At this point - I have her for at least a month. I want to get her healthy. I want to make sure she gets spayed and finishes up her vaccine routine.
Right now, the anxiety is really wearing me down. Will she be okay. Is this health thing going to be a problem to deal with. At the moment, I suddenly feel really, really unready to be handling this little girl. Which is odd - I'm usually very hands on, get done what needs being done. I've cleaned out maggoty horse wounds. I've rescued the same horse out of a pool (long story...). I've regularly had to clean up the dead carcasses of whatever the cat and resident dog have decided they don't want to eat. I had a gerbil get sick. I kept him next to me in my hoody pocket to keep him warm. I took him to the vet the next day and brought him home only to have him die in my hands. That last one was really unnerving. But you deal with it. For whatever reason, this little dog makes me very nervous. In the 'What the hell have I gotten myself into' sort of way. It may turn out that I'm better as more of a foster mom. Whatever happens, one way or another, this little girl's going to have a good home. With me or with someone else if it turns out that this just doesn't end up working out for whatever reason. sigh --- In [email protected], Joan Croft <joan_croft@...> wrote: > > AMEN to that! > > > > > > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On > Behalf Of twopenns@... > Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2011 5:38 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [Chihuahuas] First time dog owner panic? > > > > > > Dogs adjust to the owner's lifestyle. I have often read not to leave a puppy > alone for more than an hour and yet, I know many who gets pups and go home to > check them on their lunch hour and then leave again and their dogs are well > behaved and adjusted. Get her an x pen and train her to be happy and feel > safe there. Put food and water out, a piddle pad or my preference a litter > box, a soft bed and some toys. At two yrs of age my Emiliano still feels > comfortable in his pen when I put him there when people he is uncomfortable > around (cleaning lady, small children, etc) come over. I also keep his sleep > tent in there and that's where he sleeps at night. Yes, your life will change > and if you travel you willl have to pay for a pet sitter who comes over at > least twice a day. Also, check ups and unforseen medical bills can be > costly, Emiliano had issies as a baby, a 3 day stay in intensive care was > expensive. Several people (including the vet) told me the breeder sold me a > sick dog \and some suggested I take him back to the breeder. But I looked at > it differently, I figured the Lord send him to me because he was going to > need medical attention and I could afford to pay for him to have it. He is > worth every penny I spent on him. Yes, a lot to think about. > > > > Gloria > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: freddyscribbles <freddyscribbles@...> > To: Chihuahuas <[email protected]> > Sent: Wed, May 4, 2011 4:07 pm > Subject: [Chihuahuas] First time dog owner panic? > > > > I think I should address two things first > > 1. Adopting this dog was not an impulsive decision. Was it a purely logical > one? Probably not. But it was not an impulsive, spontaneous decision. > > 2. I do not regret adopting this chihuahua > > That being said, have any of you dealt with first-dog panic? I have owned > pets before. They've gradually gotten bigger over time - fish, hamsters, > gerbils, rats. Of that lot, I think that the fish had the longest life > expectancy - the mutant fish lived for at least eight years. And I've never > shirked responsibility - when the gerbils fell ill or tore each other up in a > fight, I took them to the vet. Yes...gerbils. To a vet. Granted, this was not > in California where gerbils are regrettably (and annoyingly) illegal. I never > had any anxiety associated with these animals. Although, there were some > issues with the rats. > > I've grown up with dogs although not directly - my neighbor used to breed > Siberian huskies, and the joke was that I was the bipedal child. At any rate, > I spent quite a number of summers taking care of the various litters and dogs > she had. I'm currently house sitting for a family that has two horses, a dog, > and a cat - these are all predominantly outdoor animals. The dog and cat come > in at night. Sylvie isn't allowed near the chihuahua until she gets a clean > bill of health. > > To my knowledge, this is a very well behaved dog with a very sweet > disposition. But that sort of post-excitement panic is starting to settle in > just a little. The 'Oh man, what have I done' sort of thing. A friend said he > had the same reaction when he first purchased his chameleon. And that it also > passed within a week of ownership. > > But for now, as things settle in, there is a definite sense of anxiety. Will > this end up being an animal that might, at some point, have to deal with my > potentially long work days? How long can I expect to be able to leave her on > her own? What things are now out of the question due to a dog? How will this > later my current lifestyle? Will I be able to provide her with everything she > needs? Did I really just commit myself to a relationship that could easily > last 10-18 years? > > I am glad that I rescued her. This sweet little girl definitely deserves a > second chance. But in spite of having gone out of my way to make sure she has > what she needs - bed, sweater, food, treats, carrier for car travel - part of > me is freaking out about the whole thing. I definitely want to make sure she > gets healthy. And I suspect that this relationship will work out. Worse case > scenario, I re-home her - although I'm hoping this is mostly the (temporary) > panic talking. Bottom line - I wanted to save her and get her healthy. Could > my life have been easier by finding a healthy dog? Definitely. That's just > not the way things worked out. > > Right now...I'm just sort of feeling a little in over my head suddenly. Have > any of you ever experienced this before. > > Thanks as always for your support! > -A > ------------------------------------ We are now on Facebook! Join today! http://www.facebook.com/groups/chihuahuasclubYahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Chihuahuas/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Chihuahuas/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! 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