Alaska

Everybody wants another dog. Most of us regularly surf rescue sites for entertainment. There's nothing wrong with that, but giving in to the temptation every time you see a cute puppy is not responsible. The pup you already have needs your attention now. Once you've invested time in training him, once he's past adolescence, once you can honestly say that he's a well-behaved member of society...then is the time to consider adding another pup to your family. Sometimes fate drops a dog on our doorstep when the time isn't right and we can't in good conscience turn the dog away, but that's a different situation.

Forgot to mention that patio doors don't come in standard sizes so you will want to measure your patio door pretty carefully before you order the dog door. Those websites have good instructions for measuring. Also, at least in my case the patio door has two tracks (glass door and screen door) and multiple lips that form those tracks, so even after you get your door you may find yourself fooling around with different ways to fit it into the tracks and their associated lips. In summer I have the dog door line up with the edge of the screen door and in winter I move it so it lines up with the edge of the glass door. And it took a shim to make it work. Just a warning that the whole patio door project can turn out to be a little more complicated than it seem. The customer service folks at Moore Pet were helpful.

Except for Teacup Agility

I bought mine from Moore Pet. Between their website and www.petdoors.com you should be able to find all the information you need about the different types and qualities of pet door.

I posted this in another thread, but it really belongs here. This is a great site for figuring out what parks and park-like areas are dog-friendly: Hike With Your Dog. Not only that, he has lots of suggestions for where to go NEAR parks that are not so dog friendly themselves, a state-by-state summary of whether dogs are allowed in state park campgrounds (I was shocked to learn there are some states where they are not!), and lots of suggestions for cool dog vacations (if you like hiking). My only gripe is that he does not distinguish between on-leash and off-leash when it comes to dog-friendly areas, and as any dog will tell you, there is a HUGE difference in the fun factor between those two.

I think what's concerning some of us is that your posts seem to be all about your needs and wants, without really discussing the needs of your dogs. All of us here care a lot about dogs or we wouldn't be here, and we certainly understand how hard it is to be separated from our dogs. That said, perhaps you might find some peace in this situation if you focus less on your own desires and more on doing what's best for the dogs you love.

Teach the dog that the toy is out of play until you tell them to "get it". With a little work, you should be able to leave the toy on the floor, or even toss it over the dog's head, and the dog will ignore it until you say so. That way you can reward with the toy when you want ("Get it!") but in the meantime the dog is focused on you. Agility folks teach this to their dogs so the handler can run with a toy in their hand, or place one somewhere on the course as a target, yet keep the dog's focus on the handler. They proof it by scattering toys all over the course - a dog trained this way will run the course ignoring all the toys until directed to one. You could start by setting the toy down near you and rewarding the dog for looking at you instead of the toy.

Check out this site: Dog Vacation Ideas

How about a Canine Country Getaway at Glen Highland? "The Canine Country Getaway location is an extended part of Glen Highland Farm acreage set aside for people who like to vacation with their dogs. The land was once home to the Iroquois Indians who lived near the beautiful Butternut Creek, a huge curvy stream filled with trout, abundant wildlife, endangered butterflies and birds. The Creek winds through 175 acres of rolling meadows and winding trails and our 2-acre spring-fed pond..."

I don't think that's a valid rumor. The "new" lepto vaccine (as of 2004) was Lepto Vax 4 from Fort Dodge. Pfizer has since bought Fort Dodge, discontinued Lepto Vax 4, and come out with a similar product called Vanguard L4. These are both what we've been calling individual vaccines, i.e. they only act on lepto strains. Both Fort Dodge and Pfizer also packaged lepto in a combination vaccine. Pfizer's Vanguard Plus 5 L4 is a 5-way (DA2PP) vaccine with the 4 lepto serovars as well. I'm guessing that's the one you're thinking of. Hopefully Mark will be along shortly to correct me if I got something wrong....

Me too. That story stuck with me, and as soon as I moved to an area where lepto was present and where my border collies have daily contact with livestock and wildlife, I started vaccinating for it (as local vets recommend). On the other hand, my parents have a toy poodle who had a severe reaction to her first, and so far only, lepto vaccination. The dog has no contact with livestock, very little with wildlife, and never swims in water that could be contamined. Yet the kennel they have used and been happy with for years now insists that all dogs be current on lepto to stay there, which I find ludicrous. I strongly advised them to find a new kennel, and eventually they did.

Leash. I have a similar problem. Once I finally accepted that I really did have the problem, I invested in a 26' flexi. My end hooks to a carabiner hooked to a loose belt around my waist. The dog has a ton of freedom and I have my hands free, so I can enjoy my walk almost as much as if I were off leash I can reliably predict the situations where the dog can be trusted off leash. In all other situations, i.e. if there is any doubt whatsoever, we go on leash. The bolting incidents are nerve-wracking and heart-breaking. I can't tell you how much less stressful my life has become since I finally accepted this approach. We are working on perfecting our recall, and I do mean perfecting. Until we get there, and it could take years for this dog, the flexi strategy stays in place. As a side note, I find flexis to be a nightmare when there is more than one dog on a flexi or more than one human present (off-leash humans always seem to get tangled up - off-leash dogs don't seem to have that problem). Luckily, I don't have to deal with this on my walks.

The lepto vaccine is definitely available individually. The one I use is called LeptoVax 4 (protects against 4 strains of lepto). You may want to review the AAHA 2006 Vaccination Recommendations for recommended vaccination intervals and which vaccines are considered core vs non-core vs not recommended.

Partly it depends on whether it's more important to you to enjoy watching two dogs who are bonded to each other, or whether you want a strong bond of your own with each dog. Personally, I want to build that bond between me and each dog, so I wouldn't add another until the bond with the first dog is pretty solid. If the first dog is a puppy, that can take quite a while. I concur with others that having two dogs is a good idea if you can manage it, but I also agree with those who suggested that the ideal order to build your family is is adult dog first, then add puppy (or another adult).

Doesn't sound like it. Here's what it says on Eric's For Sale page: Free dog: "I have had her for a while now and she shows no interest in working at all." Mother of non-reg pups (Rosie): "She is working full-time on our ranch."