Big Paws Only Dog Forums

If he ever grows into his nose, he will be enormous!  He definitely uses it to his advantage- all day long I am getting poked and pushed with that huge beak of his!

I have two grooming loops- one single, and one that has double loops, (both for small dogs)- one for under the belly and one for around the neck, both have the foam sleeves and adjustable sliders on them.  If you are interested, PM me.

You are doing great!  Sounds like you got everybody past the danger zone, and you are on the easy side of the situation now.  I know, I know- still not getting much sleep, but now you don't have to worry about waking up to find you have lost them.  Keep up the great work!

They might have been very hungry when you found them, and are still using every bit of nutrition they are getting so far, which means less/no waste to poop out.  I would stop worrying until/unless they are eating wonderfully and still no poops after 2-3 full days of feedings.  Sometimes it takes a while for them to get enough nutrition.  You would know if they were constipated, as their bellies would be large and firm, and they would be straining to poop, which would make their anus protrude some, and possibly be red.

Why is he looking for a new home?

Jesse weighed in last night at 116 lbs, which means he has gained 50 lbs in 3 months.  His vet agreed with me on his age, which puts him at 13 months old, the same age as my Frankie.  Here's some new pics.  Enjoy!

We are way out in the sticks, and do not have access to a community water system, so we have always used our well water for everything.  It is naturally icy cold, and tastes like water is supposed to taste- no icky stuff whatsoever, other than being extremely hard water.  On several occasions, we have had foster critters develop diarrhea upon moving to their new homes, and it mostly occurred in those going to municipal water systems, where chlorine and fluoride are added.  Now we send several gallons of water home with anyone moving away from our house, and suggesting that they slowly change them over to bottled water once they have gotten settled, and it does seem to eliminate the issue.  Also, we now know that when we travel at all, we need to take our own water with us, rather than expect our guys to drink treated water.

I can't speak for all breeders, or even any of other breeds than what I researched, but I completely understand why good breeders don't have time to talk with every single person who contacts them- they have dogs to care for, puppies to train and raise, and hundreds of emails/phone calls daily from people who might be interested in a pup from them, but also might just be looking for info that can be found easily enough online if the person would just do their research.   Requiring that their questionaire be filled out prior to spending time with that person just weeds out those who were not serious in the first place, and gives the breeder something to look at when considering you as a possible puppy owner.  My breeder tends to have most, if not all, pups from a particular litter placed before the breeding even occurs, which leaves a lot of people on a waiting list that may be a year or more long.  Are these "interested people" going to be willing to wait that long, or are they just looking for the first available puppy they can get their hands on?  From a breeder who breeds for the right reasons, and does all the relevant testing and research on their lines, there will occasionally be an "extra" pup now and then, or even one who had been placed and ends up coming back for whatever reason, and these breeders want to have complete info on other prospective puppy homes so that they can look through their file and see who would be the best possible match for that puppy's personality.  Many times, breeders won't want buyers to PICK their own pup, they will want to know enough about you and your home/family that they can select the "right" puppy for your situation.   BUT- I agree, if the breeder does not want you to come to their facility and see their dogs, run, and run fast, in the opposite direction.   GOOD breeders want people to see their dogs and puppies in person, and they want to see YOU in person as well, if at all possible.