Dog Owner Chat v3 ~Open!~

[darkvoodoo]

Cant believe he is already 6 months old!

[.Middy.]

Took my new favorite picture of Annie today. I was laying in the pasture and she came over to give me kisses and I managed to take this with my phone. Wish I had my camera with me, but I really like it anyways.

Kestrel looks surprisingly good in hats.... Too bad she wasn't a huge fan of it or we would have bought it for sure haha.

[fairytale.]

Getting ready for the show tomorrow! If we can secure three points, May will champion! <3 Please send us good vibes :D

[scozar]

@fairytale. - good luck May!

-

today was Simba's third puppy class! :3 there's usually seven of us, but today there was only 4 of us (I'm guessing it was because people forgot it was on a Saturday instead of a Sunday?) - but that worked well for us because we got more 1 on 1 time with the instructor. Simba definitely struggles around distractions, I'm hoping its something he'll grow out of, but even so he is a lot worse than the puppies in his class.

we finally went and bought him a harness, too. as the whole Simba + distractions combination is kinda disastrous, he pulls on the lead a ton. hopefully once we've got his lead training under control we can go back to just a collar, but as we're using the 'if he pulls, stand still' technique, it'll be good that he isn't putting all the strain on his neck. I think I'll be reluctant to give the harness up though, because it feels so much nicer. xP

[FlynnEugene]

So yesterday was a very busy and stressful day but we managed to get a lot done. There was a clinic in town for cheap shots. I was able to get all of Addy's shots for $30!!! It was amazing. We also got Cutlers shots as well.
And Addy also went into heat yesterday not good but there isn't anything I can do about it. She can't get spayed until January so I will have to deal with it for now. I have never had a dog go into heat before because I have always gotten them spayed before they had the chance to but since I just rescued her I haven't had the chance yet.
I did some research on it because like I said I have never had a dog go into heat before. I also bought some diapers for her so she won't get blood all over the place. She isn't a fan of them but she already got some blood on my sheets and a little on our couch.

Any advice for me would be greatly appreciated. I know the basics like watch her when she goes outside, keep her away from male dogs, etc. but any other advice on what I should/ shouldn't do would be much appreciated!!!! Thanks

[starstruck ★]

Do you own a dog?: Yeppers.
Favorite dog breed?: I love Pitbulls, Australian Shepherds and Huskies!
Tell us about your dog(s): I actually just adopted mine today! She's a 2 year-old Staffordshire - Terrier mix named Huraya (her nickname is Moo). She's a really sweet girl, but she does have some problems with leash pulling and getting on the furniture. But she's still young, so it'll be a bit easier to train her. It's amazing how she's so trusting around people, considering her previous owners abandoned her on the side of the road. I also think she may have been previously abused because she has some semi-recent scars on her paws and muzzle. I'll have to get that checked out when she goes to get spayed this week.
Pictures of your dog(s): Here she is!

[Saracirce]

Scars don't mean she was abused. It's most likely that she got in a fight with another stray over resources during the time she was living on the streets.

[Day Of Silence]

So today was pretty awesome, up until the end.
We went to our aunts, and since we hadn't been home much, we brought Epic along, she's gone there before. We stopped at walmart but the car was getting a little too hot so I took Epic out and she got to explore a section of the parking lot. She did great, was able to listen to basic commands.
Got to our aunts, she did good (it's getting harder for her to leave me now), we had dinner and then I had to leave and apparently she did fine without me. Then we arrive home and, as always, are greeted by the local watchdog.
The watchdog and Epic get along, except this time Epic flips.
I feel terrible and angry, I had to pretty much choke her so she couldn't bite me or my sister who was right next to us as they tried to get the dog to go away.

I feel like an absolute failure, I feel so stupid. Reactivity is killing me.

[starstruck ★]

Scars don't mean she was abused. It's most likely that she got in a fight with another stray over resources during the time she was living on the streets.

That's true, but they don't look like bite or scratch marks. I was just saying that abuse was a possibility considering her previous owner's background.

[fairytale.]

We came home with a new ribbon, and no new points. I'm so proud of her anyway hahaha. She wasn't set up for success, but we have a better plan for next time. The judge was also kind of a jerk to everyone, and none of our dogs really did well. May's brother Cairo finished and her brother Indie got BOV, which was nice to see.
May took a tumble the other day while playing, so we spent a few days resting to make sure the leg she landed on was in the best shape possible. She was find, it didn't seem sore or anything, but I wanted to make sure she was fine to show. I made sure to keep her mind busy, but it apparently wasn't enough. She was a mess today! Lol. Barking her face off waiting to go in the ring. Her sister Dixie went in before her, and she was not really in shape to show. She's a bit underweight and her eyes were kind of squinty. The judge was really bothered by her eyes, and even when May was in the ring, he was talking to May's breeder/handler about it and barely looked at her. May got first in her class, but her breeder felt that the judge wouldn't look at her enough if she had her, so she had one of her handler friends take her in. Unfortunately, May didn't know what was expected of her from the stranger and just kept trying to sit. So she didn't place and didn't pick up any points, but hey, she did the best she knew to do! I'm super proud of her. It was also her first all breed show, so she was confused by all of the weird types of dogs. I got her a little pocket squeaker thing for training, some doggy underwear for her upcoming heat, and I got a smooth collie purse, a smooth collie leash hook, and I think I got a smooth collie plate but I don't remember LOL.
So that's a summary of the show. Well, May's time, anyway. I hung around for about five hours after smooths were done, shopped, and helped out her breeder with the roughs. I got to see May's sisters Dixie and Ember, her brothers Indie, Lucas, Cairo, and (half brother) Eli. If you remember, Lucas was the other dog I evaluated way back when I met May. I've seen Indie and Cairo before at shows. I've never seen Ember before, but I had asked about her long ago when my breeder's website said she was available, though it hadn't been updated and she had been sold lol. She and May lived together for a while as puppies, so they were happy to see each other!

Since I got home we've all been asleep. Got up at 5am for the show, got home around 3pm, and then just slept lol.