Well it looks like we now have a dog

There has been a stray in the neighborhood for the past two weeks. She has been living in the woods behind the house right across the street from me. She had a collar, but no tags.

She's extremely thin. You can feel her ribs and her hip bones protrude. She is very nervous around people. In fact, for the first week, she wouldn't even leave our neighbor's backyard to cross the street to come eat some food at our house. So, my daughter would take food over to her and she'd chow down.

She finally came over to our front yard today and let me pet her, but only for about 10 seconds and then she darted back across the street to what she apparently considered her safe place.

My neighbors would like to keep her, but they don't have a fenced in yard. We do. And my daughter has been begging me for the past year to let her have a dog. Sooooooooo, she managed to lure her into our backyard and now it appears we have a dog. :rolleyes:

She looks like she is a rottweiler to me, but still has the tail. If she's not full-blooded rottweiler, then she is definitely mostly of that breed.

She's very sweet and gentle, but as I said, is nervous. So, I won't let my daughter play alone with her.

I hope I don't regret letting her talk me into this. We haven't had a dog for 5 years now and I wasn't really wanting another one, but looks like she found us. :)

Those are the best kind (in my opinion)... the ones who choose you. :D

Be sure to get her to a vet (or a vet to you, if that's an option) as soon as possible. Make sure she gets some shots, checked for heartworm, other parasites and/or worm infestations, mites and all that.

My little kitty had several infections, including one they only detected through a fecal analysis and an upper respiratory infection. The vet people will think you're a saint... This lil guy's still got a lot of medical stuff ahead after his 14 days on antibiotics (TWO different kinds), I'll give him a few days off before getting him needled... shots! Yikes.

Hope it works out, Kat. Rot's can be incredibly awesome dogs and very protective of their families.

~phos

Yep, Rotts are good dogs, YR. And Phos is right, if she's chosen you and you're loving her and caring for her, she's likely to be a very good dog and protector.

I'd ask the vet how old she is, just to get some perspective.

See how she warms up and behaves over the next few weeks and months.

If she's nervous, there's ways to explain that to your daughter so she understands and can help the doggy warm up and get more comfortable.

But like Phos said, a trip to the vet would be a great idea. For health reasons, and if you have a good 'sensitive' vet, they can give you some insight on her temperment.

Edit: And you prove once again how big your heart is...

Whiterose, you are perfectly right to be cautious until the dog calms down: a nervous dog can be a dangerous dog and Rottweilers bite as often (or more often) than pit bulls IF they have been owned by macho idiots that believe abuse is the best way to make a dog tough.

BUT that being said .... GREAT NEWS!!! I believe a home is complete when you have a dog and a cat! And giving a home to a homeless dog is such a wonderful thing! I am totally convinced that they somehow know and appreciate you even more.

Dogs can be amazingly resiliant and can become calm and happy after a while in a loving home but you might check out some sights on the web for information on helping a nervous dog to feel safe.

BIG HUG to you, your daughter, and your new addition and best of luck and hopes for years of joy!

Well, I suggested "Maggie", but my daughter decided she wanted to name her "Molly". So, unless she changes her mind, it'll be Molly.

I'll try to remember to take some photos this evening. :)

Aww, Molly! That's such a cute name. Congratulations! I wish I could have a dog, but I live alone, and in a tiny condo at that... and the poor doggy would be home alone all day.

Aww phooey. I completely forgot to take a photo of her and now it's dark. I'll put my camera out in plain site so that tomorrow night I can get a pic of her for you all.

She's really doing great and is settling right in. She's still somewhat skittish if I approach her too fast, so I make sure I slow down when approaching her. She seems very happy here, loves to play with the kids, and loves a tennis ball I found for her.

And here's the really cool part.... my cat Pepper, is considered the outcast amongst my 4 cats. The rest never did like her. So, she's always been the loner. In addition, she has always been our "guard cat". She considers the outside property HER AREA and she fiercely defends it against other cats and dogs.

Well, she evidently has made a new friend, because she and Molly hang out together in the backyard. :) I was afraid they'd right, but they haven't. So, I'm glad that Pepper has at last found a friend.

Now the only problem we have so far is that our "baby" cat, Tyger, is very jealous that his "mama" (my daughter) isn't paying him the same amount of attention she usually does. So, I reminded her to be sure and give him extra loving tonight. :p

Awwww, Whiterose, I'm so glad that it seems things are working out with your new family member. I adopted a very very sick little kitty a couple years ago. He is the only cat that gets along with my huge dog - the two of them absolutely LOVE each other.

I'm sure that with time and love, Molly will settle in. I've rescued a lot of animals and it is true - the ones that have been abandoned or unloved or abused truly do have a ton of love and affection to give once they learn to trust.

Just make sure you move slow and have any kids she's around move slowly too. You never know if there's something that could upset her that you don't expect (ie. lifting a stick to play fetch may be terrifying if a dog has been beaten with a stick etc).

glad the dog found herself a good family!

PUPPY!!!

and yup, imo, the stray ones who have lost hope and find a good family are the best ones. they don't seem to ever take ya for granted. and rotty's can be big teddy bears, my dad has one who thinks she's a poodle, LOL.

what a great addition to a great family, happy for all of you!

Well, don't get too used to the name. Before she went to sleep last night, my daughter was already mulling over other possibilities, including "Maggie" which she nixed initially. So, stay tuned. I'm sure the dog will have multiple names before this all through. :p

Whiterose, so happy for both you and new doggy. Just take it slow. If the dog was indeed abused, it takes them longer to adjust to a new family sometimes. It sounds like she will eventually adjust to your family, both human and cat(s). Also, if she has been abused, she might remain skittish for quite some time. She will need extra tender loving care. Looking forward to seeing pictures of her. Good luck. Keep us posted on her progress in adjusting.

Ok, for the moment, her name is Maggie. And you know, one moment she reminds me of a rottweiler, the next she looks part doberman to me. What do you all think?

Here are some photos I just took. Here she is....

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-1/575257/Maggie.jpg


In this photo, she is looking up at the sky because she heard an airplane go overhead and she became a little startled. She better get used to it. We live right under the landing pattern for UPS planes landing in Louisville.

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-1/575257/MissMaggie.jpg

This is her buddy, Pepper:

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-1/575257/Pepper.jpg

And this is the two of them lying together. Well, fairly close anyway. :p

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-1/575257/Pepperandhernewfriend.jpg

pepper looks like my new kitty!!!!!

beautiful animals gal, simply beautiful

I thought I'd go ahead and put up some photos of our other babies.

This is Jubilee. This is the position you will most likely always find her in if you come to my house. She's in this position when we leave in the morning and in the same position and spot when we return. We wonder if she ever even eats or uses the litter box because we never see her out of this spot. :p

She's the oldest in the group. She is 12 and was born right here in my house. We sometimes call her the "Queen of Mean" because she definitely rules the roost with her temper (when she's not lounging around that is).

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-1/575257/Jubilee.jpg


And these are Snookie (on the arm of the chair) and Tyger (or Tygrrr as I prefer to spell it). I wish you could see Tygrrr's mouth.. he has a spot of fur that makes him look like he is puckering his lips.

Snookie turns 6 next week. She was born in my house too, right under my bed. And I rescued Tygrrr from the parking lot at work last year after he got caught up in the hood of a car. He is about 15 months old.

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-1/575257/SnookieandTygrr.jpg

Whiterose, that is one beautiful dog. Although she has the coloring of a Rottweiler or Doberman, she may not be either. It's really difficult to tell from the photo. When you take her to the veterinarian, ask their opinion as they can probably be more accurate as to what type of breed she really is. Her coat looks so sleek. Kitty cats are all adorable too. You have a great family there. :)

maggie looks like she is settling in! wonderful pictures of the crew!

Whiterose .....she actually looks EXACTLY like the dog we had growing up which was a cross between a rott and a lab.

Has she been to the vet yet?

No, I haven't taken her to the vet yet. I wanted to give her a few days to settle in here before I put her through the trauma of going on a leash into a car, etc. I really have no idea how she'll react to that, and since she was pretty timid at first, I thought it best to wait a few more days until she is more relaxed.

She sure is settling in nicely now. She is very relaxed around us. And is very friendly with all the kids who stop by to see her. She has made friends with Abby, the golden retriever who lives next door, too. They run up and down the fence together having loads of fun.

Maggie was SO funny this morning. She gets very excited in the morning when we spend time with her before leaving for the day. She starts running all over the yard, circling trees, jumping on and off the deck. WHEW! She wears me out just watching her.

She is very calm and sweet natured otherwise. Hardly ever barks. Doesn't jump upon ya. Knows some tricks, too. She's eating well and already gaining weight.

So, I now need to go buy a leash and get her to the vets. :)

Wow she's a beauty as are your cats! Lovely, lovely family!