Hi from CA - new pup story

[wahinelf]

Hello - I'm Aubrey and my new dog's name is Eleanor (Ellie for short). She has quite the story.

I work at a vet hospital as a technician and occasionally the local shelter brings in dogs for testing, exams, etc. A few weeks ago a puppy was brought in that tested positive for parvo virus. Now, the local shelter has no money whatsoever, so they were going to euthanize due to the positive test result. The doctor that was seeing the appointment is pregnant and slightly hormonal and she offered up our hospital to adopt this puppy. I went in to see her and gave her some fluids and said to my coworkers,"Whoever gets this puppy will have a handful." She went through some really rough days of treatment, but pulled through. It was actually very impressive...I kept reiterating how she would need serious training. And of course, being the most vocal about her need for training and a firm hand yadayada...I adopted her. She had been labeled a "shepherd mix," but she is unlike any mix I've ever seen. I originally thought German Shepherd meets Greyhound? But that really doesn't make sense. But then again, neither does parvo infected Dutch Shepherd.

I later found out a little more on her background. She was found on a local street tied to a post. Okay, not that much background, but its not like she was an owner surrender. Anyone that would go through the trouble of finding a Dutch Shepherd through a breeder wouldn't tie it to a post. Right?

Either way, she's roughly 5-6 months old, now parvo free, 26ish lbs and growing. She has a notch in one ear from a dog fight I'm guessing...but otherwise they stand straight up. Some white patches on her back two feet and a tiny inch of white on her chest. But its uncanny how DS she looks. But I figured you guys would know better. Let's see if I can get some pictures up.

Also, its coming up on two weeks of her being in my apartment (yes, apartment...don't worry, moving soon), and she is doing really well on obedience training - just very nippy.

[turnnburn52984]

She's cute! We recently had a thread on here about DS's with monster ears. Love her ears!

Looks like a Dutch to me- but the photo angles could be misleading. Only 23lbs at 5-6ish months seems awfully light to me. I know she's recovering from Parvo, so she could just be really thin... but I'm sure a experienced breeder will chime in on the size. I have a giant DS, so I could be way off base.

To discourage the nipping- try always keeping a toy tucked into a pocket. You can avoid corrections for nipping if you can immediately re-direct her onto something appropriate to bite. Do you have any training goals for her?

Welcome to the board!

Oh- and my Dutch lives in an apartment as well. It's not ideal, but we get by with LOTS of fetch, bike riding, and training.

[FG167]

She's cute! We recently had a thread on here about DS's with monster ears. Love her ears!

Looks like a Dutch to me- but the photo angles could be misleading. Only 23lbs at 5-6ish months seems awfully light to me. I know she's recovering from Parvo, so she could just be really thin... but I'm sure a experienced breeder will chime in on the size. I have a giant DS, so I could be way off base.

To discourage the nipping- try always keeping a toy tucked into a pocket. You can avoid corrections for nipping if you can immediately re-direct her onto something appropriate to bite. Do you have any training goals for her?

Welcome to the board!

Oh- and my Dutch lives in an apartment as well. It's not ideal, but we get by with LOTS of fetch, bike riding, and training.

I'm going to have to just go along with all of this! Cute - small - nipping - apartment = all same here! lol

[wahinelf]

Thanks for the welcome! She is super skinny from her virus...her ribs are just beginning to not be as visible, but she still has a ridiculously small waist. Just trying to put some meat on her bones at this point, but we're also walking her for hours a day to keep her calm at home.

Last weight was 26 pounds, but that was over a week ago now. Stands 17 inches at the shoulder.

As of now she's just getting obedience, sit, down, stay, gentle (taking treats)...next in line is "drop it". She's just discovering the wonder that is old fast food picked up on the sidewalk. I'd love to do agility with her, but I don't know if its in the cards. I want to get her to the point that I can take her jogging, but at this point she's not very interested.

[icvanstra]

Welcome to the group!

Small is not bad... I originally wanted a 65 pound dog and ended up with a 50 pound male. His siblings are "full sized" though. In the end I'm quite happy having a slightly smaller dog in my small house.

The nipping you will just have to work at. During that phase with Cino there were always things around to redirect that mouthiness to. Bone, tug, chew, etc....

eric

[cake73]

Very very cute! There are some smaller DS out there, I think, like 45-50 lb females.

...next in line is "drop it". She's just discovering the wonder that is old fast food picked up on the sidewalk.

Marley loves to pick up mostly-intact, dead squirrels off of the sidewalk...and just about anything else.
"drop it" comes in very handy!

[kimkim]

Hi, thanks for adopting this pup, she is cute! I dont understand how a person can tie up and leave a sick puppy. Makes me so mad! My female is also small, 50lbs, I like them that way:) When I first picked her up at the airport, I looked in the kennel and I thought I had the wrong dog! Then I took her outside and let her out and right away she was biting my pant legs and her leash, then I know she was mine:)

[turnnburn52984]

I want to get her to the point that I can take her jogging, but at this point she's not very interested.

Careful! You really don't want to jog with her till she's at the very minimum a year old. Gotta give those growth plates time to close! Realistically, any high jumping, jogging, and hard work should wait till at least a year and a half. I know it's hard to wait when all they have is energy though, dang dogs. Koenig is 1 1/2 now, and I can't tire the dude out. Ever. Period. lol.

[leih merigian]

Welcome, Aubrey and Ellie!

What a great story and intro. Glad you found us. She sure looks Dutch to me, not that I am an expert by any stretch of the imagination tho .

She sure won the doggie lotto, finding you!

[wahinelf]

I want to get her to the point that I can take her jogging, but at this point she's not very interested.

Careful! You really don't want to jog with her till she's at the very minimum a year old. Gotta give those growth plates time to close! Realistically, any high jumping, jogging, and hard work should wait till at least a year and a half. I know it's hard to wait when all they have is energy though, dang dogs. Koenig is 1 1/2 now, and I can't tire the dude out. Ever. Period. lol.

I figured 6 months was old enough, but she's letting me know anyway. I couldn't get her to run for her life. Haha. Thanks everyone!

[TheLieselVonTrapp]

As a vet tech, you probably have good instincts about this lovely little lady. I would trust them. If I am not mistaken, there are DNA tests which can confirm the breed. I am sure the tests are costly. If you find out she is DS, or just a beautiful mix, you are blessed either way.
I am new to this forum and this is my first post. I am entering Animal Behavior College next week to gain credentials for the training and rehabilitation I have been doing for over 20 years. I may not get rich in the career, but it is the call I am answering to serve our veterans with PTSD/TBI and other disablilities with their service animals. In my opinion, and I'll admit a bias, the Shepherd Dog, American or European lines is well suited for this task.
My girl GSD is 10 the 30th of this month. She was DNA hip certified on the sire's side, not the dam. She does not have dysplasia, but has arthritis, vet recommends buffered aspirin 325 mg/dy. When she was almost 4 months, she was set to get her last booster the same week I and my Border Collie went on a date with a man whose family raised Maltese pups. They had just lost an entire litter to parvo 3 weeks prior. It was an outdoor event and the border collie interacted with the adult maltese and I played frisbee with them in the yard prior to the picnic. This was a Saturday. By Tuesday, my girl was parched , spitting up and had watery poop. She was used to greeting me, popping through the pet door when I returned from work. This day, she did not.
I went to the yard and she crawled out of a hole she had dug for herself and collapsed at my feet. I scooped her up in my arms and drove 85mph 25 miles away to the emegency animal hospital. She was gagging all the way and losing control. I had her draped like an infant across my arms, her long legs dangling and head flopped to the side, limp, like she was dying.
They took her back immediately and administered iv's of medications. I had to check her into my regular vet the following day, where she stayed under 24 hour care of the vet in her home. I was told her parvo test was negative, but that every symptom indicated parvo, that it could show itself before the blood was positive. Vet said they would know in 72 hours if she was going to survive.
I began to pray and dried my tears in the beautiful white fluff of the border collie. This GSD pup knew how much she was loved and has a strong will to live.
She had been growing very fast, her parents were 120 and 95 lbs respectively. She has barely broken 60 lbs. as an adult, and she can eat like a horse, sleep like a couch potato and not gain. Breeder said to give her pasta with her food, that the parents would never gain...(they were already big!)
Apologize for the length, but this is the first time I have had chance to tell this story to people who care. 9 1/2 years later, our Border Collie has crossed the Rainbow Bridge. She lost 7 lbs at his death and is still grieving. She is small, but does the work she was brought in the home to do: protect her mama.
I do not know if a rough bout with parvo could stunt a pup's growth, but if so, I beleive this affected her size, given the size of the parents.
So, I have a beautiful purebreed GSD who never grew into her big feet and long pointy ears. But she survived!
And like Ellie, she is here to love and be loved.
Congrats to you for the good fortune.
Shepherds Rule!

[wahinelf]

I think that knowing that someone cares helps them pull through. Lovely story.

[GSDNanny]

Welcome Aubrey and Ellie! Great story. Looks like you got yourself a really nice pup and future canine companion. Thanks so much for rescuing this doll. Do keep us up on her and your progress with pictures, of course.

My Zip (also a rescue nearing 5 yrs old) is a small framed girl at 52-55 lbs normally. I will get some pics posted this evening.


LieselVonTrapp (what is your name by the way) -- welcome also, so glad to have you here and to thank you for your dedication to our returning veterans with PTSD/TBI. My son has been in Iraq and should be back from this deployment by Christmas (we are hoping anyway). Please tell us more about your goals for training battle buddies for our soldiers and where are you located? Will you be training dogs also as assistance/service dogs in addition to the battle buddies from shelters? Very interesting. Thank you again for your dedication.

[leih merigian]

Ditto everything Denise said!

[TheLieselVonTrapp]

Thanks for the warm welcome. The answer to all your questions is "yes". I go by Liesel. I will be training for tasks and medical alert, depending on the needs of the veteran, once acute needs for psychiatry/counseling are met. Many will be affected by the loss of limbs or other physical limitations. Task training will be part, after obedience and socialization.
The placement of rescues in such sensitive and delicate areas is itself an issue and challenge to overcome.

I am in South Carolina. We have several bases here and a large military population. We also have friends in DC who serve on armed services committee, who are in our camp. Politics and ego at the local level impedes progress in the shelters, in the individual 501c3's and well-meaning animal rescue organizations who vie for the limelight. This is frustrating.
It is not about them, it is about the dogs and veterans. Anyway, thank you again for the warm welcome. I look forward to interacting with you as I begin intensive studies in canine behavior.

Liesel/Liesel Von Trapp, 10 year old GSD
grieving Padraig Maloney, Border Collie 12/6/10 - 05/18/10....Oh my goodness, today is his birthday.

[vneerland]

Welcome Aubrey! What a wonderful rescue story.
I have to second the mixed guesses, but think the world of anyone who puts so much time, effort and money into a dog that somebody else obviously discareded. Hats off!

Also: Welcome "liesel" Please take the time to introduce yourself in the appropriate section (this one, but under your own subject) By now you told us quite a bit about yourself, so I assume you won't mind doing that (again) You can also create a signature, for ease of future posting.