Doggy Rescue

[MissScripture]

The fiance of a friend of mine just recently found a dog --a chocolate lab-- abandoned alongside the road (they live in the country). She had recently had puppies and has something wrong with her leg. She limps when she walks, and can't walk very far at once, but doesn't whimper or anything when she puts weight on the leg. She is a very friendly dog, very calm, quiet and generally very sweet.

They are having a hard time finding a home for her and my husband and I have discussed getting a dog in the past, but we had been thinking something smaller. They would give her to us for free, but we don't know how much the vet bills and such would run. We also live in an apartment, so there would be an extra deposit for the pet (which is quite a bit). And of course, being that it's an apartment there isn't a TON of room, though it is a good sized apartment. The other problem lies in her ability to go up and down stairs, as we live on the second floor. We don't know how well she'd be able to do that.

Thoughts? Anything else we need to consider?

[CatherineM]

The limp could be hip dysplasia. That can be a bit like arthritis. They have meds, but they can get expensive. I believe in rescue, so long as you do it with your eyes open. I'd like to suggest you contact the local lab rescue organization. Most popular breeds have rescue groups because people get them without understanding what is involved. They would know more about health or behavior issues than most general practice vets.

[MissScripture]

[quote name='CatherineM' date='05 August 2010 - 11:17 PM' timestamp='1281064657' post='2153037']
The limp could be hip dysplasia. That can be a bit like arthritis. They have meds, but they can get expensive. I believe in rescue, so long as you do it with your eyes open. I'd like to suggest you contact the local lab rescue organization. Most popular breeds have rescue groups because people get them without understanding what is involved. They would know more about health or behavior issues than most general practice vets.
[/quote]
The limp is in the front leg, so I don't think it would be hip dysplasia. They thought it was broken at first, but there didn't feel like any break (though no x-rays have been taken). They thought perhaps a high sprain or shoulder fracture or something.

At any rate, another idea we'd kicked around was taking the dog in for x-rays and seeing how much it would cost to fix her, and then at least they could tell people what was wrong, because, like us, I think a lot of people are just worried about how much is actually wrong with her, and if they could afford to fix her.

[Ed Normile]

Have you ever owned a dog? Dogs need to be walked as you probably know. A dog kept indoors needs to be house trained. An older dog that has never been trained is usually next to impossible to train, the old adage comes to mind, you can't teach an old dog new tricks. A large dog such as a lab that is not trained makes very large "accidents". You mentioned the vet bills, they can be enormous, having the dog checked out would be a wise choice, better to spend a couple hundred dollars for a health check and an x-ray before committing to take on a dog that may needs several thousands of dollars of work done. My cousin had a small poodle, it got an intestinal blockage that cost them over $1800.00 to address, the dog was operated but as it was old it only lived less than two more years. If you can help this dog I am sure you would be blessed with companionship and love through the rest of its life.

ed

[MissScripture]

[quote name='Ed Normile' date='06 August 2010 - 12:13 AM' timestamp='1281067980' post='2153101']
Have you ever owned a dog? Dogs need to be walked as you probably know. A dog kept indoors needs to be house trained. An older dog that has never been trained is usually next to impossible to train, the old adage comes to mind, you can't teach an old dog new tricks. A large dog such as a lab that is not trained makes very large "accidents". You mentioned the vet bills, they can be enormous, having the dog checked out would be a wise choice, better to spend a couple hundred dollars for a health check and an x-ray before committing to take on a dog that may needs several thousands of dollars of work done. My cousin had a small poodle, it got an intestinal blockage that cost them over $1800.00 to address, the dog was operated but as it was old it only lived less than two more years. If you can help this dog I am sure you would be blessed with companionship and love through the rest of its life.

ed
[/quote]
I never have had any pets, until I got fish this year, but my husband always had dogs growing up. We *think* the dog was probably house trained, but my friends who found the dog don't allow any of the dogs in their house so they can't be sure. (If I didn't mention it before, they are guessing that she's 4-5 years old. She's older than a puppy, but still fairly young looking) And I remember my uncle saving an abandoned puppy --ran him several thousand for all the medical bills. Not something we can take on right now.

[elizabeth09]

Was the dog limping when they found her? It might have happen due to the puppies, but I am really unsure. They need to go to the vet first before they just give it away.

Edited August 6, 2010 by elizabeth09

[Nihil Obstat]

Mr. Normile is right- training older dogs (older than about a year) is almost impossible. We tried to do so with a German Shepherd, but she was a lost cause. She hadn't been trained properly at all, and because of that had anxiety issues. In a dog, anxiety issues translate to aggression, and so in the end we had to put her to sleep. It's not really about the house training and not getting mud on the carpets. It's about having a dog that you can trust to not do something completely unpredictable.

[Semper Catholic]

Lot of false information on this thread about dog training.

MissScripture if you decide not to keep it make sure you take it to a non-kill shelter.

Putting down a healthy, happy dog that has many years to live is senseless.

[Nihil Obstat]

[quote name='Semper Catholic' date='06 August 2010 - 11:26 AM' timestamp='1281112008' post='2153273']
Lot of false information on this thread about dog training.

MissScripture if you decide not to keep it make sure you take it to a non-kill shelter.

Putting down a healthy, happy dog that has many years to live is senseless.
[/quote]
Please point out any false information that you've seen.

[Semper Catholic]

[quote name='Nihil Obstat' date='06 August 2010 - 11:31 AM' timestamp='1281112265' post='2153280']
Please point out any false information that you've seen.
[/quote]


"It is almost impossible to train older dogs"

Completely false.

Some dogs are more difficult to train then others, regardless of age. However the saying "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" is a fallacy.

[Jaime]

Yeah I gotta say its about the dog (and the trainer) and not the age. A friend of mine just passed therapy training with her rescue dog. My dog is 4 and has been learning new things all the time.

[Nihil Obstat]

[quote name='Semper Catholic' date='06 August 2010 - 12:20 PM' timestamp='1281115204' post='2153295']
"It is almost impossible to train older dogs"

Completely false.

Some dogs are more difficult to train then others, regardless of age. However the saying "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" is a fallacy.
[/quote]
Then I will rephrase:
some older dogs are impossible to train.

Sometimes it is true. In my case it was- believe me, we invested a heck of a lot of effort into it. Wasn't happening. Some dogs will reach a point at which training is simply impossible. It may be because of trauma or neglect in the past, or from a psychological disorder, or whatever, but some dogs cannot be trained after a certain point has passed.

[MissScripture]

[quote name='Semper Catholic' date='06 August 2010 - 12:26 PM' timestamp='1281112008' post='2153273']
Lot of false information on this thread about dog training.

MissScripture if you decide not to keep it make sure you take it to a non-kill shelter.

Putting down a healthy, happy dog that has many years to live is senseless.
[/quote]
They're trying to convince the shelter here to take the dog (it is a no-kill shelter), but they've been having problems convincing them to (I'm not sure why, but I think it has something to do with where the dog was found or something like that. ). They really dont want to see this dog put down, either, so they're trying pretty much every option they can.


[quote name='hot stuff' date='06 August 2010 - 01:39 PM' timestamp='1281116392' post='2153307']
Yeah I gotta say its about the dog (and the trainer) and not the age. A friend of mine just passed therapy training with her rescue dog. My dog is 4 and has been learning new things all the time.
[/quote]
I know my uncle can train pretty much any dog. I've seen him do it, and it's really quite amazing. He was training my grandparents dog when he was like 10, and that dog had never been trained at all, except to come when my grandpa called him.



We've decided we can't take the dog. Right now, we don't know how much my doctor bills are going to run us, so we don't want to take on more doctor bills for the dog. We both really wish we could, but I don't think it would really be fair to us or the dog. If the timing were better, or if she didn't have the leg problem, we'd probably go for it. Poor doggy.

[sistersintigo]

I second Catherine M.: contact a Labrador Retriever Rescue organization (breed-specific rescue), and don't be shy!

Labrador Retrievers are among this nation's most populous breeds, and there are numerous rescue groups for retrievers in general, and even for specifically Labrador Retrievers. Most such groups have got an internet presence with websites and e-mail addresses.
Because rescue groups are numerous, they are not all the same quality. Some are not that wonderful. Some of them work miracles. Some just struggle.

Do an internet search on "labrador retriever rescue" and you might be downright shocked at how many choices you have. Good luck.

[sistersintigo]

[quote name='MissScripture' date='05 August 2010 - 11:56 PM' timestamp='1281063387' post='2153027']
The fiance of a friend of mine just recently found a dog --a chocolate lab-- abandoned alongside the road (they live in the country). She had recently had puppies and has something wrong with her leg. She limps when she walks, and can't walk very far at once, but doesn't whimper or anything when she puts weight on the leg. She is a very friendly dog, very calm, quiet and generally very sweet.

Thoughts? Anything else we need to consider?
[/quote]

Finally, if nothing else works out, contact:

http://www.hua.org That's Hearts United for Animals, they specialize in dogs. They are not in the Dakotas....however,
they have connections nationwide, and if they cannot directly help you, they can put you in contact with others who can.