Cruel People!!

[DogLover9501]

I agree that it doesn't seem too healthy to get a puppy that was dropped off at someones house....

Anyway...

I don't know if this is any help, but here is everything I knew about boxers and owning them before I got Jasper, hopefully you will know everything here about labs.(Also I researched for about a year and a half)
I knew.....
-Their temperment
-Their personality
-Their exercise needs
-Their cost(vet, food, neutering..etc) per month
-Their possible health conditions/things they are prone to
-How big they get
-Best food for them(boxers will not "tolerate" much corn in their food)
-All about socializing
-About crate training
-Knew about GOOD dog food
-And talked to tons of boxer owners about how raising a boxer is and for advice.

AND I also searched alot to make sure I got him from a very responsible breeder, and asked her tons of questions about her experience and about his parents, and he even came from a different province, but it seemed she was most responsible.

Just some tips, hope you know most of that

[MariaM]

Well, I have been researching all dogs my whole life, but if you want a number of days for a Lab, maybe, 20? I don't really know, but I do know alot about them, even if you guys don't think I do
I know they get fat easily(as you stated) and I know they crave attention, I know they can be hunting, pets, show and stuff. I know they can be anywhere from 50-100 punds. I know they need lots of excercise and all that as well. I know they are prone to hip displasia.
In case you missed it, the dog isn't from a breeder. The puppies were abandoned at a person's house. They are going to the SPCA if nobody takes them (and the chances look good for going the the SPCA) So getting one from their is like getting one from the SPCA, saving a life. And that's what I originally planned to do.
I know you all think the dog wouldn't get enough attention, but believe me, it will for the first few weeks. (from everyone) and then after that it will be summer so I can be with it all the time. And it wouldn't be home alone outside in the fall, my dad would be taking it to the farm.
I don't know how many times I wrote this but the Lab won't be outside all the time!
I hope that clears it up, and even if you still don't think I am ready for a Lab, can we not hold grudges?

[DogLover9501]

Originally posted by YellowLabLover
If you cannot give a Labrador the attention it craves, you are going to be in deep trouble, they will develop bad manners to seek attention. They will turn destructive and destroy as much as possible.

My old black lab was just like that at first because my parents got him for me when I was way too young, about 8 or so, AND they also got him from just some Add, picked him out in someones garage and he had epilepsy(sp?)

But as I got older(but so did he), I got him walking good on a leash, he knew alot of tricks..etc, but him and I would have been alot happier if they waited until I could have taught him all that right away.

This has nothing to do with MariaM lol because well they arent 8 but I was just agreeing to how they can get without enough attention, not saying it won't be getting it..

[DogLover9501]

I wasn't saying you didn't know alot about them, thats why I made the list you probably know alot of whats on the list and could probably research what you don't.

Also I know you say the dog won't be outside all the time, but I'd just like to ask a couple questions, to test you
-Where would the puppy sleep?
-All day(everyday) out of 12 hours how many would be spent inside, and where inside?

[Desert Arabian]

Originally posted by DogLover9501
I agree that it doesn't seem too healthy to get a puppy that was dropped off at someones house....

-And talked to tons of boxer owners about how raising a boxer is and for advice.

That's one of the best things you can do, is ask other owners about their dogs!!

I agree that it doesn't seem too healthy to get a puppy that was dropped off at someones house too. (The puppies could be loaded with parasites and worms- it is very possible, especially if they have been dumped off at someones house...)

MariaM, if you are going to get a Labrador you need to get it from either a reputable breeder, the humane society, or a Labrador Rescue. Humane Societies and Labrador Rescues assess the Lab's temperament, it's health problems, it's likes/dislikes, if it's good/bad with cats, if its good/bad with other dogs, if it's good/bad with kids, if it's good/bad with other animals, it's bad behaviors, etc If you take a Lab puppy that was dropped off at someone's house you'd really have no clue about any of these factors until it's too late. Right now the puppy may be really laid back and relaxed- well, that could be from all the stress it's under- and later on as it gets older it will become extremely hyper and rambunctious- would you be prepared for that!?

When someone wants to get a Labrador they have to be extremely careful where they get one from, I cannot stress that enough. Yes, I know everyone here supports going to the pound over a breeder, I do myself, but when it comes to Labs you ideally want to get one from a good breeder. All thanks to the health problems they are prone to due to bad over-breeding/backyard breeders. If you go to a breeder, you can look at the parents and get an idea what kind of pup your puppy will grow up to be. If the parents are certified with OFA/CERF and they have a good grade, that's pretty much perfect, because then you don't have to worry as much about hip and eye problems in the Lab. We have a family friend who has a yellow lab named Winston. They got Winston from their neighbor across the street, if I remember correctly, or one of their relatives, I can't remember which. Winston has to go to UW-Madison every year and have $3,000 surgery on his hips.

Instead of these puppies going to the SPCA, are their any Labrador Rescues in your area that could take them!?

I understand that you def. mean good, but in the long run you may be hurting the puppy.

[My Peanuts]

I agree and disagree with the getting puppies that were dropped off issue. I'd ask if it was ok to have a vet check the dog before making a commitment.

Harley was a stray from a shelter and I have no idea where he came from. It is true that the shelter checked him out before we adopted him, so if you take the puppy to the vet and they find out it has worms or something, then you can make your decision from that. Yes, you may be paying for services for a dog that isn't yours, but it's better than making a commitment and finding out you have to pay a lot more. Not to mention the heartache if the dog does have something serious and doesn't survive.

My cousin's got a puppy that seemed perfectly healthy, but came with no health guarantee. The poor little guy stopped eating and they found out he had Parvo. The little guy didn't make it, which is terrible enough, but my cousins had to deal with watching a puppy die. (a little side note-their mom had recently died and their dad got them the puppy to cheer them up.) To make matter worse, they couldn’t even get their money back because there was no health guarantee (even though the money wasn’t the issue). Maria, your heart is in the right place, but don't put yourself and the puppy in a bad situation.

[ramanth]

Excuse me, but what is up with saying it's not good idea to get a dog that was dumped at someones house.

I'm sure many members here have dogs with an unknown pasts.

Anna_66's Honey was dumped at someone's house and she took her in. Was that a bad idea?

It's not like Maria is not having the puppy taken to the vet. I'm sure she's doing plenty of research. She's asking US questions, isn't she?


I didn't do a lick of research before adopting Kia. I just walked in one day and got her. Sure it's not the best way to get a dog, but I do know that animals are commitments.

Maria, I look forward to pictures and stories if you get the puppy.

And I do let Kia have rawhides. But she is a 5 year old dog and I got her when she was 3. I'm not sure if puppies should have rawhides.

[My Peanuts]

ramanth- I agree with you. Some of the best things in life are unplanned and un-researched. I did no research when I got Harley. I have been a dog owner my entire life and have had purebreds and mix breeds, so I felt confident that I knew enough to take care of Harley. But if you read what I wrote above, things can get bad really fast. I'm not suggesting Maria not get the puppy, just have it vet checked before she is committed. When someone adopts a dog from a shelter certain tests are performed. For all Maria knows this pup has Parvo, heartworm, etc. I just hate to see her family go through what my cousins had to. It was truly heartbreaking and terrible.

[ramanth]

She did say they were taking it to the vet the same day they are picking it up.

I'm sure if the vet discovers something wrong, they can then make the choice to keep the dog or not.

I know my heart raced the day I took Zam and Logan to the vet for the first time, not knowing if they were sick... thankfully they were not.

[Tina]

Maria I just wanted to say good luck and hope that you can get the puppy. I hope that everything works out with the puppy

I really do not see anything wrong with getting a dog that has been dropped off at someone's house or your own.

My parents had a couple different dogs that had been dropped off. We had a Terrier mix that was dropped off at my aunt's house. We took him to the vet's and everything and he turned out to be a great little dog. He was so friendly with everyone had the sweetest nature. He lived with us for about 4 years until one day unforuntely he was ran over My parents didn't have a fenced yard at the time. We are not sure why he went to the road that day since he never had before.

We also had a Bluetick hound that turned out to be a great dog. I remember when she first came to her house she was afraid of everyone. She would run if she seen you. Finally one day she finally let us pet her. She never did trust us complety though. She lived with us for 7 years or so then she passed away. She was a older dog when she showed up at our house. So we are not sure how old she was when she went to the RB.

I've had all kinds of stray cats come to my house some have been rehomed. I have one that we decided to keep Little Kitty. She is just now getting use to us. She is great little girl.

So I really do not see anything wrong with taken a dog in that someone decided they wanted to drop off.

My grandma and grandpa that has a farm has two dogs that were dropped off at there place. And they decided to keep them both. One is a cocker spaniel named Cody and a Lab mix named Sunny. And they have both been very great dogs.

[MariaM]

Thank you everyone. We got the puppy yesterday and named him Shadow.
We took him to the vet and he had fleas so she gave him some stuff. I think it's cleared up though now (she said it would be by today)
Also they gave him a pill for worms and are gonna give him one more next month just in case.
They gave him his first shots (most likely) yesterday and he can't go for walks or meet other dogs just because they said the first one didnt' do much.
Also we can't wash/brush him till Friday because of the flea stuff.
Other than that he is quite good.
Any suggestions on yapping?
He is on a cable (simply because we don't want him to run away) and because we haven't completely fixed up the fence yet. It is pretty good but there are some parts where he could get out (that we have to fix)
Everytime he can't reach us though he starts barking and I say "SHUSH!" and if he doesn't stop then I go over and say it again and hit him on the nose (not hard enough to hurt him or anything)
By then he stops but 2 minutes later he is barking again. Will he grow out of it? Or is there anything else I can do?
I know some people don't agree that I got the dog, but I'm glad a few people don't see it as a crime.

[MariaM]

Oh and another thing about the worms. The vet said that they should be gone after he has his next pill.

[wolfie]

Originally posted by MariaM
Everytime he can't reach us though he starts barking and I say "SHUSH!" and if he doesn't stop then I go over and say it again and hit him on the nose (not hard enough to hurt him or anything)
By then he stops but 2 minutes later he is barking again. Will he grow out of it? Or is there anything else I can do?

Maybe he's barking for attention? If that's the case then going over him, even if you give him a little bump on the nose, will be giving him attention, so that might be why he's barking again. Maybe you could try runing around with him to tire him out. Try to focus his attention elsewhere. And then when he barks just ignore him, so he knows that barking won't get your attention.

Or you could train him to do something else to get your attention, like go up to you and sit. It's probably hard now, since he has to be on a cable, but when you get the fence fixed he should be able to do it. Tell him to sit and give him attention and love and biscuits when he does and he'll get the idea, and come sit by you when he wants attention. ^_^

And congrats on your new pup!!!

[MariaM]

Maybe he's barking for attention?

Maybe, but I hope not, because then he'd be barking forever. I will go over there, pet him for 20 minutes, get up and he starts barking. Hopefully once the fence is fixed he can run laps and get all his energy out (I took him off the cable to untangle it and he started running, I was afraid he would get out!!)
I don't yell at him if he's barking at the snow or anything just if he is whining. I wasn't sure if the ignoring approach would work (we tried that yesterday and it didn't really) or the command. We tried that today, it worked for a while, but then he just started yapping again.
I spent alot of time with him today so I hope attention isn't the problem.

[trayi52]

Congrautulations on your new puppy! Its just going to take some time to teach Shadow the things he needs to learn. The key is just be patient, and keep learning.

Willie