Goin' to the Dogs!

[Finnie]

Another read i'm trying to get my head around

Countering the Effects of Spay

If your dog has already been spayed, there are some things you can do to help her live the healthiest and happiest life possible. The best chance you have to keep your dog healthy is to assess and …

healthyandhappydog.com

I read that whole website back in 2017 when I was deciding about when to have my collie spayed. It convinced me to wait until her bone growth plates closed and that a tubal ligation procedure would be better than ovariohysterectomy. But, the closest veterinarian that performed those was a 4 hour drive away and the cost was prohibitive. So I decided to go with conventional spay.

The website makes a good case. Hopefully some day veterinary medicine will catch up and change their thinking. Then eventually tubal ligation will become a common and easier to access treatment. But that kind of change comes extremely slowly. In the meantime, all we can do is postpone the spay surgery past the growth plate closure and monitor our dogs for any signs of hormone related problems. Or choose to keep them intact, if that is a reasonable decision for certain individuals. (Obviously not in Nancy Rose’s case and not in my dog’s situation either.)

Don’t let the website overly frighten you. They are highlighting worst case scenarios. They have an agenda to make a major change in the veterinary status quo so they make it sound like those health problems are inevitable for every dog. But it’s really just a higher percentage of risk, not a forgone conclusion.

And also, Bay and Ducks are spot on about training. Training a dog to come when called can save its life. Another really great habit to train into your dog is the wait command. Train her that YOU will always walk out the door first, and she has to wait and not follow you until you give the command or the release word. Obviously if you have a door charger, that one will take a fair amount of effort. But it firmly puts you in the dominant position in your dog’s mind.

 

[ducks4you]

IF you have a friend and can drive to a seldom used road, you could train to sit.stay and have her stay and then cross the lane when you call. IN THIS CASE, treats first are mandatory.
OR, if you have a driveway, you can do same.
Friend can hold Rose, until you call her, then repeat the other way. Usually trainers say 5x is the max in any training session, dog OR horse, so that they don't tire of "the game."

 

[Marie2020]

IF you have a friend and can drive to a seldom used road, you could train to sit.stay and have her stay and then cross the lane when you call. IN THIS CASE, treats first are mandatory.
OR, if you have a driveway, you can do same.
Friend can hold Rose, until you call her, then repeat the other way. Usually trainers say 5x is the max in any training session, dog OR horse, so that they don't tire of "the game."

She's doing really good to be honest. It'll be 3 weeks this Sunday. I'm really hopeful for her future with me

 

[Marie2020]

Great news today.

Thanks to an amazingly sweet lady in Leeds, getting her holistic nurse to back me. And this same beautiful girl letting me pester the life out of her. I got a call today accepting me and my precious Nancy Rose today

It's almost as if this surgeon read our emails, of course my beautiful new Leeds friend deleted my swearing and moaning mails
She has the patience of an angel

So we are all set to visit the seaside and my sweet old friend is taking us there. I bought him his favourite bread as a thank you

All set for April. I am ecstatic
We both get to have fresh sea air , her for the very first time and me for the first time in many many years

We have to take her giggle ball

 

[Marie2020]

Thank you wonderful people

@Shades-of-Oregon You my dear are a star

 

[Marie2020]

IF you have a friend and can drive to a seldom used road, you could train to sit.stay and have her stay and then cross the lane when you call. IN THIS CASE, treats first are mandatory.
OR, if you have a driveway, you can do same.
Friend can hold Rose, until you call her, then repeat the other way. Usually trainers say 5x is the max in any training session, dog OR horse, so that they don't tire of "the game."

I'll arrange this shortly. And take this reply with us to follow.

 

[Marie2020]

So cute happy little souls

 

[Marie2020]

IF you have a friend and can drive to a seldom used road, you could train to sit.stay and have her stay and then cross the lane when you call. IN THIS CASE, treats first are mandatory.
OR, if you have a driveway, you can do same.
Friend can hold Rose, until you call her, then repeat the other way. Usually trainers say 5x is the max in any training session, dog OR horse, so that they don't tire of "the game."

Yesterday she made two young girls as friends. We started playing ball between us and Nancy enjoyed this new game.

Then we split up and called her one at a time , this was out in a field. I haven't started on the road or lane yet but that will happen soon.

A place my old dog loved would have been great for a training area. But a man has moved into one of the houses there, blocking us from using the beautiful woodland and mountain. His dog is viscous. He doesn't put it on a lead and it's attacked many dogs last year. It completely tore one dog apart. For some reason this ignorant idiot is getting away with everything.

There was a fire coming from his chimney that could have spread through to the connecting row of houses. Again he wouldn't let the fire brigade attend to control it. I wish with all my heart this man would leave he's ruined so many lives since being there.

No one can safely walk past in safety. I used too love going there. But it's out of bounds to all of us now for the last two years

Sadly he has one lovely dog that has to live with him and this blood thirsty maniac. Both are black and white sheep dogs. I worry for that other dog and for the residents and their pet's. It must be hell having him there

 

[Marie2020]

On Friday we went to the church for our walk around the grounds. It had been sunny and was now drawing into the evening so there were shadows of the gravestones and us as we walked.

One gravestone shadow seemed to be three times bigger and our shadows the same.
Nancy reared up growling and in protective mode at this huge shadow person with its enormously large shadow dog. I jumped a mile out of my skin at this fierce dog growling. Then she stopped looking at me as if to say. I feel so silly now

Nancy is very worried because I left her for 5 minutes too make a coffee