Mr_Tiki

She is doing great, thanks for asking. I hope Michelle would post some pics soon. Boyden and the cats are also fine. There is just one problem with one of the cats (Punkin). He is about 6 yr old and has always been potty trained, but he seems to be loosing his toilet etiquette of late and we can't understand why this is happening now.

Aussiered, Well the emergency vet told us that it is 'definitely rat poison and yes Fynne was sent home with K tablets. She continues to do well and so far there doesn't seem to be any further problems. Dixie, I guess the response to poison differs also with the brand of poison as well as the amount. I can't help but compare poison bait with landmines used by humans which have already been banned. Both types of 'baits' often end up with the wrong target with catastrophic consequences.

She is doing very well!! According to Michelle, she is back to normal 'as if nothing happened', munching her food as normal and eager to be active. But no hard activities allowed for now. We'll keep an eye on any lasting effects. She had such a close brush with death and according to the emergency vets, they weren't confident that she would pull through at the time of the crisis. Thanks for everyone for their concerns and for the valued information.

Terribly sorry to hear of your loss. Michelle had Fynne on the phone earlier for me and she sorta barked in a faint way. I think she is on the mend, thank God for that. This has been a hard lesson. Will make sure that such poisonous stuff is not used where she is. Boyden and the cats are doing well. But the vet recommended giving them vitamin K as well just in case.

Yes your description fits with what happened to Fynne. They gave her vitamin K, but they also had to do some emergency work with tubes for breathing etc. I think she was very close to death last night and we may well have lost her had it not been for Michelle speeding to the emergency. I was surprised that the day time clinic where she checked in the day before didn't identify the problem. We lost valuable time then. May be she didn't show visible signs. I don't know. I hope Michelle would post here later as she is not online right now.

Hi everyone, We've had a serious problem with our Fynne recently. She fell ill last Thursday, not being able to eat, being weak and inactive, irregular heart beat, etc. Michelle took her to the vet the next day and they did some blood tests and found elevated white cells count. It was thought then that she is fighting an intestinal bug and was sent home to rest. She continued to get worse and last night Michelle rushed her to the emergency. She had serious trouble breathing with swollen throat and was close to death! The emergency people did so well (and charged a lot of course!). They identified the problem to be rat poisoning. It seems that Michelle's dad has the stuff in some corners in the garage. This morning, she seems to be better and is breathing on her own and has been able to eat a bit. Apparently she seems to have suffered from internal bleeding and continued to be very weak as she hasn't been able to eat much since the incident. She should be home later tonight. So I wonder if you guys have any experience with rat poisoning? Does itt cause any permanent damage?

The name of the cartoonist is actually given in the image (Rich Tennant). Although I have to say the post doesn't properly credit him or his publication. He is more famous for cartoons in computer mags. If you ever bought one of those 'for Dummies' books, he is the cartoonist!

We used to have the same problem with our Fynne. Last time I washed her, I had to lift her up gently and put her in the tub. Then gradually hose her feet and working upwards. She was rather nervous but patient. Rather like a little kid clinging nervously to daddy!

Smilieyzookie, My wife is in a terrible state right now and is crying her heart out saying I want my baby back and why is she doing that to us. She refused to visit this thread because of the hurtful remarks. Debbie's post implied that we have mishandled Fynne. The robot remark is most hurtful. I am trying desperately to dig out video clips to show otherwise.

You can get into personal things if you are interested in throwing flamers. The subject is Fynne and what to do about her and not our personal lives.

I take it that the answer to my other two questions is no. I rest my case.

Based on what? Have you actually met any of the parties involved? Have you observed their dog handling skills? regards, Mr Tiki

Sara, My wife and I are getting a divorce. So I would appreciate a little consideration. We gave up Fynne because of potential problems in me caring for her on my own in future. But now we realize that Boyden misses his playing partner very much and that its possible for my wife to keep her in the new location and for me to pay for Fynne. It only costs about $50 a month to maintain a dog. So we are hoping that Debbie, being the new owner, would consider our request to have her back. That's all there is to it. regards, Mr Tiki

Hi guys! Good news! Hubby and I have both felt terrible ever since we dropped Fynne off so we are going to bring her home! We have been talking about this for days and trying to come up with some workable solution. Hubby is going to provide me with "doggy support" until she gets old and passes on so that I can afford to keep her with me and Boy. He'll pay for a fence so that she has a fenced in yard and he will pay for kenneling if I have to board her overnight for any reason and of course he'll pay for her food and vet bills and stuff like that. Hubby is also more than welcome to visit her and Boy of course whenever he wants to, and I'll send pictures and videos and keep him updated. He loves the dogs just as much as I do, and Fynne is most definately daddy's little girl! I can't fit two big dogs and a cat in the car all the way to Michigan so he will take his other week off from work and we will go up together. This arrangement will make both of us feel a whole lot better and Boy and Fynne will remain best buddies. I've been reminded these past several days why we got him a playmate in the first place. The two of them are perfect for eachother. I really couldn't have picked a better match for him if I tried. It sure has been a tough week but I am so thankful that we have come up with a solution that makes all of us happy! I just wanted to let you know, and thank you all for being there! My Finnie-Winnie will be home soon! Miz

Thank you for the update! I was getting worried. How about you and her? Is she more more comfortable with you now? Is her wariness completely gone now? Is she playing with you or loving on you or anything like that? Boy and Fynne had a "breakthrough" after 6 1/2 weeks and in that instant they were completely fine together and played and all was well. It was a huge turnaround. That happened while I had her on the leash. She raked the top of my foot and pulled the leash out of my hand. The two of them ran and ran and ran and I watched her posture change from being aggressive to just running and enjoying it. They finally ran out of breath and stood there facing eachother and panting. There were no problems from that moment on. Boy corrected her snarkiness a few times over the next week or two until she submitted, then he let her up and she showed him respect and then they acted like nothing happened. It was really quite awesome to watch. If for any reason you don't think she will work out for you then let us know. We will move heaven and earth to make sure she's taken care of. I bet you my husband would buy me a house so that I could keep her if it was that or putting her down. Please let me know how she is doing with you so that I can hopefully put my mind at ease. And thanks again for everything Debbie!! Miz

Thanks for the heads up MaggieDog! I've been checking the boards here and her rescue site every couple hours or so since we dropped her off. She must have posted Fynne within the last few hours. I'm so glad her personality and temperament match her good looks now. She's a beautiful dog inside and out! I am hoping someone will get her involved in agility. I think she would enjoy that and be good at it. She's really fast too so maybe flyball as well? I sure would like to know if she has any natural ability with sheep too! If all of y'all would please pray for her so that she finds a really good home. It would mean an awful lot to me. Miz

Debbie, I am leaving in the morning so if you can please let me know how she is doing then I would really, really appreciate it. My husband and I would both like to know how she's adjusting. I hope she's being a good girl for you. Last night Boy wanted to play and it reminded me of why we got him a playmate. I can only do so much playing because of my back and those two were so perfect together in every way. The house is awful empty with her gone.

We just walked in the door. I'm so glad you posted something so soon! I lost it as soon as I walked out of your house. She'll probably be a little uneasy being in a new place and all, especially with a bunch of dogs, but she should settle in soon. She would probably appreciate her own spot to go to where she'll feel safe if she gets overwhelmed. We sent a crate rug that has our smells on it so maybe that would work. Boy got out of the car and ran all over the yard looking for Fynne. Those two couldn't have been a more perfect match. He has an exciting week ahead of him though and will be happy where we are going so he won't be moping around for long. Just about everything you might need to know is in that "book" I wrote. If you have any questions then please don't hesitate to contact me. She needs to go potty more often than Boy, small bladder like hubby I guess. I wouldn't be surprised if she whined tonight but some of it may be her needing to go out. I wanted so badly to love on her before I left but didn't want to upset her, so if you would give her a little love for me then I'd appreciate it a whole lot. Please update me as much as you can these first few days. After that I'll be leaving and internet access will be spotty. I've put an awful lot of work into her and am curious to know how she manages around the dogs and a new person. The old timers here will remember how psychotic she was when we got her. Her name used to be Lucy and we called her Lucy-fer because she was such an evil witch. Ok, ok. Thank you Debbie. And G'nite Fynne. We love you a whole bunch.

HW is not so much of an issue in Michigan for CATS. Here in Houston, one in ten cats will get HW and there is no treatment like for dogs, so our cats get a HW pill each month. Maralynn, of course you are right and that made my day! They are about done at my gramma's and I figured they'd be about done at my dad's by the time I got there too. It will be over a week before I get there but of course there are trees further south yet! I didn't sleep worth a darn last night. I'm going to miss Fynne an awful lot. This is going to be so hard. She will be in good hands though. Thanks again everyone! Miz

It's so good to hear from you all! I miss you all and hope you are all doing well, and your precious dogs too! You remember me training Boy to be my Service Dog, right? I only needed him once when I broke my ankle last year. I'll need him in Michigan though. I can't risk slipping and falling on the ice so I'll get a special dog harness thing with a handle on it and use him to support me as I go up and down the steps, get in and out of the car, etc. My dad is also going to build me a cart so that he can pull me around. Then I'll be able to take "walks". He'll be able to pull other things around for me as well, like groceries and stuff like that. That's the only way I'll be able to take him. Otherwise he would need a home too. He's doing just fine. Remember when he was acting real weird last summer? And I thought my brain tumor was back? We both had a tick borne disease, probably from when I camped in Alabama on the way to the NC get-together. We were both crawling with ticks in that mountain. Anyway, he's been 100% fine since then and so have I. That was a really rough time for me. When Fynne plowed into me and I fell and broke my ankle I also reinjured my upper back. I had broken a few bones there as a kid but it jarred things around. So now my low and upper back is messed up. I haven't been able to take the dogs out much since then. Fynne would probably be cured of her dog aggression if I could just get her out more. I am sure she will be ok at the rescue and eventually find a good home. I am going to miss her. This is breaking my heart. Apart from her dog aggression she is practically the perfect dog so if you know anyone who could give her a good home and provide her with the exercise and mental stimulation she deserves then please let Debbie know. You may remember that we used to hate her but we both love her very, very much and she has a wonderful personality. She's always happy and ready to make you smile. She will be very missed. Hubby is going to sell the house and move into Houston. I convinced him to keep our cat Punkin but Tiggers is no more a city cat than I am a city person. He would hate it if he couldn't go outside so I am going to bring him with me and see if I can manage to keep him somehow. I hope my dad doesn't mind too much. I've had him over 9 years and he's my baby. He won't need heartworm prevention there and ticks are not a problem there so maybe I can swing it somehow. If not then at least I'll have the opportunity to try and find him a good home. I hope it doesn't come to that though. As for me, I don't know what will happen. I can stay at my dad's for a couple months but his auto factory went overseas and he's unemployed so he's been thinking about selling the house at a loss (housing market sucks in MI) and moving out of state. Something will come together for me though, I'm sure of it. There are lots of social services available for me in Michigan so I'll get something figured out. It won't be my cabin in the woods that I long for but I'll be ok. I have friends in Alabama on the way to Michigan that I will visit with for a little while. This trip is going to be very hard on me physically. I'll stay at campsites on the way and sleep in the car. At least it's cooling down a bit at night now so I can leave the windows cracked. Me, Boy and Tiggers will be glad when we get to my dad's so we can stretch out, that's for sure! It's a shame I will miss the fall colors. I haven't seen the colors in so many years. But Boy will get to play in the snow so I'm looking forward to that! Take care everyone and it really is good to see you all and know that you're doing well. I love you guys! Please keep Fynne in your prayers so that she finds a good home. Miz

Thank you!! I can take her all the way to you. Would this weekend work? Please email me at hotmail.com so we can work out the details. Thank you!!!

I'm shedding a whole lot of tears too Tammy. Thank you. PSmitty, no. I am disabled and will be living off welfare. I won't be able to afford her.

Yes, her original owners got her as a pup from people who had a purebred BC and a purebred GSD who got out of their kennels by mistake and mated, so she is 50/50.

Thank you to Laurena for posting pics for me. Fynne will bring with her many items to include a large bag of Innova EVO Red Meat formula dry dog food, fish oil caps, vitamins, leashes, leads, collars, muzzle (used once but what the hey), toys, vet records, one HW prevention pill for Nov 1st, large dog crate, and many, many, many tears and love from both of us and Boy.

Hi guys. It's me, Miztiki. I'm not registered on the new site here so using hubby's login. We are getting a divorce. I am taking Boy to Michigan with me but I can't take Fynne. I just can't. Fynne is a 4 y/o female Border Collie/German Shepherd mix (50/50). She's spayed, microchipped, and UTD on all shots. She is just south of Houston, TX in Pearland. Hubby has 2 weeks off as of today so he may be willing to transport her. I rescued her from north of Houston a couple year ago at the age of two. She was a total psychotic mess when I got her. She's made tremendous improvement since then but she still has a couple issues. She is still dog aggressive but to a lesser extent. She is much, much better with people now, especially if they ignore her at first and allow her to approach them for a sniff. After that it's really not an issue and she is fine and they can pet her and move freely. Really, she is only slightly wary of people now and that's about it. (Her aggression with dogs and people is based on fear, not true aggression.) Inside the house she is a dream. No chewing, accidents, trash raids, etc. She is very well trained both verbally and with hand signals. She does know her name, pronounced "fin", like a fish fin. She is a "soft" dog and responds well, and she catches on very quickly to new concepts. She's very, very well trained in all areas of life, her only issue being dogs now. She would do well with a male dog who would not let her bully him. She is not dominant by any means but she will take advantage of a submissive dog and be snarky with it, so her doggy companion should be a male with fortitude. She is more Border Collie than anything, with the BC eye and crouch, and all the quirks. She has a tremendous personality! She has a high prey drive. She is a high energy dog but very laid back in the house. She just needs a chance to stretch her legs and some mental stimulation and she is fine for the day. She is FAST. Her recall is awesome and she loves to play fetch. She minds very, very well. She has no issue with grooming or anything, just dogs really. She needs more socialization with them and an experienced hand. I am hoping to leave Tuesday so if you have any questions, please email me at hotmail.com. I am Miztiki, so put those two together. I hope everyone is doing well! I am going to be just fine! I should mention that Fynne is absolutely stunning! She really is beautiful and will turn heads. She weighs about 45 lbs. I'll see if I can figure out how to include a couple pictures with this. Give me a few minutes.