I have a tough placement...... - Page 1

I know this is not the place to post ads but I need some help........

After long hard thought, I have decided to try and place my little dog

You can search "Ria von Schneidenfel" on the database for some reason my computer is not allowing the link.

"Piston" is 19 months old. She is a nice little dog with some problems. She has trans vertabral segment and has a slight nerve impingment in her left rear leg. Right now she can do anything any other dog can do. I have not seen an increase in symptoms since they developed @ 9 months. The specialist says she could go 5-6 years before her symptoms severly alter her life. My research shows the dogs usually fail between 4-7 years old.

She has been raised in a kennel and has very little manners. She has basic OB and bitework.

I have gone back and forth with what I am going to do with this dog. I was going to put her down, then I decided to just keep her and work her to her ability. However, I have just come to the realization that I have limited space for dogs and goals that I wish to achieve.  I just don't have the time and/or space to keep her.

She is a very soft dog and easy to handle.She has good pack drive and always wants to be with me. I have no doubt she could obtain a French Ring Brevet. She knows almost the whole OB just have to do the muzzle and food refusal. I am sure she could do a ring 1 if her body allows her to do the jump. She could serve as a PPD dog if someone knows how to mold the aggression but lacks courage. I am sure she would track as her nose is always buried in the ground and she will search for her ball.

She will play ball all day long and loves the river. She has high energy, good prey drive and carries prey aggression, where in lies the problem for a placement.......

Small running, screaming children turn into rabbits. If she is wound up, she wants to kill bicycles. So you get my point. She is not a mean dog at all just a prey driven one. She is a soft dog so I am sure she could be trained in these areas but I would not be comfortable placing her in a home with children under 14.

So I have a high energy dog with prey drive and prey aggression, with a bad back. Tough placment. Sport people don't want her and she is alot for just a "pet".

Con't

My ideal placement would be with a teenage girl who wanted to get her feet wet in dog sports but be realistic with the dogs ability. Next would be a place with property and other dogs to run with. She has not shown any signs of dog aggression and loves to play. A single girl (I prefer this dog to go to a woman) who likes to take her dog hiking, swimming, or is an active runner would be good. I would also consider a couple with no children younger than 14.

I would love this dog to go to a young girl to learn about dog sports, love,life, and the responsibility of making the decision of when to let go.

If someone has the means her operation would cost approx $4000.

This is a tough thing for me. I love my little dog and want to right by her, but will put her down before placing her in a home that is not right or with a bleeding heart that will not put her down when the time comes.

For those who want to judge me and tell me what a terrible person I am, please keep it to yourselves. I don't need or want it. For those who have any idea of homes that may be a fit, please e-mail me.

Thank you

GARD

PS

She is un-altered and would need to be spayed.

I would prefer this dog to stay on the west coast for me to be able to visit the home...

I would be willing to work with someone on the cost of the spay and shipping.

GARD, I'm sorry the prognosis wasn't better.  I do hope you find her the right home.  Good luck.

Get a real dog,

Why would you want to put someone through that??

Maybe someone might take over your responability, but I wouldn't.

Rather than saying what I think, I'll say nothing.

Its probably best.

Brent.

GARD, Why do you want to place this bitch to the hands of a teenager knowing that this dog is going to require special medical care? A teenager (expect of wealthy parents) doesn't have the funds (other than the parents, if wealthy) to afford this kind of surgery. How can you dump this dog to a young person like this? Don't you want to find someone that has experience of dealing with special needs dogs? IMO a young teenager should be the last to find for your bitch.

Are you going to split the surgery bill to correct the trans vertebral segment in the future?

I'm sorry if you think im being a bitch over this but dumping a dog thats needing expensive medical care on a teenager doesn't sound logical to me.

Why don't you contact Hodie? Maybe she can help find someone that deals with special needs dogs and can afford the surgrey.

You would be surprised how many people out there are willing to invest in helping a dog that needs it, and there are certainly dedicated junior handlers out there.  It's a long shot, but sure, but you wouldn't you feel you owed it to your dog to try?

GARD, I read your post carefully (as some here clearly did not) and I hope you do manage to find that elusive "perfect home".  If not, I'm sure she'll be waiting for you on the other side.

I hope you find someone too.

But it's a lot to ask of someone in my oppinion.

Your not a terrible person.  

I'm still holding back tho.

gard, check the gsd rescues and see if you can work with them to find the right home. they sometimes perform miracles  with regards to to tough-to-place or special needs dogs. good luck.

gsroc.org in orange county has a personal dog placement section. like i said, maybe they can help. i know they've placed blind, deaf, horribly burned (and healed), and other special cases.

For pete sake, Two Moons, GARD is trying to give this dog a new lease on life. He's being honest about her health issues. Would you sooner see him have the dog PTS rather than giving her a few more years of a  happy life by trying to find a home that  understands the situation? I just read a beautiful post on another breed board written by a young lady with a family who has rescued a number of GSD's and other animals. One of her GSD's is a special needs dog with megasophagus (sp?). She has to be fed via a feeding tube in her stomach and still throws up from time to time. However, she is pain free and leading a very happy life. Not all dogs are perfect. I assure you if I lived near GARD and could have another dog right now, I'd take her in a hearbeat if he'd allow her to go to someone who would keep her as a couch potato and not work her.

Good luck, GARD. I hope  you find that special home for her.  IMO it's the right thing to do; I'd do the same if she were mine. Good advice to check the rescues, they may keep a list of people who adopt special needs dogs. I know some people who only take special needs and senior dogs, but it's a different breed sadly. I'll check with them, they may know of someone in CA.