In early November, we finally decided it was high time to get another dog. We lost Molly all the way back in July. And along with missing having that furry companion around who is just so glad to see you every time you turn around, I missed having the security of a dog in the backyard and house. We recently had a steady stream of daytime break-ins in our neighborhood, where the thieves took big-screen TVs, laptops, jewelry, etc... They usually hit between 1 and 5 in the afternoon, but never in occupied homes, and never in houses with dogs. I swear having a dog is a better deterrent than an alaram system.
We narrowed our types of dog mixes that we wanted to German Shepherd, Doberman, and maybe Rottweiler, although we read some disturbing things about having Rotties with kids that made that group a big maybe. We decided that if it was a German Shepherd we would be ok with a slightly older dog (no more than 3), but a Doberman or Rottie would need to be a puppy so we could train it from day one. We did some research online, asked some questions to our vet, and then Jav went to the Humane Society to check out some of the ones we were interested in. It was a grueling process to see all of the sweet dogs needing homes, and I couldn't spend any time on the Fort Worth Animal Control site. There were so many, and half the time they wouldn't even bother to determine much about the dog to try to get it adopted. Depressing.
Jav came home talking about a dog that wasn't on their website. His name was Stallone, and he was a 5-month-old Rottie mix. He thought that of all the dogs he observed, this one was the calmest and seemed to be sweet and well-behaved. He also fell in love with a Husky mix that was 7 or 8. And he was the one insisting that we not get an older dog. Hah! When he went back the next day, the Husky mix was gone, but Stallone was still there. Some of the Humane Society employees, the ones who really work with the dogs and KNOW, claimed that he seemed to be a really great dog. He decided to get him, but they don't let you have the dog right away. Most dogs they have to spay or neuter before you can take them home. We asked that since he was only 5 months, could we please let our vet take care of that once he was six months old. They said sure.
Well, I went to pick the dog up with the boys two days later. When I walked in the girl started telling me that since he had surgery he didn't need to eat much that night, etc. They had neutered him. I was pretty upset, then they brought him down the hall. Other than his coloring, he didn't look like a Rottie. Not big enough. He was woozy, which was to be expected, but he was also coughing. I've always heard that heartworms can cause coughing. I put him in the car, and proceeded to try and drive home while crying and trying to call the vet's office. The front desk girl assured me that it might just be kennel cough, which many dogs that come from shelters end up with. I had an appointment to see the vet the next day and tried to be patient. And not too upset with Jav. After all, I was too emotional to go with him to help with his decision and was totally trusting him. I couldn't really blame him for choosing a too small, sick dog, could I?
Dr. Norris determined that he did have kennel cough, made worse by the anesthesia of the surgery (it would take him a month and tons of meds to get over it), he was probably closer to 6 or 7 months old, and thought he might have some Gordon Setter in him due to his beautiful coat, and feathering around his ears and haunches. He also thought that his temperament was amazing for a young, very sick dog. He made me feel so much better I could have kissed him! I also knew that I didn't want to keep the name Stallone. He obviously was NOT a Stallone. After some deliberating we decided on Jake. I still think this is a perfect name for him, but then we made the ridiculous decision to change it because one of Jav's close friends has a son named Jake. I would not be mad in the least if someone I knew named their dog after one of the boys. But we changed it to Tucker. Which now has stuck.
We knew that a puppy would cost us some money up front. But we never imagined that along with the kennel cough meds, he would end up needing meds for tapeworm, and then most recently mange. Sigh and double sigh and triple sigh!!!!! He only has it around his face, common for puppies whose mother may have been infected with the parasite. So he's on a six month trial to see if this one type of heartworm medication works to clear it up. It's very expensive of course.
Then there's all of the things he has chewed up. Numerous puzzle pieces, about 20 socks, some Christmas ornaments with hooks spit out to the side, thank God, an old tiki torch stand, a wooden handle of a rake, the ends of the pooper scooper set handles, some plastic flower bed siding, an old soaker hose, the camera USB cable and my new Nook USB cable. Those last two cost some money to replace. Every time I look in the yard he has found something else to chew on that he's not supposed to. We've been walking him almost every day and I try to throw the ball with him to burn off some energy. I've spent oodles more money on countless chew toys, most of which he chews for a couple of days then either gets tired of them or I have to throw them away because he's chewed a hole in them or something.
So instead of ending up with one of the breeds we talked about, we have this crazy mix of a dog. The girl who bathes him said she noticed qualities of about six different breeds, including Basset Hound (long tail, big feet and short legs), Chow Chow (dark spots on tongue), Golden Retriever (shape of head and beautiful coat), Dachshund (coloring), and even, yes, Rottie. The way he's been chewing that didn't surprise me.
So, instead of a big dog, we have a medium sized dog (he's gone from 33 to 41 pounds) with short legs. He has a LOUD bark, but instead of a good watchdog, we have a dog that barks whenever the other neighborhood dogs bark. Which I guess could be ok. I was pretty upset with the Humane Society about 1) how sick the dog was when they let him be adopted and 2) the fact that they fudged about his age and his breed background. Jav says if I were to see how hard those people work for NO pay trying to find homes for all those animals that I would be a little more sympathetic. He's probably right, but still.
He's been nipping at Gabriel pretty bad, too. It's so interesting to me that Joel must give off some signal that he won't put up with that nonsense, because Tucker never bothers him with nipping. Gabriel is more sensitive and nervous about telling him NO and Tucker takes full advantage. So of course Gabriel is not too happy with Tucker. He asked me yesterday if Tucker would be getting sick anytime soon so Daddy could go pick out another dog. Ouch.
All of these are things we need to work on. We need to take him to a class, but are so tapped out from all the vet trips that we just don't have the money. And despite all of the negative things I've mentioned, I think he is a really cool dog and will end up being a great pet for our family. He is very laid back and has the sweetest temperament. He seems content being outside or inside. He LOVES Jav and his little hiney goes crazy back and forth with that huge tail when he comes home from work. He already follows me all around the house. He is really good at walking. Everyone at the vet's office dotes on him, thinks he is beautiful dog, and has a fantastic temperament. ESPECIALLY with kids. So I guess Jav really did a terrific job.
