Possible new "furry family member"

[CoreyR]

Big doings at the Reynolds homestead! Some of you may know of the antics of my dog "Spotty," an almost 3 year old, Border Collie/English Setter cross. Very bright (don't you dare let him know I said that!) and very humorous pup with a huge loyalty streak through him. He's my boy! He also is a consummate firebug and has a love of my pipes which has reached a point where I have caught him actually loafing, on the sofa, with one of my Oom Pauls hangin out of his mouth and I would swear he was trying to puff on it. I watched him, for a bit, He was NOT chewing on it but, rather, had it dangling from his mouth. Looked like he was ready to lite up. It was the inspiration for my daughter to draw the picture I use for my avatar.


Spotty being a "firebug!"

My wife has a little "ankle biter" Yorkie crossed with Satan's minion or something, named "Mollie." She is cute but keeps eating every zipper she can find. I have lost three coats and two pieces of luggage to that little devil but my wife loves her.

Spotty and Mollie get on great. They wrestle around (play dinosaur) and Spotty gives her great exercise. That is the problem. While he can run her into the ground she is, most decidedly, NOT a challenge for him. Spotty boy can really stretch it out when he wants too. That dog can RUN. I am an old paratrooper with two bad knees and one bad ankle. I walk with a cane. I cannot give him a challenge at all. I love him to death but the pup just does not get much serious play. I mean, I go out in the dog lot and throw balls for him. Sometimes he even brings them back! Seriously, he has made great strides in the concept of "fetch" in the past year, my little "dog boy" is growing up! yet, I cannot "play" with him at the sustained tempo which I know he really needs.

My wife and I have discussed this and decided that another dog is what is needed. One which is large enough and young enough to play with Spotty, has the right temperament to play with Mollie, as Spotty currently does, and one which is as loveable as the two we currently have.

God has given us five acres and a large house. We have the room for another dog and the means to care for one. We do not "buy dogs." We only take in ones which, for some reason, need a home. Spotty came from a couple who had two children, with a third on the way, who could not care for him when he was a puppy. Mollie came from the Richmond, Va animal shelter. She was found wandering the streets of Richmond and we adopted her the day before Thanksgiving 2016. It has taken a long time to get her to bond.

Yesterday I became aware of a two year old English Setter, named "Spot," who is in need of a new home. His family is expecting a third child and cannot keep him. They have been trying to find someone and, since their child is due soon, are close to taking him to a shelter. I have talked with them and will be taking our pups to meet Spot tomorrow. If they hit it off then Spot will join Spotty an Mollie at our place. I am anticipating that they will get along great.

Yes, I am trying to figure out what to do about "Spotty" and "Spoty." It is made worse by the fact that I do not believe in renaming dogs for our convenience, it is confusing to the dog. Also, the two dogs look nearly identical and, from what I can tell, have a very similar temperament and personality. IF this goes forward you can surely expect some funny antics, with pictures, in the future!

Spot, the (potential) new member of the household!

[MikeDennison]

Great post and great pics, sir! Hope the adoption moves forward and Spot integrates well with the household.

[CoreyR]

Well, the meeting went well. Our two mutts seemed to get on geed with the new guy so we adopted him, saving him from a trip to the animal shelter. We had to make a trip to Bass Pro, my wife needed a pair of shoes for fall and they had her favorite hikers on sale. This was his first outing. Because I am totally unfamiliar with "Spot," he rode in the cart. I picked him up, put him in there and he promptly lept out, breaking the ring on his collar, and coming free of his leash in the process!
This is where he got impressive. My wife called him and he ran right to her and sat. No muss, no fuss. I resecured him, put him back in the cart, and this is a 60 pound dog, and told him to "stay." He did. In fact, I couldn't get him to get out of the stupid cart when it came time to leave! This dog OBEYS.
When we got home we discovered that he will NOT get on furniture unless he is invited and, even then, he acts like he thinks God is going to strike him dead. So far, he is VERY well behaved other than a lot of whining at night and that is understandable. He is two years old and has been taken from the only home he has ever known.
He does, however, LOVE affection. When we picked him up I could not help but notice that the only person who paid him any attention, was a little girl and she hung all over the poor dog. He shied away from her and, I am told, he does not like small children in the first place. In two days he has just melted over the small amount of time I have been able to give him. A tummy rub here, a throat scratch there, adult attention goes a long with with Spot Boy and, I think, will quickly break the "stranger barrier" and form that "bond," which I have always been able to make with my dogs.
Anywho, here are a couple of pics of my wife giving the "Dynamic Duo" some treats. "Spotty," the old hand and my definite buddy, is the black with white, thin and lean one, with longer hair. Spot Boy, the new guy, is shorter haired, white with some black and thicker. They are hard to tell apart!



Dad, aren't ALL the treats supposed to be mine? They used to be!!!

[MikeDennison]

Loving these posts, brother! Glad the new family member is doing well. I guess someone must have spent a good deal of time training him!

[CoreyR]

I guess someone must have spent a good deal of time training him!

I think you are right. My last dog, a chocolate lab, now deceased, was also well trained to both voice and hand commands. Then she was abandoned on the streets. She had heartworms and, I think, someone did not want to pay for the treatments. I did not have the money either but tried the "cheap method" of doubling heartgard for 3 months. It worked, no more heart worms. She lived a long, happy life.
Why would someone go to all the trouble of earning a dogs trust, bonding with the dog, training the dog and then abandon him or her??? I do not get it.
If a dog serves me well I will take care of it. Two way street. Maybe it is just me?

[MikeDennison]

We're on the same page. I think that pet ownership implies the responsibility to provide and protect, and ensure an emotionally stable environment. They (dogs in particular) generally respond with great affection and loyalty.

[CoreyR]

Best deal man ever made was with the dog.