My dog is here!

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

My heartfelt thanks to everyone who advised me in my previous thread. I just took home my adopted dog yesterday. More pictures here. She’s either a Collie or a Collie-Sheltie mix, age unknown but seems pretty young. Shelter volunteers assured me she’s fully grown but the vet wasn’t so sure.

She was spayed yesterday so she was pretty weak. Came here, drank half a bowl of water and proceeded to puke on the carpet. (Good thing I have a carpet cleaner!) But I guess that’s not surprising after a major abdomenal surgery. She has a good appetite today, and hasn’t had any accidents since then even though she was alone all morning. (I came home for lunch.) It appears she was housebroken by the previous owner. Last night she was regarding me suspiciously from the far corner of the room, but now she’s lounging under my desk.
:slight_smile: :slight_smile:

The shelter had her name listed as Molly but she doesn’t seem to respond to it or to any other name I tried. So I guess I’m free to rename her. I’d welcome any suggestions. I prefer something unique, but a simple 2-sylalble sound.

2

Best if luck with Molly, or whatever you decide to call her. She looks like a real sweetheart.

My dad had a dog named ‘Bess’, and I always liked that name.

3

Great pics. I like the contrast between what appear to be from the shelter to when she’s home. From “why am I here?” to “glad to be HERE!”. Good looking pooch with a fine, alert expression.

4

What a beautiful girl! I’m so happy to hear you decided to get a dog after all. The two of you will have a great time getting to know each other this summer.

As for names, lemme think about this for a second. Molly is nice, but she doesn’t really look like a Molly to me. It’s no wonder she doesn’t answer to it. I think much of the time shelters just assign names to animals, so they’re probably not used to being called that.

Okay. How about:
Ruby
Daphne (just named my new kitty that)
Bailey
Shelby
Lady (my sister had a collie named Lady)
Judy (what my husband wanted to name the new kitty)

That’s all I’ve got for now. Congratulations on your new pet!

5

My puppy just went through her spay, too, so I know it’s a bit of a rough time for your dog, especially since she hurts and has no idea where the hell she is.

Where are you going to have her sleep? I suggest that at least for the fisrt few nights, until she gets used to her new home, that you let her sleep in the room that you do. It’s very comforting for them, and bonding, too.

You may also want to give her one of you unlaundered t-shirts to keep in her bed so she gets used to your scent.

I also suggest sitting on the floor while you’re watching TV to make it easier for her to approach you-- you won’t look so looming and imposing to her, and she might creep closer out of curiosity. Have some yummy treats to offer her when she approaches so that she’ll quickly learn that you’re a really nice guy and being around you is great.

Talk to her in a soft, high pitched voice (the way you would speak to a baby) and smile at her a lot-- she’ll warm up to you more quickly.

A good way to keep a dog occupied while you’re gone: Buy a hollow rubber toy, like a Kong, and stuff it full of penut butter, dog biscuits and kibble. Put it in the freezer overnight and give it to the dog when you leave. Hours of yummy gnawing fun! The more you can keep her occupied, the less nervous she’ll be.

When we named Polaris we wanted something unique, too. We search through lists of ancient goddess’ names and didn’t find anything that struck us. Then we decided that the white spot on her forehead kind of looked like a star, so we looked up star names. If she’d been a male, we would have named her Sirius (the dog star.)

I suggest looking through lists like that-- scientific names for things that you’re interested in, or names of ancient historical/mythical figures. There are some really cool names-- and you’ll look like you’re really smart when people ask you where you got her name and you start talking about this obscure myth/historical figure. :smiley:

6

Oh, she is just way too adorable! She is so lucky to have you!

What’s wrong with Molly for a name? We almost named my Bassett Molly, but son insisted on Katie. I actually kept calling her Molly for almost a month.

Names I like:

Molly
Maggie
Katie
Billie
Abby

7

She’s a love, scr4. So glad you have her home with you.

Lissa’s advice about leaving one of your old T shirts with her is great. My pooch adopted one of my old lounging-around T shirts to keep her company while I’m away during the day. It is now her official comfort thing.

Hmmmm. Since she isn’t attached to Molly as a name, you’re both free to figure what her real name is. I’m fond of Ripley, after Signourney Weaver’s character in ‘Alien’, especially for mellow, shy dogs. She’s so shiny and soft, how about Silk as a name? Only one syllable, but very elegant.

Glad she’s settling in with you and bouncing back after her surgery. My poochess was off-color for a while after hers, so it sounds like The Dog Formerly Known As Molly is settling into her new pack just fine.

Keep the puppy pics coming!

Veb

8

Another thing I wanted to note about names:

Dogs probably don’t think of names the way we do-- as personal identity. To the dog, a name is just a word that humans use when we want their attention. They most likely don’t think of themselves as “Molly” or “Polaris.” In my experience, a dog responds to the tone in which you say their name more than the actual word itself.

My older dog’s name is Bean. If I say in casual conversation something like, “I bought some shoes from L.L. Bean”, or “Let’s have baked beans for dinner,” she doesn’t even notice the word like she does when I call her name for her to come to me.

Likewise, if I call out “Fred!” in the same tone as I call her real name, she will respond. Similarly, she will preform her commands, no matter what language I say them in-- she will lie down when I say “unten” or will stay if I say, “estancia.”

I discovered that I give comands in different tones by listening to myself when I was training her. “Sit” has more of an upward inflection at the end of the word. “Stay” is said sharply, “down” in a more moderate, coaxing tone. There may also be body language which accompanies each comand of which I am not aware, but the dog is.

I don’t know if the same is true for all dogs. Polaris is just beginning her training. Once she’s finished, I’ll experiment on her in the same way to see what happens.

9

Thanks for the tips, Lissa. And thanks all for the name suggestions, I’ll keep them in mind.

I think she’s used to me already - I’ve spent quite a bit of time lying on the floor scratching her, and I let her sleep in my room last night. I can’t believe how well-behaved and relaxed she is - not only did she let me brush her tail without complaint, but tonight she fell asleep while I was doing it (very gently). She doesn’t seem lathergic though, just very laid back.

A couple more photos added… (Same link in OP)

10

Aww. She’s darling. I rather like rhyming appeal of Molly the Collie.

If not how about Lady? One of neighbors has a dog with that name and I think it sounds very elegant.

11

She’s beautiful. As someone said before looking at the difference between the pictures at the shelter and at her new home is just wonderful. the pictures of her smiling almost made me cry. You both are blessed to have found each other.

12

Oh, but I know a hundred dogs named Lady!

How about Halana? It means “quiet” in Hawaiian. Or Pala, which means “mellow.”

I like the name Katie, too, as someone else suggested.

13

She’s beautiful.

Dogs are Good.

14

Oh, she’s beautiful, scr4! What a smile. And she’s such a Molly.

15

Looks like you’ve made an excellent choice scr4 - you’ve chosen a gorgeous companion and you’ve saved a life! TastesLikeBurning and I have two dogs (Border Collie and Border Collie x Kelpie) who are from the Lost Dogs’ Home and they are unbelieveably good fun to be around.

From your description of how Molly is acting around you, it sounds like she trusts you so the two of you should bond very quickly.

Name wise, I’ve always thought the name Muddy would be cute for a dog, but I don’t think it would suit Molly. She looks too beautiful and elegant.

Unfortunately my dog Max was already very clued in to his name when I got him (he was five years old) so it wasn’t an option to change it. It’s not a bad name but is so common it’s ridiculous. We used to live in a street where half the dogs were called Max. So count yourself lucky that you can choose a name that you think is fitting for Molly.

If you haven’t already got one, you might want to buy an Undercoat Brush for Molly. They are great as they allow you to brush out tangles that will turn into dreadlock type knots in the undercoat.

16

Congratulations! She looks wonderful.

We adopted our dog almost three years ago from a shelter. He was given up because, his owner said ‘The kids don’t want him anymore.’ Everyone in our family adores our dog, and he is happy living with us.

As another poster said, dogs are good. Enjoy her.

17

Wow, she looks just like my mom’s dog who sadly was put out of her misery 2 years ago. Her name was Rachel and she was german shepherd-collie mix. Beautiful dog and very, very intelligent.

Name suggestions (if you’re still taking them):

Casey
Emmie
Violet
Elliot (Ellie)
Madeline (Maddie)
Penelope (Penny)

She needs a sweet name to reflect her obvious personality. Molly is still a wonderful choice though for her. Congratulations on your new pup!

18

Very sweet pictures.

Since you just got her - how about either Spring or April as a name?

19

I like Molly. That’s my cat’s name, and I think it suits your girl. Who is absolutely the sweetest thing I’ve seen in a while! Congratulations.

20

:smiley: I second the motion!

She’s gorgeous, btw.