Guest SusanP Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 (edited) We added a Labrador to our pack of 3 greyhounds a few days ago. She was a stray, so we don't know much about her past life, but now we want to know what makes her tick, so to speak. She is getting along great with the greyhounds and is working out beautifully so far. They think she's around 6 years old. She's a small, black Lab missing a hind leg(so we know she had medical care at one point in her life), has not had any accidents in the house, but has not asked to go out in any way, either. She's very human-oriented, loves pets and cuddles and her own soft bed above all else. She's very quiet, very calm, very gentle, and as lazy as a greyhound. She is noticeably under-weight (she'd been at the local shelter for only 3 weeks) but is not very interested in food--won't accept most treats except American cheese. Eats kibble dutifully but without gusto, has no interest in high-value treats she was offered at the shelter, no interest in toys of any kind,won't fetch or chase a ball, walks on leash without really pulling, but tends to weave around and really wants to high tail it back to our house as soon as possible. (She's bright; figured out after two potty trips up the block which is our house and makes a beeline for the front door). She's very nervous about uncarpeted floors. When she was found,in either a rural area or small town, she was skinny, dirty, had ear mites, was unspayed. She looks to me like she's nursed pups, but the shelter vet didn't believe she'd had any litters. She's still thin, but now her coat is glossy and healthy-looking. She'll have a visit to our vet tomorrow, but I'd love to hear if any of you can hazard a guess as to her past. I can't imagine anyone who loved a dog enough to see her through a leg amputation would abandon her, but with her homing instinct, I also can't imagine her wandering or running away from her home, either. How would a dog like this end up a stray? Why didn't her family move heaven and earth to find her, or at least call the local shelters? Does her love of petting and cuddling above all else mean she was loved and pampered in her previous home, or does it mean she didn't get enough of those things in her past? Why is she so anxious about getting too far from our home? Why won't she fetch balls or sticks, something most labs enjoy? Can I have some GT psychoanalysis, please? Edited August 28, 2011 by SusanP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AmberStar47988 Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Poor baby! No psychoanalysis at the moment, but bless you for taking this sweet little soul and keeping her safe and loved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SusanP Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 I guess I forgot that things happen like an owner giving a dog to someone the believe will care for the dog, and then the dog ends up getting passed around and finally abandoned that way. Do you think it's likely she'll come out of her shell and play and eat treats later on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greysmom Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 She has likely been on her own for a significant amount of time. That could account for both her craving attention and her timidity about leaving home. She's found a good thing and doesn't want to leave! Just speculation of course, as you will likely never know what or how she got into the situation she was in. There are so many variables. She might not have been lost, but dumped and abandoned by owners who could no longer afford to care for her. She might have been part of a puppy mill and either escaped or dumped. She might, as you speculated, been in either of those situations and given to someone else who didn't end up fulfilling their part of the bargain. She might have been a hunting dog that got separated from her party and never recovered after a hunt - or swam so far she couldn't get back. Your best bet is to treat her like you would a greyhound - give her time and patience as she works out everything in her mind and learns to accept her new situation. Don't force things too much too soon. It could take days or weeks or months depepnding on her personality and resillience. Don't take her responses for granted, even as sweet as she is - be careful around children, about getting in her space, expecially about possibl resource guarding with food. Once she starts becoming more comfortable, her responses are likely to change. If you're looking to add weight, you might consider giving her puppy kibble with some good canned food. It has more calories and is generally pallatable. Make sure she is staying hydrated. Quote Chris - Mom to: Felicity (DeLand), and Andi (Braska Pandora) siggy by Chris Harper, on Flickr Angels: Libby (Everlast), Dorie (Dog Gone Holly), Dude (TNJ VooDoo), Copper (Kid's Copper), Cash (GSI Payncash), Toni (LPH Cry Baby), Whiskey (KT's Phys Ed), Atom, Lilly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Scouts_mom Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Maybe her owner died and whoever got responsibility for her dumped her. Whatever her history, I'm glad she has found a good home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJNg Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Keep in mind that many of the traits you're describing (calm, quiet, lack of interest in food or playing, etc) may not be her true personality. A few days is way too early to assess a dog's true temperament, and she needs time to adjust and settle in. Hard to speculate on her past, as there are so many possibilities. But I would say that her human-oriented, affectionate behavior means she has had some loving human contact in the past. Most dogs that are not used to petting and cuddling tend to be aloof and even afraid of close contact. Quote Jennifer & Willow (Wilma Waggle), Wiki (Wiki Hard Ten), Carter (Let's Get It On), Ollie (whippet), Gracie (whippet x), & Terra (whippet) + Just Saying + Just Alice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sambuca Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 I don't know about her past and you probably never will. I'm a pet sitter and I've watched labs who usually eat with gusto and because their owners aren't there will barely eat. Give the new pup time to settle in. Hes been through a lot recently and he needs time to feel safe and part of the family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sobesmom Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 Oh wow. I won't hazard a guess - but I agree to treat her like a just-off-the-track grey. Let her acclimate, don't push things, and use caution around new situations. I know nothing about such things, but is it possible she was born without the leg, rather than an amputation? I'm with you that somebody that paid to have a leg amputated wouldn't just let their dog go missing. How did the vet check go? Keep us posted, please! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SusanP Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 Mabel is doing great. She's really starting to feel like a part of the pack and has come out of her shell and learned the routine so quickly in this first week. She's not hiding in the bedroom anymore, and she likes being out in the yard with the hounds. She even runs to me when I call her name at walk time and bumbles around happily with the 3 hounds as I get leashes on everyone. She's still not big on treats but will now chew rawhide, though she guards it, growling at the other dogs if they get within a couple of yard of her while she's got a rawhide, something new to us, so she gets it only when we are right there to watch her every second. I'd like to work on stairs next. She's so light (less than 50 lbs) that carrying her is easy, but because she's shorter than a greyhound, lifting her is more difficult. She's still eager to get back to our house when we are out, but she seems to be less frantic about it, at least when the other dogs are with us. She's walking well with the pack. No real insight from the vet--There is a scar you can feel where the fur was sewn over her stump, so it appears to have been a surgical removal. The vet says it could even have been removed when she was a pup due to a bad fracture. She had 2 teeth removed at the shelter-one an upper canine, because they were broken off. Hanging nipples could be due to coming into heat repeatedly, the vet says, or she could have had pups so long ago that when the spay was done, her uterus appeared small, leading the shelter vet to believe she hadn't had puppies. No way of knowing, I guess. I didn't have any bloodwork, etc. done...not sure if I should ask for any. She seems healthy and fit. She is a little less "needy", though she still asks for pets a lot. She's hanging out happily with the greyhound pack more. But she still doesn't seem to even notice balls or sticks thrown for her--seems so strange in a Labrador! A retriever who won't retrieve??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KennelMom Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 Maybe her owner died and whoever got responsibility for her dumped her. We agreed to take in a lab (I used to board him when I was running our kennel as a general boarding place) after his owner was diagnosed with terminal cancer. We found him a GREAT home with a GT'r, so I knew if things didn't work out the dog would come back to us...BUT, not every dog of an ill/elderly/deceased person may end up being taken care of quite as well. If a dog was clearly well taken care of at some point, this would probably be my guess as to how they end up homeless. That or divorce. Divorce can really F*up people's lives and have them make decisions that surprise everyone. I'm glad this girl landed in a great new home! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sobesmom Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 Sounds like she's gonna be okay~ Progress ALREADY! Good for you! You'll never know her past - but she's going to have a GREYT future. Give her time, and I'll bet you a quarter that she'll starting playing, fetching, and/or throwing toys around in.... 3 weeks. Got your quarter ready? Mine's sitting by my computer and I WILL mail it to you if I'm wrong! What is her name? Did I miss that in the posts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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