a BACK-UP PLAN for MY DOGS soon

[johninny]

this is difficult and sorry to burden you all with it, but i am very worried what will happen to my dogs should i cease to be around in the not-so-distant future. ARE THERE POTENTIAL HOMES HERE FOR EACH OF MY DOGS?

i am probably not going to write further at this moment, but later [today?] i will try to post my description of each dog and what i think he needs in a home - the ideal home.

this is something i have been mostly avoiding through months of severe illness. one or 2 of you have known a bit about how very sick i was, coming close to death once in march and again in april. i have felt better since an operation in late june, but, barring some dramatic turn of events, the fact is i may not survive much longer. but i have been in denial about the dogs.

back in march, i had made arrangements to have a responsible mal/DS owner take them, but this would psychologically kill at least 2 of the dogs as she already has 6 dogs who live a life - though loved and cared for - that would be dangerously alien to 2 of my pups and would definitely abort their potential for greatness. so now that things seem really dire but i am still able, i would like to find really appropriate homes for the 3 separate dogs - on a contingent basis NOW but to activate on short notice potentially soon.

does this sound possible?

please feel free to PM or email me!

edit: i hope any responses or discussion that ensue will focus on the dogs and not on me; do not want any attention diverted from their needs. thank you.

[Raven]

I wish I could help. It wouldn't work with my boy.

[Mobil]

Oh, shit, John. I'm sorry.
I'm still learning about being a DSD parent and don't think I could give any of your dogs the environment you want them to have.

I know you don't want a discussion about you, but I'd like to say how admirable I find your request. And also I feel so sad about this.

Your dogs deserve the best, and so do you. (hug)

[Mobil]

I tried to edit my post but it wouldn't go through.

What about making up a flyer to share via Facebook?
I know CherCar sometimes does courtesy posts on their page. I have Carole Field on my friends list if you don't, and I would be happy to contact her on your behalf if you need.

Please let me know if I can help.

[Dutchringgirl]

Have you talked to Christie???? I would take them but I already have two and my life wont fit two more or I would come and get them.

[asheleylane]

NADSR would be a SUPER source of help, and they might be able to even take them on short notice if foster homes are available.

[johninny]

Sharon, i have always thought that you and Xander would be perfect together as he and i are, but i know Thor is a no-go for other dogs.

Dusty, thanks. as Tracer is from CherCar, i would consider returning him to their care pending consultation with the person who has agreed to take all 3 temporarily in a pinch. barring the perfect home, that may be the best choice.
i do not use facebook and i am afraid that would be too daunting for someone as tech-challenged as me.

Lisa, how might Christie get involved? [no, she and i have never talked, but i do hold her in the absolutely highest regard.]
just to be clear, i am not expecting or seeking that the dogs be adopted together - although they seem to truly love each other and are disturbed to be apart. just trying to find the best home for each individual dog.

Ashley, thank you very much. maybe it will come to that, but i hope not for my dogs.
my first experience as a foster for NADSR resulted in Trudy finding a very specific, very good match for a difficult dog. but later, she and i had a sharp disagreement on placing a dog that i had rescued. in that case, Trudy was adamant that he go to a family that was not right for any DS not less this very high-drive, high energy DS who had intense out-of-control fear aggression toward other dogs and could be in the city on occasion a little fear-aggressive toward people. this was a house in nyCITY with 4 or 5 extremely young children [ i think all under 6 ], a mother with no help, no yard, and no experience or even knowledge of DS. they mistakenly thought that their last dog was a DS [ for what reason i could not find a clue ] and Trudy never checked further [ over-looking a photo of their old dog]. there were many other grave errors in analyzing this situation [ even just mis-reading the application]. despite explaining the misunderstanding, Trudy did not back off that placement, which i am certain would have resulted in this dog being put down in no time flat, which would have been such a waste of one of the smartest dogs i have ever met - a dog of extraordinary potential [ he was 10 months old at the time].
so i lack confidence that careful matches of the sort i want will be made and fear that there could even be a nightmare match made. but i much appreciate that NADSR is there. it is just a situation that i hope i can avoid for my dogs. also, much appreciate your input. thank you.

[Owned-By-Hendrix]

I would love to say I would take one but I'm headed to master's school in about a year, forgoing complications, and I'm unsure how H would do with another male in the house. Not saying he's DA, he just seems very particular on what dog he loves and females seem to be the most consistently liked and the older the better (I joke he's a cougar magnet). I will however seriously look and see if it could indeed happen because I want to see your fur kids go to the best possible loving homes!

[johninny]

DOG #1: some thoughts on SAKIMA [ Saki, Saki-Dog ].

Sakima is a high prey-drive, high ball-drive, but otherwise low-energy DS that would be the dream DS of many people. he is low maintenance, never causing any problems aside from cutting 2 telephone cords within days of arriving here as a puppy. he has been left home alone for several days at a time with no issues and has always had free run of the house.

Saki loves every dog he meets, even ones that would prefer to kill him. he loves people but gets skittish around most people, but he keeps trying and gets better constantly. [ i mean that literally: he tries, he wants it; i'm not obliquely referring to training or socialization or what I want.] he has over-the-top ball drive [ or for anything thrown ], very strong prey drive and is exceedingly good at making his own meals, and - a positive or a negative - his herding instinct is very powerful.

he would probably be very happy as a sport dog - dock-diving, agility,etc. - and may very well excel at them. he certainly has the drive and the will and the desire to excel at those sorts of things - much more than ANY DS i have known. he would probably love his own sheep to herd and protect. he would love to be outside an urban setting - the more country-like the better. he is VERY loyal, again relative to DSs who are so loyal to begin with; he likes to be close, but does not crowd me. he likes as much physical contact as he can get from anyone, though as yet with many people gets too skittish to take advantage of what is offered. Saki would be a bit unhappy if he did not get to see,play, and hang out with other dogs with some frequency. he is the best walking or hiking companion, always off-leash, always well-behaved, and always very bold and enthusiastic.

everything else being equal, he would prefer a climate that is colder rather than warmer relative to the moderate environs of Long Island, NY, as he tends to overheat, but does not have the sense to stop or slow down. with no intervention or caution on my part, there has been no over-heating at all this relatively cool summer out here, but last summer and fall, i would have to tone down fetch swims, runs, and excessive dog pursuits. the over-heating can be out-of-the-ordinary and suggests his endurance should not be tested in any heat so that a real problem does not develop. he would love to be a running companion, but that style of exercise may not be the best for Sakima given the above. in fact, while no particular health problem exists, there is some scarring of his lungs probably from a long-untreated lung infection that he arrived here with. it took much effort to recover from that, but since then he has been very healthy, only in 2013 exhibiting this over-heating which is probably related to the scarring, keeping him from getting enough oxygen to his blood during prolonged and extreme exercise [ thus putting an extra burden on his heart and circulatory system]. this should never be a real problem, but demanding relative rest when over-heating appears should insure this.
on another health matter, Sakima seems to have very sturdy bones, joints, and tendons. despite he and his companions putting his body through hell, he has never had an even minor sprain.

Saki is approximately 28 months old. his first 7 months were VERY rough with no let-up, going from one bad situation to another - never knowing a home or people as friends. there are still a bullet or two lodged inside him. despite this, he absolutely loves people, approaching everyone with such high expectations, but he is often too nervous to stay close once his initial greeting is over. he relaxes almost immediately with people who are good with dogs and will totally give himself over to those people. his skittishness aside, Saki has ZERO fear aggression no matter how nervous he gets or how trapped he may feel, like at the vet, where the vets know they can do anything to him and he remains quiet and totally non-threatening despite high stress. i feel confident that no exceptions to that will ever develop; he is fundamentally an exceedingly gentle soul. he is neutered and, of course, he is current on all regionally appropriate meds and vaccines, including all-worm meds, rabies, lyme, and lepto.

outdoors, especially in nature with people and their things not intruding much, Sakima becomes super-dog. he even looks different. his super-confidence in nature changes his stance, his character. he becomes fearless. and he is an incredible athlete. on his second frisbee throw ever [ just recently ] he snatched the frisbee out of the air with a whole-body jump that got every bit of him 6 or 7 feet off the ground. whether balls, frisbees, or water shooting from a hose, Saki's acrobatics in pursuit of such are absolutely awesome. in these pursuits, all caution goes out the window and he is totally in the moment in pursuit of success at any price to himself. he is a determined and agile runner and swimmer. and when playing with other dogs, he displays a great sense of humor and utter abandon.

most of the time, Sakima is under-stated. he lacks the usual flashy quality of most DS. his execution of commands is quiet, more like a ''normal'' dog than our DS show-offs, but he is dependable. when all 3 DS are running down the beach, he is the one who stops and turns around and waits a bit to make sure i am following ok. he does show incredible flash when out in nature in his element, when he becomes the leader

[Mobil]

I know that you are not tech savvy; I would be happy to create a flyer to your specifications and share on Facebook in various groups etc. if you would like. PM me if that is something you'd like to do, there are many Dutch-specific groups on Facebook. Or I could help you set up a page on your own if that is something you feel would help.

Serious offer; I'd be happy to do it. You must be feeling overwhelmed with worry about this.

[Dutchringgirl]

I second Dustys offer, I would help in any way possible !

[johninny]

thank you, Dusty and Lisa.
i may take you up on it, but first i want to put down my thoughts on each of the dogs. then, i can think more clearly about strategy. i really am over-whelmed with fear for their futures.

Sakima: overlooked in my post on him:
^he is such AN EASY DOG TO HAVE AROUND. NO DS EXPERIENCE NEEDED. simply need to be a good dog person and dog lover for him to be comfortable around you.
^he is from an unidentified ''breeder'' in TN who dumped him and a litter mate in a kill shelter, then was rescued to a shelter in IN from which he escaped several times, the last time being 2 weeks in the wild.
^he is a relatively soft dog, but not so soft as to be a problem.
^in his intro i called him a DS but i suspect that there is a touch [ 1 grandparent ? ] of another type of shepherd in him, but the only DS quality he lacks is the show-off, flashy, in-your-face quality that pure DS can have in OB, etc. however, when outdoors/in nature/in ''sports'', Sakima makes up for his more subdued nature indoors/up-close and can put his definitely pure DS housemates to shame.

[Dutchringgirl]

I have an idea. I can make a free website for the dogs, info, pictures, contact info, then when we post around on face book, we can put the link to the website and people can see all of the information on the dogs and can contact you.

How does that sound?

[johninny]

Lisa, that sounds spectacular! you can do that? no idea you were a DS pro AND a technical genius!

[Dutchringgirl]

of course I can do that !!!! Did you just think I was a crazy dog owner?

I can get one up and you can write what you want to say about the dogs, pics and what ever, contact etc. and then it would be one place to send people to look at the dogs.

[Mobil]

I love your idea, Lisa! And I have a dog trainer friend for whom I volunteer sometimes for her charity who would pass along and share the info, too, as she is always posting rescues.

[Dutchringgirl]

Great ! Let me know what you want to call it and Ill start on it.

[LyonsFamily]

John, I'd love to help you out with them. I'm on the road right now for a trial with Odin and Elli, but I'll PM you on Sunday. I've got space for all 3 temporarily if NADSR could get them into their program. We do have at least 3 pre-approved applicants nearby me that I passed on for Rokko because of a few of his special needs, but would be great for your guys. I would personally love to take Tracer if he'd work out with Odin. We were looking for a 3rd dog in the next year (preferrably a boy).

[Mark77]

You need to put a trust together with funding for the trust to assist your animals in re-homing. I'm being serious.

[Raven]

We have a number of friends whose animals either have a trust and others who have them in their wills, with conditions on what happens if the animals die before or after the owner. We're doing that...we're obviously very slow (years!) in getting to the lawyers.

My father, for one, had a trust for his dogs, and provisions in the will, should he die before them. (As a funny aside: his dogs had a trust/were in the will...I wasn't. )

I'm in a friend's will that I get her critters, and a trust for them, if I'm able to take them.