Introducing Doone...

[TheSkeptic]

Actually I am kind of surprised because he always ignored the cats at the shelter. The horses across the street were another matter. (It was a horse that had his attention when I got that side shot of him standing at alert.)

[Traci]

Actually I am kind of surprised because he always ignored the cats at the shelter.

Um, curious, but weren't the cats in cages and safely out of harms way to dogs? In a shelter environment, it wouldn't seem likely a dog should be in the cats' area for any reason.

The horses across the street were another matter. (It was a horse that had his attention when I got that side shot of him standing at alert.)

Assuming he was only curious....not trying to but in, but if there is any hint the dog may be too curious and has a tendency to "chase", it would be appropriate to get training.

[TheSkeptic]

THe cats he was ignoring were the cats from the stable, who roam the yards freely. The shelter cats he never saw in their cages as they are in another building. He never tried to go chase the horses, but they sure held his interest. Of course that may be because they were on the other side of the fence and he knew he couldn't reach them. Of course some of the dogs didn't seem to get that bit of insight. They would run up and down the fence line barking furiously and impotently at the horses.

[k9Karen]

Such a pretty dog!! Congratulation E's! . I looks like it won't take your Doone to fit in. Q-Cat will come around - they'll figure out the boundaries, and a cat with claws will always win. He does look a bit "sheltie-ish", but a slender BC will have a similar look. The curled tail would be unusual for either breed, but it does occassionally happen in Shelties (I don't know about the Border Collie). From that characteristic alone, I suspect there may be some Spitz-type ancestor : Spitz, Amer. Eskimo, possibly Siberian Huskey (did I spell that right?) - something like that. He looks very much like many of the dogs I've seen in here in Florida, but I never knew what breed they were. They all have a similar look, so I've always thought they were either an unregistered "breed", or a common breed cross. Those dogs are always black with white markings.

Skeptic - what a thrill it must have been for you to see 'your' Duke of Earl here on this board. What are the odds?

E's, did the knowledge that this dog originally came from "Skeptic's shelter" influence your decision to adopt him? Just curious if that was in your mind at the time, since you made a mention of it in your post.

[E's]

Well - I made a post but lost it by pushing the wrong keys... A pretty good day all in all but I am so tired now, don't know if I can rewrite... Thanks, Traci... no, you're not butting in, and yes, I agree we may need pro training. Part of my original plan was that DS and his friend could walk Winnie and her dog (a beagle mix) and I could tag along for a block or so with the smaller dog... But tonight I'm not sure I'll be able to even do that. We'll see - and at least Winnie will benefit. But I'm checking into whether Winnie's orginal obedience trainer is still "practicing" here in Lakeview; it might be best to spend a few bucks for an expert to bring Doone up to par on the basics.

The very nice, very good vet DS takes his cat to checked Doone out this afternoon. Doone is negative for heartworm (big sigh of relief here!) and tapeworm. No earmites but still loaded with fleas. So he got a pill for that and I am to apply Frontline too. We're to bring him back in 2 weeks for a final check, but the doctor says Doone is basically healthy and should begin to put on weight with the good chow and improved homelife. The young man helping thought a couple teeth were missing; the vet confirmed this - 2 upper front - and said it looked to him like Doone had tried to chew his way out of a fence at some time...

AND! Doone is at least 2 years old, maybe 3! This only answers some more questions DS and I had, but otherwise doesn't matter at all: We like this dog a lot and he indicates he likes us, so that's that!

Doone slept awhile, ate his supper, lounged around the living room with Winnie and me (I put a gate temporarily across the stairs so the dog couldn't charge up if he saw Q Cat.) Then both dogs went out in the backyard and did what they were supposed to do. Doone is now on his futon in the rear kitchen - I am hoping not to have to crate him but will if there is any sign of more trouble. Winnie is up here on her cot in the computer room, I guess Q is zonked out somewhere, and ole mama is so tired she can hardly wiggle... kind of like one feels after a visit from grandkids: happy but beat! Now let's see if I can post this instead of sending it into forever-deleted-land!

Goodnight. Thanks again, everyone!

[E's]

Karen wrote:

He looks very much like many of the dogs I've seen in here in Florida, but I never knew what breed they were. They all have a similar look, so I've always thought they were either an unregistered "breed", or a common breed cross. Those dogs are always black with white markings.

That is true here too... it must be like tortoiseshell stray cats... A nieghbor of ours has two of these b & w dogs she got from LA SPCA... you would swear they were littermates, but they aren't - they came from different parts of town and are different ages...

Yes, Skeptic influenced my decision - I happened to check Petfinders page for his Parish (read "County" in other states) shelter and saw Duke; emailed to see if that dog was still available... I liked the "playful and smart" part plus the size and type... Skeptic told me Duke had gone to the Pontchartrain Humane Society... which is headed by Sam and Lyn (who work in New Orleans but have an acreage in Mississippi...) And my plan to get a companion for Winnie just sort of developed as things went along. I was going to try to drive over to Slidell myself on Saturday (I can still drive fine - it's the rest of traveling that gets to me ) but then it turned out DS could and would go along... (thank goodness! The temp Saturday was over 100 in the shade for one thing, and traffic on I 10 East in its usual crisis mode... at least two wrecks w/injury on the Highrise bridge alone...)

I'm rambling... got to get to bed. Thanks for the kind words, Karen! How are your dogs?

[k9Karen]

Thanks for the kind words, Karen! How are your dogs?

You're welcome

The puppers are fine. Allie is her normal sassy little self (big dog in little body). Foxy is as sweet and timid as ever (except when she's trying to get Allie to play - then the horns come out and we see a bit of the devil in her! ) Angel is starting to show her age, but still has a lot of spunk and desire to be alive. I can tell her hips are starting to bother her more, but she keeps on truckin'. She's steady as a rock - calm, cool, and collected (except when mama comes home or it's feeding time - then she comes to life and fights to get in line to be the first to 'meet and greet' or the first to have her bowl filled (I always feed her first - since Mickey's gone, she is treated as the alpha, despite what Allie thinks!). She's a love. Thanks for asking.

[DeVon]

E, so sorry I am now just seeing this thread, the past few days included dealing with Amber having 4 wisdom teeth removed and subsequent recovery, and it's just been hectic! I am absolutely delighted that Doone (and I do think that Dunebug is quite endearing, you should hear the names I come up with spur of the moment around here in my addled brain) has come to live with you. It sounds like it has been an interesting, enjoyable, and of course, somewhat...errr...well worrisome adjustment at times when a cat is involved who possesses all claws and the first meeting is inadvertently taking place (been there done that got that t-shirt). He is an absolute doll, does remind me a lot of Amber's Mr. Toby, who is definitely cocker mix, and most likely BC in the mix. I will try to find some photos to compare to. Although his tail does not curl as much, he does carry it very high when happy! I also have some potential big news on the animal front and shall post it when I am done with this response.

Please give Winnie, the Q man, and Dunebug (hope you don't mind me calling him that, that is stuck in my head now) ear scritchies from me!
Warmest of hugs to you from Kansas!