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He is an absolute bear of a sweetheart. Something huge, possibly mixed with Rottie. I absolutely fell in love with him the day we first pulled in to our house (right next door to the landlord) and this great big 120lb (or more) beast came running at our car, he stopped, I got out and he just LOVED. Didn't jump up, didn't bark, didn't paw. So polite, and so incredibly loving. Big smile, tail wagging.
The big guy, named "Buddy", was left by a previous tenant on the property and the landlord agreed/was forced into (depending on the day you ask the landlord) taking care of him. Buddy used to often come over to visit, get pets (he can get demanding, if you stop, he nudges his head back under your hand lol), just hang out. We had thought about adopting him from the landlord, but he is incredibly prey driven and always chased our cats, so he would never be safely allowed in the house alone (my best guess is he was about 3-5 years old at the time and the landlord can't seem to give a straight answer on his age), I doubt it could have been trained out of him at all. He would stop chasing the cats instantly if called though (seriously impressive). I looked out one day and saw a HUGE moose on the lawn and he actually went after it!!
Fast forward a couple of years, buddy is now about 7-9 at my best guess, we got Caeda. Buddy snapped and snarled and growled at her, he hated her playfulness. Buddy now appears to be incredibly arthritic, and can't be chasing moose any more. We've had to pretty much banish him from hanging out because he can't take Caeda's play and energy. He can't move fast enough to get away from her if we don't restrain her. He plays very well with other dogs of all sizes who know better when to leave him the heck alone. Of course despite his arthritis, he still managed to deftly roll Caeda onto her back and pin her snarling when she got to him offleash one day. When I got to them all I said was "Buddy" and he let her up and Caeda started circling him again, I managed to grab her and take her away.
This big guy gets fed raw meat. The landlord actually hunts extra and has an extra freezer that he keeps the food in. Thankfully Buddy has been put on a diet so he might loose some of his extra fat, which I hope will help his joints. He has been a free ranging outdoor dog for his entire life, though thankfully the landlord has a doggy door and Buddy is allowed inside their house, where he has spent a large part of the winter. I don't think he has ever been in a crate or attached to a leash. He used to have a collar, but I took it off and replaced it because it was incredibly tight....later the landlord took the new collar off. He didn't know the meaning of "sit" (though, being an incredibly food and praise driven dog, I taught it to him one day in about 5 minutes!).
The crux of the matter. I know the landlord doesn't really want him, has thrown around the idea of giving him away, though I think he's going to just wait until "the time comes" and he has a "good reason" to have him PTS (though I think his version will involve his shotgun). I'm not sure that other than being spayed he has ever been to the vet. Buddy doesn't have much time left, and what time he has he isn't going to be that comfortable with the arthritis, and I know he doesn't get the level of affection from the landlord that he so loves.
So, finally to my questions. Does anybody have any ideas what I can do for this poor guy. I can't afford much, but if there is a good chance some supplements could help him, I'd be happy to buy them, if I did that I know the landlord would give them to him (though I know he wouldn't buy them himself). Should I make the effort to try to get him and Caeda on better terms so he can hang out here a little more like he used to and have some more company? I know it would be a lot of hard work, but it might benefit them both (though I fear he might really bite instead of warning snaps now that he might be in some pain). Any suggestions on how to do this? I would take him to the vet too if I could, but I'm not sure I could even fit him in the car, never mind all of the other things that could happen. The vet has said she would give me vaccinations (except rabies) for him if I wanted to administer them to him myself. Should I just leave well enough alone and just be kind to him whenever he comes by?
Sorry for the long post everybody, and if you read this far congrats and thank you. This has just been praying on my mind for quite some time now and I'm really not sure what, if anything I can or should do. Even if it is "leave it alone" I'm fine with that, but I could at least use some reassurance on that. He is such a beautiful sweet guy and I feel so badly for him. If I knew what I knew now about dealing with dogs I'm sure we could have adopted him years ago, but now, having Caeda I'm not sure it would be as doable.
Suggestions or thoughts anyone? It breaks my heart seeing that poor guy just wandering knowing his days are getting shorter, I wish there was something I could do to make those days just a little better for him.
The big guy, named "Buddy", was left by a previous tenant on the property and the landlord agreed/was forced into (depending on the day you ask the landlord) taking care of him. Buddy used to often come over to visit, get pets (he can get demanding, if you stop, he nudges his head back under your hand lol), just hang out. We had thought about adopting him from the landlord, but he is incredibly prey driven and always chased our cats, so he would never be safely allowed in the house alone (my best guess is he was about 3-5 years old at the time and the landlord can't seem to give a straight answer on his age), I doubt it could have been trained out of him at all. He would stop chasing the cats instantly if called though (seriously impressive). I looked out one day and saw a HUGE moose on the lawn and he actually went after it!!
Fast forward a couple of years, buddy is now about 7-9 at my best guess, we got Caeda. Buddy snapped and snarled and growled at her, he hated her playfulness. Buddy now appears to be incredibly arthritic, and can't be chasing moose any more. We've had to pretty much banish him from hanging out because he can't take Caeda's play and energy. He can't move fast enough to get away from her if we don't restrain her. He plays very well with other dogs of all sizes who know better when to leave him the heck alone. Of course despite his arthritis, he still managed to deftly roll Caeda onto her back and pin her snarling when she got to him offleash one day. When I got to them all I said was "Buddy" and he let her up and Caeda started circling him again, I managed to grab her and take her away.
This big guy gets fed raw meat. The landlord actually hunts extra and has an extra freezer that he keeps the food in. Thankfully Buddy has been put on a diet so he might loose some of his extra fat, which I hope will help his joints. He has been a free ranging outdoor dog for his entire life, though thankfully the landlord has a doggy door and Buddy is allowed inside their house, where he has spent a large part of the winter. I don't think he has ever been in a crate or attached to a leash. He used to have a collar, but I took it off and replaced it because it was incredibly tight....later the landlord took the new collar off. He didn't know the meaning of "sit" (though, being an incredibly food and praise driven dog, I taught it to him one day in about 5 minutes!).
The crux of the matter. I know the landlord doesn't really want him, has thrown around the idea of giving him away, though I think he's going to just wait until "the time comes" and he has a "good reason" to have him PTS (though I think his version will involve his shotgun). I'm not sure that other than being spayed he has ever been to the vet. Buddy doesn't have much time left, and what time he has he isn't going to be that comfortable with the arthritis, and I know he doesn't get the level of affection from the landlord that he so loves.
So, finally to my questions. Does anybody have any ideas what I can do for this poor guy. I can't afford much, but if there is a good chance some supplements could help him, I'd be happy to buy them, if I did that I know the landlord would give them to him (though I know he wouldn't buy them himself). Should I make the effort to try to get him and Caeda on better terms so he can hang out here a little more like he used to and have some more company? I know it would be a lot of hard work, but it might benefit them both (though I fear he might really bite instead of warning snaps now that he might be in some pain). Any suggestions on how to do this? I would take him to the vet too if I could, but I'm not sure I could even fit him in the car, never mind all of the other things that could happen. The vet has said she would give me vaccinations (except rabies) for him if I wanted to administer them to him myself. Should I just leave well enough alone and just be kind to him whenever he comes by?
Sorry for the long post everybody, and if you read this far congrats and thank you. This has just been praying on my mind for quite some time now and I'm really not sure what, if anything I can or should do. Even if it is "leave it alone" I'm fine with that, but I could at least use some reassurance on that. He is such a beautiful sweet guy and I feel so badly for him. If I knew what I knew now about dealing with dogs I'm sure we could have adopted him years ago, but now, having Caeda I'm not sure it would be as doable.
Suggestions or thoughts anyone? It breaks my heart seeing that poor guy just wandering knowing his days are getting shorter, I wish there was something I could do to make those days just a little better for him.