Not been in here before but I need help/advice

[wizoz]

I am a dog lover but cannot own a dog as my husband is very allergic, so I am surrogate mum to my mum's gorgeous terrier, Poppy (in siggy

)

Anyway, here is my problem and it's quite long, so bear with me.....

My father in law died a year ago last March, leaving mother in law on her own with the dog. The dog was a Collie, mother in laws best friend but one day was poorly and the next day put to sleep

The vets found that she was riddled with Cancer and could do nothing for her. As you can imagine this was a complete shock for my M.I.L.

My husband, not wanting M.I.L to be on her own decided to go and buy her a puppy, we looked in our local paper and found a nice looking puppy with Collie and Labrador breeding. We go to see these pups, fall in love and bring home a little bitch.

M.I.L not at all happy, not because it was another dog but because she said she just couldn't go through another broken heart, but after about 5 mins of the little fat plop waddling around, she was starting to get sucked in

So we left with M.I.L saying ok, i'll give it a go, excellent

About a month ago, Lollie (don't ask

) came to stay for a week whilst M.I.L went on her hols, she was still quite small so didn't effect my hubby too much but she basically stayed in the kitchen and out in the garden anyway! She was such great company, I took her up to my mums every day to run around with Poppy and she was very good, she only wee'd in the house twice and that was only because she was shut up a bit too long and not let out quick enough.
She then went home with gold stars for being so good but that is when all the trouble started

I'm not sure just how much exercise she gets, M.I.L is able bodied but I think she used to walk her old dog a bout 1/4 mile maximum each day! So Lollie probably gets the same and I know it's not enough. And I believe it's part of the problem, she keeps weeing indoors so M.I.L banished her to the garden ALL day, so she decided to find a way to get into the neighbours, and once that started, she just kept on doing it.

SO, the long and short of it is, we get a phonecall this evening to say, I don't want this dog anymore, come and get it

So my hubby duly got in the car and drove the 1/2 hour to his mothers, packed the dogs bags and brought her back here. Fortunately, I put an SOS call to my mum and she went straight up there. I met hubby up there so I could take her for a walk around the field with Poppy, which she thoroughly enjoyed and the funny thing is, she always comes back to me, she knows who I am but I never saw her that often but she just knows i'm boss. It's so sad I can't have her and my mum doesn't want the hassle of training another puppy so she has to go

And this is where you all come in, I need to know what to do, apart from putting the word out around the village where I live, is there anywhere else that is good for advertising her?

She has the most beautiful temperament, she just wants to be loved and is a bit of a mischeif with it because she just jumps on you

But I adore her, even with her naughtiness. She is 4 months old, supposed to be Collie x Lab but she looks like she might be quite big and people laugh at you when you tell them her breed. She is microchipped, wormed and vaccinated but not been spaid (sp?)
Oh, and she cost us £200, which I think is far too much as she isn't a pedigree

Thank you for reading and in advance for the advice

This was taken when she came to stay, she is bigger now.

 

[gumpatrump]

epupz is a good sight for advertising puppies for sale and they always have older dogs on there too that have been bought but didn't work out for some reason. I think you will have some luck advertising her on there but not sure how much it would cost.

 

[Bess]

What a shame, its a sad situation. But I can see both points of view, I have a 5 month old spaniel puppy and an 8 yr old lab and my parents (dog owners virtually all their lives) are quite intolerant of the spaniel puppy. Although he's a very well behaved puppy.

I think that they just get beyond being tolerant to a puppy.

So since you can't have the puppy, and your mother isn't being sucked in then you do have to seriously look for other homes.

 

[CAYLA]

I think you need to do the best for her...so I would maybe start with your local vets and a nice photo...stating good home needed (home check to be carried out) this way you can check out a prospective home to make sure she ends up somewhere suitable where she will not get passed from pillar to post i.e an active family home that can offer time and exercise,
Offer as much advice as you can and advise the new owners to crate train her and be truthfull about her not being fully toilet trained...hence why u advise a crate to aid her training.....ask for a donation and say u will pay this towards and book her in to the vets u advertise her in to be spayed in a few months, if need be make the rest up yourself to make sure she gets neutered.
Steer clear of advertising her in the papers...atleast clients of the vets are having animals treat already and give a better indication of a more responsible owner.

Sorry this may sound full on....but she could potentially end up anywhere.

 

[wizoz]

Actually that's pretty sound advice

My mum is going to ring the vets today anyway, she had said that last night!

What is crate training? Do you mean putting her in a cage? We bought a cage when we bought her, we did the same when we bought my mum her terrier. Lollie sleeps in the cage and is really good. She will go days without peeing indoors, then all of a sudden, she will just have a day where she just keeps doing it inside. However, I do believe that a lot of the problem stems from my M.I.L's handling, i.e, not letting her out frequently enough. She is retired so there are no real excuses. When Lollie stayed with me, she'd have the freedom to roam in and out but if she'd had a drink, i'd make sure she stayed out until she had pee'd.
Plus, M.I.L doesn't let her out on the grass and I think that that is mean?! So she just goes out in the back garden, all paved except flower beds and digs them up instead

I know she is doing it on purpose

Anyhow, thanks all, for the advice, I'll let you know what happens.

 

[kibob]

Oh, she's adorable. Uh-oh, kibob wishes she had never opened this post but wonders anyway if she could convince OH that now WOULD be a good time to get another dog

Any up to date pics of her to help to tempt him

?

 

[wizoz]

Ha ha, she is a cutey and just loves to be loved. She'll need someone who has patience but a lot of space, me thinks. My son adores her and is trying to get my mum to keep her but she doesn't want Poppy's nose put out of joint and the hassle of another dog

I'll try and take some pics later but it won't be until this evening

 

[flohelf]

Ah Lou she's so adorable, I hope you find the best solution for her... What a shame she can't be Poppy's sister

How about getting hubby desensitized ?

Only joking

Keep us updated and more pics welcome (even if I can't have her

)
xx Flo

 

[wizoz]

You can have her for nothing if you like Flo

Poor little girl, she deserves such a lovely home as she is adorable underneath the monkey business

She and Poppy had an absolute blast last night, Poppy is so fast she runs rings around Lollie

Hopefully Jake took some pictures for me earlier, as he went up to give her some exercise

 

[kibob]

*whispers* Anymore pics? --- OH is home and it wasn't an out and out NO

 

[wizoz]

God, do you know how difficult it is to get a puppy to sit still?

Sorry not brilliant but it's all I could manage out of about 30 pics!!!

Last one is to show the size of her against Poppy

 

[flohelf]

[ QUOTE ]
You can have her for nothing if you like Flo

Poor little girl, she deserves such a lovely home as she is adorable underneath the monkey business

She and Poppy had an absolute blast last night, Poppy is so fast she runs rings around Lollie

Hopefully Jake took some pictures for me earlier, as he went up to give her some exercise

[/ QUOTE ]

Aaaaaah, don't rub it in Lou

I miss Rio so much but he's so much happier with his dad than he was with me

My work with all the travelling it entails now doesn't make me the ideal mum for a puppy I'm afraid

But looks like you may have found a potential HHO mummy for the little monkey

Let us know !
xx Flo

 

[kibob]

Oh, thanks for perservering and getting the pics for me

.

She is lovely, I really like this little dog. My head is in a bit of a spin at the moment tbh, because, although we had said we would want a second dog, ideally it would have been this time next year. I have a 20 month old son, who I wanted to be a little more stable on his feet, and a little more understanding of the do's and dont's of life before we got a pup. Also, have a rather large boisterous Ridgeback who, given another year, will be a much calmer person and a better influence on a younger dog. I am worried that I will be taking too much on.

Was kind of hoping OH would have said a flat NO and then the decision would be taken out of my hands

. I need to sleep on this and hopefully have a clearer head in the morning

. If someone knocks on your door tonight though, offering the perfect home, please do not refuse it on account of me, I need to mull this over. Thanks x

 

[wizoz]

Oh dear, you shouldn't put yourself in these positions, it's just not good for the heart

Just to let you know, Lollie is an angel with children, the only trouble you'll have is to stop her loving them a bit too much!

She just loves her cuddles but she has to be literally ON you

You really don't have to put pressure on yourself, we have rung the two local vet practices and they are going to be putting the word out.

I have to tell you now though, i'm away next week. I also have a wedding this coming Saturday, so if you were thinking of visiting, that would only leave the evenings or this week and Sunday, just so you're in the picture

 

[Leah3horses]

I'm really allergic to horses but have 3!I take an anti histamine tablet every day all year round and have a nasal spray and eye drops for summer use, when it's worse.I've been very allergic all my life, really suffered for years but the more exposure I've had (and I've had a lot as have had horses 30 years)the less reactive I've got. They are worth it to me.


Would this line be worth pursuing, as your OH does seem to be a bit of a dog lover?You could bath the dog every week too, this helps remove the allergens from the environment.

There is also the spray you can use on the dog to reduce the allergens produced. Just a thought. Seems a lovely pup.

 

[wizoz]

Realistically the answer would be no, it's not just the allergies, my house and garden are far too small to have that size of dog, it wouldn't be fair on her.

She has been having a fabulous time at my mum's, i've been with her this morning, she stays by me like glue and it's horrid because I know I cannot keep her

She deserves a home where she will be loved very much, as she obviously has a lot to give and the freedom to roam, she doesn't go far without you there, bless her.

 

[BBH]

Ah she's lovely, I'd swap the husband for a non allergic one and problem solved.

 

[Leah3horses]

Oh right...you said it was due to allergies that's all?Lots of dog owners,me included, will say that it's not the size of your house/garden that matters...it's the size of your heart.Dogs don't care about houses or gardens.Me and my 2 rescue dogs, one of whom is a huge bull mastif cross used to live quite happily in a one bed flat without a garden.I was dedicated to making sure they were very well exercised so relaxed at home.It can be done.

Sorry to point this out, but this kind of situation is why it's never a good idea to buy animals as presents for people.A lot of planning and thought should go into the purchase of a pup. There are so many unwanted dogs around at the moment, rescues are full to bursting.You probably know this now.Just hope she gets a forever home, she is still only a puppy so she should find the right people.

I agree via the vets is the best option, failing that contact some of the better rescues who never euthanise a healthy dog,like The Dogs Trust. They may have waiting lists of experienced people who want a pup but don't like going to breeders.

Talking of which, have you contacted the people you got her from?They are responsible for bringing these pups into the world and letting you buy her as a present for somebody.If they are just 'back yard' breeders they won't care now they have got your money.Worth a try tho, just in case they know of somebody who made wanted a pup but they'd all gone.They might even take her back, long shot by the sounds of it though.

Sorry to be a bit straight to the point, I see this kind of thing every day in my job and it's so unfair on the pup.Hope she gets a stable,experienced home and gets into a good routine asap,this is an important time for her to have structured socialisation.Good luck little pup.

 

[wizoz]

If my mother in law had never had a dog there is no way we would have just bought her one. The fact is, she is on her own now for the first time in her 71 years and my husband, her son, knew she wouldn't like it. She has been on the phone in tears today because she doesn't like not having the puppy there! She said she hates coming home to an empty house but it was her choice.

I KNOW there are lots of unwanted dogs around and I also know that giving a puppy as a gift isn't the best idea but my husband knows his mum and knew she wouldn't want to be on her own.

Anyway, fingers x'd she has already found a home that will love her and she will be able to have a fabulous life