We're adopting a doggie! Transition advice, stories, etc. welcome (Pix of course)

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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Ginger is a 6yro lab/shepherd mix. She is healthy (although she has hip dysplasia, which is completely managed by inexpensive medication), spayed, housetrained, knows basic commands, has updated shots, is mellow, sweet, obedient, passive, great with kids, and (heh) a bit intimidated by my cat. Despite this, her previous owner repeatedly called a local vet wanting them to guarantee they would euthanize her. She brought the dog in, the dog was prepped and on the table–her leg was shaved–and when the vet saw Ginger was healthy, happy, and not in pain, she refused. I heard this from the vet herself; I called to get more information about the dog’s hips and what all happened with the near-euthanasia, and she openly shared (with the owner’s permission, perhaps oddly).

The owner then took her to a local rescue, and I met her when she was brought in to a local Petco for their national adoption weekend.

We’re picking her up and taking her home tomorrow. :smiley: This is Ginger’s profile video from the rescue.

I’m looking for any experiences and suggestions on how to help her transition to her new home. She’ll sleep in a crate at night (which is what she’s used to), and otherwise be with us. When we go to work, she’ll be in our backyard (also something she used to). When inside, she’ll be leashed at first, especially since we have a small child (1yr) and a cat who was deliberately taunting her in his catlike way when they were introduced during her brief visit tonight. She was very curious and wanted to sniff him, but you could definitely tell he intimidated her. He has no issue with dogs as he knows he rules the home–our previous dog (she’s been gone 3 years now) was turned much like Ginger and Inigo the Dog in Cat’s Clothes figured out in about ten seconds that he had Angel’s number. Ditto Ginger. Heh heh heh.

Right now my only question is: Ginger does shed quite a bit, and I’m not looking forward to the dog hair issue. Is there a brush/groomer/magic wand any of you recommend?

More pics and updates–and questions, certainly–tomorrow, of course, once she’s home with us. :slight_smile:

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YAY, Ruffian!!! - I’m glad you went for her. I hope she works out wonderfully. Will you try taking her to the barn?

StG

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From that second photo and the video, it looks like Ginger might have some ridgeback blood in her, too.

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I can’t speak from personal experience, but both my daughters swear by the Furminator (one has a Mini Aussie and the other has a Pug*). If Ginger is double-coated like both of the above, it’s especially good at getting up dead hair from the undercoat.

As for Ginger herself, she looks like a sweetheart. Even though I’m not particularly a Dog Person — I like them, but for some reason just the thought of dog poop makes me gag — I think I’d have a hard time leaving her at a rescue.

*As I said in another thread, I imagine that there’s an honor roll at Pug Central which lists champion shedders, with stenciled images of vacuum cleaners indicating how many they’ve destroyed (rather like flags on a WWII fighter).

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She’s a beauty! Yay for rescue!

We had a dog that was a champion shedder. All I can suggest is vacuum a lot. Our dog was black and our carpet is light, but even then, you couldn’t always see the hair till you started sucking it up - then the canister would fill! We would brush her, which she loved, but the older we got, the harder it was to stay bent over that long…

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roombas are great! with 3 cats i use my roomba daily, it really cuts down on the “tumblefurs”. there is a roomba for pet hair, it is pricey; i have the discovey model and it works just fine. i get new rollers at least once a year and clean the rollers every 2 weeks or so.

the fuminator is great as well, exp. if ginger loves being combed. you should have enough fur for 2 dogs once you are done.

have fun with ginger!

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She is really cute. My trainer, the local pet store owner, and pretty much everyone else I know who has a dog, raves about the Furminator. I don’t have one. Actually, I think I might get one today. Both my dogs (one of them is Ginger too!) have very short hair but the shedding is still driving me crazy.

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Pretty girl! I hope you all have many happy years together!

I have never used a furminatior, but I have a little grooming tool called a Mars Coat King that does pretty much the same thing, it’s like a rake that strips out dead hair. Really helps a lot with shedding!

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Yea for Ruffian and Ginger!

My son and daughter-in-law adopted a black version of Ginger and she’s just the best dog. May you and Ginger have a long happy life together! :slight_smile:

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She’s very pretty, and seems to be good natured (tail wagging gently during the walk). She’s old enough to tolerate a toddler, though the cat might torment her. Looks like you got a winner.

I love shepherds and shepherd mixes, especially for kids. A lab/shepherd mix pretty much guarantees that she’ll be protective and loving towards your sprog.

Sometimes I wonder about people who give up animals like this, though. It would be one thing if someone couldn’t take her for walks or otherwise take care of her…but to want her euthanized? I can’t imagine what was going through her previous owner’s head. I’m glad that you’ve decided to adopt her, especially since she’s not a puppy.

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I’ve sometimes seen people recommend just euthanizing older animals rather than giving them to a shelter because of the low chance most older animals have of being adopted (and how traumatic being in a shelter can be for an animal that is used to a home).
It’s possible that the person who gave this animal up was thinking that it would be “kinder” to just put the dog to sleep than to put it through being homeless. I definitely am glad the vet said no and that the dog is getting a second chance, though! She looks like such a sweetheart!

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On the hair:

We use a thing sort of like a big comb with a rake handle on it. Picks up dog hair off the carpet better than the vacuum cleaner, and helps the vacuum bags last longer.

SWMBO bought it years ago, I have no idea where.

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Ruffian - Any update?

StG

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Yes, yes, sorry! I’m sick with (in the doctor’s words) an “ugly bronchitis” so I’ve been uber tired, BUT hey, it means the doc has required I be home at least three days, if not the whole week, so Ginger and I are going to have some bonding time. Whoo hoo!

Ginger came home yesterday morning, and I’ll detail it more tomorrow when I’m home resting and the boys and hubby are at school. Basically–she is, so far, the perfect freakin’ dog. Seriously. Who the hell throws a prize like this away? She is quiet, obedient, respectful, mellow, patient, and just wants to be with us. She and Inigo The Cat Who Rules the House have had a disagreement (with her on a leash and under control), but to be fair, he started it. And, a few short minutes later, Ginger was relaxed with her head resting on my right leg and getting pettins from my right hand while Inigo was flopped and purring on the other side, getting pettins from my left hand.

Pics and more detailed story coming tomorrow.

Oh-and we bought a Furminator. :slight_smile:

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Some sources recommend a “2 week shutdown” for a new dog – basically, you don’t expose the dog to new adventures and stuff, lots of quiet time, for 2 weeks while the dog adjusts to the new digs and new pack structure. Google it if you’re interested.

When I was a child we rescued an adult German Shepherd/Some kind of Lab mix from the Baltimore City pound. This was perhaps 40 years ago, and back then that place was undoubtedly hard on a sensitive animal – probably like being in a concentration camp or something. We carried out new dog out stiff as a board and shaking. But she turned into the Best Dog Ever for a bunch of kids.

Two points. Firstly, she had an undercoat and outercoat system that turned out fine hairs like it was producing them for war material in World War Two. You might need that Furminator.

Secondly, she looooooooved water (the lab half, I’m guessing) and would drag us over to the smallest puddle and stand in it grinning. If Ginger had hip/leg pain, look into swimming or water exercises for her – she may well like it, and the buoyancy will take stress off her hips and allow her to be active longer without pain.

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We have a golden who sheds a dog’s worth of hair a day. We had a basic Roomba, and cleaned it every run, but she still burned it out. We now have the pet hair model, which has bigger capacity and lets you clean the other parts more easily. It is pricier, but it has been worth it.

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Our first dog was a border collie/ cocker spaniel mix who was owned by people who started a business, and who had to leave him in the yard while they were at work. This made him miserable, and they started looking for a new home for him when we came around. He went right with us and never looked back, and we had no adjustment problems at all. (He was 2 when we got him.) However, this dog was so smart that he probably did a background check on us beforehand.

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Congrats on adopting a wonderful doggie! We’ve adopted a couple of rescues, one of whom had terrible separation anxiety (and was also a cat chaser, so we had to eventually give him up :(). So my only advice would just be to watch for signs of that when you leave her in the yard: digging, barking, or trying to escape probably means she’s freaked out at being left, so you might try leaving her indoors or even crating her initially when you’re gone during the day to help ease that.

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Okay! I’m back with an update, more details, and of course, more pics. :slight_smile:

Saturday morning, we packed up the fam and headed over to Ginger’s previous owner’s house to pick her up. (This is a rescue, not a shelter, so the previous owner was also serving as a foster until she was adopted.) She showed us how to give Ginger her meds, and gave us many of her personal items: her crate (and blankets), food bowl, leash and choke chain, water tub (heh, she likes to go in it, not just drink from it), x-rays, medication, and a brand new bag of dog food and dog treats. We took her home, where an ecstatic 4yro Boy 1.0 was eager to show her around and help me brush her. We more or less left her alone, letting her sniff and explore, for a bit before bringing her in on the leash.

There, Inigo the Lord of the Manor came to taun-I mean, greet, her. She was fascinated and unsure, and I had a short, snug hold of the leash. She wanted to follow him and greet him as another dog–sniff his butt and such–but he did not care for such canine ways. When she attempted this a second time (after they had been away from each other for a few before Inigo returned), Inigo displayed his displeasure by swiping her on the nose. Ginger yipped loudly and managed to get a small tuft of Inigo fur in her mouth in the half second before I corrected her and firmly pulled her away, so I’m assumed she nipped him. He was unhurt and unafraid, though (she was the upset one), so I called Inigo over and he nonchalantly strolled over, flopping down on my left side and purring contentedly. Ginger, at my right, looked at him but abided my request to leave Big Bad Kitty be. Instead, she flopped her big head on my right leg and looked away from him. So…petting kitty with left hand, doggie with right, and everyone is happy.

That has been the only altercation between the two. We kept the dog and cats separated the rest of the weekend, but today, home and sick, I’ve been able to surpervise. With only a few minor redirections, both cat and dog have reached a mutual tolerance of each other that appears to be summarized as “I ignore you, and you ignore me.” Weak and sick and lounging on the couch this morning, Inigo was curled up purring happily away on my chest while Ginger dozed happily at my feet. Other kitty, Mija, is (and always has been) convinced that all dogs are monsters and are to be avoided. She spends 90% of her day sleeping in our bed, anyway, so having a dog where she is not is no big disruption to her.

We were concerned about her first night–we anticipated whining, barking, pawing, and the like, and braced ourselves accordingly. Initially, that is precisely what happened when we put her in the office, where Angel (the loudly snoring one) spent her nights. But, cautiously moving Ginger’s crate to our bedroom, we were rewarded with sweet silence. She was happy to sleep in the crate (much more quietly than her predecessor) as long as we were in the room with her. In the morning, when we woke up, I asked her if she had to go potty. She alerted, trotted to the door, marched right on out and emptied her bladder, then trotted right back to me. Good girl!

Outside of being a little unsure and timid, she seems to be adapting quite well. She seems to trust me most right now simply because I’ve been around her more.

We went on a family walk yesterday morning for coffee, and she was a doll. She respected the leash and was curious without being over-excited or stressed. Boy 1.0 sat on the concrete ground with her because he didn’t want her to feel alone–he also made a point of telling every shopped going by that this was our new doggie. :slight_smile:

Okay, photo time!

Ginger and Boy 1.0 about 2 hours after she was brought home. After I snapped this pic, Boy 1 went to get a book so I could read to her. :slight_smile:

Inigo made it clear from the beginning: I win, you lose.

Boy 2.0 discovers Ginger’s tail. She doesn’t mind Boy 2.0, but when he wants to climb all over her, she heads for another room.

Whosa pretty puppy?

More to come, of course. :smiley:

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She has the sweetest doggie smile.