"Babe" Visiting His Previous Owner (Part 2)...

[M101]

Hello Forum Readers that Read My Post:

Thank You. Babe's 96 yr. old owner (my Aunt) fell and broke her hip 16 days ago. She had surgery and now is in a convalescent home (length of time I don't know).

My Aunt is VERY demanding.

Babe was taken from his home and placed in an office by her son. Left all alone for 4 days. My Father phoned him to bring the 8 mo. old to our house. He thought he was (and is) doing my Aunt an enormous favor.

Babe has not received the appropriate care. Feed whatever my Aunt felt like feeding him; isolated in the yard or a bedroom because he barked or was acting merely like a puppy. Jumped on people constantly.

I am the niece. Babe has responded well to me. I have him on a schedule for meals; grooming; play time; affection time; etc. I don't believe in placing a puppy in a crate to raise them--some of you do so don't scold me--I believe a puppy needs to be taught the house rules w/n reason.

I have been w/ Babe for about 12 hrs. a day keeping him company and trying to train him small things each day. The puppy has no memory of my Aunt. In fact I think he would respond to anyone that would give him attention.

The reason I feel the puppy should not go to a convalescent home is because he still is not leash trained; requires access to his paper for #1 and #2; and I feel w/ all the moving the puppy around from her house to an office and now to our house he will become more confused. He has that burst of energy a couple times of day still; and he will I guess forever.

No there has been no transfer of ownership to our family signed by my Aunt. If my Aunt is able to return home she will never be able to manage Babe. I feel if she insists on a pet perhaps a bunny???

Babe trusts me enough to groom him while he has a chew bone in his mouth--that's true trust! Babe's teeth are bothering him.

I don't feel my Aunt should be told now that if she really cares for Babe at all that Babe needs to have a permanent home where he can receive the attention he requires. My Aunt has had probably 8 or 9 puppies in 3 yrs. Puppies/dogs are not throw away items. They are a member of a family that are wanted and carefully selected.

Babe as mentioned before after I studied him for a day is easily distracted by any noise...especially a blaring T.V. He has "ADD". He is a listener, but should be able to return to play or grooming, etc. after he knows the noise is not a threat/danger to him. I'm not a "dog whisperer", I'm just using common sense from observation.

Babe's time when he will relax and nap is when I'm cooking in the kitchen...he finds this fascinating and waits to see the end result minus of course a taste.

Lastly, where do I purchase Bio Groom Vita Oil "Pixie Girl" suggested? I don't purchase online. I've been using a high-end human conditioner diluted w/ water--I can't spray it on him--that scares him so I massage it on a section then groom that section and on to the next section. I can fully understand the need for an oil or a conditioner prior to grooming. It works out tiny mats; and the puppy is more comfortable...no hair breakage or loss. His hair now feels very silky. Skin in excellent condition. His hair is growing faster/thicker. Only a few hairs are lost during an hr. of grooming.

Thank You

[I Found Nemo]

You can purchase it here. Good Luck with Babe!
http://www.showdogstore.com/index.asp?PageAction=PRODSEARCH&txtSearch=bio-groom+vita+oil&btnSearch=GO&Page=1&gclid=CKjVhJbLj4oCFU5xFQodARJJpQ

ANDREA~

[Morkie4]

You are doing such a wonderful job with Babe and I really hope that your aunt does not want him back when she returns home. Hopefully she has a close family member (like her son) that can help her see that she cannot meet the demands of Babe! I hope you are able to keep Babe as you seem to have such a love for him and it would be horrible for him to return to such conditions that your aunt would put him in. Try hard to keep him, he is so deserving of the good life you are willing to give him.

[Jadey]

I am the niece. Babe has responded well to me. I have him on a schedule for meals; grooming; play time; affection time; etc. I don't believe in placing a puppy in a crate to raise them--some of you do so don't scold me--I believe a puppy needs to be taught the house rules w/n reason.

I have been w/ Babe for about 12 hrs. a day keeping him company and trying to train him small things each day. The puppy has no memory of my Aunt. In fact I think he would respond to anyone that would give him attention.


1st of all I am glad you care so much about BABE and happy that he has found you.

Next, just wanted to say your crate raising statement kind of offended me, only because i crate trained donbi, and she loves it. yes~ a puppy needs to be taught the house rules, but when a puppy starts chewing on electric cables while i am not home we have a problem. I believe our furkids are all different, different meaning atitude, even if I trained donbi to not eat her fecal she will still do it at times.
we have our option to crate train them or not...
and im not scolding im just telling my side of crate trainning is not such a bad thing. Dont get me wrong I dont care what u do with your dog or how you train him... I would never leave donbi in her crate more then 4 hours, but its not a bad thing as you make it sound.

my babies are in playpens big enough for them to run and play in when i am at work. THey have their beds, peepeepad, food, water, and lots of toys.
Donbi is in her own seperate playpen too with everything, i wish i can play 12 hours during the day and keep my babies company. I need to be working, like yesterday I spent 300 dollars on toys, beds, food, groomers, and new clothes.
I dont know everyone's situation but I need to work in order to live my life the way I want too and also I am the only one spoiling my babies. So I need to work.

[I Found Nemo]

Nemo was crate trained also. There is nothing wrong with it. When you leave your house you need to crate them, they get into everything!
If I came home and my dog was injured or worse (Dead) I would blame myself forever, so I would rather be safe than sorry..

[ladyjazz]

I am soo glad that you are really jumping in and training Babe. Thats really great! I am sure you will be able to keep Babe. I thought a convalescent home is the same as a nursing home:confused: I think I am just confused. Anyway what I was thinking was that nursing homes/convalescent homes probably/more than likely will not allow pets because they have enough to take care of without adding to the work load of making sure pets are taken care of in addition to the patients. So Babe is home to stay with you:)

In terms of training I am glad you are home for 12 hours a day to really train him. Thats great! I wish I had that kind of time:( But one thing that I do want to say...train your puppy the way you want to train. Everyone is different on how they train their puppies and sometimes methods you thought would work with your dog may not. To say and I quote "I don't believe in placing a puppy in a crate to raise them--some of you do so don't scold me--I believe a puppy needs to be taught the house rules w/n reason" is kinda hurtful to those of us who may crate our pups or confine them to one small area. I know that your statement was not meant to be hurtful but I think its more the last phrase that hit home "I believe a puppy needs to be taught the house rules w/n reason." Everyone has their own opinions of what within reason means.:(
What I am getting at is this..although I don't exactly crate Cosmo, he is kept in the kitchen and is not allowed to roam through the house. For me personally it gives me peace of mind knowing that he can't get into anything at all whatsoever but his toys:) If I could come home every 4 hours to check on him I probably would crate him or if I was able to stay at home with him at least 12 hours during the day then I would probably let him roam free most of the time, but right now for me personally I don't have that luxury since I am a busy accountant. I have heard and found that puppies sometimes like to be in the small space. They find it comforting and are actually able to relax a little better without having to worry about what is going on around them since they are in the crate. So I adjusted to what works for me. Keeping Cosmo in one confined area also helped Cosmo to learn where to go potty and where not to go potty. It is safe to say that Cosmo rarely and I mean rarely has accidents. He knows that he has to go on the weepad and he knows where to go.
Of course all of this is just my opinion. I thought you might wanna see the other side of it:) I hope Babe is doing well and keep up the good work with training him:)

[M101]

Hi: Thank You for your comments. Babe is in the kitchen (about a 4' x 15').
Bed on one end...potty papers near the back door. I didn't mean to offend any of you that have your furry babies in crates. Too many times I've seen owners of dogs that put their dogs inside a crate the entire life of the dog--large or small breed. The owners call these dogs "trophy dogs"...meaning if they allow the dog out it is merely to show the dog off to company.

Sadly yesterday my parents took Babe to see my Aunt. They put him in his pet carrier and he got car sick from both ends. This was done before I woke up.

I had to bath him; console him; etc. In the afternoon after his bath all returned to normal from both ends.

Babe is very content in the kitchen. I've spoiled him I know. When I feel he can on his own locate his papers I will provide an adjoining room for him. I need to puppy proof some computer wires first.

Babe did not have any memory of my Aunt. And according to my Mom she said she wanted him to stay w/ me. Of course, he looks so well groomed; is behaved; etc. My Aunt who is demanding was just trying to get her own way.

I'm going to have a professional photographer come over and take photos of Babe...create a photo album for my Aunt, and have it delivered to her. If my Aunt does return home I'll buy her a bunny she can hold. Of course my Aunt thinks nothing of all of this. Her son is the one that put Babe for 3 or 4 days in his office by himself...so he has no concern for Babe.

Although I'm investing 12 + hrs. per day w/ Babe training; playing; entertaining him; etc. when I put him in my lap prior to putting him in his bed for the night, he gives me 10 mins. of kisses, and I know I'm doing something right and he appreciates the love and care he is receiving. I talk to him like he is a baby...we have many talks each day (maybe I've now lost it), but I want him to know his life will be better. He will receive the life he always deserved. And he listens intently.

A very long time ago the Afghan I raised from 6 wks. til the day he was poisoned by a neighbor boy tore my heart apart. And I swore I never would have a pet again. I still think of Rashi often. He was very special. I could write a book on him, but I won't bore you.

I hope someday my backside recovers from sitting on the kitchen floor. I told Babe last night if I had a sleeping bag I would stay w/ him...because he is so darn cute. Several strokes on his head and he fell asleep in my lap. I call his naps his "beauty naps".

I agree w/ you that protecting your fur baby while you are gone is very important...these puppies are very crafty planing their next sneaky move for fun. So I apologize for my statement regarding the crates.

You have a wonderful weekend!

[Morkie4]

I understand where you are coming from with regard to the crate. My son crated his jack russell (worse thing for this breed) for at least nine hours a day. The poor little dog had so many issues when she was let out, it was extremely depressing. So in this sense, the crate was an abuse. I kept her for three months and we totally trusted her in the house and she was a perfect angel.........but she was given plenty of attention and plenty of exercise. All issues were resolved. But in most cases, which was expressed in the above posts, crates are an effective way to train a dog and in no way is it abusive. It is "home" to them when used properly and they find comfort in being in them. I just thought I would add another two cents!

[mrfinke]

We also crate trained all of our dogs. It has worked well so far. We wouldn't however leave them in a crate all day. My dad or mom would come home for lunch and let them outside for an half hour-hour, than put them back in and a few hours later we'd get home from school and let them out. Now however, they are trained enough where they stay inside the laundry room. Although, we have a destructive chewer so the room isn't really in prime condition to say the least.