10943 Imagine a little dog at your feet...

[SIZE="2"]Having recently been a follower of Sully’s gripping “Puppies in a Bag” drama, I hold little hope of finding an owner for my found (abandoned) dog. Especially as in writing this, there is still Little Bear (Kray) to go. [/SIZE]

[SIZE="2"]I was involved in the story of two dogs. They had been abandoned quite some weeks ago and had eventually found there way to our town of Barbarasco. To cut a long story short, one pup was ‘rescued’ whilst the other was left even more abandoned. Inevitably he was run over by a car.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]I could no longer stand it, and eventually he was found and carried to the vets in a bad way. The vet simply deposited the pup with us (no x-ray, no treatments).[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]So, three weeks later and over 200 euros poorer, we now have a very pretty, affectionate and hugely intelligent young (perhaps one year old), small/medium sized dog that is desperate for a good home. He has clearly spent his life either chained or caged before his life on the street. He is now de-wormed, de-ticked, micro-chipped, toilet trained, whistle trained and full of life.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2]I already have two dogs, two cats and two jobs and I simply cannot cope with another animal, I really have done as much as I can. So, if anyone in our part of the world (Lunigiana/Liguria) or half a day’s drive from us (we will deliver) would like a fantastic pet (which I promise he is), please contact me. He is definatley a dog who will give back a thousand times more than what you could ever give him! Photo of 'Lazarus' attached.[/SIZE]

Category
General chat about Italy

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 11/19/2008 - 18:28

Hi there
Ive just PM'd you with a possible contact in your area. There are some good links in our thread for you to possibly use aswell.
Good luck with your search - the dog looks gorgeous.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 11/19/2008 - 18:32

There is also the hope that people will still be contacting Sarah and Mark for a puppy and so I suggest you pm them just in case. Little Bear has gone so who knows who will come forward.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 11/26/2008 - 04:38

My stepdaughter loves this

If you are good with a camera you can try getting onto this site. [url=http://www.dailypuppy.com/puppies/Lucy-the-Bernese-Mountain-Dog_2008-11-24]Lucy the Bernese Mountain Dog | Puppies | Daily Puppy[/url]

They seem to allow rescue requests every now and then especially if you can write a great blurb behind the pictures.

However just subscribing to the daily email is a guaranteed way to start the day with a smile

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 11/26/2008 - 05:11

What a lovely site. Also, a good example of a well designed website. Many thanks for your interest.

Quick update on Lazarus. He is still with us on account of him still needing care. He was not in a good condition when he was bought to us and is still on medication. We also found out that one of his legs was broken. I want to seem him better before I hand him over to anyone else. And...

...you guessed it, I have completely fallen in love with the little fella.

Photo for your stepdaughter.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 11/26/2008 - 05:29

[quote=Persephone;103960]What a lovely site. Also, a good example of a well designed website. Many thanks for your interest.

Quick update on Lazarus. He is still with us on account of him still needing care. He was not in a good condition when he was bought to us and is still on medication. We also found out that one of his legs was broken. I want to seem him better before I hand him over to anyone else. And...

...[B]you guessed it, I have completely fallen in love with the little fella.[/B]

Photo for your stepdaughter.[/quote]

By the look on his face, the feeling is mutual:smile:

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 11/26/2008 - 15:08

hi
perhaps you could help me.a dog was abandoned at my house last week,a collie.
she is great and i think well trained ,she doesnt come in the house and goes toilet in the field.
however she is active and needs to be stimulated ,i dont know her name or speak italian,so she is getting confused ,therefore a tiny bit snappy.the commune will take her ,but i have a great place for her to enjoy(which she does)however i know collies can become destructive if not trained well,any help much appreciated.
sandwich

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 11/26/2008 - 15:24

Collies are highly intelligent and easy to train. She may be a bit confused like any other abandoned dog, but she will quickly settle down if she is shown plenty of love. We also own (I should rephrase this..... she owns us) a dog who was also abandoned and the love they give you is fantastic. I am sure that she will love to be adopted.... as much as you are willing to do that for her. The rewards are enormous. There are plenty of sites in the Web that will give you lots of information about your new dog. Just do a search under "collie dog" and you will get plenty.
Just adopt her and keep us informed about her. And give her a name as soon as possible. We would also love to see some photos.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 11/27/2008 - 04:19

As Gala said, collies are very intelligent dogs and whilst needing a fair amount of physical exercise which it sound like she gets, they also need some mental gymnastics. I would suggest seeing if she has been trained to "fetch" and if not, have a go at teaching her. The act of interacting with her will help you both get closer and my friend's (very well-trained but slightly snippy) collie LOVES fetch it entertains her for hours given half a chance.

I would also recommend a [URL="http://www.petsathome.com/find/brand-is-kong"]Kong[/URL] toy. It is an entirely indestructable rubber toy that you fill with treats and keeps them occupied for ages trying to get the treats out. I have bought lookalike Kongs in the past but they got chewed whereas the real things cannot be destroyed at all. I wipe some peanut butter or jam around the inside if I really want to entertain my dog for hours!

I too have a rescue dog who was definitely beaten and probably lived somewhere with a lot of shouting. If we shout, he trembles and tries to dig a hole, even now 6 years after getting him. He even jumps between you sometimes, if he thinks you are getting fraught with each other. No arguing in our house!!

As for her being a bit snappy, I am sure that will change as you get to know and trust each other. My old dog just wouldn't have her hips touched (she had hip dysplasia and had several operations before we got her) and would snap then but absolutely never for any other reason.

With a dog, it is very important to be the "alpha in the pack" which is not about intimidating them or frightening them (quite the reverse) but it is important they know they place in the pecking order. Infact my dog is much happier since I remarried (so am I but that is another story!) as he does not feel obliged to look after me and be the alpha male. Sounds crazy but it is true. There are heaps of books on the market but I would reccomend two good ones:
[URL="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Getting-TTouch-Your-Dog-Performance/dp/1872119417/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227777370&sr=1-3"]Tellington Touch[/URL]
[URL="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Practical-Dog-Listener-Lifelong-Understanding/dp/0007145705/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227777456&sr=1-2"]Dog Listener[/URL]

I did a course in the Tellington Touch which was fantastic and one of the most rewarding things I have ever done to see the change in the animals we worked with.

Good luck and I am sure your furry find will give you years of fun and companionship.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 11/27/2008 - 06:34

I totally agree with Gala and Penny. Understanding the training needs of your dog is paramount. I don’t know if you have had a dog before but try and read Jan Fennells Dog Whisperer (as also recommended by Penny). You can ‘speed’ read it, because you’ll soon get the point.

(I have not heard of Tellington Touch and I am now going to look this up for myself, thanks again Penny)

Ceaser Milan (TV series The Dog Whisperer) always says, in order of importance, exercise first (to get rid of energy), discipline next (training and mental stimulation) and only finally, affection.

With a collie you really need to spend that energy! Give him/her a name as quickly as possible and throughout the day call the name with a biscuit in your hand.

I am not a dog expert but seem to have had a steep learning curve. My first dog came over with us from England; the second was a rescue puppy in Tuscany and the third is our little abandoned dog (that started the thread). We had to introduce the abandoned dog into a household with two other dogs, one being a castrated male.

Problem is our male dog is a Doberman crossed with a German Shepherd and not some little pooch!!!

Yes, yes I know, you all want know what on earth he must look like, so see attached photo.

Sandwich, be a bit patient in the early days, I promise you that what you invest in a dog in the early days you get back a hundred times over! They never forget what you teach them (good or bad), even though you may think it at the moment. Good Luck and well done for giving the dog a caring home.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 11/27/2008 - 07:31

Ha ha! But size isn't everything:wideeyed: