DebC

I can commiserate with you about the water - ever since Dozer came home, I can no longer just leave a full water dish down because he will drink it all! We now have a routine where each dog is offered water periodically through the day - that way Dozer doesn't get to over-indulge. Both dogs seem to be doing fine with this arrangement. I still keep a water dish down for the cats all the time, but the dogs don't have access to it.

Maybe my mind has hazed over our time with Bo as a puppy - I mostly remember how fast he picked up on things,like potty training and recall. Looking at him today, and comparing him to Dozer (our new lab mix puppy) - he was (is) an absolute angel compared to this lab/hound mix from the depths of Hades. But I love 'em both, doG help me!

Ummmm, I'm pretty sure she was referring to livestock, not dogs, ending up on peoples plates - !

Mojo headed to you and Vala from WNY! She looks great - so good to see!

Mary's reply to DF was posted on the MSN site yesterday, although I haven't looked today to see if it is still up..........

Excellent post, Mary! Thanks for putting into words exactly what I was thinking when I read that article!! Also, about the low cost cable - I had to call TimeWarner 3x, talking to 3 different sales people, before they would even admit to having a "Basic" cable package (I only knew they had one because my sis had it). Now, I pay more for satellite (still well under 100$) but I would give it up in a heartbeat if it was a choice between keeping it, or the dogs. It's just a shame the way people are so ME ME ME oriented - the only point in the article I agreed with was that you shouldn't even think of getting a pet if your financial situation is so shakey. Ultimately, the pet seems to always pay the price........

But even if they were in violation, which it sounds like they may be, shouldn't the owners of the dogs at least get some kind of response as to where the dogs are? At least give them some kind of direction as to what they have to do - pay a fine or whatever - to get their dogs back?

Sending you {{{{hugs}}}} My heart goes out to you and your husband - These words I cling to when being tossed about in the troubles life sometimes throws - "there must be a reason". I truly believe that, even though the reason may not be apparent until long after the original event. You have gained valuable tools and experience that will help you in the future, and you have given others help by sharing your story. I think you may find Pan visiting you in ways unexpected, not just in your dreams. You have given her peace. Take care

I'm not allowed to look at the Pets section of Craigslist anymore. We would have a house full.........

OK, I see - I got tripped up by the legal speak. Saw the part about >2 million exempt, and made an erroneous assumption. Anyway, Rochester is nowhere near 2 million (as far as I know) - smaller than Syracuse. Thanks for the link to the reps, mcburiniefarm! And thanks for helping me get it straight, Eileen - those are good starting points for a letter!

Flavor of the day, that's it in a nutshell. Oh, don't you realize that the presenter of the bill is just trying to help us poor, rural upstate rubes...........did anyone catch that cities with >2 million residents are exempt? He won't be annoying his constituents, for sure! DH practically spit his scotch out last night when I told him about it. Would've been criminal waste of scotch. *sigh* Good ol' NYS - land of the overtaxed!!

Like NY doesn't have anything else to worry about these days.............GAH!

Bo came from a litter of 9, all males. It was her first (and only) litter.

It seems to me that Pan is a very fortunate dog, and I think it is quite awesome how committed you are to helping her. I can't really give you any advice, but I just wanted to say that I really hope things continue to turn to the positive as time passes.

Ouch! that hurts - I think that Solo is an incredibly lucky dog to have such a dedicated and devoted partner. It's also wonderful that your husband is so understanding of your commitment. But this is not an emergency. This is not a broken leg. If it were, I have to believe that the OP would come up with the money somehow. And I also imagine that her husband would not be against spending the money for that kind of emergency. I also don't think that this is the same kind of disruption as having a child, I don't remember worrying about whether my child were going to hurt me or someone else. I also agree that this dog doesn't sound like a good candidate for re-homing. If the OP really believes they are at the end of things to try, then maybe it is time to let go.

OK, I was very hesitant about posting a reply, and maybe I will wish I hadn't, but at the risk of sounding preachy I just wanted to point something out. I don't know where the 200 - 300$ amount came from, because I haven't read every single post in this thread. So forgive me if I am off base. My assumption is that this amount is a ballpark figure for some kind of treatment for Pan, ie a veterinary behaviorist or such? In the grand scheme of things, that may not seem like a large sum to some of us. But in the hard reality, it can mean the difference in what bills get paid, or not paid. Trust me, I have been there. Even if the OP could convince her husband that it would be money well spent, unless every single person in that house is on board with the plan, it isn't going to work. It doesn't matter how many books you read, or how much money you spend. This is a home with more than just Pan and the OP - and they all have to buy into this. Not to mention that they are considering starting a family. My heart breaks for the OP. There is just no easy solution here.

Name: Bocephus Nicknames: BoBo, Fluffy McWoofington (don't ask), Bodingle, Bojangle, bubby, bo, fluffinator, and a couple unprintable ones..........*blush* Cats: Target - stinker; Peanut - peacat, peadiddle, flubber; Smokey - smokers, smokitty, gigunda, BAC (big a** cat)

Oh! so true! At least with the boys, but not with my hubby - all he has to do is look at Bo sideways and the dog does an immediate flop! My kids are not little, but I have to constantly remind them not to encourage potentially bad habits - grabbing pant legs, for example. Mother's work is never done

Bo is our family companion. We don't do any activities like flyball, agility or trialing with him. Although, I did try flyball with him. I think the local team were drooling over the thought of another border collie on their team. They already have his brother on the team! But we dropped out in the middle of the second lesson series. It was just not fun for us. He was getting so worked up, and my arms were sore! But I will say, he sure could fly that course!! He keeps busy at home........he is my watchdog when DH is away, he lets me know if the boys are rough-housing, he loves to see us when we get home. He makes us laugh. Bo is a fetching maniac, and loves to chase the baseballs my hubby or sons hit for him. He is a very soft dog, and loves to give smoochies if you let him. They all say he's 'mom's dog', and I was never a "dog" person until he came along.

Rest in peace, Janie. Know that you were loved, even if we only had you a short time.

Wow, makes even NY look good...............

Here is the email response I got..........sounds like standard company line. I am glad to know that it appears they do support shelters, and other programs as well. November 19, 2008 Dear Debbie, Thanks for visiting our Milk-Bone website and for your e-mail. We appreciate your interest, and we will share your comments with Management. You may be interested to know that, in addition to donating thousands of cases of Milk-Bone and other Del Monte pet products to shelters across the country throughout the year, we are very proud of the Milk-Bone Canine Heroes Program™. This program strengthens connections between dogs and people in communities across America. Through Canine Heroes, Milk-Bone® brand donates police dogs to law enforcement agencies and is also a key sponsor in the Canine Assistants program (www.canineassistance.org). The Canine Assistants service dog sponsorship program provides specially trained dogs to individuals with physical disabilities at no cost to the recipient. In fact, as a part of our 100-Year Anniversary celebration this year, we donated $1 million through the Canine Heroes™ program. We look forward to continuing our charitable partnerships for many years to come, and helping to enrich the lives of our consumers and their pets every day. In addition to the work that Milk-Bone supports, Del Monte Foods proudly supports the communities where our employees live and work by providing product and financial donations to support a diverse set of philanthropic organizations. The organizations that we support are aligned with the Company Vision — Del Monte. Nourishing Families. Enriching Lives. Every Day. — and promote health, wellness and/or family, including pets. Thanks again for contacting us.

E-mail sent with strong chastisement! I also hope the President-elect does the right thing, or perhaps accept them and send them on to shelters/rescues.

We definitely have coyotes around here. It was very spooky to take Bo out for his last piddle before bed - our lot is surrounded by corn - very tall corn. Can't see anything out in it, and it moves and rustles with the slightest breeze. One evening this summer I was home alone and took Bo out as usual. He normally goes up to the back, past a row of pines (we walk along) to do his potties. That night he would not go past those trees, and was acting very "weird" - stiff legged, nose to the ground and was in a big hurry to get done. Just his behavior creeped me out, so we went back inside ASAP. Not more that 20 minutes later the coyotes started their howling and crying. I swear it sounding like they were in my back yard! Bo was barking inside the house - not his usual behavior. I am such a chicken, I stayed on the couch and never went to see if they were really that close. A friend of ours is down to her last couple of barn cats - and she keeps the chickens in a shed at night. We always bring in the cat before dusk, don't let her out until light. But I wonder if she is even safe during the day?

So much for their so-called "gold standard", eh? When I can open the classifieds any day and see AKC this and that from Joe Blow, Breeder Extrordinaire then how valuable is that paper, really? Dog + AKC registration does not always equal excellect dog, but to BYB it equals more $$. They are ripe for a fracture in the membership. Perhaps the core supporters will break off? Of course, I don't know if that would be good or bad - could be like a Hydra - cut one head off and 2 more pop up!