New playmate for Marley??

[wolfpup]

I think Storm is going to be quite a bit bigger than we initially thought   -  one of the pictures I was sent was him with another dog in the transporter's back garden  -  I think it is an Angolian Shepherd by the look of him   -  and Storm is bigger!   They have said he is super strong on lead - a nightmare to try and walk and I have been warned to keep an eye on him and Marley  -  he could get too much for Marley because of his weight and strength  ---   at 8 months old?   One good thing they have said is that he is submissive ........ initially.    Time will tell.

As he is on his way and due here in around 5 hours  - one picture could not hurt    -   guys  meet Storm !     From what I learned last night it seems as if he is trying to live up to his name

[Luna-tic]

I really can’t thank you enough for taking on Storm, he finally has a chance at a better life with someone who at least knows the breed and is willing to have a go at resettling him. I’ll never understand the people who treat animals so badly, what don’t they have in their make up that the rest of us do?

Reading back on the Wyre estuary it sounds just the sort of place I’d like to take Luna. She’s made an amazing recovery and I want to work on keeping her well and that should be at least one decent longish walk/run a week. It sounds like the place that daughter took her a while ago, she said there aren’t any sheep etc. so it would be ideal.

Hoping that Storm isn’t too much of a problem for Marley and cat and that he settles after his bath. [emoji873]


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[wolfpup]

He arrived at 4pm -  its now 10pm  and he and Marley have still not finished chasing each other round the garden like demonic robots!    After an 8 hour drive in two different cars, coming into a strange house, strange dog, - then obviously the first bath in his life  (he STANK of pee and cigarette smoke) he is actually doing remarkably well. The two dogs get on like they have been life-long friends  -  not one sound from either of them all the while they are playing/chasing/humping each other.     Storm-Bandit is around 6-8 inches longer than Marley and about 2 1/2 inches taller - and he is only 8 months old.  His head reaches exactly to the top of my hip and I am 5ft 6".    You can tell by his almost frenzied running that he has had no freedom in his life.   There is no food protection issues I have found - apart from trying to steal Marley's first  -  but the speed in which he demolished 3/4 lb of best mince shows he is not used to good food.   He has even learned where it is kept  - every time I go in the kitchen he follows - and goes straight to the fridge !  I have not been able to open the fridge once without him being there with his nose going crazy  and trying to get in first.

Despite him being running and playing in the garden for the last 6 hours  -  he comes inside the house to pee!  The first time was on my hallway carpet  - the second time was in the kitchen  -  and the back door was open!   I have never seen a dog drink so much  - he emptied a 3 litre water bowl when he first came in  - I put that down to his not having a drink all day  - but since then he has emptied another one  -  possibly he was water restricted in his last place?

Its now  10:40   getting dark and house lights are off  -  so forgive any typing errors  - he has at last settled down  - so has Marley  (thank heavens)!   However if I move he immediately wakes up, gets up and starts to try and get Marley to run around again.   I feel so sorry for this gigantic pup - who obviously has had no life - evidently the owner admitted to the people that picked him up that he gave someone £10 to walk him once a week  -  otherwise he was left in this flat to lay around in his own pee.

He needs another bath - and a professional groomer  -  he is a woolly like Marley  - but his coat is in dreadful condition  - looks fine on top  but is quite thick and matted underneath  - tried to groom him gently but he yelped and turned his head so quickly I though he was going to nip  - but he didn't.   He looked very overweight until his coat was wet  -  then we could see that he is quite thin (relatively) but his belly is quite big   -  obviously been fed something  -  but no exercise.   I have the job of turning fat to muscle  -  but I can probably leave 50% of that to Marley!

Don't think I am getting any sleep tonight  -  I am staying up till midnight-1am  - then hubby is taking over 'sleeping' downstairs with him  -   he has not been crate trained and went mental when we tried it  - he went in willingly enough but when he found out he could not get out - he almost screamed  - so was let out immediately.

I am in my lounge  -  door to the cat's secured area is open  -  wind is getting up and I am freezing - only have a shirt on  -  the dogs have just stopped panting  - but at the slightest noise from the garden Storm-Bandit jumps up and acts extremely frightened.

I will admit to giving him half a vallium tablet  -  prescribed for Lunar  (full tablet)  - and he is (at the moment) asleep - his nose touching the heel of my slipper  -  if I move my foot he will know.   Well that's about it   -  I am shivering so much that I am finding it difficult to type!  below are some pictures of the two boys playing in the garden together.   More to follow.  By the way  he is bi eyed.   No problem with them drinking from the same water bowl together.

 

Oh God  he has woken up again !

 

 

[2Huskyfun]

That is so awesome!

He is in heaven. Pretty boy too.

Hopefully everything settles down and you can get some sleep.

White Vinegar with water. 50/50 works great on pee.  

[BBava]

Lucky boy! 

He's very handsome indeed.

You take care of yourself, too, Chrissie.

[Shepsky5]

Love the pics, great that he and Marley are getting along!!

Don't worry...he can't keep this level of excited energy up forever...sooner or later, he will collapse!
He probably just had the best time of his life 🙂

[robke]

Nice one...

[wolfpup]

Not quite so frenzied today  -  both dogs are unconscious - they have both been for long walks  separately   -  hubby took Marley out and then 5 mins later our dog trainer arrived to take BANDIT out for assessment (officially renamed  -  it was the only name I could think of  seeing his mask - and just could not really get the name Storm to stick in my mind) .

Trainer impressed with him   - he was non reactive to two barking dogs in a front garden  -  then he saw a cat walking across the road about 50ft in front of him.     He was very intrerested but did not pull the lead to get to it.

Last night  Socks, our cat,  came downstairs and complained loudly as he could not get through the gate  - Bandit immediately rushed to the hallway to see what was making the strange noise  - skidded to a halt by the gate  looked at socks, sniffed through the bars  - socks just sat there about 2 ft away and miowed at him   - and Bandit backed off  -  walking backwards away from the gate.   We are slightly encouraged by this - but will see how he is in a couple of weeks before trying to bring the two together within touching distance on either side of the gate.

Today the dogs came up to me side by side  - and I got the true height difference between them   -    Bandit is nearer 4 inches taller than Marley at the shoulders   - and he is only 8 months old  - time enough to grow more.

After a play session I fed them both  - bowls 1ft apart on either side of the large gate  - absolutely no resource guarding whatsoever.   They then both flopped in the lounge for a nap  -  Bandit falling alseep resting his head on Marleys hips and back legs  as you can see.

All in all we are very pleased with how things are progressing   (despite him still using our house as a toilet).    Providing he does not change over the next few weeks as he gets more used to us and more confident - we have decided we will adopt him when he is 12 months old  -  the rescue centre will not allow him to be adopted before he is neutered - and I refuse to neuter him under 12 months old because his growth plates are still active and I dont want to store up trouble for myself with hip/elbow displaysia.  

 

[Rachael_Astro]

Ahh congratulations! I can’t see the pics for some reason, I’ll try the website instead of the app

A lady who used to do home boarding for Astro smoked and I used to find he was very thirsty when he came home so maybe that has something to do with his thirst?


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[Luna-tic]

Bandit is an ace name, I’m sure there are already loads of huskies called Storm.

A thought about having him spayed, I don’t know if you read Dr. Karen Becker but she recommends that dogs aren’t castrated but have a doggie vasectomy, she feels, as you have also mentioned, that castrating/neutering dogs while still growing is causing the hip and joint problems you flagged up too. It seems eminently sensible to me, it would be cheaper (maybe lol) but certainly quicker and a more natural way of preventing unwanted puppies etc. I’ve not been in the position of doing either as the last 3 rehomes have already been done, both the dogs had arthritis though and it seems many older dogs do almost as though it’s inevitable. If I ever take a dog that needs it doing I will be advocating vasectomy/tube tying.

I’m pleased to hear he’s settling in so well, I hope it’s not the honeymoon period lol, but how could he not thrive when he’s going to have the optimal life [emoji4]


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[Shepsky5]

In photo #2 Marley is like, "Whew! That guy is heavy! I guess I'll just fall asleep right here..." 😁

[2Huskyfun]

Bandit found a BFF and doesn’t want to loose him. He is probably going to be attached to Marley until he figures out neither one of them is going anywhere.

[wolfpup]

On 6/20/2019 at 9:36 PM, Luna-tic said:

Bandit is an ace name, I’m sure there are already loads of huskies called Storm.

A thought about having him spayed, I don’t know if you read Dr. Karen Becker but she recommends that dogs aren’t castrated but have a doggie vasectomy, she feels, as you have also mentioned, that castrating/neutering dogs while still growing is causing the hip and joint problems you flagged up too. It seems eminently sensible to me, it would be cheaper (maybe lol) but certainly quicker and a more natural way of preventing unwanted puppies etc. I’ve not been in the position of doing either as the last 3 rehomes have already been done, both the dogs had arthritis though and it seems many older dogs do almost as though it’s inevitable. If I ever take a dog that needs it doing I will be advocating vasectomy/tube tying.

I’m pleased to hear he’s settling in so well, I hope it’s not the honeymoon period lol, but how could he not thrive when he’s going to have the optimal life


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I already asked about vasectomy  - they said it was not 100% effective  - but they are also worried about high hormone levels with two males  -  particularly bearing in mind the size difference between the two dogs.

 

On 6/20/2019 at 11:14 PM, Shepsky5 said:

In photo #2 Marley is like, "Whew! That guy is heavy! I guess I'll just fall asleep right here..." 😁

He has a habit of when Marley is lying down of standing over him covering him completely - then just flopping down on him squashing Marley  so he cant move  -   he tried it a couple of minutes ago when Marley was laying by my feet  -  and this time Marley went for him  Lots of snarling and snapping  - yelping and squealing from the pup  - the pup got out of the way and went on the other side of me - it only took 3 seconds - but by the time he was on the other side of me Bandit was also baring his teeth and growling.    I am dreading a fight between the two  - Bandit may be a pup of 8 months - but he is twice the size, weight and strength of Marley already.     Bandit has had Three Yucalm tablets and Marley has had one.   They are both laying by me next to each other  - Bandit apparently asleep  Marley just laying there  ears twitching - his back to Bandit.

[wolfpup]

Bandit had his first lesson that he must respect Marleys space  -  things have been much calmer since  -  Marley is lying next to me in the lounge - growling in his sleep  -  and Bandit is on the other side of me  - also asleep.   Peace reigns  .............................. for now.

[Shepsky5]

I think it's a good thing. Bandit hasn't been around other dogs much (or at all) and he's going to have learn what is polite behavior with other dogs. He maybe wants to sleep the way he did with his littermates (in a big puppy pile) but that could get really hot for Marley! 

Anyway I think Marley should rightfully be the "higher ranking" dog. He was there first, and he's older too.

[wolfpup]

UPDATE  -  AGAIN

Bandit is going to his forever home tomorrow morning  -  I went to hospital last week for a day-care surgical operation  - during pre-op tests  they discovered I have Fast Atrial Fibrillation  -   heart rate 220bpm spiking higher - instead of 70  - they took me down to A&E on a stretcher & stayed there two hours wired to heart monitors etc  - took loads of bloods - and then transferred me to Intensive Care   - took them 5 hours to get my heart stabilized.    Now on 5mg Bisoprolol Fumarate  and blood thinners  (cannot remember name but it begins with an  'L')  - doctors for checkups every 2 days  and urgent referral to cardiac specialist at hospital.  Blackpool Victoria has one of the best cardiology units in the country - so will be well taken care of.

Evidently a few people (like me) do not get the warning signs  (breathlessness, pain, dizzyness etc)  -  we are the ones that just drop dead in the street from heart-failure or stroke.    I am so grateful it was picked up during what should have been a relatively routine procedure  - now it has been diagnosed I can get proper treatment  -  but I could not keep Bandit  - the stress is something I really dont need at the moment.      Where he is going he will be joining a pack of 4 other Malamutes with loads of land to run off his energy.   We are paying the transport fees   -  its the least I could do - the rescue centre has been so understanding.     I cannot get another dog until I am stabilized, so unfortunately Marley will be without a playmate again

[2Huskyfun]

That is scary! So happy they caught it.

 I actually cried when they said I had PVC (Premature Ventricular Contractions). I was so happy to finally have a name to what was going on.

After a complete life style change, I was able to get off all meds and on my last stress test, blood work, and imaging scans, I got the all good.

So do not stress and take care of you!!!

Poor boys. It’s sad but at least Bandit will be going to a good home and I am sure Marley will be spoiled.

[Luna-tic]

Ah not so good that you’ve had to go through that on top of all your other woes. I hope they sort you out. That’s sad about Bandit but you certainly don’t need the extra stress right now and at least he’s out of the hell hole he was in thanks to your generosity. He’s young, he’ll get over it lol. He’s left room for a replacement when you feel up to it.


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[wolfpup]

The rescue centre contacted me to say he arrived at his new home around 12.30  - they immediately took him to a secure dog park where he started to get to know the rest of his pack and he had a ball romping around and chasing them.   Evidently he is already making up to the woman of the house  - exactly the way he did with me  ............... the tart!

We packed him off with a new collar, new lead, a kilo of beef chunks, enough bones for 5 big dogs, a litre of water and a food bowl, several tins of sardines  -  he loves them for breakfast, and a ball on a rope.   I have a feeling he is going to fit in just fine.