[Carlaod]

Hey guys, I adopted a 6 month old australian shepherd from a family that couldn't take care of her. I was misled in them telling me they had all her vet papers, that she was obedient, but that she was paper trained.

Well She was dropped off, they said they couldnt find her papers.... hmm ok, well I told them as soon as they find them I need them.... I never got them... She kept digging at her ears, and I checked her out and it looks like they havnt been cleaned since she was born, 6 months of build up. She had fleas, diarrhea, I was told she used paper to do her business on but pees on the floor instead, no matter if I move the paper or not. She nips and is almost biting, no matter what I do, I was told she doesnt do this. I now am going to have to get ALL he shots redone, de wormed etc., ears cleaned, who knows what else is going on with her since I dont think she has been to a vet in 6 months, and this is NOT something I was anticipating.

She is putting a huge strain on my husband and I, she is also getting to the point where I am afraid she is going to bite my cats, she comes close sometimes (they are de-clawed). I just dont know what to do.

I'm in way over my head, and to top it all off I am allergic to her, I have found out I am allergic to long hair dogs but not short, weird but true, and I think my husband is slightly allergic too.

Gah, I am so stressed out right now. I keep thinking to myself I wish I had an 8 week old, I could teach her how I pleased then, but, I dunno

Some advice please!!!!!!

[duck_girl]

Whew! Tough luck!
Have you tryed calling the former owners? If you got ahold of them, I think you better tell them to find another home for her. Sorry, I know that's obvios, but it's all I know.

[Dogstar]

Hang in there,

I hate to tell you this, but an 8 week old would be MORE work, not less. While they do sleep more, they're just as unhousebroken- and they've got to go MORE often.

If you really are THAT stressed? Please return her NOW before she gets any older and hits that 'uncute teenager' period.

[Carlaod]

well it's the fact that I was misled that I am angry about, I want told about her health issues, or that I wouldnt get her papers.

I know if I do return her that she will be going to another home, one of their family members are willing to take her, they let me know this before I took her in.

I would feel awful to give her back though, but it is putting such a strain on us.

I know a puppy would take more time, but at least I could raise it to be house trained, to not nip, to have all it's needles etc in the beginning instead of RE training it everything.

I am mostly worried about my cats and family that come over, if that nip all of a sudden, before it gets under control becomes a bite then I'm in for it.

I am already attached to her, she's a cutie but I just need some advice as to what to do. So far I have got give her back, which is the one thing I wish I didnt have to do but I can not afford all the vet care I truly believe she needs.

[fuzzie]

I don't think you and this dog can work. I agree with dogstar, send her back while she's still cute. In your case, I also don't think it's wrong to get another puppy as long as you do a specific check to make sure you're not allergic.

[Carlaod]

Thanks Fuzzie, I do want to get another puppy, but I to dont think we and this puppy "click". I'm crying just thinking about having to give her up, but there are so many cons going on right now.

I know she will go to another good home, hopefully someone that will be able to take her to the vet to get everything she needs and is not allergic, but the safety of my family and cats come first in this case as well as the peace of mind that she will be getting the vet attention she needs.

[fuzzie]

Yeah, the allergies could have been spotted maybe, but other than that you were just lied to, and you can't blame yourself for that.

[sheltiemom]

If you truly cannot afford the vet care she needs, then I agree, it would be best to give her back. Have you contacted the people again to see if they can give you any vet information, records, even the name of the vet they took her to (if they took her)?

If you decide to keep her, you are much better off having a six month old than an 8 week old imo. Most dogs are not potty trained by six months, sounds like they were definitely lying on that, the good thing is she's going to be easier and faster to train at six months. I would scrap the paper training, get a crate, and teach her to go outside, you would have had to do that anyway. I've never had any trouble training older dogs, you haven't missed any window of opportunity or anything.....for bite inhibition, there is a sticky called "the bite stops here" that really helped me when one of my dogs was nipping.

ETA: I don't think you should get another puppy right away if one of the major reasons for giving up this one is that you can't afford vet care. Even if you have to get shots and worming for this dog, a puppy will be shots and worming x 3. Vet care for a puppy is much more costly than for an adult dog. If you're just not clicking that's one thing, but it sounds like there are many more issues going on than that.

[duck_girl]

Sorry 'bout alll the stress you've been through. Once I had to give away my pet cat that i LOVED because of alleries. They're a real pain.

[Carlaod]

yeah I've contacted them a couple of times, asked them to get in touch with the vet, or give me a number or a name but they never did, the only thing I got was that they bought her from a breeder in PEI that usually posts in Kijijimoncton So I went looking and found her.

All I got from contacting her was that the owners were responsible for getting all her needles done and finish her de-worming, which if done correctly would have just finished. She also said that crate training should have been a must, but it wasnt, and I have been trying to crate train her.

I am going to talk it over with my husband again tomorrow, but I already know his answer, he knew it from the second day.. he will opt to give her back and get a 8 week old.

ETA: I wouldnt be getting a puppy right away, not until I had what I needed for it. I got this girl thinking that stuff was all finished and that I wouldnt have to worry about it, so I wasnt prepared for this

[TooneyDogs]

On the other hand....you rescued a flea and worm infested puppy..one with ear infections that left untreated would probably leave her deaf.

[Carlaod]

yes I know she needs the proper vet attention. Again I will talk to my hubby about it but I pretty well know the answer, she needs to go back to her original home and then to their family members home that can deal with these things.

I just need some support for what I have to do, this is very hard for me, I am a very emotional person and probably wont be able to face the original owners, in a way I feel like I failed her.

[sheltiemom]

Perhaps an Aussie rescue would take her? I would hate for her to go back to her origional owner only to continue on with no vet care. If this family member of the previous owner is willing to give her everything she needs, then great, but if not, I would have reservations about returning her there.

[Love's_Sophie]

You may be more 'allergic' to what she is carrying (bug infestations and skin problems) than her; and even if it is 'her' you are allergic to, this can be managed by keeping her clean, and getting a deshedding tool to help you limit the amount of coat that sheds out all over the house.

If you don't have one, I would get a crate for her, and start using it; atleast until you can rehome her, she won't be destroying your home. Have her on a lead when she is 'out' of the crate, so you can manage her behavior around the cats...

Make sure you give her acceptable toys to chew on...she is still a baby, so still going through teething; this may explain 'some' of the overexuberant nips. When she does go to nip or bite, get up while saying a loud "OWWW, No Bite", and walk away from her, or toss an acceptable toy\chew for her.

Not to sound like a jerk, but if your husband is considering an 8 week old puppy, he's going to get even more frustrated; the younger the puppy, the longer you go through 'puppy stages'...with this one, once you get her potty manners under control, everything else will actually go smoothly, because she is at an age that she will 'get' things, and retain them quite quickly.

Whatever you do, DO NOT send her back where she came from...she deserves better than what they obviously have done for her...

[Carlaod]

I got rid of her fleas and it didnt help at all. As for special brushes, I have one, and it doesnt help much really, a bit, but not a whole lot.

Yes I know an 8 week old can be frustrating as well, but like I said I wouldnt be getting an 8 week old until we were perfectly ready for that kind of challenge, I thought I was ready for this one, because of what I was told, but I was lied to, and all the vet bills that will pile up and the safety of my cats is what I am saying I can't deal with.

Anyways, instead of sounding like a broken record I have tried all I can think of, I cleaned her ears the best I could, gave her a bath, got rid of her fleas but she still needs a deep ear cleaning, needs all her needles redone, and de-worming redone, and I can tell much more once she gets there.

[rosemaryninja]

I think that Carlaod is not aiming to get an 8 week old puppy...she is hoping to adopt a dog that is slightly older than that because she feels she does not have the resources (time, money, energy) for a young pup right now. A lot of us have adopted older dogs to bypass the puppy stage because it doesn't fit our lifestyle at that particular time, and most of us have advised others to do the same. In other words, I feel there's been a misconception and that Carlaod is really on the right track.

One thing, though - if you are hoping for your adopted dog to have any sort of training down pat, 6 months is still really young. Most 6 month-old pups are still not housetrained, still chewing up furniture, still play-biting (I've heard herding breeds also tend to be particularly nippy) and still very disobedient. If you are hoping to get an older dog in order to skip this challenging stage, and get a dog whose training has mostly been established already, you might want to aim for something closer to 2 or even 3 years.

With regards to your current situation: even if you do manage to foot the (most likely) very hefty vet bill and get her cleaned up, as well as withstand the allergic reactions, there is still a great deal of training left to do with this dog.

I would honestly try to rehome this pup, probably turn it in to an Aussie rescue or a no-kill shelter. I agree with the other posters - she shouldn't go back to the family that you got her from. It doesn't seem like a healthy environment for a puppy at all.

[Carlaod]

rosemaryninja - Yes I do what an 8 week old BUT I'm not getting one until I have all the means necessary for one. I was missled wit this girl, thought i had everything I needed for her and that I wouldnt have to take her to the vet etc but I would have to, and a hefty vet bill is not doable at the moment.

I would not be getting an 8 week old for another 6 months or so, depending on
circumstances, time may be more or less. I would also try and spend as much time with the dog I am looking to adopt, as well as the parents to make sure allergens are not going to be a problem again.

Anyways, I know I'm doing the right thing, there are no Aussie rescues around, but I am trying to find out if the previous owners family member still is willing to adopt her. If they are, that's great, if not then I will rehome her myself.

[rosemaryninja]

Originally Posted by Carlaod

rosemaryninja - Yes I do what an 8 week old BUT I'm not getting one until I have all the means necessary for one. I was missled wit this girl, thought i had everything I needed for her and that I wouldnt have to take her to the vet etc but I would have to, and a hefty vet bill is not doable at the moment.

I don't understand. 8 week old puppies need to be taken to the vet for check-ups and vaccinations. It's also not uncommon for them to chew up hundreds of dollars' worth of furniture.

Are you planning on getting two dogs? One 6 month-old now, which you don't expect to have to take to the vet, and one 8 week-old in half a year's time, which you are prepared to take to the vet for puppy shots and etc?

Just clarifying.

[Carlaod]

oh wow, umm, I'm not sure how much clearer I have to put it...

Having the means necessary = having enough money saved up for the puppy, vet trips, needles, and all the stuff it needs (crate, toys, collar.....)

Hence whay I said about 6 months, give or take.....

Also please read the thread, I am giving the 6 month old to a new home that can handle what she needs RIGHT NOW, like the vet bills and would be getting a 8 week old in about 6 months or so.

As for furniture, I'm not a person that gets upset about if a dog chews the leg of a chair or a cushion, if you don't want you dog to eat it, dont put it close enough for him to, a puppy should be watched all the time anyways, and if you are not around either in an enclosure or a crate....

[MuttHunter]

Just my 2 cents. I think an Australian shepherd might be not the ideal breed for you, particularly as you have declawed cats. I have never heard that Aussies are especially mean to cats, but they are high energy herding dogs and may want to play in manner that your cats can't deal with, especially with no claws to defend themselves.

I have never heard of anyone being 'allergic to long hair dogs but not short ones'--hair length has next to nothing to do with allergies(as far as I know), which are caused by substances in the dog's skin and saliva. Long hair might provide more surface to keep allergens concentrated on the dog for a while longer, but that just means they are not spread around your home as rapidly. In my experience, allergies are highly specific to individual dogs, and I can't tell whether I will react to any particular dog (I am allergic) until I am exposed. Some short haired dogs are as bad as it gets, for me. You may need to handle any new dog for a while and then see if your allergy symptoms kick in to know for sure if you will react or not.

If you decide not to keep this dog, which seems like it might be a good idea, I suggest you not return it to the people you got it from, if possible, as they will probably continue to neglect it, and are likely to misrepresent and dump it on someone as unprepared for it as you are.

Instead of getting a puppy at all, how about adopting a well behaved young adult? A good rescue will already have housebroken their dogs and as well as provided for necessary vet care. Some have even started training. A young dog will still be very playful but not have quite the puppy's appetite for chaos and destruction.