Struggling With Play Time

calicosrspecial

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Yes. I didn't realize allergies may impact the ability to fight off illness. Interesting. Hopefully the allergies go away while the immune system stays strong.

Yes, that is the hard part. Of course visiting is nice but travelling a distance is hard rather than going across town. :/

:O Hahahaha, I am not surprised. (That your mom is interested). Oh wow. GS pups. Yes, sometimes things are meant to be...........
 

Animal Freak

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Yes. I didn't realize allergies may impact the ability to fight off illness. Interesting. Hopefully the allergies go away while the immune system stays strong.

Yes, that is the hard part. Of course visiting is nice but travelling a distance is hard rather than going across town. :/

:O Hahahaha, I am not surprised. (That your mom is interested). Oh wow. GS pups. Yes, sometimes things are meant to be...........
Well, allergies are basically just an overreaction of the immune system. I'm not sure if that has to do with my ability to fight off illnesses, but I sure don't want to lose it!

We pretty much only visit anyway. I mean, I'm not trying to deny that it'll be difficult, but I'm not letting it stop me either. I'm not that close to most of my family. I don't see them much. I don't even see my brother a lot and he lives a couple of minutes away. So distance hasn't ever really been much of an excuse.

The timing of it all just seems too weird. I even saw a post about an agility trainer who's about forty minutes away from me. Now, pup wouldn't be read to do agility for a while, but I thought I could get in contact with him and figure out what I can start when. But of course, now that it might actually be happening, I keep rethinking everything and wondering if we're really ready for this, if I can do it, if I should just wait still, but the more I think about it the more I think it's actually better. I mean, the situation isn't perfect, but when will it ever be? I don't know if I'll be able to raise a puppy in a couple of years. I know I can do it now though. I do want to see if there's any other noticeable breeds in them as they get older though. We have no clue who dad is and they're very tiny right now.
 

calicosrspecial

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Interesting. Could be? I don't know. No, you don;t want to lose that ability!!

Yes., that is fair. Yes, lives tend to go in different directions as we age and effort has to be made often. Distance can become irrelevant. Sounds like it should work out.

Hahahahaha, yep. It happens that way sometimes. Oh I know, we can always find excuses as to why the time is right, etc. Follow your heart and brain. I know you will make the best decision. Yes, not knowing the father is a question..................... I do think even a little Shepherd is good. I have had mixes that have been amazing dogs.

Kind of fun to think about. I am envious!!! :)
 

Animal Freak

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Guess this pandemic is good practice to see what it would be like to not be around family since we aren't seeing people much anyway. Though I would've liked to have spent time with them before we move. We are going to see my aunt once she gets back from her trip. She likes to go hiking and we've been doing it more often, so we plan on meeting up for hikes. She's being really careful. Quarantines for two weeks after she visits anyone.

We submitted the application today! My mom did her part yesterday, but I had work and so I went through it today. We want to send an email too with pictures and videos of Stella's training and the parks we've been going to. Trying to do everything we can to prove we're ready. The only way the timing would be any better is if I was on a break for it rather than it being shortly after I start school, but we can handle it. My mom can take over in the morning before work and during breaks so I can focus on school. I'm trying not to get my hopes up though. They might not approve of us. They might already have a ton of applications or they could decide we're not in the right situation to have one. If it was the latter, that would greatly reduce our chances of being able to get one at all until we move.

I don't mind a mix breed, but I want to have the best chance of having that shepherd-y personality. I want a dog that's affectionate and bonds strongly with his person, but is aloof with strangers. I want a dog that's easy to work with and highly trainable. I want a dog that will do well in agility. Doesn't have to be 100% German Shepherd, but I think the more the better. Mom is definitely a GSD though and we do get a lot of shepherd mixes around, so it's possible dad is at least a little GSD.

I'll be sure to keep you updated! If we get a puppy you may find yourself flooded with pictures. :D
 

calicosrspecial

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:( Yes. We do need to find some good from all of this sorrow. I am glad she is cautious, I hope she is cautious when going away. It is a nasty contagious virus. :(

:O Oh my!!!! THAT was fast!!! Hahahahaha, you two. SO FUNNY!!!! Good luck!!! I know, if only they really knew you both. So easy to adopt to you both. Good luck!!! Fingers crossed, it is meant to be it will happen. I am guessing there are a lot of applicants. :( But I can say I can guarantee no family would be better than yours.

Totally agree. At least half GS is a good start!! I would imagine they will be great dogs.

YES PLEASE!! (both on updates and pics!!!). That kind of flooding is the great kind!!! Fingers crossed!!! :)
 

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Oh yes. She's on her vacation alone in the least populated state in the country going on hikes. I've seen pictures. She's a pretty cautious person. If I trust anyone, it's her.

Well, we wanted to get an app in as soon as we could. I don't know how long the puppies have been up. They're very young. I've never seen a shelter put puppies up so young. If they put them up as soon as they got them then they could already have tons of apps on them. It is hard because I know shelters are having to be cautious of people buying puppies out of boredom during this pandemic. That's not the case for us. I have plenty I could be doing... I made sure it was clear my mom works from home permanently, not just because of this pandemic. Thank you. It means a lot. I try to give my animals a good home! May not always be the "ideal" home, but I'm afraid there aren't very many of those.

Yes, I'd think they have pretty good chances of being a bit like a GSD!

Haha, I certainly will. And I agree, the best kind of flooding.
 

calicosrspecial

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I was going to ask how you are and I see my reply to this message never posted.. NOW I understand why I haven;t heard from you for a while. I thought you were just busy with school, work, puppy, etc.

Well, I will try to recreate my response.

That is good she is very cautious. Really important.

Yes, absolutely. How young are the puppies? Yes, I worry about people getting animals out of boredom, etc. Yes, not worried about you two.

Yes!!

Yes, I hope some good pics (and good news).

Sorry, I thought it was strange I didn't get any updates form you but I thought you were busy. Well, I have no idea why my reply didn;t go through. :( I know I tried to reply but why it didn't go through? I don't know.

There is so much to catch up on!!
 

Animal Freak

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Oh wow. That is weird. To be fair, I am busy. Classes started Saturday and I wouldn't be surprised if I went missing for a few days. I want to get ahead in preparation for future puppy. That way I could spend a week or so with minimal school work. So far that plan isn't going very well because I still have quite a bit left to do for this week! They really threw it all on us right away.

The puppies are coming up on four weeks now. We had an over the phone interview and now we have a home visit scheduled for Sunday. However, we're not getting our hopes up on these puppies. It's early to say for sure, but they look more like labs. I had found a litter of four German shepherd x Australian shepherds, but they pretty much just looked like GSDs. However, they were all females and I was planning on getting a male since I've heard of two females getting into fights. I was assured that I should just get what I want by people who know more than me though and so we went to fill out an application. And they were gone. I kind of figured since they were coming up on being able to be adopted, but still a bit disappointing. We're still looking though and have sent emails to several people. We're willing to drive to get a puppy and have emailed shelters as far as eight hours away from us. The problem is that not many shelters adopt out that far! Anyway, I won't go through all the puppies we're looking at since I'd have to go find them and I have no idea if these shelters will even consider us. I'll update when we start finding out what options we have.

That's alright. Things happen. Sites mess up. It's always frustrating when you type out a response and lose it. I seem to have lost a homework assignment I had finished today!
 

calicosrspecial

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Oh wow. That is weird. To be fair, I am busy. Classes started Saturday and I wouldn't be surprised if I went missing for a few days. I want to get ahead in preparation for future puppy. That way I could spend a week or so with minimal school work. So far that plan isn't going very well because I still have quite a bit left to do for this week! They really threw it all on us right away.

The puppies are coming up on four weeks now. We had an over the phone interview and now we have a home visit scheduled for Sunday. However, we're not getting our hopes up on these puppies. It's early to say for sure, but they look more like labs. I had found a litter of four German shepherd x Australian shepherds, but they pretty much just looked like GSDs. However, they were all females and I was planning on getting a male since I've heard of two females getting into fights. I was assured that I should just get what I want by people who know more than me though and so we went to fill out an application. And they were gone. I kind of figured since they were coming up on being able to be adopted, but still a bit disappointing. We're still looking though and have sent emails to several people. We're willing to drive to get a puppy and have emailed shelters as far as eight hours away from us. The problem is that not many shelters adopt out that far! Anyway, I won't go through all the puppies we're looking at since I'd have to go find them and I have no idea if these shelters will even consider us. I'll update when we start finding out what options we have.

That's alright. Things happen. Sites mess up. It's always frustrating when you type out a response and lose it. I seem to have lost a homework assignment I had finished today!
It is really weird. It has happened before a few times. I have no idea why. I swear I see it post then I close the browser. :/ Maybe I hit preview? Sometimes my eyes don;t work so well anymore.

Yes, I thought you were busy with school, work, etc. Ahhhh, Saturday, I kinda figured. Yes, it is always busy at the start of a new year. Ughhhhh, yes. That is how it happens. :(

OH WOW!!!! COOOL!!!!! Oh my, wow. Home visit? That sounds pretty serious. GS/AS is a cool dog, too bad they are all gone. Wow, 8 hours away? You are dedicated. Yes, please keep us up. You two are funny, you both so want another dog!!! So cool!!

:( OH my. A homework assignment is really important. I hope you find it!!

Yeah, I am not very good on computers so it could be me. But I don't always get updates and things so I wonder about the site as well. Next time I am going to double check.
 

Animal Freak

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Oh gosh, I hope you're able to recreate it/find it!
I found it! Right before I was going to give up and restart too.

It is really weird. It has happened before a few times. I have no idea why. I swear I see it post then I close the browser. :/ Maybe I hit preview? Sometimes my eyes don;t work so well anymore.

Yes, I thought you were busy with school, work, etc. Ahhhh, Saturday, I kinda figured. Yes, it is always busy at the start of a new year. Ughhhhh, yes. That is how it happens. :(

OH WOW!!!! COOOL!!!!! Oh my, wow. Home visit? That sounds pretty serious. GS/AS is a cool dog, too bad they are all gone. Wow, 8 hours away? You are dedicated. Yes, please keep us up. You two are funny, you both so want another dog!!! So cool!!

:( OH my. A homework assignment is really important. I hope you find it!!

Yeah, I am not very good on computers so it could be me. But I don't always get updates and things so I wonder about the site as well. Next time I am going to double check.
Yeah, the preview button does kind of stand out since it's red. I could see me hitting it without paying attention.

I'm not as bad off as I thought. I always get worked up and anxious just to realize it isn't as bad as I thought. Half my work isn't due for another week. :doh: So now I'm probably actually ahead because I rushed through quite a bit of my work before realizing that.

I'm not sure if we're going through with a home visit or not at this point. At first we thought I'd have to ask someone at work to do it because we live a few hours away from the rescue and they said you could get someone from a vet clinic if they don't have a volunteer nearby. They found someone to do it though, but he lives a few hours away and apparently would be coming here after work. He'd be here around 7p.m. until close to 9p.m. and my mom doesn't really want a stranger here that late.

We put in an application for another GSD rescue because they said they had puppies, but the pups aren't on the site and they haven't told us if they're actually GSDs. All of these shelters have been giving us rather generic, unhelpful replies. They just want us to fill out the application, but applications take time to fill out and there's not much point in doing it if they don't have GSD puppies or won't adopt out so far.

We would prefer a puppy closer to us, of course. Three hours or less would be ideal so we could potentially meet pups a couple of times. Unfortunately, that's easier said than done. There just aren't very many around us. We can wait, but I don't want to wait until we're about the move and we'd have to travel across the country with a young puppy.

I don't always get the notifications either and sometimes the site does weird things (had a lag briefly while typing this reply), but I don't remember losing a response completely after sending it. I have lost drafts though.

Ash gave us quite a scare last night. Still scared, honestly. I got home from work and fed them dinner, but when I went to give Ash his food I thought I saw him stumble. I wasn't really looking though, so I walked a short distance away and called him over, but he didn't do it again. A little later I was talking to my mom in her room. Ash got up on her bed and laid down for a moment, then got up and walked over to me and it once again looked like he stumbled. I said something and at that point my mom said she'd seen him stumble a couple of times earlier. I called him off the bed and he barely stayed on his feet when he landed. So we got treats and called him back and forth, watching his back legs. Every now and then we'd see one leg cross over the other like he was drunk. My mom called him back on the bed and he failed completely at that jump. He ended up hanging half off the bed and I had to help him the rest of the way. So I left him on her bed hoping he'd stay there, but he ended up following me into the kitchen. Then he went out in the storage room and I followed him out. There I noticed a relatively small puddle of pee on one of the litter matts. I watched him to make sure he peed (he did, but not much) and went to get wipes to clean the pee on the matt. When I went back, he was covering something again. All I found was a tiny bit of poo. I cleaned the pee and there were a couple of tiny red spots, but not very much. So I made plans to call the vet as early as possible this morning, but they didn't open until 9a.m. He's been in a good mood. Played with a ball before breakfast, ate fine, tried to steal Stella's food which is odd. Then he even got a little crazy and hopped up the cat tree. Barely made it up there without tipping off the other side, but got to the top. And fell right. Of course, by the time the vet was open, he was acting fine! Walking fine, jumping fine. I called anyway and the vet is at a loss too. He doesn't know what would've caused it that would last as long as it did but then get better. He said to just keep a close eye on him for the time being and call if it happens again no matter what time it is.
 

calicosrspecial

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Whew, so glad you found the homework!!!

The vast majority of people are like that (get worked up, anxious, etc). But it is great you realize it isn't as bad as you fear. The anticipation, etc is almost always worse than the actual "thing". It sounds like you are doing great. Nice to be ahead of schedule.

Bummer. Yes, I can totally understand her concerns. I wouldn't like that either. :/ Yeah, maybe it is best to pass on that visit. :/

:( Yes. I think sometimes that is done intentionally though sometimes it is just time constraints etc.

Absolutely. It is hard. I know you will make the right choices. It will work out.

Yes, I have the same issues. Lost drafts, lags, etc. I think I have 3 times replies that I am sure I posted that didn't show up. :/ But maybe not? I don;t know.

Poor Ash. Hmmmmmmm. Yeah, if it was a pulled muscle it would last. But maybe just in certain movements or positions is hurts?Dehydration? Is he drinking enough especially with the hot weather many people are seeing? UTI because of the red spots? And maybe the pain is there then goes away. Maybe crystals? Could it be a toe nail or something? Or something in his paw? Or matting that is pulling at times? If you can safely try to feel around him and see if you can find anything. Try to rule out any external thing then maybe it is internal? The good news is your vet seems really good so they will figure it out most likely.

Sending good vibes to Ash!!!

I think I would try to get Ash to eat more wet food if possible to get more liquids into him.

I hope he is ok.
 
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Animal Freak

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Me too! That was a lot of work.

Yeah, you'd think I'd learn. I don't really know how I didn't notice before.

Well, the puppies are looking like labs anyway. Maybe we can try again in the future if, by some miracle, they start looking like shepherds, but I don't want a lab.

I do understand shelters can't waste time on people who aren't serious about adopting, but we don't want to waste our time either. Really, it would only take a few seconds longer to at least confirm they have the puppy(ies) and that they'll adopt to us even if we are far out.

All of the puppies I want are 7-10 hours away... There is a cute one that just came up for the humane society not far from us, but she's not really a GSD. Definitely some shepherd-y influence, but also definitely something else considering she has one blue eye. I could see maybe Anatolian shepherd x Husky or something similar. She's cute, she's young, and she's close, but I'm not sure if she's what I'm looking for. The shelter I volunteer for got a cute dog that I thought might be a young puppy. Black shepherd type, but apparently 7 months old already and doesn't look like he/she will get all that big. Very pretty though.

I've been obsessively checking petfinder and adopt-a-pet lately. I keep trying to remind myself to take my time and find the right puppy, but it's hard and they're all so cute. Sometimes I find myself thinking, "Do I really need a German shepherd specifically?," but I think I do. Unfortunately, that's very limiting. I'd also prefer 2-4 months old and don't want older than 5 months, so that's also quite limited. There's a lot that are 7-11 months old. Which is why I keep going further and further out!

So far everything with Ash is still fine. He did not seem to be in any pain while he was stumbling around (other than maybe when he fell off the cat tree) and we felt around under there to see if we could find anything. He was actually more tolerant of us messing with his back legs than usual. Nothing seemed to bother him, really. He acted like nothing was wrong and it was perfectly normal for him to walk like that. It was always brief and only happened once at a time. Otherwise, I'd say he's been especially clingy and vocal. Not any particularly weird behaviors, but a bit excessive compared to normal. He's been on the couch with us most of the day. It doesn't line up with a UTI. He's still using litter boxes for the most part. We put a towel out last night and he only peed on it late this morning. If it were a UTI then he'd have peed on it several times by then. And it was clear. You could barely tell he peed on it and it was a white towel. The vet said he would've suspected a seizure, but that's more contained and doesn't last as long. Then he said there are some heart issues that could affect blood flow to the back legs, but that wouldn't just get better.

He gets wet food for breakfast and dinner, and only a small amount of dry in the afternoon. I put water in his food in the evening and I see him drinking pretty much every morning.
 

calicosrspecial

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I can imagine. I am still haunted by nightmares with school.

Oh, I think you learned. It is human nature. We don't like uncertainty. We share more with cats than we might think.

Yeah. Well, labs are wonderful but I know, when you have your heart on a GS .................................. I have had GS Lab mixes that have been such amazing dogs.

Yep, totally agree.

:( Ooooooooooo, she sounds adorable!!! It is so hard. I fall in love with all of them all the time. It is hard to be disciplined. I walk in and I want all of them and have to chose one. I never regret my decision but I do wish I could take them all.

Hahahaha, ok, you just wrote the same thing I did!!! YES, it is hard!!! You are like me (or I am like you!!). But I have been doing it a lot LOT longer than you so....................... ;) TOO FUNNY!!! Oh, I know exactly what you are going through. BUT I know you will make the best decision. Will be fun to see how you end up/

That is really good that he is better. The little change in behavior might be a sign. BUT it might not be. But something you should watch I think. Being more tolerant is a potential sign. Yeah, doesn't seem like a UTI. The vet is asking the right questions. It is so hard to figure out these things since it is so nuanced. Let's hope it is nothing. If it is something there will be more moments and hopefully a path to diagnosing and eventually solving.

Good job on making sure he has enough water.

Let us know on Ash and the puppy and good luck on school!!
 

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Labs are wonderful, just not for me. I prefer a dog that'll bond more with me and not want to run up to everyone and be everyone's best friend. I already have a dog that's everyone's best friend. I don't mind a GSD mix, but I'd still rather not a lab. The two traits I want the most are the biddability and the aloofness to strangers. I'd rather not have a mix that will mess with either of those traits.

It is so hard. And I know I'm being picky which makes me think it's a bit unfair and I have too high of expectations, but it is what I want. I could go to a breeder, but I'm choosing to take my chances with a rescue. I'd like to stack the odds in my favor as much as possible. But it's really hard to turn away from all the other puppies. I've seen a couple of really cute GSD pups with three legs. If I wasn't wanting to get into agility, I'd adopt one of those in a heartbeat. One is a really cute little sable female too.

However, a GSD rescue not far from us just posted on Facebook that they got a momma dog and her puppies. They are cute. Looks like red/brown bicolor, a silvery/cream bicolor, a sable, a few orange/creams with a black muzzle. I'd take either of the bicolors or the sable. I submitted an application about two hours after they posted. :lol:

So far nothing has happened with Ash. He's been less vocal/clingy today. He got on the cat tree during his post-breakfast zoomies, but haven't seen him on it since. However, someone threw up last night and had some horrible smelling diarrhea. Ember walked away from her dinner last night. I had to hand feed her and got her to eat most of it, but she left some. This morning she ate on her own, but only ate about half of it. I have never seen that cat not finish her food. :sigh: These cats, I swear. They're driving me crazy.
 

calicosrspecial

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Very fair. It is good you know what you want.

It really is. I don't think it is unfair. That is great you are focusing on rescues. Awwwwwww, a 3 leg dog is really good. I don;t even realize it given how they adapt.

OH WOW!!! GREAT!!! That is so cool. GOOD LUCK!!!

Good news on Ash. Fingers crossed it wasn't anything. Oh, poor Ember. :(

I know, it seems like it is always something............................. :(

Good vibes to Ember now!!! It is probably just the heat or something.

Keep us posted on everything. Good luck!!
 

Animal Freak

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I think so. Though my dream dog is still a dark sable working line GSD. :loveeyes:

I know. I would absolutely be okay with adopting a three legged dog because I know they adapt so well. I just really want to get into agility too. I feel sort of bad passing them up because of that, but I just don't think that's the dog I need right now. Maybe in the future! That little sable girl is cute though... Not far from us either.

The rescue responded really fast! They said it would be hard to bring a shelter into a home with cats and a small dog (I know, that's why I want a puppy), but someone would contact us for a home visit. Hopefully they won't want to hang out for an hour and a half!

So far no more vomiting or diarrhea. Ember acts fine, but that's not saying much. If anyone of them would hide something wrong, it would be her. And she doesn't have consistent zoomies like Ash does for me to keep track of her energy levels. I'll have to see how much she eats tonight. I've never seen the heat affect her. Normally her feet are cold even in the middle of summer. She's cleaned a bowel clean while trembling with fear at the vet, so her not wanting to eat is really concerning to me.
 

calicosrspecial

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You have GREAT dreams!!!!

It is best to get the best animal for the person. No need to worry or feel badly. Hehehehehe.............. you are getting interested in her.............................

Cool. Yes, they do like to stick around sadly. :( Exciting!!!

Whew. Let's hope it stays that way. Sometimes things do go out of balance. :/ Good that she is acting fine. Yeah, I know, BUT there are usually signs of issues so I think that is good she acts fine. Yeah, sometimes it does happen. As long as not eating as much doesn't last. We should know more soon but my sense is she is doing ok. Fingers crossed. Hang in there.
 
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