation will blow up while my husband is gone, and I wouldn’t be able to separate them. Gidget is about 85 pounds, Barkley is 47. He’s built like a tank.
The whole thing just has me on edge now, I don’t trust him. Everything that used to be simple is now very complicated. Feeding time, interactions with our other dogs, I’m even worried about the cats. He seems to want to gang up if we have to work with or discipline one of the other dogs, even verbally. Barkley is a nice beagle alone, and he’s pretty quiet for a beagle really. He’s a pretty dog, he deserves to be loved by someone who really likes beagles and who maybe doesn’t have other dogs. He really likes men, I think he was a man’s dog previously (I’m told the owner died and that’s how he ended up in the rescue system in the first place). I hate to uproot him again but I would be so relieved if someone who I could feel good about would swoop down and take him away. He’s housebroken, doesn’t chew things, can be left alone in the house, is obviously used to being a house dog but loves to explore and be outside too. He loves attention but he’s happy to just sit near people, he loves to go for rides and sit in the passenger seat. If it wasn’t for this issue with Gidget I’d say he has no real issues. But he deserves a home that loves him and I’m starting to just fear and resent him. I don’t want to send him back to the Bassett lady, I don’t think he’d stay there and be safe. I feel very responsible for him, it’s one of my personality crosses I bear ;~).
I’d like to talk to a real beagle person about him, and what to do. Is there a demand for dogs like him or would you have a hard time placing him? Please call me at _______________ or I’d be happy to call you since it’s long distance (I’m in Olympia).
Well, that was a good letter and hopefully they can help you out, either with some advice or with an offer to take him. But if they don’t, I’m hoping that given time, the whole thing will just blow over. I do understand your rescue complex though. I have similar problems myself, but mostly with cats. If I don’t watch myself, I could end up as a CrazyCatLady very quickly.
Dang, I believe I’d be callin the cops about the golfballs hitting the house. That’s just plain dangerous, not just to the windows, but if one of those suckers hits you it could do some serious damage. And coming on your property and trampling your flower beds is just beyond rude. What age kids are these anyways?
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