Hello, It’a Saturday again, and yes, I’m still here. I have read time and time again that those who make online frienships only do so because they cannot make them in real life. The same people who say that will also tell us that those online friendships are worthless. I am back to tell you, I could not disagree more. First of all, you are all great to talk to and even sometimes argue with. As long as the arguments are about subjects no one really gives a shit about such as the state of the psuedo celebrities.
A couple weeks ago as most of you know, I had to say goodbye to Melvin, my companion of 13 years. I made an announcement here just to let everyone know, he met with a peaceful end. I am absolutely stunned at the outpouring from you all. None knows how much it meant to me.. There were even offers to help get a new furface to take Mel’s place, one of which almost resulted in a successful adoption. Due to logistics and distance it didn’t quite work out. None of those things was insurmountable as an anything it took offer was made.. In the end though, it turned out that a local adoption was probably best for all involved.
With that, I went today to the same shelter I got Melvin from all those years ago. I didn’t plan on walking out of there with a dog, just to have a look-see. I saw several candidates, all of which needing some help of some sort. Say hello to Littlebit.. I will probably change her name, kind of leaning towards Lucy… She was wearing one of those cones when I first saw her, apparently she liked to chew her tail. I removed the cone when I got her home though, so I could see what she really looked like.
Details
The adoption paperwork says she is 9 months old, about 25-30 pounds, and….. wait for 
it…. a Border Collie…. Go ahead and laugh, I’ll wait. I’m going to be mean and say what I really think. The people at this Michigan Humane Society branch. have got to be the dumbest people on the face of the planet. How the hell anybody could look at that face and get, Border Collie, is beyond me. She may be mix with something somewhere but that, is a pit bull. They also told me she’s housebroken but so far, the only place she’s gone, is in the house. Whether she wants to be or not, she will be crate trained. They also told me she was, or in progress of being crate trained. This isn’t quite what I wanted but she’s here now.. Only problem right now is I don’t know if I can handle her on a leash. First attempt at walking her nearly face planted me on to the concrete.. She is a strong little shit… That’s what I’ll call the bad.
On the upside, in the house, she’s extremely loving as long as she’s occupied. She Is a puppy still after all. Melvin had a collection of bones, from steaks, that we kept under the TV.. Once she began to settle in, she proceeded to toss them all over the house. She doesn’t shy from the camera and will even pose. She isn’t a barker unless she sees something. I suspect that as time moves on, she’s become a little more vocal. She doesn’t jump on the furniture but picks a spot and lays down. She can sit and stay without jerking her around by the neck. She wasn’t too impressed with the cookies I bought for her but maybe it’s just a matter of taste. The fact she made business in the house, may be partly my fault. She may have tried to tell me she needed to go out while I was back here playing with pictures and I just didn’t get the signal.. Melvin never told me, he just waited until I let him out and took care of business while he was out there.
Kind of a funny story.. I’m, diabetic and sometimes I begin to lose balance especially if I have been on my feet for a long time. When I told the people at the shelter I would be taking the dog, I went out to my truck to have a smoke while they began the paperwork.. Apparently I stumbled a bit as if I were drunk.. The case worker and his manager came out to make sure I knew what I was doing because ‘they’ detected that ‘I may have been under the influence’ of something, drugs or alcohol, and they weren’t going to let me take the dog. I found that quite insulting, them suggesting that, rather than making any effort to find out if there may be a health reason for my apparent behavior. Not to the point of leaving the dog though..
I just hope she doesn’t start chewing her tail again because there is no way in hell that cone is going back on her. I’m sure she’ll mellow out some once she’s been here a little while and we get to know each other a little more.. If nothing else, should be an interesting ride 😀
realhousewifeofaiken 
Jeff, those plastic “cones of shame” are the worst. If she absolutely needs a cone, there are softer pillow-type ones you can find on the net. And doing her business in the house…she may be marking her territory. She looks like a love. Enjoy.
I’m so happy you got her-she is going to provide you with some great writing material..I can just feel it!!
I hope so Jill but hopefully not Too great… 😉
We also got a pit mix from our local shelter. Good luck with your new pup, but please do not crate train. We lease trained our pit and he did fine, it does take some patience. Crate training is cruel. We also give our pit carrots, berry’s or any kind of fruit for a treat. Those animal treats are just filled with junk, and he loves the fruits and veggies.
I don’t believe crate training is cruel. Unless you intend to park the dog in there and leave her there. In this case, as with my last two dogs, the crate becomes their room. Same crate in fact. It becomes a place where they can just go for alone time. Trust me, dogs like to be left alone once in awhile too and their room becomes the place where no one will bother them and just leave them alone for awhile. I know some use a crate or cage as a punishment but that doesn’t happen here..
My daughter’s dog loves to go to her crate for “alone” time.
MTL our dog felt safe in her crate. Dogs like to know “where they are supposed to be”.
When she was older we left the crate door open and she could come & go as she pleased.
Later in life we noticed when we returned home frequently she and the cat would be together in our bedroom. They found comfort being near each other -not really friends but another living thing nearby let them feel safe.
Best wishes on your new buddy. She will certainly keep life interesting!
We’ve always crate trained our fur friends and they’ve all loved them. Even now, I bring the crates out during thunderstorms and they take cover in them until the scary weather passes. Danny climbs into his own and Nicky and Si huddle together in another one (those two are officially joined at the hip). And no, we’ve never used them as punishment, either.
I see some Dalmation in her blood line
Could be, Donna but, I don’t see any border collie..
There’s Great Dane in that pup! She’s gonna be fun! I call my lab, Cierra, “Littlebit” a lot because she wiggles it.
Congrats!
She’s just a little over a foot tall at the shoulders. If there is any GD in her, it’s in the markings. Cierra sounds fun 🙂
In that last pic, she looks full of mischief. I’m sure you are going to have some challenging days ahead, but the end result will be worth it. My grand dog’s name is Lucy.
Lucy seems to be a popular name for dogs lately.. still considering.. I actually told my sister I was going to get a female and name her ‘bitch’.. I just want to get her to the point where she will come when I call her. Then I can just let her run around the back yard by herself. Little Bit is too much of a mouthful for that..
Whoa Terry, crate training is NOT cruel, not if its done right.. You basically are recreating a dogs “den” . Cruel is letting a dog roam free to soil the house, possibly electrocute itsself (puppies like to chew cords in my experience) and drive the human so crazy they finally dump the dog back at the pound after a couple thousand dollars worth of damage…
Mel, having done rescue for more years than I am willing to count (cuz I am only 29 yanno) I can see some kind of shepherd in this, also yes, some bully type of breed.. I will tell you why they used Border Collie. Because the second they say Pit bull, they just tossed out at least half their possible adopters.
I would suggest if your still having trouble with leash training , that a good puppy obedience class might help. they can give you tips on correct use of a choke chain (if used right it isnt really choking) and help you figure out the best way of making her listen to you, and not the call of the wild.
This is Vanessa ( as you know me on facebook) if you have any questions I would be happy to help with training tips. I am down to one senior dog in my house now, and when he goes I am going to do one last Puppy Doberman (although your giving me flashbacks lol) so in a year or two I will likely need to reread my posts and listen to all my wonderful (snark) advice… Lucy is a beauty! Dont forget she is a little kid, and will need a lot more supervision till she is past the puppy destruction phase..
Okay, I know who you are 🙂 The only reason I use a choker is because every dog I have ever had was able to slip out of a regular collar, even if fitted properly. The choker, no.. I know why they put some other breed on the paperwork..
I use a martingale collar on my greyhound. She never slips out of it.
I had one mastiff rescue I even used the pincher collar on (it looks like little tines that pinch.. I had to, although I was reluctant because he was 200lbs of never having been trained boy.. I used a trainer who showed me how to use it correctly, so it wasnt abusing him (there is a trick) and he quickly graduated back to a regular choke collar. Bully breeds tend to be fairly pain tolerant, and sometimes need a little more OOMMPH in the beginning training times.. So smart, but can be stubborn too.. Wonderful dogs though.
Mel – She’s a cutie!!! I had thought of Sparky as a name, but Lucy is perfect!!!
You can see by that look in her eye that she’s gonna be a handful!
So far so good.. She has a definite spark 🙂
Well, this makes me smile ear-to-ear! So happy you found a new companion to share your life with! It’s official, you and I have similar taste in dogs. I have a black and white American Staffordshire Terrier — which looks more like your girl than a border collie! Good luck!
PS: the Am-staff is not in my pic today, that’s my American Bulldog!
We had an American Bulldog! Best doggie in the world. Silly goofball. Miss her so much.
Aww, I bet you do miss her….bully breeds are indeed goofballs! Ours is very vocal….hubs says she gets that trait from me. 😉
😀 ..
I don”t know what if anything she is mixed with. In a few weeks, it won’t matter.. 😀
I just wrote a message and it disappeared into cyberspace so here I go again.
Jeff, I’m so happy you decided to adopt a new furbaby! I hope she gives you love and laughter and many photo ops. as well as stories for us. She looks like a cutie. I once had a black and white (part dalmation named Friskie) who nearly dislocated my shoulder when walking him. We lived by a pond with lots of ducks and he was always trying to get to the ducks so good luck with that 🙂
I hope she brings you much joy and happiness.
Heheheee Fortunately no ducjks around here.. Some of the birds better watch it though.. She will chase anything that moves…
My son has a pit mix – a rescue that was abused and she doesn’t bark but the growl usually fear based is quite intimidating lol LittleBit/Lucy looks adorable and in no time will be your cuddle bunny lol. I have Fibro and as a result, little balance and no strength in my arms or legs. We have always had big dogs and it’s what I am drawn to however just taking care of the kids dogs has landed me on my arse more then a few times. I have the scars t show for it. Fallen more in the last 4 yrs then in the previous 50!! Now I have a Yorkie mix – my first EVER yapper and although I’d never do it I understand why folks have the voice box removed. We are working on that in a more humane way. As for the choke collar I’m all for it. My son’s dog has one and that’s the only way I can hang on to her. If she had a harness I’d be toast lol I haven’t walked her often as she knocked me down once in the backyard – like it was bowling lol she charged me and instead of hip checking like other dogs went for the gold, knocked me legs out from behind and I flew – I’m no lightweight but I was airbound and winded. I do not turn my back on her now lol and our walks are only on days when I think I can hang onto her lol We have had chewers in the past – what worked best for us was a Kong cone (black for dogs with extra strong teeth) moisten some kibble – should be serving size, cram it in there and let her work to get it out – keeps ’em busy and satisfy’s the need to chew. .
I was actually after a yapper type.. Just a creature to move about the house (that I welcomed here).. Lucy/lilbit just kind of spoke to me I guess. She actually has plenty of bones to chew on and seems to be enjoying them..
lol You don’t want a yapper trust me – Mine barks at snowflakes, leaves blowing around, anything and everything I swear :D. She barks at us which totally gets to my son lol he says “you know me for _____ sake!! Good thing he’s cute 😉
Hehe.. By Yapper I meant a small dog that could sit on my lap while I watch TV. I am stuck with Lucy though 🙂
The hardest thing about Max (the yapper) was getting used to something so small. I have always had big dogs – my avatar is of my last big dog (hound/roti mix) that I had to surrender – he was just 1.5 yrs but whip fast and incredibly strong – I didn’t have the arm or leg strength to leash train him and my attempts left me bruised and scrapped lol. Not his fault but he was not getting the exercise he needed. He was a big mush and had the softest ears 🙂 Loved him to death and miss him terribly. To be honest surrender is hard then euthanasia – I know he’s out there and hope to God he’s in a good home – I surrendered to a Rescue org with an extensive adoption process. That said, adjusting to a small dog is harder then it seems lol I like not being crushed when he’s on my lap and a poop bag is a total waste (what a difference!!) but this one goes places and hides and I can’t find him, can get through the smallest holes in the fence (little smarty pants) and I firmly believe has a Napoleon complex hahahahaha. Also requires I shovel a path for him as he tends to disappear after a snowfall lol. I have to have a dog though – it’s too quiet here with out some pitter patter 🙂
I think it’s great that you put the dog first, but I understand the wondering and hoping… I also understand the sizing thing when it comes to cleaning up after them 😉 With the dog before Melvin, I thought he was letting a heard of horses into the yard if you know what I mean..
Napoleon complex.. Heheheee 😀
lmao!! @herd of horses – totally get that. They become like our children and I feel I have one out there that never calls home. Small dogs are supposed to have longer lives tho so time will tell. Max is 6lbs and just turned 6 so we shall see 🙂 I hope so. I confess tho I like going to Petsmart and watching all the different big dogs in doggie daycare lol
Sending you and lucy lots of woof, i am sure she will bring laughter and joy, i have adopted 3 rescues over the last year, after i lost my daughter suddenly in her sleep, followed 2days later by our border collie bingo, they had been best friends for 14 yrs, i believe he went to keep her company, toby a belgian shep cross, alfie a border collie and baby simba 6 months and a bc, have given me a reason to get up each day and brought light back into my life, toby and alfie had both been terribly abused and have lots of issues but they are a oleasure to help and love theyre crates as a place to relax and have some alone time, lucy looks as she has some bc in her with her naughty spots (black spots on her legs), the first few weeks with a new fur baby are always a learning curve and strange when you have been used to the routine and personality of your old friend, but it wont take king till it feels like she has always been there, cant wait to see more pics and hear updates xxxx
That’s rough about your daughter.. I really can’t imagine..
Nice thought that Bingo went to join her.. You’re right about the pets giving a reason to get up…
What a beautiful girl! I think it’s funny that you didn’t expect to leave with a dog! I leave with one EVERY time ! Totally agree with Vanessa that crate training is just fine. Enjoy your new baby!
Thank you Lisa 😉
Glad you took a chance on a Border Collie 😉 She is super cute! I have a name suggestion for you. The Beast. Beastie. Beastela. That was my cat’s name, can’t remember her original name but she was hell on wheels when she was young and the Beast stuck. If she was a shit it was Beast, if she was somewhat calm it was Beastie and I just like Beastela too LOL. I too wasn’t planning on getting a new furfriend right away but the universe had other plans. So I adopted Sir Patches when his owner passed away, followed by Isis as her human was allergic. Isis is about Little Bit’s age and full of energy and chews everything. This is my second cat that chews. The Beast destroyed every wire in my house! Chewed clean thru them….huh, she must have had some Border Collie in her too!
On a serious note, FB friends rock and I am glad you are one of mine.
The first dog I had that wasn’t a family pet would wait til I fell asleep to do stuff. All of my area rugs had the fringe tassels eaten off of them, I never did find the rug that was in his cage, and the extention cord he bit off of the wall and just left the plug plugged in, I’ll never understand how he didn’t get electrocuted..
I’m so happy for you and for her, the company and adventures you will have.
I like Lucy.
She is adorable, and i know you will train her correctly since you have pelnty of experince with dogs 🙂
Enjoy!
😀 .
Congratulations Jeff! Lucy is a cutie and she is very lucky to have been chosen to live with you! I know you two will have a nice journey. Hugs!
Thank you, Cusi 😀
The best results I have had with training dogs came from using Cesar Milan’s techniques. Because of him I have 2 of the best behaved dogs I’ve ever known.
She’s pretty well behaved as it is. Just needs a little work is all.. 😀
Oh, she’s just a kid. Quite young. And she’ll learn your ways (and you hers) so will be a wonderful companion. I love her eyes (and that nose). She’s very comical and knows how to work it. And I also see in her eyes that she recognizes you as her human, just like you recognized her as your dog. She already loves you. Sounds like you know exactly what you’re doing in training her. I’m good with that. You know what she needs and are figuring out what works with her. I love the name Lucy. It was what popped in my head when I saw that first picture. We will need lots of pictures of OUR dog, and lots of stories. So glad you found each other. (Ed still suggests you nickname her Kitty. Lol!). As to breed — I’d say dog. Further definition not necessary.
I think Ed may be a bit biased.. His kind are known for that you know 🙂
Jeff I think pink polish on her nails would be lovely 🙂 love one ear up and one down in the last pic.
Yeah, good luck with that polish 😉 She isn’t people aggressive but I think she may draw the line there..
Congrats on your new puppy, and I think its great you adopted from a shelter. I understand why they told you border collie–most people don’t want pits. But I think she looks like a pit – border collie mix, which is a great combo. She is definitely not 100% pit. Good luck with her. If she starts up with the biting/chewing, try giving her frozen carrots to chew on. A dog trainer friend told me this and it worked well with my dog.
I knew what breed she favored when I got her 😉 I don’t know who they think they were kidding..
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Congratulations on your new puppy. She looks like she will be a great companion, with just enough spark to keep you on your toes 🙂 Lucy fits her!
Thank you 🙂 .
She is a pretty girl! That sure is a lot of work but she will be worth it! Still can’t believe they thought she was border collie. Or that they wanted u to think she was a border collie.
IKR? Heheheee
Oh she is gorgeous. I’m so happy you have do I d each other. My grand Bassett, Thor, was impossible for me to walk… 45 pounds with a low center of gravity and a pull like a tractor. A dog trainer recommended a harness to use when walking him which pulled back on his shoulders when he started to charge forward. It made all the difference and kept me on my feet. Now he is ten and slow and I can walk him on a regular leash but every once in a while he surprises me and decides to chase or at least lunge after birds…and I wish I knew where that harness was. I’m just so happy for you and Lucy!
For Melvin it was squirrels and rabbits. He never caught one but that’s where he went into chase mode..
Congratulations on your new addition. I had to chuckle when you said you went to the shelter just to take a look. Twice my kids have talked my husband into going to a shelter to “take a look” and both times they have come home with a dog. Those furry faces get you every time!
Twice I have been to this same shelter, and twice I have ‘adopted’ a new dog. First one was Melvin 😉
Late to the post. Catching up from being out of town. Congratulations. She is beautiful. This week I am going make some calls and hopefully get Pepper less aggressive to dogs and people. She so cool but I can’t share her with anyone because she is so fearful. I will keep you posted. Good luck with the house breaking.
She’s housebroken for the most part..
That’s kind of a shame about Pepper.. Hopefully you can get her to calm down around others so you can ‘share’ her..
*hugs Jeff really hard* I am soooo happy for you – and for Lucy!! something tells me this the beginning of a beautiful friendship – you have a good and kind heart Jeff and Lucy senses that – enjoy her!
beginning of a beautiful friendship.. I hope so 😉
Congrats on your new warm loving friend … hope you have many many happy years together!
Very Happy for you and your family with your new addition.:-)
Thank You 😀 ..
Jeff, Im so sorry for the loss of your wonderful friend Mel. I just read about it and, you may never see this post, but I had to let you know how heartsick I am to read about his passing. He was such a large part of your life and I know that little “Lucy” will help fill your life with joy again.
Thinking of you.
Karen
Hi, Karen.. Thank you.. Nice to see you, it’s been awhile. Lucy is a bit of a handful some days but she’s settling in quite nicely.. A progress report is coming in the morning.
BTW, on my own postings here, I see everything as I get an email when someone posts a comment plus, I check regularly 😉
Good to know all is going well with Lucy.
My little one passed away last night. A precious pom who would have been 16 on June 1st. He had a long and happy life and he brought joy to us every day. What more can we ask?
So sorry for your loss, Karen.. What more can we ask? That they they take care of their business where they’re supposed to and never learn to talk about us.
😉
I’m so sorry to learn of your loss. ((hugs to you))
She’s beautiful! Congrats. She’s going to settle in and be you’ll be in love!!!!
PS…so glad you took the cone off.
Thank you 😀 A couple days after I took the cone off, she tried to eat it. At the very least, she made sure it’ll never shame another dog again…