Pregnant bitch on my front porch

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

She showed up a few days ago… we’ve been feeding her but won’t let her in the house.

Looks like some kind of black wiener dog, and I assume she’s preggo because her titties are kinda big.

Backstory:

My wife got home from her bartending job the other night and Cujo was on the porch, growling at her, guarding the door. She got back into the car and called me on the cell. She couldn’t tell it’s size because it was dark out.

Now I see that it’s a small dog, and I try to shoe it away, but it just growls at me, and won’t leave the porch. Granted this is a very small dog but who wants to get bit or contract rabies?

So I got a broom and tried more, and threw water on it. I never even touched her with the broom but she screamed like I was stabbing her or something. Poor thing. Then I felt bad, and told my wife to go on into the house because the dog was cowering in the corner. I gave her a couple hot dogs, which she swallowed whole.

The next day, the dog is back, growling at us again.

This time, we give it a bowl of cat food and some water. Again she inhales the food, and finally the dog trusts us, wags it’s tail, and lies down on it’s back submissively.

So I pet her… she’s very sweet… and this is when I discovered that she looks pregnant. She isn’t very big belly-wise, but her titties hang down. They don’t look big enough for her to be already nursing though… and the nipples aren’t pronounced like I think they would be if she had puppies somewhere.

The next day, yesterday, she stayed on our porch all day. We fed her more cat food and water.

Today I told my wife to go ahead and get some dog food, but I really don’t think we can keep this dog. She pees when we pet her and she’s having puppies soon.

Looks like a trip to the no-kill shelter. I feel bad though and think we should maybe see it through. :frowning:

2

I find it cosmically ironic that:

A) You’re feeding a pregnant dog cat food, and
B) You gave a weiner dog. . . well, weiners.

I swear, when this thing gives birth, it’s going to have some sort of mutant dog/cat babies or something.

Tripler
Weird.

3

Good on you for taking care of a homeless pet. Please, as long as you have her, stop feeding her cat food. Even a Brand X dog food is much better for her than cat food.

4

Many “no kill” shelters will euthanize pregnant dogs because they don’t want to bring more puppies into the world and because often new-born pups don’t survive the many germs and diseases that circulate around a shelter. You might want to call and see what they say. If possible, if you could keep the dog around until she and the pups are about 4-6 weeks old, they’d have a much better chance of survival. However, you may find just the place to place them. Good luck to you and the mama dog.

StG

5

It’s more likely that a no-kill (limited access) shelter will simply not take her, rather than take her and then euthanize. Legitimate no-kill shelters do not euthanize healthy animals in order to prevent them from carrying pregnancies to term. They just refuse to accept the animals (pregnant or not) that they cannot care for. They might spay a pregnant animal, which will abort the kittens/pups, yes.

It’s also possible that a no-kill shelter might know of foster homes; or the shelter itself is equipped to handle a pregnant dog. My shelter takes pregnant cats all the time and I know for a fact that several “kill” shelters in Boston sometimes take pregnant animals. It all depends on their capacity and staffing situatuion at any particular moment.

If she’s pregnant, it would honestly be better for her to go to an open-access (“kill”) shelter and be euthanized than for her to have puppies outside in Mississippi in August. If you can’t take her in (which I think is totally understandable), perhaps you have a vet who could give you advice? If not, I would take her to whatever shelter will take her.

Good luck.

6

So here’s a horrible thing to suggest, but have you considered a dog abortion? If she hasn’t had pups yet then there are vets who will do it up to a certain point. I’m not sure of the gestation cycle of dogs so if she’s about to have them, then don’t do it, but if she’s not too far along maybe it’s the humane thing to do?

As far as the peeing thing isn’t that a sign of submission? Maybe once she wasn’t in such a bad situation and trusted you she would stop? Or maybe she could be an outside only dog with appropriate shelter?

7

Would contacting a recuse be a better bet?

8

I thought this would be about a country song. Oh well. Good luck with the dog.

9

Pregnant bitch on my front porch
Doo-dah, doo-dah…

Sorry and good luck.

10

Call animal control and have them take it to dispose of as they see fit. It’s just a dog. And a nuisance one at that.

11

It could also be that she’s already had the pups and weaned them, then got dumped. Happens all the time to some friends of mine that live in the country. They recently had a pitbull dumped that was still leaking milk. (She’s now spayed and happy in a new home!)

If you can take some photos, do so. If you think it’s a dachshund, there may be a breed-rescue near you that will take her.

I also think the peeing is simple submissive behaviour. She sounds uncertain and scared. Poor thing.

12

Well, this comment makes me sick to my stomach.

I volunteer at the SPCA, and they foster pregnant dogs until the puppies are big enough to give away. Then they spay the mom and try to give her away too. However, this dog may have already had her puppies, had them taken away, and may have been cut loose by her idiot owner. A vet will be able to tell you if she’s preggo, but either way, you’ll know in T minus 2 months.

Any chance you’d keep her? Seems fate or chance or whatever has dropped her at your door. The peeing when you pet her is a submissive behavior and I guarantee she’ll get over it pretty soon. She’s clearly been traumatized and will likely calm down when she feels safe again (I discovered all this recently when I adopted my neurotic bitch from the SPCA in April :wink: ). If you don’t want to keep her, call around to find the nearest no-kill shelter and then see what they think. In any case, you and your wife are good people for helping out this poor animal.

13

I know the feeling. This wishy-washy, touchy-feely BS about nuisance animal treatment does the same to me. It’s a disgusting and sad commentary on the human condition.

14

Is it possible the dog is simply lost? There are some things you can (and, IMHO, should) do to try to find the owner. Check these page (and many others like it) for instructions.

This is none of my business but I do hope you can find a way to keep her. Dachshunds do well indoors, as I understand. And if she is pregnant, IIRC it’s possible to “spay” a pregnant dog. (Yes, it means killing unborn puppies, but it’s a lot better than if she ended up being euthenized, or had medical problems related to pregnancy/birth which you may be ill equipped to handle.)

15

And YOU are an unfeeling , insensitive … never mind , you get the picture . ‘Just a dog’ would treat other living creatures with MUCH more compassion .

I would , personally , take her in and let her have the puppies in a secure environment . If , when they are old enough to be weaned , you have decided you cannot keep this little girl , you can put an ad in the paper for her and the puppies or take them to a no-kill shelter . But I am betting you might just fall in love with her . :wink:

16

If you feel this way , why not do us ALL a favor and keep your nose out of the animal threads ? Just a suggestion .

17

Because I feel that it is important that valid, alternative opinions should be freely expressed. This is the Straight Dope not the Crooked Dope.

18

“Just a dog” dogs routinely piss on plants on private property, killing those plants. They routinely thrill kill livestock, poultry and wildlife on private and public property. They routinely attack men, women, children and weaker dogs. “Compassion” by a dog to other animals? Give me a break. :rolleyes:

And on the puppy thing, if they were sired by much larger dog. Killing the pupies via the spaying option might be quite the “humane” way to go.

19

Here’s a cite of what the puppy will look like.

:smiley: :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

Cartooniverse

20

Honestly, I can relate more to UnregisteredBull’s point of view than that of the more compassionate animal lovers 'round here. The whole “animals are better/nicer/whatever- than people” argument frustrates me a lot, but that’s because I’m on the opposite end of the spectrum. I value human life over animals about 99% of the time (but it depends on the human). In reality the balance of The Force won’t be affected much by the loss of one dog. That’s me.
Several here would disagree and disagree vehemently (while accusing me hating animals, never having owned an animal, or being generally a dickhead). And that’s okay because that’s their prerogative. They like animals and may or may not believe the balance of The Force would be affected much by the loss of one person (but not necessarily).

Dude, don’t try to argue with the animal friends on this board. They will shout your ass down so fast that the one or two posts that appear even remotely on your behalf will be sandwiched between long diatribes and thus invisible. Let it go.