| Author | Message | ||
     Thumper74 |
My family and I are offering our dog, Gunner, for adoption to a good home. We adopted him from the Elyria Pound a few weeks ago and while he is a great dog, he is not integrating well with our cats. We're glad we saved him from being put down and now we'd like to find an active family with no cats for him to be a part of. Here's the facts: -The pound told us he is 8-9 months old and very healthy. Sadly, he got away from his previous humans even though he was very well taken care of. He is neutered, he has perfect teeth and is a very happy, energetic puppy. He's house trained. He has been vaccinated for kennel cough. He is VERY strong. -He gets along GREAT with other dogs. We have a Boxer puppy and they're best buds. He's not malicious towards the cats, but he wants to play rough and being cats... They're terrified. The cats were family well before Gunner, so he has to go. -He is great with kids. We have a 5 year old and their high energy meshes perfectly. -He knows a few, basic commands, such as 'Sit', 'come', 'crate' and a couple more. Just so everyone is clear... We will NOT adopt this dog to anyone that we feel may not be a good fit for him. He needs an energetic family without cats, preferably with another dog. We will conduct interviews with prospective families to ensure that his best interests are met. We are in no hurry to get rid of him... but the cats are! I have posted this on Craigslist as well, but would prefer to place him with someone I can keep tabs on in a round about way.     | ||
| Firebolt32 |
Wish I was closer...would take the pup in a heart beat. Good luck...I hope you find him a home. | ||
| Phillyblast |
Thumper, My wife's cat spent several weeks hiding upstairs after we moved in and the cat met Gus, my APBT. Then several more weeks sneaking around hissing at him every time he moved. Now they are buds, and it's not unusual to come home and find them curled up on the couch together. Maybe just give it a little time until the novelty wears off and some of the "puppy" energy disperses? | ||
| Firebolt32 |
Philly's right. I've got three dogs and three cats, not one of them liked each other when a newbie was introduced. Try to give it some time. | ||
| Miamiuly |
Cats are smart enough to avoid the dog when they REALLY want to. They don't tend to like any change but adapt in time as others have said. Poor dog just got comfy and his world will change again. Ya gotta do what you gotta do, at least you saved him and are being selective of the new owners. Good luck. | ||
| Ulywife |
Thumper - we are also dealing with cats and a newly adopted "puppy". Mini Moose is 56 lbs and is deaf, so calling him down from chasing the cats is a challenge. He and Puddy have had some "discussions" and are slowing gaining some ground on their respective space. Of course, if Puddy runs, Mini Moose sees it as a game and the chase is on. The other cat, Freckles, however, has taking to living on the top bunk of my girls bedroom unless Mini Moose is outside or asleep. She, in time, will come around as well. It's never easy introducing cats to energetic puppies. Persistence and consistency is the name of the game. Like parenting our 2 legged children, it's exhausting, but does pay off in the end. As Miamiuly stated, ya gotta do what you gotta do. Best of luck to you and Gunner. BTW - how is the deaf puppy doing? Here is our deaf baby...www.deafmoose.blogspot.com | ||
| Darthane |
Ditto on the necessary acclimation period. Cats need time. My cat arrived shortly after I bought the house, and then after Tony left and took Milo with him he was fellow-animal-less for another couple years before getting my g/f's cat. ...which he didn't like at all. A few weeks later they were fine. We repeated the process with my dog, whom we've had for a little over a year now. He was 4mos old when I got him, and the cats, predictably, were less than pleased. They both deal with him just fine now and my g/f's cat will even play with the dog. He'll dangle one of rope toys over the cat so he can bat at it. It's pretty endearing, even if most of the time we're barking at him for chasing the poor thing around. Cats aren't stupid, they'll go somewhere else if they're bothered, and I'm sure given time they'll get used to having a larger animal in the house - but as said, ya gotta do what ya gotta do. My only regret in my animal-laden household is that I couldn't afford to take Flynn's brother home as well when we adopted him last year. | ||
| Thumper74 |
Thanks for the words. It's pretty frustrating, we had two cats who were ALWAYS content and purred constantly haven't purred since we go that dog. They hide in the basement. Ulywife, the puppy is fine. She's house broken (for the most part) and very loveable. It's pretty hard to train her when you can get her attention by whistling. I bought a cheap RC car to making a buzzing collar to get her attention when we need it. Since she's deaf, she's okay with the vacuum and lawn mower. The neighbors think she's perfectly trained... they don't know she's deaf... | ||
| Ulywife |
There are days I envy my deaf puppies. I wish I could go through my days and not hear the loud TV, the children fussing, etc. Deaf dogs are cool and since she's still so young, she'll probably be easier to train. Mini Moose is 20 months old and has never had any sign training until June when he was fostered in Atlanta GA. Needless to say, we're behind the 8 ball, but we're working on it. He has a few basics down...sit, stay (not long) and shake. As for the kitties returning to their purring disposition, I'm sure their purr will return soon. We've always had cats and brought dogs into the house. They just need some adjustment time. You know how cats have control issues and suddenly their would has been upset by this 4 legged ball of energy. Good luck. You gonna make it to WV? Carlos is so ready for next weekend. | ||
| Thumper74 |
I'm not sure. The money really isn't there, but it shouldnt be too bad... It's like 170 miles from my door to the campground. | ||
| Thumper74 |
I read the blog. Sloan (boxer) DEFINATELY has separation anxiety. She freaks out when I get into the shower and tries to climb in. I just let her and she's okay. It adds a few minutes to the morning routine, but she always smells good! She HAS to see someone, if she doesn't, she freaks. She's exceptionally affectionate and loves to be around people. She sleeps like a rock though! There's been a couple times where I thought she was dead, until I hear her snore. She's got a very individual bark. I'm convinced that if she could hear herself, she'd stop barking. It's pretty heart wrenching when she's in the crate alone. You would think we're killing her. Gunner is a relief in that department because he's a warm body and she goes right to sleep. She's not too concerned with training yet. We've taught her the sign for 'poop' and she'll do it on command. Have you guys thought about a wireless vibrating collar to get his attention? | ||
| Ulywife |
Have you guys thought about a wireless vibrating collar to get his attention? We have thought about it, but haven't gotten one yet. We never used one with Chelsea. I need to update Moose's blog. Stew (foster Dad) is going to show me the ropes and teach me how to post updates, etc. Stew started the blog to educate people that deaf dogs do not have to be put to sleep and can lead healthy, spoiled lives and be great pets. |
