Author Topic: Help me! What do I do?  (Read 21040 times)

Offline Gracie Belle

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Re: Help me! What do I do?
« Reply #15 on: September 05, 2007, 06:12:36 pm »
Hey thanks everyone.  Aeryk always joke that the animals love me the most and not him. So he is bound and determined to make Tonka love him more than me.  It makes me laugh.  I laugh cause they all love him just as much.  It's funny to me.  But I think that Tonka is doing really well with his fear of men.  He's met two of our neighbors who are men and other than the initial fear of not knowing them he recovered very well.  He was curious and not scared and tail wagging up instead of between his legs.  I'm proud of this guy.  The best part is Michael, one of the neighbors really wants to help with our walks because he's fascinated with him.  Who couldn't be in my opinion...  So, he is moving on very nicely and I plan on taking Michael up on his offer.  Oh, and since it's been about 8 years since I've had a great dane, I forgot how slightly annoying the "horse" references are.  We decided to keep a running tally of them and so far (remember Tonka moved in on Tuesday the 4th) we have 5 different people make that comment.  hahaha.  Nice huh?  Is so totally original the first 15 times you hear it.
Misty slave to:
Gracie Belle, 2 year English Mastiff
Rosco, 1 yr Toy German Shettweiler (designer mutt of course)and toy cause he's not Rotti or GSD size AT ALL.  Though they said he was a mix of the two..  Tonka, 3 year Great Dane
And last and most certainly NOT least, Linus 5 year old cat.

Icerotti

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Re: Help me! What do I do?
« Reply #16 on: September 05, 2007, 06:56:56 pm »
AWww Stacey I am so sorry this all happened. I know this must be a very diffiult time for you and your family . We are keeping you all in our thoughts. :-*
It is great that Tonka was able to goto such a great friend and you will still get to interact with him.

Offline London_Pyr_Lover

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Re: Help me! What do I do?
« Reply #17 on: September 05, 2007, 08:15:41 pm »
I'm so glad this terrible situation turned out so well.  I'm releived that Tonka has gone to Misty, and now you don't have to worry about never seeing him again.  I know it's sad for you right now, but I mean, when you think about it, how often are you over at your best friends house?  Alot.  So you'll get to see him often, and then slowly reintroduce your kids to him maybe?  I'm glad he's starting to get over his fear of men too, that's a huge relief.

Good Luck!!! ;) ;D
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Offline 2Criminals

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Re: Help me! What do I do?
« Reply #18 on: September 05, 2007, 08:56:16 pm »
Stacey, first Tonka's problems and Sam's being bit is not your fault.  It is the fault of you father and the other people that treated him that way.  I think they should be told what THEY did to Sam. 

Call Dane rescue.  I have seen this scenario on quite a few rescue sites.  They will work with him to overcome his fears and place him in the appropriate home.  They can handle this.

100% Agreed. I would absolutely make sure that they know that they caused this behaviour and took your son's dog from him. They would also be banned from my house and any other animals I ever owned.

Offline Stacey

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Re: Help me! What do I do?
« Reply #19 on: September 10, 2007, 08:57:26 pm »
I really want to thank everyone for their kind words and support, this has been a very difficult adjustment.

Sam is doing fine, and there doesn't seem to be any lasting repurcussions from the incident.  I think, for Sam, the whole thing happened so quickly that he doesn't even realize what actually occurred.  He doesn't seem to have any lingering fears or anxiety over dogs, he still wants to chase Zoe, our poodle mix, all over the house.  Sam, being so young, doesn't realize what has happened, nor does he grasp that Tonka is gone.  Macey, my 6 year old, on the other hand, had a difficult time and I think, initially, she was angry at Sam and blamed him.  We talk about it and she knows that aunt Misty has Tonka and she will be able to visit him and he will visit her.  She has come around and accepted this and is excited about getting to see Tonka with Gracie and Rosco very soon.  I have told her we just need to wait a few weeks and give Tonka plenty of time to adjust to his new home and his new family before we go see him, I don't want to confuse him.

I know, without a doubt, what happened was not an "attack" or a "mauling", it was just....I don't know, it was not vicious, though.  Given the fact that Sam has a mark on his cheek that is about 3cm long and his chin that is about 2cm, I realize that if Tonka was angry or attacking the damage would have been far worse.  I just know that if I had kept Tonka, every move and sound he made would have been completely overanalyzed by me and I would have overreacted and been nervous and anxious, and that would have only made him nervous and anxious.  There is also the fact that my son is visually impaired, he is legally blind and his vision will only continue to deteriorate as time goes on.  This event made me consider other scenarios, like my visually impaired son stepping on or tripping over Tonka one day, because he didn't see him, and hurting him or compelling Tonka to protect himself or retaliate.

This turned out, in light of these events, better than I ever could have hoped.  The day all this happened all I could think about was what would happen to Tonka, what if he was neglected or abused, what if he didn't adjust, I just would never know.  I know that Misty will take care of him, I know that he will be treated exactly the way he should be, I know he will be very happy.  I get to see him, I get to know how he is doing and my daughter, who loves that dog, doesn't have to let go completely.

Thank you all again for your help and support, it means so much to me.  I am comforted everyday when I hear from Misty and she tells me about how Tonka is adjusting well.  Here are some pics of Tonka and my Sammy:




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Offline RMSChloe

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Re: Help me! What do I do?
« Reply #20 on: September 10, 2007, 09:35:15 pm »
Stacey, you did the right thing. i just want to say, you said you didnt know what it was but it wasnt an attack or mauling... but i know what it was, it was an accident. and thats all it was. seeing those pics of Tonka with Sam made me feel aweful that this had to happen. but im so glad he got to go to a good home and you get to visit him! its best for you not to have to worry about your son being safe around him, and its understandable . youre a great mother, and im sorry about what has happened, also to learn of sams vision. i didnt know about him, but i send him my blessings, also to you. oh and a little off topic, for all of you that hate the HORSE comments, theres a great shirt i have for that. its got a cartoon great dane head on it with a mad look on its face and it says "Wheres my saddle? Wheres YOUR muzzle!"
Shes not a dog... shes a Great Dane!

Offline London_Pyr_Lover

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Re: Help me! What do I do?
« Reply #21 on: September 11, 2007, 03:38:49 am »
for all of you that hate the HORSE comments, theres a great shirt i have for that. its got a cartoon great dane head on it with a mad look on its face and it says "Wheres my saddle? Wheres YOUR muzzle!"

Ha ha!  I think that's a great idea, I'd buy it.

Just wanted to say again how happy I am this all worked out so well for you, your family, Tonka and Misty.  See, the magic of BPO does work!  ;)
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Offline Jeri

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Re: Help me! What do I do?
« Reply #22 on: October 19, 2007, 03:59:51 pm »
I'm very sorry you are in this situation.  If you're going to give him away I suggest you call the nearest rescue and turn him over to them.  They will find a home without children for him.  Again, so sorry for the situation,
jeri

Offline schelmischekitty

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Re: Help me! What do I do?
« Reply #23 on: October 19, 2007, 04:07:23 pm »
this is an older post, tonka already has a new home w / another BPO member  ;)
steffanie in atlanta

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Offline Jeri

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Re: Help me! What do I do?
« Reply #24 on: October 20, 2007, 09:17:47 pm »
Sorry, I'm new to the board.  Didn't know I had made an error and didn't really look at the date of the last post.  Will be more vigilant in the future. 
Sorry for causing a disruption,
jeri

Offline Gracie Belle

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Re: Help me! What do I do?
« Reply #25 on: October 21, 2007, 07:16:23 am »
Sorry, I'm new to the board.  Didn't know I had made an error and didn't really look at the date of the last post.  Will be more vigilant in the future. 
Sorry for causing a disruption,
jeri
Hi Jeri,
I'm Misty and I saw this old thread pop up and thought I would too let you know that Tonka and Stacey and Sam and everyone is okay.  Tonka is at my house now and doing really well and since Stacey is my best friend she and the kids get updates and pictures of the guy whenever they like.  We are actually in the process of scheduling a visit now that Tonka is good and settled in.  Stacey's oldest Macey, has been very patient in waiting to let Tonka become adjusted to his new home and new fur siblings and especially us.  So, over a month has past and we are beginning to think that it's about time that Macey gets to see Tonka.  I'll be sure to post pictures of the event.  Thanks Jeri for your input and I hope you find it easier to navigate the board so you can come back and post pictures and tell stories about your fur kids.  Oh, and you didn't cause a disruption at all.   ;D
Misty slave to:
Gracie Belle, 2 year English Mastiff
Rosco, 1 yr Toy German Shettweiler (designer mutt of course)and toy cause he's not Rotti or GSD size AT ALL.  Though they said he was a mix of the two..  Tonka, 3 year Great Dane
And last and most certainly NOT least, Linus 5 year old cat.

Offline Jeri

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Re: Help me! What do I do?
« Reply #26 on: October 21, 2007, 10:28:12 am »
I love happy endings, congrats,
jeri