61 replies to this topic

[Debs]

I don't know what happened to my original post but I think I'll just do another one.

I've had Riley for 3 years (wow does time fly) I got him from the Tompkins County SPCA. I lost my dog Bear to cancer on October 2, 2004. It was the worst day of my life. I wanted another dog because I was so lonely but was afraid I would be trying to replace Bear. I  went to the SPCA to just look. I had seen Riley listed on the petfinder.com website (great place by the way) but they had no information on him. As depressed and grieving as I was over the loss of Bear, I didn't know if I could handle a dog with issues. I figured I'd just go look. They're were all kinds of dogs, most of them hyper and none really interested in me. I went to Riley's room (yep they have rooms) and he was laying there, didn't even bother to get up when I came in but his tail was gently wagging. He had white on the right side of his muzzle, looked like he had been drinking milk (now he's got it on both sides). He was very gentle but didn't want to play with the toys he had, he was just content to sit with me and let me pet him. His tail never stopped gently wagging. I asked the volunteer about him and she said to go to the front desk and see if they had anymore information. The lady at the front desk pulled out his file and showed me the note the people had left with him. "He's a good dog and house broke". was all it said. She said while your mulling it over you might as well fill out an application. So I did, they asked a couple questions and next thing I know she says "sign here". I was shocked she said he's neutered he can go home tonight. I have no food or collar or lead. Here's a 5lb bag of food and return the collar and lead when you get him one. So I paid the fee and off we went and I haven't looked back since. We've had our problems and we also think he was about 6 years old when I got him instead of the 2 years old they said he was. But it doesn't matter. He doesn't play with toys except to destroy them. He is totally happy to lay around. He does love to go for walks and if he gets loose he runs until he drops, not good for his arthritis but he doesn't care. It took me two years before he would give me a kiss without feeling like he had to. I've been speaking to a healer over the last 6 months and she said Riley was abused. She has been helping me to treat him with essence remedies and he is a totally different dog. He seems happy now, which of course makes me happy. So now he's going on 10 I don't know how long we have together but he's with me until the end and every day is precious. He saved my life. He gave me a reason to get up every day and his love is precious. He also taught me a lesson. Just because things have gone wrong in your life before doesn't mean you can't make it to the top.

Here is my boy when I first got him



And here is the most recent one.

[Debs]

Now for Jake. My favorite breed of dog is the Rottweiler. My ex had one and bear was part Rotti. They are a noble breed and full of fun and great family dogs. I got it in my head that Riley needed a play mate. I adopted a female rotti from the same SPCA, but I had to return her, she was snarling and growling at the cats and my cats are very dog friendly and I don't know what I would have done if she got a hold of one of them. I went back to petfinder.com and started looking. I found Jake he's from a town about 3 hours away from me. A lady had rescued him when he was 3-4 months old. A family had him chained to a dog house with a 4ft log chain around his neck and their kids teased him. She had him for about 6 months she said he had no manners, she couldn't do anything with him so she put him in one of her kennels. They also used him to test the great danes they rescued to see if they were dog friendly. So I arranged to have her bring him here so she could see where he would live. He was a holy terror. Jumped on everyone, clobbered poor Riley god knows how many times. Everyone said to let them sort it out, but I could see Riley shutting back down. He would go in the bedroom as soon as we came in the house. Jake was wired and was all over the place. He was craving attention and wanted it all. Eventually we got working with Jake and he has come so far. He's learned his manners at least 90% of the time which was better than the 0% when I got him. He steps back and lets Riley have his attention. He is just all around a great dog now. Still not perfect but who is. He loves to play soccer and fetch tennis balls and chase Tyson my cat. They have a game they play. He just loves everyone and still gets a little too excited sometimes but he's only going on 4. He still has his tail which was weird and we think he is a mix not a purebred but who cares, I've always liked mutts better anyways. He's my monster dog but I love him and I can't imagine what his life would have been like if I hadn't brought him home.

Here is Jake when I first got him. He was a skinny little runt.




And here he is now.

[Diana C.]

Debbie they are both so beautiful and happy....

[Debs]

Thanks Diana, they have come a long way. I can't believe its been 3 years for Riley and almost 3 years for Jake. I don't know what i would do without them now.

[LaylaAnn05]

OMG!

Your story of Jake reminded me of Tesla (dobie/rottie mix we had who is now a K9 dog..woohoo!) who was uncontrollable!!! She would run figure eights in the living room, using the couch and cats and stepping stones to bounce off of!!

  Beautiful kids Debbie, and beautiful stories.

I bet they both knew you wouldn't give up on them...

[Debs]

Thanks Gabrielle, That is exactly what Jake did. He'd jump on the couch and look at me like "Whatcha gonna do now smart woman" I could just see that tongue sticking out at me. He was a handful and still is but at night when I've settled down or I'm sitting on the floor with the lap top and his head is laying on my leg it makes it all worth while.

I couldn't give up on them, when Riley bit me everyone told me to put him to sleep. I went crazy, I couldn't do that to him. Of course I didn't trust him, it took a long time for that to come back. but one of my friends (the only one who didn't tell me to have him pts) told me that if I couldn't trust him I would have to find him a home. Well I couldn't' do that, he saved me from severe depression and helped me with my loss of Bear, I owed him big time. So we've worked on the trust and its back and everyone is happy now. Especially Riley and thats what matters most.

God I could sit here and tell stories all day about my kids.

Thanks for stopping by Gabrielle Hugs to all your kids.

[SydsMom]

They are both so handsome Deb!  
I love Riley's grey mug !  (reminds me of my Brittany)  
Give them some hugs from my labradorks!

[Debs]

Will do Michelle, you know Riley is part labradork himself.

[MikesMom]

Oh My Gosh Deb... why didn't you tell us you started a thread for the boys???? Or did you, and I missed it???

What great stories about how you got them. I don't know how you did it, but I'm glad you were able to find trust in Riley again.  I couldn't put a pup down for biting me, but I don't know if I could find trust in him again. I'm soooooo happy everything turned out so great!!

They sure are beautiful!!! REALLY BEAUTIFUL!!! Hey... I know Jake's on the soccer team.. what's Riley doing on game day? He ought to be on the team too.

Thanks so much for all your support and love and for all you do in helping everyone. You are one great lady!!!

Love, Blessings & TONS of Wet Westie Nose Kisses,
Joanna & Mike

[Debs]

Hi Joanna, I was just going to post this link on your thread I saw your post. I'm always in dog daze or cool cats cause the dogs won't allow the cats in the dog daze.

I don't know how I got my trust back, it took a long time and I know Riley was nervous too. I remember one time he was playing and caught my hand with his teeth, we both jumped back and I could see in his eyes that he was upset. I passed it off and we continued playing and we were both fine. I do know it took a long time and I know he was as upset about it as me. I had to soak my hand for about 6 weeks until it healed (I should have got pictures) twice a day. Every morning and every night I would unwrap the bandage and get the bowl with the antibacterial soap and water and sit at the coffee table and soak for 15 minutes. He would never come near me when I was doing it and also he wouldn't let me pet him with the hurt hand. I truly believe that he was as upset about it as I was and he tried in every way possible to tell me he was sorry.

Thanks so much for coming and visiting. Sounds like you and Mike had a Wonderful Christmas.

[MikesMom]

Hey Deb...

Just wanted to stop in and let you know Mike's having more problems with the clots. I'm pretty drained right now, too drained to write anymore, so when you get a chance, just check out his thread. I'm going to get his pain meds tomorrow.

Love You,
Joanna

[Debs]

Mike's all set now Joanna, Thanks for letting me know. funny I always check this last, if I even think of it. Get some rest hon and I know that the surgery will be a success and Mike will get back to being a happy healthy pupper. Have a wonderful happy New Year. I'll be thinking of you both.

[MikesMom]

Hey Deb,

I just can't thank you (and everyone) enough for loving my baby (and me) and helping him get to AFR. I guess we're going to have to hold off on the soccer game for a bit though. I feel horrible that I haven't kept up on Syd's fundraiser... I've just been so distracted by all this.

Anyway... I just wanted to stop in and ask you to give those kids of yours a bunch of   from Mike and me.

Love, Blessings & WWNK,
Joanna & Mike

(I've got to get away from the 'puter for awhile... stuff to do... but I'll be back to check on everyone else later.) God Bless All Of You!!!

[MikesMom]

One more thing.... Mike and I want to wish you a VERY Happy, Healthy and Blessed New Year!!!

Love, Blessings & Tons of WWNK
Joanna & MIke

[Debs]

Thanks so much Joanna, The hugs have been passed along and the boys say "Thank you so much nice lady"

Don't worry about the soccer game, we'll get back to it when Mike is feeling better. Sydney is all set for a few months from what Juli told me, so we've got some time. One day and one thing at a time.

I went to a friends house for New Years eve, one of her girls was due to have babies on Jan 1 so they were on puppy watch. I would have rather stayed home with the boys but they were totally happy to go to the pen with a couple of bull pizzle sticks and hunker down in the straw. Needless to say puppies started coming at 1:15 this morning so I missed it. But I also know if I had stayed home I wouldn't have stayed awake until Midnight, so I got to see the New Year in and make my wish for Mike. I remember going out on New Years Eve and having such a hangover the next day and doing nothing but laying around feeling sorry for myself. I guess I'm getting old because that doesn't interest me anymore. I had a few drinks but no hangover YIPEEEE!!!

Now I've got to get off this computer and get some work done, the boys aren't going to do it for me I can see it now. They are snuggled up sleeping by the fire. Here is their favorite spot.

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Tomorrow is the day for Mike to get better. Bear is watching over him I know because I've heard his scratching on the door again and that means he's around and keeping an eye on things.

[MikesMom]

Hey Deb,

Thank you sooooooooooooo much for the New Year's wish!!! You are such an awesome friend!!! Mike should be in surgery any minute now, and I'm filling my time by checking out threads and writing... it seems to be the only thing I can do without pondering.

Anyway... I just wanted to stop in and, again, thank you for everything!!! You are an amazing lady, and we really appreciate you!!!
to you and the kids.

[Debs]

I'm thinking of Mike too and watching the clock and wondering how far into surgery he is. good idea on reading up on threads it does help the time pass.

I'm going to make sure to get back on tonight and see how everything went. You are an amazing lady yourself Joanna, and I am so glad you and Mike found IMOM and we've met. Someday I'd like to visit in person, after all New York isn't that far from Ohio

[MikesMom]

Someday I'd like to visit in person, after all New York isn't that far from Ohio

I would ABSOLUTELY LOVE THAT!!!!

[MikesMom]

Hey Girlfriend...

I just wanted to stop by and Thank You so much for all of your love, support, caring and compassion that you've shown to Mike and me. This is really a hard road, but I know you already know that. It's humbling to know that you and other IMOM family members have so much love for a pup they've never met.

Thanks again my friend. God Bless You. Give the kids hugs from me and nose kisses from Mike.

[Debs]

You are more than welcome Joanna. No one should ever have to go thru anything alone. I'm just glad I can be here for you and Mike and anyone else that needs some help.

I'll pass on the hugs and kisses tonight when I get home. They will love it!!!

[MikesMom]

Hey Deb...

Just making the rounds today and just couldn't miss you and the kids. We wanted to stop in and say "HI".... and Thank You for all the support you've given us.  You really are a wonderful friend.  Sending you BUNCHES of blessings.

Give the kids hugs from me and nose kisses from Mike.

[MikesMom]

Hey Deb...

Just wanted to stop in and say "Hi" to you and the kids. The chill factor is already 5 below and gonna get worse tomorrow...... brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Stay warm!
Big Hugs to All of You

[Debs]

See I am so bad about checking this thread. Hopefully its getting warmer for you, it is here but still not warm enough for me. Big hugs to you and Mike, I'll be checking in on you soon.

[CatPaws]

Deb,  I'll keep Jake in my thoughts tomorrow and hope for the best news possible on the lumpectomy.

Paula

[Debs]

Thanks Paula and Julie. I was going to post about it but with everyone else having problems I just didn't feel right.

For anyone who is interested.

Jake goes in tomorrow for surgery to remove a lump on his chest. I found it a year ago and it was about 1cm they did a needle aspiration and it was fatty cells. In a year it has grown to 2.4cm and we have tried several aspirations and the last time she got some cells that weren't fatty but when she got them on the slide they were broken and unrecognizable.

She is 98% sure that its not cancer, but I can't live with thinking that 2% could change everything so we are taking it off and sending it out for biopsy.

I'll post here tomorrow after he's out of surgery.

Thanks everyone.

[k9sign]

U gotta know Deb, that we all care for Jakiepoo, and all ur kids!

We'll be sending up positive thoughts and prayers that Jake does fine, and it's benign!

Big hugs!

[knsmith]

Now for Jake. My favorite breed of dog is the Rottweiler. My ex had one and bear was part Rotti. They are a noble breed and full of fun and great family dogs. I got it in my head that Riley needed a play mate. I adopted a female rotti from the same SPCA, but I had to return her, she was snarling and growling at the cats and my cats are very dog friendly and I don't know what I would have done if she got a hold of one of them. I went back to petfinder.com and started looking. I found Jake he's from a town about 3 hours away from me. A lady had rescued him when he was 3-4 months old. A family had him chained to a dog house with a 4ft log chain around his neck and their kids teased him. She had him for about 6 months she said he had no manners, she couldn't do anything with him so she put him in one of her kennels. They also used him to test the great danes they rescued to see if they were dog friendly. So I arranged to have her bring him here so she could see where he would live. He was a holy terror. Jumped on everyone, clobbered poor Riley god knows how many times. Everyone said to let them sort it out, but I could see Riley shutting back down. He would go in the bedroom as soon as we came in the house. Jake was wired and was all over the place. He was craving attention and wanted it all. Eventually we got working with Jake and he has come so far. He's learned his manners at least 90% of the time which was better than the 0% when I got him. He steps back and lets Riley have his attention. He is just all around a great dog now. Still not perfect but who is. He loves to play soccer and fetch tennis balls and chase Tyson my cat. They have a game they play. He just loves everyone and still gets a little too excited sometimes but he's only going on 4. He still has his tail which was weird and we think he is a mix not a purebred but who cares, I've always liked mutts better anyways. He's my monster dog but I love him and I can't imagine what his life would have been like if I hadn't brought him home.

Here is Jake when I first got him. He was a skinny little runt.




And here he is now.

if you want good health of dog than please visit www.doggonepain.us

[Debs]

U gotta know Deb, that we all care for Jakiepoo, and all ur kids!

We'll be sending up positive thoughts and prayers that Jake does fine, and it's benign!

Big hugs!

Thanks Cindy. I also decided to go with the full blood work (only $30 more) and make sure that there are no signs of bone cancer or anything else.

I dropped Mad Jake off at the vets this morning. He was hyped right up. The Vet asked if this was his calm mode and I told her no. He'd had no breakfast but he was jumping around and trying to get her to pet him. She said she would call me about Noon when he was waking up to let me know how it went. Its going to be a long 3 1/2 hours I can tell ya.

I got Jakes crate set up last night. Tigger was the first one in it and he approves

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This is a huge crate, plenty of room for him to move around and stretch out. I think my friend said it cost $180, so I think I'm going to invest in one later on and get rid of the small one I have. This way if I have to leave him in it again I don't have to worry about borrowing one again.

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Thanks everyone for the thoughts and prayers, I'll let you know as soon as I can.

[Debs]

Jake is out of surgery. Not quite awake yet. She didn't have to cut into the muscle, she said it didn't look like it went into the muscle but she took some off the sides just in case. If it comes back malignant then he will have to have another surgery to remove what if any there may be in the muscle. So lets pray for benign.

3-5 days of crate rest (ha thats going to be fun) and a few stitches out in 7-10 days. I should have the biopsy results next week.

Thanks everyone for your well wishes. I'll let you know what the results are.