If anybody wants to see her, here is Brandy:

Tazmanian Brandy

Awwww...she's so cute! I can't believe that woman said she was "ruining their lives" because she was on the furniture. She's obviously not a true animal lover...she just gave up on her, how about some training?

Whats furniture (and clothes for that matter) without a little dog and kitty hair on them? Boring. Good luck Skittles with your decision and newest family member. Keep us posted.

How cute, Skittles. The kong suggestion is great-we put a few pieces of her food in there, stuff it with Peanut butter, then freeze it. Keeps her busy...

Mental stimulation, huh..okay,that explains it...Blue (the heeler) stares SO HARD at me trying to send me mental messages, she wears herself out...I got it now! LOL!

Oh! There were more posts I missed when I first typed this..she's adorable Skittles!

She's pretty! "Ruining their lives..." BAH! There's just no accounting for some people.

Anyway - my hubby's heeler mix pup (6 mo) is crated during the day when we're at work and she literally EXPLODES out of it in the afternoons! The first order of business is usually a 10 or 15 minute game of speed-fetch (or sometimes she just runs a few laps around the backyard) and she's typically controlable after that. She'll also watch TV. I think the point I'm trying to get at it the old equine standby of "put the feet to work and the brain will follow." Give her a task or game or something to channel all that energy into pretty intensely for a few minutes and see if she doesn't settle right down after that.

Oh, and LOL!!!! That's got to be one of the funniest visuals EVER!

I agree with Becca "put the feet to work and the brain will follow". Play fetch or a game to get rid of the initial energy then try some obedience training or agility. My rat terrier was much better once we started agility. He'd even lay around while we were watching tv. I can tell when I haven't 'played' with him enough...he'll start tossing his toys in the air and then trying to catch them.

LOL...My pup does the same thing, JLJ...we still have to keep her restricted as she is still recovering from the hip replacement, so it has been tough...

ugh...I cant imagine 'restricting' Pete. He'd have to be sedated.

Well, things have gone very well with Brandy. She is a doll and very, very sweet. Our basenji, Mandy, is still having issues. Mandy's temperament is not the best. Although Brandy is 8 years old, she is still lightning fast and put's Attitude to shame. She is tiny compared to our other greyhound.

Speaking of Attitude, he is at the vet's this morning. When we went to Indiana last weekend he fell twice and has hurt his back. It's not getting any better and Bill and I are very worried about the big guy. If anyone could say a prayer for him it would be greatly appreciated.

Good news with Brandy...my prayers go to you and Attitude, Skittles...hang in there..

Duchess, i hope attitude will be okay. prayers from New England!

Brandy is beautiful. She may just need a little more exercise than she's been getting.




I read an article last week about a woman in California who trains service dogs and part of the training is to teach them to read signs. She has several signs that she uses with her pets (walk, play, food, etc) that they use to tell her what they want.

Well, my husband walked the legs off of Brandy last night. AND she didn't jump up on the bed before we turned off the lights like she has been. Maybe she's learning that her bed is on the floor.

As for Attitude - he is now on steroids along with another medication to help his stomach. He has lost 10 pounds in the last 10 days. I did get him to eat some food last night - I held the bowl up under him and he really chowed down. We had a can of food left that was a 'specialty' food for dogs with stomach problems. I think I'm going to go to the vet's on the way home and pick up 6 more cans. Hopefully he'll be feeling better soon.

FWIW, Skittles, I found that when you have sick or injured animals, they often like some company when they eat. If you just plop the food down, they may ignore it, but if you sit there with them and "help" they tend to eat. I guess it's just comforting to them.

Good news about Attitude, Skittles!!

Attitude is back at the vet's this morning. He's not getting any better and now they think he might have a broken bone in his back. We are very upset and concerned for this big love bug. Any thoughts or prayers would be greatly appreciated.

Oh my goodness - many prayers Skittles!!!!

prayers and only good things headed your way skittles.

Hooray - it's not a broken bone. Attitude is down about 15 pounds, which makes the calcification on his spine look more pronounced. He is being put on pain killers and an antibiotic and being sent home. He should feel better, which means he will start eating again. He also has a calcified disc, which may mean pain killers for the rest of his life - but we can live with that.

Thanks to all of you for being there for me. I don't know what I'd do without you guys.

thank cod!!! great news!!

I am so relieved for you. Give him a puppy kiss on the nose for me.

That is great that Attitude is ok and gets to come home I can tell you from personal experience that califications can be painful, so I'm glad that he's going to have some meds to help him out.

It's great to know that we have a place where all of us animal lovers can get together and support each other and our pets.

A place for animal lovers who aren't pet owners, unfortunately. When I retire . . . when I retire . . .

Great news Skittles! So happy to hear it.