About Us and Our Dogs
Stan
Stan's family had a succession of pedigreed Rough Collies (the ones that look like Lassie) in Ohio, Texas, North Carolina and Kansas. They loved to chase, tackle and wrestle with him!
Jo
Our family first had a Boxer named Sheba in Uganda, who gave birth to nine puppies, followed by a Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy in Swaziland. He was returned to the pound since he turned into a biter. Then my mother bought Mitsu in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Never Underestimate a Dachshund
She was very spirited, a perfect size - in between a Miniature and Standard Dachshund. She was fabulous protection against poisonous snakes and was always digging. One time she was so busy that the dirt flew in her eyes, and she never noticed the mole that popped out between her legs! Mitsu was sent back to her breeders before we emigrated to New York. A year later she had died from either rat poison or a heart ailment. She was only six.
DOGS WE'VE HAD TOGETHER
Two weeks after our first daughter was born, the mid-1980's oil slump caught up to Stan's job - a long string of U-Hauls accompanied us out of Houston. We bought bare land in southern Oregon, built a round cabin and outhouse, and planted produce for market. We figured the time was right to get a dog.
FB (Fuzzy Bear)
After trying several older dogs with behavior problems that we returned to their source, we chose a chubby puppy, a black Lab/Shepherd mix. On our way home, we stopped in at a friend, who took one look at FB's very round belly, grabbed a plug of tobacco, put it in the puppy's mouth, and got him to swallow it - deworming, country style!
He was a typical Lab concerning food. One day he ate a 3 pound tub of margarine! It all came back up later in a neat pile... Somehow the kids' Halloween candy never made him sick either.
Out of ignorance we fed him cheap kibble. After about four years, he looked like a warthog due to a flea allergy. A vet gave him a cortisone shot to stop the itching. We improved his diet to a high-end kibble and within a few months he had a beautiful coat and no fleas. He also pooped less and it was much firmer.
When he was about eleven, he gained weight and yelped with pain every time he got off the couch. Once we slimmed him down, he had no more problems with arthritis. About two years later, I noticed his stomach was blown up like a balloon and tight as a drum. The vet called it bloat and said FB would need immediate surgery, but that it would probably recur. We had to make the tough choice of putting him to sleep.
Comet
Shortly before this, we had acquired a German Shepherd mix from the pound since Stan wanted a protective dog for us.
Unfortunately, Comet was ill with whipworm and kennel cough. He had to be confined to a bathroom for the first 10 days since whipworms get into the soil, and he couldn't be allowed to run free in the yard.
Once he felt better we saw why he had been relinquished by his owners. If he didn't receive his quota of exercise, he'd start charging around, often directly at us, nipping at our feet if he could, and barking loudly. He was also insane regarding cats.
Comet was the inspiration for this website (see a Our diy website). As he got older, being even more careful about his diet (no raw bacon or other high-fat foods) appeared to be vital for keeping him in shape. On February 1, 2010, he had a severe bout with bleeding from his rectum and the vet was ready to put him down, telling us she suspected cancer.
We got ready to say our goodbyes, but Comet rallied. He moved slower after that experience but remained bright eyed and could still put in a good hike. However, despite an optimum diet and supplements, he kept losing weight. On August 22, he had another bout of bleeding - we feared the worst and were ready to have him euthanized the following morning. Instead, he passed away peacefully during the night. He would have been 12 on November 1, 2010.
Pebble
The week before he died, we were feeling low because of Comet's continuing health issues, so acquired a four-year-old Chiweenie or Dachshund-Chihuahua mix named Pebble at a garage sale to keep her out of the pound. We think that Comet felt he had left us in safe paws and had permission to go. She has made Comet's loss easier to bear and is a great little dog to have around. Like Comet, she loves to hike and go for walks. Also like him, she does not care for wearing dog clothes, although she has to wear sweaters and coats when it's cold since she does not have his thick fur...
FROM DOGS TO A DOG WEBSITE
The above highlights our familiarity with dogs. The next part should give you an idea of how this diy website came to be.
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