So My Wife Brings Home A Dog

[G G]

Originally Posted by Kreth

That dog's not going anywhere. Kudos for taking her in.

[dunng]

I agree, she has found a good home...

[chippewastud79]

Nice work Al!

[Texan in Mexico]

I think your wife and my gf would get along very well Al! We have 5 dogs and 3 of the pups were adopted.

They got it right when they created the dog - truly man's best friend!

I hope you are able to keep her and add her to your happy family.

Let us know how it works out!

Travis

[hotreds]

Lovely dog! Good on you and Alina to care enough to take her out of her horrible situation! I agree that there is a special place in hell for those that abuse animals! I wish you all the best with Sofie or perchance without her!

[King James]

Awesome job getting Sophie out of a bad home. It still always amazes me how people can mistreat dogs, and always good hearing stories that take a turn for the better for the pups

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by cle_smoker

Very nice Al. Good luck on not getting attached to a looker like that.

Yup....think you have a new dog, Al. Good one on ya.

[Blindjimme]

Yeah, I got to go with the main consensus here, you got a new dog Al! God bless Alina's big heart to rescue Sofie. to both of ya!

Good news / bad news update:

(Good News) The vet called and all tests came back negative!

(Bad News) She doesn't do well will my other dogs. Tried to introduce her to my lab and she showed her teeth and growled. Thing is she's indifferent to her as long as the lab is ten feet away. However, if she steps inside that ten foot mark she does not like it. She is just so scared of everything. Last night Alina tried to play catch with her and the darn tennis ball scares her.

I think she needs a home with no other dogs and an owner that can devote a lot of time with her.

Alina is sad as she was in hopes everyone would get along.

[icantbejon]

Very nice Al. Welcome to the club of 3 dogs. My wife did the same to me not too long ago. She "volunteered" at a Humane Society for one day and we had another dog. He's cute as hell, and very loveable, but man! 3!!

Good stuff on taking in the dog and seeing that she gets the proper treatment. Regardless of whether you keep her or not, that was the right thing to do.

It may just take some time for the newbie to get comfortable around your other pups. Give her a few days.

Originally Posted by icantbejon

It may just take some time for the newbie to get comfortable around your other pups. Give her a few days.

x 2

[TheTraveler]

Originally Posted by icantbejon

It may just take some time for the newbie to get comfortable around your other pups. Give her a few days.

I agree. She may come around after a few days. My wife and I have had a black lab named Winston for a while - he'll be 10 in January. While he's extremely friendly with people he's VERY agressive with other dogs. We've successfully brought two stray dogs into our home and he learned to live with them.

The first stray was a male black lab about 6 to 8 months old. Winston growled and showed teeth for about 4 or 5 days - we kept food and water separate for a couple of weeks and also separated them for an hour or so at a time to give them their "alone" time, and paid special attention to Winston for a day or so. Within a week he came around and a couple of months later they were inseparable. Actually the new dog, Franklin, thought that Winston was his new "girlfriend" and especially loved it when we gave Winston a bath!

The second stray was a little female mutt - Winston only gave her the mean face for a day or so, then she came into heat and he, uh, kinda liked her after that.

Maybe a little TLC, some together and some alone time, separate sleeping and eating for a few days, and a gradual full-integration into the family may come sooner than you think!

Oh, by the way, good job to both of you for bringing her out of a bad situation. Some people don't seem to realize that, while a dog technically could be left to fend for itself and probably survive in the wild, they really are domesticated animals. Taking on a pet is a big responsibility - they depend on you for everything!

[taltos]

Well done Al. Thee dogs will probably bond after a short period of time.

[Coach Deg]

God bless on taking her in. And just like all creatures it will just take a few days before they are all rolling around together.

Yesterday Alina took Sophie to a professional trainer. This guy trains police dogs etc and is highly respected. Friend of a friend kind of thing so he did the evaluation for free! Anyway, he said it's clear she has been abused and any aggression she shows is out of fear. Hence the introduction to our other dogs. He said she needs TLC and time to get past the fear however she may NEVER get past it. He said it's way to soon to try and get her in the mix with our other dogs. So, for now she lives in The Habana Cabana (my shed/smoking room). She is very comfortable there and really seems to like it. She will more than likely go to the no kill shelter when they have room. The people there seem to have experience dealing with dogs like this and getting them into the proper home.

I know I said I was trying not to get attached. To late for that. This morning I spent my time before work in the shed enjoying my coffee and Sophie's company. She REALLY is a sweet dog and is going to make someone a VERY good buddy.

Thanks for all the support and well wishes. I'll keep you posted.

[kydsid]

Good luck Al, if I was anywhere near you I would gladly take Sophie home. Sounds like she is already a great smoking buddy.

[icantbejon]

I don't know that I'd be able to send a dog to the pound after taking it in. They just manage to get under your skin so quickly.

Originally Posted by icantbejon

I don't know that I'd be able to send a dog to the pound after taking it in. They just manage to get under your skin so quickly.

I think you would do what you had to for the best interest of all involved.

Sometimes the hardest choice is the right one.

[cle_smoker]

Good luck with what you decide Al. I'm sure it will turn out fine.

So last night I find out she can jump a 4' chain link fence with ease.

My sons future father-in-law who is interested in her is stopping by tonight for a second visit.

She is getting much more trusting and even has learned to play catch, a little.

She is a doll.