For dog lovers Pt. 2

[MrsSpringsteen]

Samson is so beautiful

I've read about the family trying to get this dog, they finally did today.

(CNN) -- A U.S. military dog whose handler and best friend was killed in Iraq got a new assignment on Friday -- retirement with the late Marine's family.

It took the family months of lobbying to get the adoption approved by the military.

Lex was beside Cpl. Dustin Lee when Lee was killed in a mortar attack in Falluja.

In spite of his injuries, the dog didn't want to leave Lee's side after the attack, according to the Marine's father. Other Marines reportedly had to pull the dog away from the young man's body so medics could reach him. VideoWatch Lex demonstrate his talents »

Lex attended Lee's funeral in March, playing games with the 20-year-old Marine's younger brother on the sidelines.

Although some shrapnel remains in his body, Lex recovered from his wounds and returned to duty at the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany, Georgia.

Friday, the 8-year-old bomb-sniffing German shepherd was turned over to Lee's family to live out the rest of his life in Quitman, Mississippi.

"This is to certify that military working dog Lex, having served faithfully and honorably, was discharged from the United States Marine Corps on this 21st day of December 2007," a Marine read at a ceremony interrupted by occasional barks.

Afterward, Jerome Lee, Dustin Lee's father, crouched down and shook Lex's paw.

Lex seemed oblivious to his 15 minutes of fame as he lay at the feet of a Marine during most of the ceremony.

Jerome Lee had lobbied hard for months to adopt the dog. Marine officials initially told Lee that it would be no problem to get the dog. But persuading the service to give up Lex before the dog's mandatory retirement at age 10 proved to be a challenge.

"Since Dustin's death we've been trying to get his dog, Lex, from the Marine Corps, and needless to say we've had some difficulty there," said Lee, a Mississippi Highway Patrol officer. "This thing went from colonels to generals all the way up to the commandant of the Marine Corps, and it almost went to the secretary of defense."

One issue was making sure the dog was not "overly aggressive." His behavior with the Lee youngsters -- Lex played tug of war with 13-year-old Camryn at his brother's funeral -- seemed to assure that wouldn't be a problem. Marine officials also said the request had to go through the Air Force, which is the approving authority for all military dogs.

Finally, on December 13, the Marines agreed to let Lex go live with Lee's family. It was the first time the Marines have released a dog before its retirement to a former handler's family.

"Lex has had two tours in Iraq," Jerome Lee said. "He's been through a lot, and we just want to get Lex home to our family and let him have a happy life."

Well before joining the Marines, Dustin Lee was known for his devotion to his country. A member of Quitman High School's cross-country track team, Lee and three teammates participated in the Americans United: Flag Across America Run after the September 11, 2001, attacks.

It was no surprise when the young man joined the Marines out of high school in 2004, nor when he went to Albany to train military police dogs. He reportedly was inspired by his mother's work with search and rescue team dogs when he was a boy.

An animal lover who also rode horses, the boy played hide-and-seek with his mother's dog, Jerome Lee said.

"He would let the dog get a sniff of his clothing and then go hide to see if the dog could find him," the elder Lee said.

At the logistics base in Albany, Lee said, he "worked with all the dogs and became the kennel master."

The Marine and Lex had been stationed in Falluja for nearly five months before the fatal attack. When the Marine's body was returned to Quitman in March, hundreds lined the streets waving American flags to say a tearful goodbye. And Lex was there.

In Albany on Thursday, kennel master Mike Reynolds led Lex through his paces for the last time in his military career. But it's time for the old pro to learn some new tricks in civilian life.

Jerome Lee said he hopes Lex's presence will make his other two children feel closer to their missing older brother.

"There's always going to be that missing link with Dusty gone," he said. "But part of Dusty is here with Lex."

 

[Liesje]

Beautiful dog! I hope it works out. I understand their position, but these dogs are so selectively trained and bred, often they make terrible pets (not aggression, but too much working drive). Eight years is not that old for a German Shepherd. Sounds like the mother has SAR experience though so I bet she can give the dog what he needs.

 

[anitram]

That story makes me sad. But a lovely looking dog, that's for sure.

 

[Angela Harlem]

Here's our Archie, the latest addition to my ever growing family of short things (it's a joke you can't come over here without tripping over a cat, dog or kid):

I am so glad we adopted him. It was one of the best decisions of 2007.

Most likely "mostly" Staffy, British by the looks of him, with possible Boxer, maybe even a touch of Ridgeback a couple of generations ago. It also seems certain there is a bit of Stumpy Cattle in him because of his red "merle" chest and paws.

Lifelong friends:

 

[anitram]

He's so cute! Sometimes I wish I had a little dog so I could carry it around like a baby.

 

[Diemen]

What a cute pup, Angie! Can definitely see the staff in him.

 

[JCOSTER]

Samson is so beautiful

I've read about the family trying to get this dog, they finally did today.

(CNN) -- A U.S. military dog whose handler and best friend was killed in Iraq got a new assignment on Friday -- retirement with the late Marine's family.

It took the family months of lobbying to get the adoption approved by the military.

Lex was beside Cpl. Dustin Lee when Lee was killed in a mortar attack in Falluja.

In spite of his injuries, the dog didn't want to leave Lee's side after the attack, according to the Marine's father. Other Marines reportedly had to pull the dog away from the young man's body so medics could reach him. VideoWatch Lex demonstrate his talents »

Lex attended Lee's funeral in March, playing games with the 20-year-old Marine's younger brother on the sidelines.

Although some shrapnel remains in his body, Lex recovered from his wounds and returned to duty at the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany, Georgia.

Friday, the 8-year-old bomb-sniffing German shepherd was turned over to Lee's family to live out the rest of his life in Quitman, Mississippi.

"This is to certify that military working dog Lex, having served faithfully and honorably, was discharged from the United States Marine Corps on this 21st day of December 2007," a Marine read at a ceremony interrupted by occasional barks.

Afterward, Jerome Lee, Dustin Lee's father, crouched down and shook Lex's paw.

Lex seemed oblivious to his 15 minutes of fame as he lay at the feet of a Marine during most of the ceremony.

Jerome Lee had lobbied hard for months to adopt the dog. Marine officials initially told Lee that it would be no problem to get the dog. But persuading the service to give up Lex before the dog's mandatory retirement at age 10 proved to be a challenge.

"Since Dustin's death we've been trying to get his dog, Lex, from the Marine Corps, and needless to say we've had some difficulty there," said Lee, a Mississippi Highway Patrol officer. "This thing went from colonels to generals all the way up to the commandant of the Marine Corps, and it almost went to the secretary of defense."

One issue was making sure the dog was not "overly aggressive." His behavior with the Lee youngsters -- Lex played tug of war with 13-year-old Camryn at his brother's funeral -- seemed to assure that wouldn't be a problem. Marine officials also said the request had to go through the Air Force, which is the approving authority for all military dogs.

Finally, on December 13, the Marines agreed to let Lex go live with Lee's family. It was the first time the Marines have released a dog before its retirement to a former handler's family.

"Lex has had two tours in Iraq," Jerome Lee said. "He's been through a lot, and we just want to get Lex home to our family and let him have a happy life."

Well before joining the Marines, Dustin Lee was known for his devotion to his country. A member of Quitman High School's cross-country track team, Lee and three teammates participated in the Americans United: Flag Across America Run after the September 11, 2001, attacks.

It was no surprise when the young man joined the Marines out of high school in 2004, nor when he went to Albany to train military police dogs. He reportedly was inspired by his mother's work with search and rescue team dogs when he was a boy.

An animal lover who also rode horses, the boy played hide-and-seek with his mother's dog, Jerome Lee said.

"He would let the dog get a sniff of his clothing and then go hide to see if the dog could find him," the elder Lee said.

At the logistics base in Albany, Lee said, he "worked with all the dogs and became the kennel master."

The Marine and Lex had been stationed in Falluja for nearly five months before the fatal attack. When the Marine's body was returned to Quitman in March, hundreds lined the streets waving American flags to say a tearful goodbye. And Lex was there.

In Albany on Thursday, kennel master Mike Reynolds led Lex through his paces for the last time in his military career. But it's time for the old pro to learn some new tricks in civilian life.

Jerome Lee said he hopes Lex's presence will make his other two children feel closer to their missing older brother.

"There's always going to be that missing link with Dusty gone," he said. "But part of Dusty is here with Lex."

I am so happy this family got this beautiful dog. It must make them feel so close to their son. Thats a great gift.

 

[Liesje]

OMG, Angie he is adorable!!! I agree, he looks British staffy and definitely some Boxer. He's just a pup and nearly as big as the cocker! I love the coat on the cocker. In the US, it seems most people with pet cockers just give them the "pet trim" which is a full shave. I love to see them in full coat or show trim (skirted).

We are at the in-laws right now and they have a cocker. He's sort of insecure and a little protective of my MIL, but to our surprise he let Kenya in the house and they're doing really well. Every once in a while he will bark when he is right by my MIL, but Kenya knows better than to challenge him on his own turf. I was doing clicker work with Kenya because we have two shows next month and Sam the cocker came over so I started with him. They didn't think he would catch on, but he has already learned to press the Easy Button and now we are learning "down" (basic, yes, but no one ever taught him). The clicker gives the dogs so much confidence! After his session he was parading around the house and he let Kenya sniff all over him and eat out of his dish.

 

[Diemen]

Pics of Luna from xmas break:

 

[Liesje]

Great shots Adam!


This is really sad. I belong to a dog forum/community where I post pretty actively. Yesterday, one of our members ran after her dog Lucy b/c Lucy got away and was heading into the street. Lucy is fine, but her owner was hit and died today.

This is a video she made that she did not yet share with us, but her husband just shared it:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ipip4TW8G4U

 

[anitram]

What a sad story. It goes to show just how much of a member of a family a dog is. I've run out on the street after our dogs a few times and thank goodness nothing bad ever happened.

Diemen, Luna is so cute. Samson also has different colours of nails. One black, one white, etc. I always thought it was so odd.

 

[Angela Harlem]

I love this thread, but keep forgetting to come in and read it. Your dogs are all so adorable!! Thanks for the compliments on my mutts

Lies, that's so sad about your forum friend. I'm so sorry to hear it.

 

[kafrun]

I don't visit this thread enough either Lucy is such a pretty girl So sad about her momma


On a lighter note, pugs are so funny: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLtq7Bz9wH4

OMG.

 

[bonocomet]

Sorry as well to hear that sad story.

Kaf I was cracking up at all those pug vids! My daughter has always wanted one, I sent her the link. LOL!


I'll have to go back thru all these pages and see all your doggies, it's been a long time since I visited and posted a pic of Sugar. Anyways, here she is with one of her favorite toys.

 

[Liesje]

Hey Sugar looks a LOT like my Coke!!

 

[bonocomet]

Oh you're right! We have always wondered which breeds she might be mixed. But we've never felt we really figured it out. (We adopted her from the shelter, she and a sister were strays) She looks like a bigger dog because she's got this crazy coat that never ever stops shedding. It's thick and my daughter uses a (stripper, I think that's what they're called?) and it looks like we've just sheered a sheep with all the fuzzy hair that comes off, but her top layer is more silky. I grew up with collies and the coat is similar. Under her fur though she's very small boned, and has the body of a greyhound, with a very tiny waist, and runs like one too. People are always surprised when she's wet that she looks like that.
I loved those pics of your dogs playing in the snow!

 

[Idun]

cute dogs and great pics everyone!

Here's my dog:

His name is Assar, almost 8 years old (already!) and he's an english springer spaniel. I love him so much. He definitely is my best friend.

 

[Liesje]

Aw he doesn't look a day over 2!

Kenya and I doing last minute practice at a show on Saturday:

 

[Idun]

yeah he still kinda looks young but it's a little scary to know that the years has gone so fast!

awesome! I've always wanted to practice something with my dog, but I've never really started with it.

 

[Angela Harlem]

What do you all do for fleas, if you live in a flea area, that is? We're in a chronic flea season here at the moment, worse than it's been in years. I've got both my mutts on Sentinel but Sally, who's been chewing herself madly for a few weeks and scratching continually, has actually stripped the fronts of her hind legs bare and her skin is red and raw. Her lower belly is also rather bitten and irritated. She's going to the vet tomorrow for medication to help with the immediate problem of her sore and itchy skin, but this is insane that even Sentinel isn't killing them. They're like mutated fleas which are becoming immune to all the best treatments we have here.



Assar is gorgeous, too! I've always thought Sally was more springer than cocker. She's too sleek and elegant looking to be a typically pudgy cocker. I adore springers. Awesome breed.

 

[bonocomet]

We've always used Advantage on our dog and cat and have never had fleas, but then it sounds like you have some really scarey mutant fleas

 

[indra]

A story that could have been horrible, but turned out good. The link has pics.

All Remington ever wants to do is play.

The 2-year-old chocolate Labrador retriever has done a lot of that since he was adopted from an acquaintance last June by his Norton Shores family.

"Last summer, I threw the tennis ball into the lake until my arm was more tired than he was," said Remington's owner, Scott Cornelisse, 34.

But the 100-pound dog's friendly, overly effusive greeting of a delivery driver last week nearly cost him his life.

Hidden in the dog's broad-chested, athletic body was a time bomb -- 81⁄2-inches of an aluminum arrow shaft complete with a field tip.

No one knows when, where or why the dog was shot, only that the arrow was lodged in his body for a long time -- certainly before Scott Cornelisse, his wife, Kelly, 31, and their children, Olivia, 7, and Kamden, 9, brought him home, according to their veterinarian.

Dr. Steven Harden of Clarke Animal Hospital in Norton Shores successfully removed the arrow and Remington is now home recuperating.


"This was a unique case because of how long the arrow had been in there," Harden said, adding: "Animals are amazing, and this dog is proof of that.

"For me, this is a celebration of the dog, not the doctor," he said.

For months, the dog seemed oblivious to the life-threatening projectile lodged in its chest.

When a delivery driver came to the door with a package on Jan. 7, Remington couldn't wait to see who was there. Kelly Cornelisse grabbed for the exuberant dog. The driver, "who had been bitten two weeks ago, was frightened," Scott Cornelisse said.

Kelly Cornelisse corraled the dog in the kitchen, and after that, he apparently went somewhere to lie down. "Neither of us knew he was hurt," her husband said.

Somehow the back of the arrow had been pushed upward, changing its position inside Remington's body.

As the evening wore on, Remington was not himself. He didn't want to play. In fact, he didn't even want to move.

When Scott Cornelisse tried to pick him up around the chest, "something stuck between my fingers," he said.

Remington didn't so much as whimper, but Scott Cornelisse instantly let go. Something was protruding in an approximately 3-inch lump from the chest area. "I thought it was a broken rib," he said.

When he called the veterinarian's office, he was told to watch the dog overnight and bring him in the first thing Tuesday morning.

"I laid next to him all night long," Scott Cornelisse said. "He kept putting his head underneath my arm and I kept rubbing his head."

When the dog got out of the family vehicle at the animal hospital the next morning, the arrow shifted again. Pictures taken at the time show a distinct lump on the dog's back.

The first X-ray revealed the presence of the arrow and it didn't look good. Scott Cornelisse got the call at work. He was shocked, and his emotions hit bottom when he was told "it looks like the arrow is through his heart."

But a second X-ray showed the arrow missed the dog's heart, giving everyone hope. The arrow originally entered the dog's body under the left armpit. "It went through the left side of the lung field and exited alongside the thoracic vertebrae," Harden said.

The veterinarian recommended a trip to Michigan State University, the state's "Mayo Clinic" for animals.

The removal of the arrow was a surgery any Muskegon-area veterinarian could have done, Harden emphasized, but the concern was for the complications that could have resulted.

However, the cost of surgery and treatment at MSU, or even at his vet's office, was something Scott Cornelisse said he couldn't afford. He asked about euthanizing the dog.

Harden said he was willing to try to save Remington's life without charge.

"There are still Good Samaritans out there who are willing to go the extra mile," said a grateful Scott Cornelisse, who had to tell his children their friend might not be coming home.

"Every once in awhile, a case like this comes along," Harden said. "We did the surgery during my lunch hour and my staff volunteered to stay and assist me."

The surgery only took "about three minutes," Harden said. "I cut over the point of the arrow and I pulled it out. Our biggest concern was about what was going to happen to his chest when we removed the arrow."

"I don't want this story to be about me," Harden said. Remington "was in great shape. He's the All-Star here."

Everyone is calling Remington "a miracle dog." He came home Wednesday and it's been hard to keep him quiet since, Scott Cornelisse said.

Olivia has the big "teddy bear" she sleeps with back, and Kamden has his keep-away soccer buddy around again.

 

[Liesje]

What do you all do for fleas, if you live in a flea area, that is? We're in a chronic flea season here at the moment, worse than it's been in years. I've got both my mutts on Sentinel but Sally, who's been chewing herself madly for a few weeks and scratching continually, has actually stripped the fronts of her hind legs bare and her skin is red and raw. Her lower belly is also rather bitten and irritated. She's going to the vet tomorrow for medication to help with the immediate problem of her sore and itchy skin, but this is insane that even Sentinel isn't killing them. They're like mutated fleas which are becoming immune to all the best treatments we have here.

I use Frontline Plus. I've done a lot of research into flea treatments since I had an outbreak a few months ago and I have five animals in my home.

Kenya was on BioSpot because that's what the breeder used. Well a lot of good that did b/c I found fleas and flea dirt on her.

Flea shampoos cannot kill fleas, they only stun them so you can brush them out. Brushing fleas out of a large, double-coated dog is just not going to happen with me! You can get pills called Capstar from the vet. Capstar actually KILLS fleas. However, if you have fleas, you have eggs, and the eggs are what need to be dealt with. Fleas will stay on the host animal as long as possible, they typically won't go jumping off onto humans and such unless the animal dies. The eggs, however, are designed to fall off and get deep into the carpeting and other surfaces.

I would give every animal in the house a Capstar tablet and then give another one in two more days just to be sure. That will provide more instant relief from the itching b/c the fleas on the animal will die.

Then, you really have to treat the entire house or they just keep coming back. You can buy bombs and foggers. I didn't go that route b/c I don't know how to turn off/on all the pilot lights in my home. I got a spray from the vet and found a powder at the grocery store. It MUST contain and "insect growth regulater" (IGR). You cannot really kill flea eggs, but the IGR interrupts their life cycle so they won't hatch and eventually die. The products I bought are supposed to remain for 365 days.

I took every item of bedding, dog bedding, curtains, upholstery, and rugs and washed them all in HOT water (poured in pans of boiling water) and bleach. Then I used the spray and the powder in every room of the house and sprayed the bed and the furniture. The powder you have to sweep into the carpets and then vacuum after several hours.

After doing all this and putting the Frontline Plus on all the animals, I haven't seen a single flea or any sort of bug on my animals or in my home. I think Kenya picked up fleas out in the long grass of our property. There are lots of wild animals back there. Before this incident, I never once treated any of my cats with flea preventative and had never even seen a flea until Kenya brought them in.

You may want to switch flea preventatives, although if you've recently administered it you will have to wait. I just googled Sentinel and it says it does not kill fleas. I've heard from many people that the flea and heart worm combo drugs are really not as effective with fleas as a flea & tick topical preventative. As far as I can tell, Frontline Plus is generally considered the best preventative.

Also it could be that your dog is allergic to fleas. Many dogs are and it's rather unpleasant for the poor puppers.

 

[bonocomet]

Damn that was alot of work you had to go thru Liesje

I haven't done any research but I know the Advantage works. I've never seen a single flea on my dog or cat in the 8 years we've owned them.

 

[Angela Harlem]

Wow, thank you so much, Lies! The vet nurse said not to do a thing more to her until she is reviewed this afternoon, no washes or more tabs or anything. The cats are on Advantage (if only there was a squirt on the back of the neck for dogs! - I'm paranoid that they don't swallow tablets, even though they do). Our recent pack of Sentinel Spectrum came with a free Capstar pack which I didn't use because I've always had the hounds on Sentinel Spectrum and never had a problem before now. I found it strange that the Sentinel was with a freebie Capstar, as the Sentinel is supposed to break the flea cycle as well. But I just thought Novartis were whoring themselves a bit. I've just gathered all their tablets in front of me and am reviewing them all again. I think the main problem currently is an aggressive flea infestation. The vet said it's a chronic problem in this area at the moment, and for the last 2 months their clinic has seen more people like me with mine than ever before. We also went on holidays over christmas/NY and we let off 6 (yes 6, when it rains it pours here!) flea bombs. We only live in a small house, but it was war. I vacuumed and cleaned all bedding, I washed the animals, our bedding, their bedding, I sprayed surface spray on the carpets, I aerogarded us and the kids 3 times a day.

Anyway, all this said, the vet said to not give them anything more as doubling the dose is not wise. I'll wait and see what they say for the short term, hopefully some lotion or tablets to help with her itch - possibly an antihistamine?, and then review again the longterm plan. Maybe we need a Capstar/Sentinel combined plan to deal with this. I just need them to tell me when it's safe to start dosing her up again.

Thank you again, Lies!

 

[indra]

The cats are on Advantage (if only there was a squirt on the back of the neck for dogs! - I'm paranoid that they don't swallow tablets, even though they do).

You don't have spot on topical flea treatments for dogs there? We used to use the pill form of flea prevention, but found it just did not work. Perhaps if you were in a completely closed environment it would do the trick eventually, but if pets go outside at all the fleas hop on and there's nothing to kill them. So your current fleas aren't having flea babies, but all the other fleas in the neighbourhood are.

The Revolution I buy online for my critters has come from Australia (and once New Zealand) so I thought it was available there. It's a spot on and takes care of fleas, ticks, heartworm and ear mites in dogs (and a few other things in cats). I used to use seperate flea and heartworm treatments, but I haven't had much of a flea problem in the past several years so went with the dual purpose (and more cost efficient) Revolution. I do think Advantage (they do make a version for dogs -- I don't know if it's available there though) might be better for bad cases of fleas than Revolution, but my animals have done well with both.

 

[Diemen]

this afternoon, no washes or more tabs or anything. The cats are on Advantage (if only there was a squirt on the back of the neck for dogs! - I'm paranoid that they don't swallow tablets, even though they do).

There is a squirt on the neck for dogs. I think Advantage has one, actually. I use Frontline - never had a flea problem with Luna.

 

[Angela Harlem]

Ah, cheers, Diemen and indra! I must go out into the world of flea treatments again and do some investigating on flea and larvae, and all the worms. The fleabag mutts need me!

 

[Liesje]

I've found the cheapest yet most successful method of preventing fleas and heartworm (for my dogs) is using Frontline Plus for fleas and using ivermectin for heartworm. Ivermectin is the same drug used in most heartworm preventatives. I buy a tube of horse de-wormer at a farm store for $8. The dosage is tricky because the concentration is not the same, but one $8 tube will not even be half emptied by the time it expires.

I do not like the heartworm and flea/tick combos. Many of them are systemic and far less effective than other products. Frontline Plus is not the cheapest flea preventative, but I think it's the most effective. I've used cheaper products in the past and guess what, it did nothing to the fleas on the dog. You get what you pay for as far as the flea stuff. I agree with indra, the pills just don't work unless we're talking about Capstar, which kills the fleas within 24 hours but is not a preventative treatment (it's given for immediate relief once the dog already has fleas or was definitely exposed).

 

[Liesje]

I'm such a bad dog owner, I let my dogs play tug-of-war with their toys!

Such a difficult life *sigh*