After some major discussion and some heartfelt tears Nathan and I have made a decision regarding Tiki. Nathan and I got Tiki in May (many of you might remember) and knew we were going to be moving up here to MD. At that time we thought we'd either be able to rent a home that had a fenced in yard OR that post housing would have fenced in yards. In both aspects we were wrong. In the time that we've been here I have been battling with the fact that we have no where around here to let Tiki run and burn energy like a true Husky needs to. Although the chewing on everything (almost obsessively) has gotten out of control since I've gone to work, she almost is refusing to be potty trained. Numerous times while i've been at work and hubby has been home she darts out of her kennel and squats and pees right in front of Nathan. No running to the back door no warning nothing. We have been able to kennel her at night keeping the morning wake up puddles to a minimum, however she is still yipping like crazy in there every 4 hours or so waking me up. All of these "problems" come down to one thing I honestly believe, burning off the excess energy.
Since I've gone back to work I'm just too worn down to give her the 2 hours walks taht she would need to burn her energy and I feel horrible about her being kenneled day and night it seems. My boss has a friend who has 30 acres and is considering taking Tiki. I have met this guy a couple of different times and I know he would be a great canidate to take Tiki. his wife is home all day and they have kids who would LOVE to help Tiki wear herself out.
This is very hard on me, I believe all the tears have been shed and I'm trying to look at the bigger picture. Tiki would be sooo much better off with an area to run in (fenced in of course) and with a family who has the time to devote to her.
Guess it's just not in the cards for us to have a big dog right now.
We would like to get a second dog, and I considered getting a chow pup (as that was my first choice over Tiki) however, again no yard and no where for a big dog to burn any energy. We have decided to wait until we buy (or build) our home and have a fenced in yard before doing a big dog. We do know that Lola will be going through some withdrawels from not having anyone to play with so are on the lookout for another Frenchie.
I feel like you are making the right decision and that you are doing the right thing for Tiki. Maybe the family will let you visit her every so often until you feel like you don't have to see her anymore.
That is too bad. But Tiki will be happier. Just make sure that this person can give as good or better care than you would. As far as Chows, they are not real big on needing their energy taken care of but they in turn are ALOT of work because they need very extensive socializing. Everyday if possible. Probably not the best choice if you are working alot. I work from home(helping with hubby's business) and I also am working on my photography, which I can take my dogs with me. That had to be a big factor in getting Chi-Ching, was did I have the time for him. Luckily, I do. I am not sure what Frenchies temperments are but just make sure you can make time for a puppy if you decide to get one, you may want to look into getting a adult rescue??
We already have a frenchie and nothing is better than two frenchies, right Dusty!! Toy (the guy who is taking tiki) told me I'd be welcome to come over and see how she is doing. I also told him if things do not work out then to let me know and I'll find another home and take her back.
With Nathan's schedule being 3 days on and 3 days off and my schedule (once i'm fully trained) being 2 days off during the week 3 8am-4pm shifts and 2 2-10 shifts we have time for a puppy but not for a pup or dog who has an excessive amount of energy that needs 2 hours walks every day.
Joys with frenchies (at least if they're all like Lola) a 20 minute walk and they are pooped, with Lola we can wear her out running back and forth around the house and playing with toys. Tiki has never shown an interest with toys, we throw one she'll run to it look at it and be like "that was a good throw can you throw it further next time? YOU go get it" lol
But yes Katz, I understand what you mean about making sure we have time for a pup. Once the pup is house trained she won't have to be kenneled at night like Tiki is.
yes, there is nothing better than two frenchies. our two are constant companions. you dont see one without the other. and they are always wherever i am. frenchies are sooooo easy going and non aggressive. they get along well with everybody and everything. if you had a whole yard full of them you would have a "playground" not a "battleground". we want another one ourselves ! lol
its hard to have to rehome a pet. but tiki is still young and she would benefit from having the extra room and children to romp with. you are putting the dog above yourself. that is what any responsible loving pet owner would do.you are not dumping her at a pound or shelter. you are giving her a life that you feel would be better for her. you should never feel bad about that.
another frenchie would be a perfect companion for lola. they will bond quickly. and be great company for each other when youre away. i think you would be better to get a male unless you are getting a puppy. females tend to be wayyyyy more bossier than the males . at least our annie is ! lol .i know you have seen this pic , but its my fav and they are just such lovers ! lol
I am sorry you have been faced with this decision but I too agree that you are doing what is best for Tiki as hard as it is for you & Nathan to do. You are not rehoming her because she is a problem, you are rehoming her because you don't have the time to devote to her. You are showing true love & commitment to her well being! The family who is interested in her sounds like they'd be a great home for her & you'll be able to check and make sure of it!
There was a frenchie who used to come about once a week to the kennel for daycare. I called him "the rock star" because every dog in the place wanted to play with him. The other dogs used to celebrate his arrival. I could easily see a playground of frenchies.
__________________
"Thought is an invisible and subtle power that mocks all the efforts of tyranny." Alexis de Tocqueville
You definately should not get another dog, the one small one is enough.
My puppy buyers all get to read this before we talk about them buying a dog...
After I was discharged from the Navy, Jim and I moved back to Detroit to use our GI bill benefits to get some schooling. Jim was going for a degree in Electronics and I, after much debating, decided to get mine in Computer Science. One of the classes that was a requirement was Speech. Like many people, I had no fondness for getting up in front of people for any reason, let alone to be the center of attention as I stuttered my way through some unfamiliar subject. But I couldn't get out of the requirement, and so I found myself in my last semester before graduation with Speech as one of my classes.
On the first day of class our professor explained to us that he was going to leave the subject manner of our talks up to us, but he was going to provide the motivation of the speech. We would be responsible for six speeches, each with a different motivation. For instance our first speech's purpose was to inform. He advised us to pick subjects that we were interested in and knowledgeable about. I decided to center my six speeches around animals, especially dogs.
For my first speech to inform, I talked about the equestrian art of dressage. For my speech to demonstrate, I brought my German Shepherd, Bodger, to class and demonstrated obedience commands. Finally the semester was almost over and I had but one more speech to give. This speech was to take the place of a written final exam and was to count for fifty per cent of our grade. The speeches motivation was to persuade.
After agonizing over a subject matter, and keeping with my animal theme, I decided on the topic of spaying and neutering pets. My goal was to try to persuade my classmates to neuter their pets. So I started researching the topic. There was plenty of material, articles that told of the millions of dogs and cats that were euthanized every year, of supposedly beloved pets that were turned in to various animal control facilities for the lamest of reasons, or worse, dropped off far from home, bewildered and scared. Death was usually a blessing.
The final speech was looming closer, but I felt well prepared. My notes were full of facts and statistics that I felt sure would motivate even the most naive of pet owners to succumb to my plea.
A couple of days before our speeches were due, I had the bright idea of going to the local branch of the Humane Society and borrowing a puppy to use as a sort of a visual aid. I called the Humane Society and explained what I wanted. They were very happy to accommodate me. I made arrangements to pick up a puppy the day before my speech.
The day before my speech, I went to pick up the puppy. I was feeling very confident. I could quote all the statistics and numbers without ever looking at my notes. The puppy, I felt, would add the final emotional touch. When I arrived at the Humane Society I was met by a young guy named Ron. He explained that he was the public relations person for the Humane Society.
He was very excited about my speech and asked if I would like a tour of the facilities before I picked up the puppy. I enthusiastically agreed.
We started out in the reception area, which was the general public's initial encounter with the Humane Society. The lobby was full, mostly with people dropping off various animals that they no longer wanted Ron explained to me that this branch of the Humane Society took in about fifty animals a day and adopted out twenty.
As we stood there I heard snatches of conversation: "I can't keep him, he digs holes in my garden." "They such cute puppies, I know you will have no trouble finding homes for them." "She is wild, I can't control her." I heard one of Humane Society's volunteer explain to the lady with the litter of puppies that the Society was filled with puppies and that these puppies, being black, would immediately be put to sleep. Black puppies, she explained, had little chance of being adopted. The woman who brought the puppies in just shrugged, "I can't help it," she whined. "They are getting too big. I don't have room for them."
We left the reception area. Ron led me into the staging area where all the incoming animals were evaluated for adoptability. Over half never even made it to the adoption center. There were just too many. Not only were people bringing in their own animals, but strays were also dropped off. By law the Humane Society had to hold a stray for three days. If the animal was not claimed by then, it was euthanized, since there was no background information on the animal. There were already too many animals that had a known history eagerly provided by their soon to be ex-owners. As we went through the different areas, I felt more and more depressed. No amount of statistics, could take the place of seeing the reality of what this throwaway attitude did to the living, breathing animal. It was over overwhelming.
Finally Ron stopped in front of a closed door. "That's it," he said, "except for this." I read the sign on the door. "Euthanization Area." "Do you want to see one?" he asked.
Before I could decline, he interjected, "You really should. You can't tell the whole story unless you experience the end." I reluctantly agreed.
"Good." He said " I already cleared it and Peggy is expecting you." He knocked firmly on the door. It was opened immediately by a middle aged woman in a white lab coat. "Here's the girl I was telling you about," Ron explained. Peggy looked me over. "Well I'll leave you here with Peggy and meet you in the reception area in about fifteen minutes. I'll have the puppy ready." With that Ron departed, leaving me standing in front of the stern-looking Peggy.
Peggy motioned me in. As I walked into the room, I gave an audible gasp. The room was small and spartan. There were a couple of cages on the wall and a cabinet with syringes and vials of a clear liquid. In the middle of the room was an examining table with a rubber mat on top. There were two doors other than the one I had entered. Both were closed. One said to incinerator room, and the other had no sign, but I could hear various animals noises coming from behind the closed door. In the back of the room, near the door that was marked incinerator were the objects that caused my distress: two wheelbarrows, filled with the bodies of dead kittens and puppies. I stared in horror. Nothing had prepared me for this. I felt my legs grow weak and my breathing become rapid and shallow. I wanted to run from that room, screaming.
Peggy seemed not to notice my state of shock. She started talking about the euthanization process, but I wasn't hearing her. I could not tear my gaze away from the wheelbarrows and those dozens of pathetic little bodies. Finally, Peggy seemed to notice that I was not paying attention to her. "Are you listening?" she asked irritably. "I'm only going to go through this once." I tore my gaze from the back of the room and looked at her. I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing would come out, so I nodded.
She told me that behind the unmarked door were the animals that were scheduled for euthanasia that day. She picked up a chart that was hanging from the wall. "One fifty three is next," she said as she looked at the chart. "I'll go get him." She laid down the chart on the examining table and started for the unmarked door. Before she got to the door she stopped and turned around. "You aren't going to get hysterical, are you?" she asked, "Because that will only upset the animals." I shook my head. I had not said a word since I walked into that room. I still felt unsure if I would be able to without breaking down into tears.
As Peggy opened the unmarked door I peered into the room beyond. It was a small room, but the walls were lined and stacked with cages. It looked like they were all occupied. Peggy opened the door of one of the lower cages and removed the occupant. From what I could see it looked like a medium-sized dog. She attached a leash and ushered the dog into the room in which I stood.
As Peggy brought the dog into the room I could see that the dog was no more than a puppy, maybe five or six months old. The pup looked to be a cross between a Lab and a German shepherd. He was mostly black, with a small amount of tan above his eyes and on his feet. He was very excited and bouncing up and down, trying to sniff everything in this new environment. Peggy lifted the pup onto the table. She had a card in her hand, which she laid on the table next to me. I read the card. It said that number one fifty three was a mixed Shepherd, six months old. He was surrendered two days ago by a family. Reason of surrender was given as "jumps on children." At the bottom was a note that said "Name: Sam."
Peggy was quick and efficient, from lots of practice, I guessed. She laid one fifty three down on his side and tied a rubber tourniquet around his front leg. She turned to fill the syringe from the vial of clear liquid. All this time I was standing at the head of the table. I could see the moment that one fifty three went from a curious puppy to a terrified puppy. He did not like being held down and he started to struggle.
It was then that I finally found my voice. I bent over the struggling puppy and whispered "Sam. Your name is Sam." At the sound of his name Sam quit struggling. He wagged his tail tentatively and his soft pink tongue darted out and licked my hand. And that is how he spent his last moment. I watched his eyes fade from hopefulness to nothingness. It was over very quickly. I had never even seen Peggy give the lethal shot. The tears could not be contained any longer. I kept my head down so as not to embarrass myself in front of the stoic Peggy. My tears fell onto the still body on the table.
"Now you know," Peggy said softly. Then she turned away. "Ron will be waiting for you."
I left the room. Although it seemed like it had been hours, only fifteen minutes had gone by since Ron had left me at the door. I made my way back to the reception area. True to his word, Ron had the puppy all ready to go.
After giving me some instructions about what to feed the puppy, he handed the carrying cage over to me and wished me good luck on my speech.
That night I went home and spent many hours playing with the orphan puppy. I went to bed that night but I could not sleep. After a while I got up and looked at my speech notes with their numbers and statistics. Without a second thought, I tore them up and threw them away. I went back to bed. Sometime during the night I finally fell asleep.
The next morning I arrived at my Speech class with Puppy Doe. When my turn came to give my speech. I walked up to the front the class with the puppy in my arms. I took a deep breath, and I told the class about the life and death of Sam. When I finished my speech I became aware that I was crying. I apologized to the class and took my seat. After class the teacher handed out a critique with our grades. I got an "A." His comments said "Very moving and persuasive."
Two days later, on the last day of class, one of my classmates came up to me. She was an older lady that I had never spoken to in class. She stopped me on our way out of the class room. "I want you to know that I adopted the puppy you brought to class," she said. "His name is Sam."
It seems that you are making a good decision. If you do look into re-homing, where are you located? I am in Colorado and there is a Polaris Husky rescue that is a great rescue. They work in Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Colorado. I used to dogsled, and this breed really does do better in mild climates with a lot of room to run. I can totally sympathize with how hard it is to part with a pet. I do agree with Kitty's mom that you should probably wait to get another dog though, (even a little dog), until you have more time at home. Good luck with everything! I'm sorry you have to go through this
__________________
-The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all
We are located in Frederick, MD. If things don't work out with the new home I've already been in touch with a gal from a Sibe Husky rescue here in MD.
Kitty- the cage is working.....kind of. we have a bark box in the bedroom and about halfway through the night she wakes me up yipping, not because she needs to go potty but because she wants out of the kennel. She has toys and a blanket in there and we have the fan on in case she gets too hot but its just not good enough she wants the run of the house. The chewing has gotten better (mostly because she doesn't have a chance to chew) But i'm looking at the bigger picture of not having a yard for her to romp and play in.
I have 4 large, active, Labradors. I live in a 100 year old house with 2 9x12 bedrooms, and a backyard that is no bigger than those bedrooms combined. The point is, with a dog, that turning them loose to be a wild wolf on a large property is not as good a solution as becoming den mates with them. Instinctively, dogs live in tiny holes in the ground that they all cram together in and feel safe. If you have little room and are able to provide food and security from predators, you have exactly what the dog requires from you. A real first class bark inhibiter is $100. I did the pricing this week, reading a catalog. Honestly, if you feel any affection for this animal, you will be a better pack mate to him than anyone else. Dogs EXPECT you to dominate them and to tell them what to do, and what to expect in their life. Leaderless, they are a wild wolf, to be tolerated or killed. Don't think that by compacting this animal's life you are inconveniencing them. You, as pack leader, determine what kind of day this dog will have. Happy dogs are dogs submissive to a leader. LEAD, please...be a pack leader.
Oh, and as far as rescues go, since you mentioned one, this is the companion story to "I Am Sam" although it is harsher, more bitter, and I would not include it, had you not mentioned a rescue. You see, all this is done over and over again, every year. In Los Angeles County alone, 40 THOUSAND dogs and cats are killed EACH YEAR.... "Dear Mr. and Mrs. Average Pet Owner"
Thank you for contacting us animal rescuers, shelter volunteers, and foster-homes about your inability to keep your pet. We receive an extremely high volume of inquiries and requests to accept surrendered animals (and none of us are getting paid, OK?). To help us expedite your problem as quickly as possible, please observe the following guidelines:
1. Do not say that you are "CONSIDERING finding a good home" for your pet, or that you, "feel you MIGHT be forced to," or that you "really THINK it would be better if" you unloaded the poor beast. Ninety-five percent of you have already got your minds stone-cold made up that the animal WILL be out of your life by the weekend at the latest. Say so. If you don't, I'm going to waste a lot of time giving you common-sense, easy solutions for very fixable problems, and you're going to waste a lot of time coming up with fanciful reasons why the solution couldn't possibly work for you. For instance, you say the cat claws the furniture, and I tell you about nail-clipping and scratching posts and aversion training, and then you go into a long harangue about how your husband won't let you put a scratching post in the family room, and your ADHD daughter cries if you use a squirt bottle on the cat, and your congenital thumb abnormalities prevent you from using nail scissors and etc., etc. Just say you're getting rid of the cat.
2. Do not waste time trying to convince me how nice and humane you are. Your co-worker recommended that you contact me because I am nice to animals, not because I am nice to people, and I don't like people who "get rid of" their animals. "Get rid of" is my least favorite phrase in any language. I hope someone "gets rid of" YOU someday. I am an animal advocate, not a people therapist. After all, for your ADHD daughter, you can get counselors, special teachers, doctors, social workers, etc. Your pet has only me, and people like me, to turn to in his or her need, and we are unpaid, overworked, stressed-out, and demoralized. So don't tell me this big long story about how, "We love this dog so much, and we even bought him a special bed that cost $50, and it is just KILLING us to part with him, but honestly, our maid is just awash in dog hair every time she cleans, and his breath sometimes just reeks of liver, so you can see how hard we've tried, and how dear he is to us, but we really just can't "You are not nice, and it is not killing you. It is, in all probability, literally killing your dog, but you're going to be just fine once the beast is out of your sight. Don't waste my time trying to make me like you or feel sorry for you in your plight.
3. Do not try to convince me that your pet is exceptional and deserves special treatment. I don't care if you taught him to sit. I don't care if she's a beautiful Persian. I have a waiting list of battered and/or whacked-out animals who need help, and I have no room to foster-house your pet. Do not send me long messages detailing how Fido just l-o-v-e-s blankies and carries his favorite blankie everywhere, and oh, when he gets all excited and happy, he spins around in circles, isn't that cute? He really is darling, so it wouldn't be any trouble at all for us to find him a good home. Listen, we can go down to the pound and count the darling, spinning, blankie-loving beasts on death row by the dozens, any day of the week. And, honey, Fido is a six-year-old Shepherd-Lab mix. I am not lying when I tell you that big, older, mixed-breed, garden-variety dog are almost completely unadoptable, and I don't care if they can whistle Dixie or send semaphore signals with their blankies. What you don't realize is that, though you're trying to lie to me, you're actually telling the truth: Your pet is a special, wonderful, amazing creature. But this mean old world does not care. More importantly, YOU do not care, and I can't fix that problem. All I can do is grieve for all the exceptional animals who live short, brutal, loveless lives and die without anyone ever recognizing that they were indeed very, very special.
4. Finally, just, for God' s sake, for the animal's sake, tell the truth, and the whole truth. Do you think that if you just mumble that your cat is "high-strung," I will say, "Okey-doke! No prob!" and take it into foster care? No, I will start a asking questions and uncover the truth, which is that your cat has not used a litter box in the last six months. Do not tell me that you "can't" crate your dog. I will ask what happens when you try to crate him, and you will either be forced to tell me the symptoms of full blown, severe separation anxiety, or else you will resort to lying some more, wasting more of our time. And, if you succeed in placing your pet in a shelter or foster care, do not tell yourself the biggest lie of all: "Those nice people will take him and find him a good home, and everything will be fine." Those nice people will indeed give the animal every possible chance, but if we discover serious health or behavior problems, if we find that your misguided attempts to train or discipline him have driven him over the edge, we will do what you are too immoral and cowardly to do: We will hold the animal in our arms, telling him truthfully that he is a good dog or cat, telling him truthfully that we are sorry and we love him, while the vet ends his life. How can we be so heartless as to kill your pet, you ask? Do not ever dare to judge us. At least we tried. At least we stuck with him to the end. At least we never abandoned him to strangers, as you certainly did, didn't you? In short, this little old rescuer/foster momma has reached the point where she would prefer you pet owners to tell her stories like this:
We went to Wal-Mart and picked up a free pet in the parking lot a couple of years ago. Now we don't want it anymore. We're lazier than we thought. We've got no patience either. We're starting to suspect the animal is really smarter than we are, which is giving us self-esteem issues. Clearly, we can't possibly keep it. Plus, it might be getting sick; it's acting kind of funny.
We would like you to take it in eagerly, enthusiastically, and immediately. We hope you'll realize what a deal you're getting and not ask us for a donation to help defray your costs. After all, this is an (almost) pure-bred animal, and we'll send the leftover food along with it. We get it at Wal-Mart too, and boy, it's a really good deal, price wise.
"We are very irritated that you haven't shown pity on us in our great need and picked the animal up already. We thought you people were supposed to be humane! Come and get it today. No, we couldn't possibly bring it to you; the final episode of "Survivor II" is on tonight."
Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Pet Owner, for your cooperation.
(Author Unknown, but could be any shelter worker or rescue worker)
i dont think the above applies to lil ex . shes not putting the dog in a shelter. shes placing the dog where she will have room to run and kids to spend time with her. huskies are runners and they require more room to run and more exercise and playtime than other breeds. 30 acres and children would be heaven to that breed of dog ! . as far as getting another frenchie, for those of you who are not familiar with the breed, they do NOT do well left alone. i have studied this breed for over a year before we bought our rocky. they are extremely needy when it comes to companionship. i am with my two 24-7 .and the times i have to go to out, which is mainly trips to the store, quinn is here. when they see me putting my shoes on they go nuts and they sit by the front door with sad faces and i feel bad ! quinn says they stay there until he calls them away from the door. and then they go nuts when they hear the truck door shut cause they know im back. if i only had just rocky or just annie, they would be so lonely and miserable. at least now for the short times that i am not here , they have each other. and they couldnt be any closer than if they were actually glued together.
I had a Siberian Husky, Shabu. She was the most beautiful dog I ever layed eyes on. I think that the idea that a dog is better off in a wolf-like state, running free etc. is overdone. I think they are just as happy with intense interaction, and pack-like involvement.
KittysMom, they did not make this decision based solely on the size of a yard or lack of a fenced in area. They also took into consideration the fact that between them they do not have the time to devote to her that she needs for exercise, attention and training.
Toy (the guy who is taking tiki) told me I'd be welcome to come over and see how she is doing. I also told him if things do not work out then to let me know and I'll find another home and take her back. 
"Thought is an invisible and subtle power that mocks all the efforts of tyranny." Alexis de Tocqueville
