MattInFll January 4th, 2008, 01:52 AM Hi all - we just rescued a 3 year old medium sized "flat coat retriever/english spaniel mix"... she looks like a medium black lab a lot, too... at the pound she was fairly responsive to us both, and she is extremely calm around dogs and people and very cute... she has very developed teats, and the shelter thinks she recently gave birth.. they had her about 3 weeks before we rescued her. Anyway, she has a very healthy appetite, walks well on the leash, is housebroken, and is not exhibiting any other "acting out" signs such as chewing the furniture... but she is really not engaging with us. She will not play, she does not really want to interact (other than if we have a treat)... I have only ever had puppies from a known litter, so this is new to me. She just seems so amazingly sad - is this normal and will it pass? All the shelter can say is that she was a stray, but from her good manners I have to believe she had a good home before.
Any advice, guidance is welcome!
luckypenny January 4th, 2008, 01:58 AM Has she been spayed? I'm thinking there's a possibility that she's pregnant and isn't feeling herself :shrug:. If not, then give her some time to adjust to her new home. Imagine the confusion of losing your family, your puppies, living in a shelter environment, then finding yourself in a new, strange home. Everything is so different to her, she needs time. She'll come around, you'll see.
Congratulations on giving a shelter dog a second chance :thumbs up .
Btw, photos are mandatory for new members ;) . Welcome!
TeriM January 4th, 2008, 02:02 AM I agree with everything Luckypenny just said :thumbs up.
MattInFll January 4th, 2008, 02:34 AM Thanks! Sorry no pics uploaded yet - we've only had her 3 days... I can imagine what she's gone through.. I guess I am just looking to hear that others have experienced this and that she *will* come around... because right now she is just being so sad and distant.
And yes she was spayed at the pound... but her teats are huge... that's why they think she might have given birth very recently.
Anyway, thanks for the support!
happycats January 4th, 2008, 07:22 AM Congratulations on your new addition, and thanks for saving a life:thumbs up
Dogs a very in tune to your emotions, so if your feeling sorry for her, or worried about her she feels that, and maybe that's why she's distant.
CearaQC January 4th, 2008, 09:13 AM First of all, thank you so much for adopting a shelter dog!! :highfive:
My Belle had zero interest in toys of any kind whatsoever at first. But then again she was pregnant when we adopted her. After the pups started to be more mobile all of a sudden Belle got frisky on an outdoor potty break one day. Since then she's made leaps and bounds. Now she's figured out how to make the squeaky toys squeak and invites play.
So you've only had your dog 3 days? Give it some more time. Imagine being in her shoes. Animals live in the moment and that dog kept switching places to sleep, different people took care of her, and whole sorts of new smells and new experiences.
Give her space and don't "force" attention or play time on her. Smile at your dog and ooze positive energy, don't feel sorry for her past and look forward to all the good times you'll be having in future.
I found the best thing I ever did for Belle was to just leave her alone the majority of the time, kept the house quiet as much as possible (which is really difficult lol) and let her come to me on her own terms, with the exception of going outside to potty.
SARAH January 4th, 2008, 09:54 AM Dani (2½ years old now) was the same. When Lewis got her, she spent weeks under the kitchen table, would not play, never made a sound (to the point that he took her to a vet to see if she had been devocalized - waste of money, I can guarrantee she HAS a voice !!).
She's not a very "social" dog, in the way that she'll only come and say hi when she wants to, then walks away again. She'll lay down on the floor in the room we're in ... or not. She's part cat :D (kidding of course) totally independent.
Then we have Sheba (+/- 12 years old), who also had huge teats when we got her, spayed from Golden Rescue. She carried a stuffed toy-dog around for months, and is now mothering our little kitten (too cute the two of them) and she sometimes looks a little sad and confused, as if she remembers fragments of her past and wonders if it was real and why she's here with us. But she's supre friendly and extremely clingy (no cat here, more like velcro).
Dogs are different. Just give your little girl time, don't try to push her or force her, she'll come to you when she's ready. Just make sure you include her in your activities, even if it's just talking to her when you are around the house and garden; bring her in the car, on walks, weekends, show her that she comes back to your home, her home, after every outing.
Oh and incidentally, neither or ours play ... with us that is. Throw a ball and they run, sure, but retrieve? Nope :) and both are Retrievers. Go figure :shrug: :laughing:
MattInFll January 4th, 2008, 01:13 PM Thanks again for everyone's advice. She went to the vet today for a full check up and her stitches out, and is now getting groomed. We took in a stool sample, and she has hook work and another type, but should be fine with medication. The vet says she could be up to 5 years old, but we'll know she's around 6 when her whiskers/beard start to go white - and can judge her age from there.
She seems to have liked being out and about today :)
crazydays January 4th, 2008, 03:15 PM MattnFll- Just want to offer a big hug to both you and your dog. Thank God for you, and I am hopeful she will turn this around soon. Have you named her? Would love to see a photo.
StumpsMom January 5th, 2008, 01:43 AM Thanks for giving that baby from the shelter a forever home! Bless you! Hope she feels better soon and is snuggling with you in no time at all ;)
MattInFll January 5th, 2008, 11:36 PM I should be able to upload a picture shortly. We aren't quite settled on the name.. it is Jaguar, but might be just Jag or Lady Jag.. she has improved these past two days. She still has that sad look but is definitely engaging more, and seems to be much more interested in her environment. She is coming to us on her own now more and more, looking for a pat or a treat. Everyone who meets her loves her.
There's still a ways to go, but I think she is going to be just in time.
hazelrunpack January 5th, 2008, 11:48 PM She sounds like a sweetheart.
The hooks could be contributing to her lack of energy, but even for puppies, the first week is sort of a 'honeymoon' period. It seems to take dogs at least a week to start feeling comfortable enough to loosen up. And our Macie took a full 2 months before she got confident enough to play with the other dogs. So it's not surprising that 'Lady Jag', being just a newcomer and having had so many recent changes in her life, was sort of quiet to start. It sounds like she's already beginning to warm up to her new situation. :D
Can't wait for the pictures! :thumbs up
growler~GateKeeper January 6th, 2008, 01:26 AM Thank you for rescuing an adult dog :D
She will need some time to adjust to having a home, a family & lots of attention, & knowing there is always fresh water, food & lovin'.
Being that she was a stray - she probably does not know how to play :sad: You can start with 1 toy at a time, go slow & show her how fun it can be. It may take anywhere from a few days to a couple of months for you & her to find out what she will like to play with. Lots of praise & treats to show her it's all good @ your house.
Welcome to pets.ca :)
rainbow January 6th, 2008, 02:02 AM Yep, the poor girl just needs some time. You are an angel for rescuing an adult dog. :angel: Can't wait to see the pics. :thumbs up
Sylvie January 6th, 2008, 09:47 AM Can't thank you enough for rescuing Jag.
We have had our rescue for 10 years and I can tell you it can take a long time for them to warm up. Shadow still does not play with toys, but will chew bones. She loves to be petted on her terms when she is ready. Will give kisses occasionally. It doesn't matter that she is not as cuddly as I would like. All that matters is that she is happy and I can tell you she is.
Once again, thank you, and enjoy your girl!!:thumbs up
Dogastrophe January 6th, 2008, 10:20 AM Congratulations on adopting Jag! :highfive:
Give her lots of love and attention and she'll pay it back a thousand times over.
When we adopted Monty from the SPCA (he was somewhere between 6 and 8 years old), it took him months before he would look us in the eye. He had a "sad" look for the first several weeks and would mope around the house. However, after he settled in and figured out that he was home to stay he started to come around and was a great companion for his last couple of years.
Cheers,
:pawprint:
MattInFll January 8th, 2008, 03:00 AM Here are a couple of pictures. She is so black, she has been hard to get a good photo of... she is making improvement every day. She really enjoyed a play date with "Sparky" - my in-law's yellow lab mix (also a recent 3 year old rescue). She actually let out a bark, which seemed to surprise her as much as it did us, and finally had a fleeting smile on her face.
We think she might be missing her pups. We have given her some stuffed animal toys and she likes to group them together near her bed. She's not chewing them the way she is chewing the other toys from time to time.
I have no more worries about her adapting - she is going to be fine.
badger January 8th, 2008, 03:26 AM She looks great, so glad things are improving. If she recently had puppies (and strayed, or was dumped), perhaps she was from a puppy mill, where animals are breeding machines and puppies (I suspect) sold too early for rapid profit. Of course the dogs are confined and given little affection, which only adds to their woes. As someone has already predicted, she will repay you a thousandfold for your kindness.
rainbow January 8th, 2008, 03:49 AM Jag is a pretty girl :lovestruck: and glad to hear that she is adjusting well. :thumbs up It does sound like her puppies were taken from her too early though. :sad: Thanks to you she will never have to go through that again. :grouphug:
growler~GateKeeper January 8th, 2008, 05:39 AM Jag is very purrty :lovestruck: sounds like she's making great strides already :highfive: keep up the good work :thumbs up
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