JackieMaya

Yikes! Saying that no mixes of those breeds are allowed takes care of most mixed breed dogs that are adopted from rescue shelters! [quote]Exotic animals and dogs of the following breeds are not permitted: Doberman, Rottweiler, Boxer, Mastiff, German Shepherd, Airedale, Chow, Staffordshire, Pit Bull and any mixed breed of the above. [/quote] Jackie wouldn't be able to go because she has some German Shepherd in her (we think). [quote]The following breeds or any mixture of these breeds will no longer be allowed in any of our resorts: Wolf, Wold Hybrids, Huskies, Dalmatians, Airedales, Great Danes, Staffordshire Terriers, Alaskan Malamutes, Siberian Huskies, Chow, Doberman Pinschers, Pit Bull Terriers, Rottweiler, Akita, Mastiff, German Shepherd and Presa Canario.[/quote] Maya would be kicked out of this one because she's part Husky.

I call it "cleaning out the minefields." I have a big fenced back yard, and Jackie usually uses the north minefield, and Maya uses the south minefield.

When I adopted Jackie from a rescue shelter, I took her home the same day I met her. I just had to fill out the paperwork, write the check, and take her home. When I adopted Maya (from the same shelter), I took Jackie to meet her on Friday, filled out the paperwork that day, and picked Maya up the next day.

Maya is completely back to normal now! She's eating all dry dog food now (and she gets VERY excited when I go downstairs to get it), and is back to her normal energy level. It's been very hot and humid here in Minnesota, so neither Maya nor Jackie (nor me!) are wanting to spend much time outside, but Maya's back to being a happy, goofy puppygirl! Jackie and I were both very worried about her, and it's such a relief that she made a complete recovery! [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UwDxArMY5fOdQwmWD!oqYuIR3p6Qe35zT8imRUPqVuD5AkrG15dEXaCzvdI9zutOxiZxCQGKCWV6mb7ML25a*VSEl9ymxVfm0dGQxTJ3s!5lMsWeP22oabch5gtyD3MV/DCP_0012.JPG?dc=4675455615770471070[/img]

I'm so very sorry to hear about Apollo. He's a beautiful dog. You have my deepest sympathies.

My family always had either Golden Retrievers or Yellow Labs when I was growing up. My last dog, a beautiful red Golden Retriever named Crackerjack, died about 20-25 years ago of spleen cancer. Then I moved to California for 3-1/2 years, and then back to Minnesota and no-dogs-allowed-apartment living for about 20 years. Then in January of 2002 I moved back home to take care of my dad while he was dying of cancer. The house has a huge fenced back yard, and my dad had always been a huge dog lover, so I decided to adopt a dog. I had been dogless for FAR too long, and a dog would also keep my dad company while I was at work. We definitely wanted a Golden Retriever or Golden-mix. I was looking on Petfinder.com and found Jackie, a beautiful black/tan/white 1-1/2 year old who had been rescued from the pound, who was guessed to be Golden Retriever/German Shepherd/Collie. I instantly fell in love with Jackie, and she became a member of the family in February of 2002. My dad was very depressed toward the end, and Jackie made him laugh out loud just by being a silly puppygirl. My dad passed away in April, but he really enjoyed having Jackie around, and I don't know how I would have gotten through the loss of my dad without Jackie. Then six months later I decided that it would be nice for Jackie to have a sister. So I started looking on Petfinder.com again, and I found Maya, a 1-1/2 year-old Golden Retriever/Husky mix. I took Jackie to meet Maya, and they got along just great. Their first night together they fell asleep on the sofa together, and they've been best friends ever since. I've ALWAYS loved the way Golden Retrievers look, I love their long coats, and I love their loving goofy personalities. There's nothing better than coming home after a long day at work and having those two hairy wigglebutts meet me. So I'm definitely a life-long Golden-lover!

If you want to see some more snow pictures, here are some of my girls playing in the snow. Maya (notice the snow on top of the picnic table) [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0VADrAuMYXgWdQwmWD!oqYi9m5sb30Nu2gyGHmbdVYrjn*WeeM388yTXqNGZ4DLdexv4qs2WEgQ66zHv8GqE*CZcFr2UU5olkbgDOVGzxRzF*Znhwo*Vo6H!w1cwOdQDg/DCP_00080.JPG?dc=4675459489046785798[/img] Jackie and Maya [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UgD3ApQZXjV08YY2qQA!w!M21NvZyE74rOD949NF235lbgVIb1iEhxqGHT150AZZYQEFKn4X!QfhUufzSqKIkT6X0BGkgmYxy*mTS4!Fhz88RPbcpOuyEZjTRR9gbl3Q/girls-1.jpg?dc=4675459489235807309[/img] Jackie zooming (shortly after I adopted her when she was still thin) [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0VQD3AtUZy0!zV4ydI!5LsBlnES6TFUM62AnwIb9AQkPrlvDlHIMIeKSIBOCM1mdp6bCIXa2o2SZhDmrKbJPaoaPMk72BbjBhLCWj7gX*vNq2Ayq5vJ8XIFkXBlbGpZbE/run%5B1%5D.jpg?dc=4675463426231109925[/img]

I live in Minnesota, where the summers get hot and humid and the winters get cold and frigid. Something for everyone! LOL It's been in the 80s with high humidity here lately. Both of my puppygirls are VERY hairy, so when it's hot outside, they LOVE staying in the house where I have central air conditioning. And when they're outside on hot days, I fill up their pool so that they can cool off. My puppygirls and I can't wait for winter to come back!

I had my gutters cleaned out about a week and a half ago (there were actually plants growing in my gutters!), and I think that Maya (my Golden Retriever/Husky mix) ate some of what came out of the gutters. I thought I had gotten everything cleaned up, but she must have gotten some anyway. First she was throwing up about once a day, but was still eating. I wasn't too worried for the first few days, because sometimes dogs will eat grass and throw up. But then she lost her appetite and energy. Maya LOVES to eat, so I knew she was a sick puppygirl. So I took her to the emergency vet (and got a $400 vet bill). They did bloodwork to make sure there wasn't anything wrong with her kidneys or liver, and took xrays to make sure there wasn't an obstruction. The diagnostic work didn't show anything (luckily), so she's been on "bed rest" and hamburger/rice mixture for food. Then the poor girl had diahrrea on Saturday too, so I got meds for that and an anti-biotic. After I took Maya to the emergency vet, I had her fast for six hours (no water or anything), and then she could have water (which she didn't want). She got subcutaneous fluids and electrolytes at the emergency vet, so the not wanting to drink wasn't alarming. After 12 hours I started giving her the hamburger/rice mixture, a little bit at a time. I boiled it, and per my vet's recommendations made it half hamburger/half rice. Her temp was normal. My other dog, Jackie (who is just fine) has been very patient yet bored with Maya's "best rest." Jackie was so worried about Maya when she was sick. She kept giving her kisses and comforting her. Maya finally pooped today (for the first time since Saturday, when she had diahrrea), and it was normal poop! I've been adding dry dog food to her "hotdish", and she'll be on all dry food by Friday. I just started putting her back out on her 40-foot cable in the back yard this afternoon (and I'm watching her like a hawk the whole time), and she has no interest in eating grass, which means her tummy feels good! Maya and Jackie were having fun wrestling today, and I even took them for a very short walk around the block today. By the way, I LOVE my dogs' vet! I talked to him on Saturday morning, and he said he would have some meds for me to pick up (the antibiotic and anti-diahrrea), and gave me his cell phone number, and said that if she had any problems over the weekend to call him and he would meet me at the clinic so that I wouldn't have to go to the emergency vet clinic (which is much more costly and farther away). He's very nice, and very caring, and his clinic is two blocks away from my house! And my horse vet owns the stable I board at, and she's wonderful. So I'm VERY lucky to have great vets for my babies! It's so good to have my puppygirl healthy again! I just hate it when my babies are sick!

When Jackie and Maya are playing together, if they stop, I do a "D'OH" like Homer Simpson, and they start up playing again.

I like all of the Animal Cpps/Animal Precinct shows on Animal Planet. I think they do a great job of bringing the issue of animal abuse out into the open. I just wish they were able to prosecute more abusers. Sure, they might not have all their facts straight about different breeds, but they're passionate about stopping animal abuse. I think they all rock!

What an adorable boy! He looks like so happy! I hope he gets a good forever home soon!

I have the DVD. It's hysterical!

I'm also a firm believer that anyone who does this kind of horrendous thing to animals will eventually do horrendous things to humans. These kids should be put away for a LONG time!

I never have to worry about Jackie, because she ALWAYS comes when she's called. But Maya just has too much fun and forgets to come back when she gets loose! That's one unfortunate thing about rescuing dogs is that you inherit someone else's bad training or lack of training. Maya's only bad thing is her wanting to roam. The people who surrendered her apparently had her tied up all by herself in the backyard all day (and I think they turned the hose on her to keep her quiet), so that probably explains part of why she likes to roam if she gets out of the fence! When it's time for Maya and Jackie to go outside, Maya sits down in front of me and I just hold her harness in front of her. She steps in with her right foot and then her left foot, smiling the whole time, because she knows she gets to go outside with Jackie and run and play and have fun! So I think that this check cord that I found (that they use for training bird dogs) will be just the right thing for taking Maya swimming! I'm think I'm going to get a "check cord" like this one. They're light and they float, and they use them in bird dog training. It sounds safe and it sounds like just what I need! I think they have some at Petsmart or Petco. I'm going to check them out before this weekend. [img]http://store1.yimg.com/I/gundog_1796_1348426[/img] [size=2]Check Cord/Super Cord by Mendota - Yellow - 7/16" x 50'. This polypropylene Hi-Viz Yellow check cord has excellent properties of strength, floatation, stiffness, non-stretch and non-tangle. It is perfect for training in field and/or water, for teaching quartering, for teaching whoa and honoring. It can be used for retrievers and/or pointing breeds.[/size]

I would love to take my two girls, Jackie and Maya, swimming sometime, as I live a block from a lake. I've taken Jackie swimming, and she loves it, and I don't have to worry about her running off. Maya, on the other hand, is a fence jumper, so I fasten a cable to her harness when they're out in the back yard. Once Maya is loose, she has WAY too much fun and takes off, and I wouldn't be able to trust her off leash. I thought that if I attach a very long lightweight leash-type thing (was thinking of a cotton lunge line like I use for my horse) to her collar, and then attach some floaty-type things to the line so that it stays above water, that maybe that would work. I just know that they would love going swimming. It's going to start getting hot here, and it would be nice for them to be able to actually swim besides just sit in their doggie pool. Does my idea for Maya sound like it would work? Has anyone else ever let their dog go swimming while being tethered? I would love to hear of anyone's experience with this. Thanks!

I got Jackie on February 9, 2002. I had moved back home to take care of my dad while he was dying of cancer. My dad had always been a huge dog lover, and they had a huge back yard. I wanted a Golden Retriever or Golden/mix dog, so I started looking through Petfinder.com. I saw Jackie's picture on there and immediately fell in love. As she had been rescued from the pound, and there was no background on her, they guessed her to be a 1-1/2 year old Golden Retriever/German Shepherd/Collie mix. Jackie is one of those once-in-a-lifetime dogs. My dad was very depressed toward the end, and Jackie made him laugh out loud just being a silly dog. My dad passed away on April 5, 2002, so he got to enjoy Jackie's company. Two months before my dad passed away, we put my mom in a nursing home with advavnced Alzheimer's (she doesn't know any of us any more). And I was recovering from a major knee injury from the end of December where I had been in a wheelchair for over a month. I was still on crutches when my dad and I went to meet Jackie. I don't know how I could have gotten through losing my mom and dad without having Jackie there. Here's the picture of Jackie that was in Petfinder.com that made me fall in love with her. Look at that tongue! [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0WQAAAM0cpEcrS8gJKYfE43Ru*!Fs5ds*NeVzXtD6S3av*WviavVBfDPci8aD2xFeRhGaNIPehxHUY56Q8vfQ7IiJZ2HpKh5MCO8T78Jbvb4DlmTb4fJ!mwUoMHxu6NIyVgkScifRGr4/jackiefirstpic.jpg?dc=4675477986645775781[/img] This is what Jackie looked like when I got her. She was thin, had a bad coat, and was shy. [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0VwCFAtwbKvYrS8gJKYfE40DuGw9kAKKgItoX1Yu5CaIzXaiHY50CHqjSkudcQMMMVL2rdw5KujzYHWgQGs8nG6HMoabC5hGxL64lLrggGdh!xkhRHS45hIh4pLP87E1C/jackiebefore.jpg?dc=4675477986767918288[/img] And here is Jackie now (still wet from playing in the pool). She'll be 4 years old around August, and she's a happy, healthy puppygirl who loves everyone! [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UwDdAp4YcfKdQwmWD!oqYiMFooI4810vsJBjGTRbxJ8H5!GJnoAiGyiEeai1RA41989v4X3jVwYvHXo3HXhZjGdvuOAnSkXgpIFLFPXjpvWzFIWfd3epF!oMLyfz1IuL/DCP_0006.JPG?dc=4675459456731451863[/img] Then in October of 2002, I decided that Jackie needed a sister. I found Maya's picture on Petfinder.com and fell in love with her. Maya was a 1-1/2 year old Golden Retriever/Husky mix who had been an owner-surrender. I took Jackie to Maya's foster home so they could meet, and they hit it off immediately. They fell asleep together on the sofa their first night together, and they've been best friends ever since. Maya is a wonderful dog, happy, goofy and affectionate. Her only two issues (which her owners couldn't handle) was that she's a fence jumper and a barker. When she and Jackie go in the back yard, I attach a 40-foot cable to Maya's harness, and the two girls can play and run and wrestle and have fun. Maya can use most of the yard, and she's happy as a clam. I work until midnight, and I don't want Maya barking that time of night, so I put a citronella bark collar on her at night, and she doesn't bark AT ALL with that on. Here are Maya's two Petfinder.com pictures: [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UQCJAggZYQ03njpAMnGGBkFTRVQKjzCN42X6*ZZ1vEsn3j5pDTE3DVWkbnHHLfM6bBWISVLRh4jKLcT6lr*4Iay8ZWd1FSwnZFh1Bm!xM8KUVSROUdc7ZEMT6ECDmJtv/maya-1.jpg?dc=4675477987649334658[/img] [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UQC5AgkZqw2qTS9FPK56Ap9E2ceGT44snXQmObxT3MeajITFioHgUqul9CrLVJfO9MRiFH9ggnp2eJwKx!VeXvRkehGVsuV7JiBcJfNdb!fRRL94tsGj*PxLBCp9kye*/maya-2.jpg?dc=4675477987783305823[/img] And here is Maya now (with her backyard harness on): [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UwChApsYk*GdQwmWD!oqYsjUCxEpAt32D4U8qPe02Sg9c7TN7AAMxKdsZQ3*BdqEb9J4igu5qcrJY5SdYntC2fPnVBld0rDps40YOr*Agdz2moXl9kco!8jsIqlA6rS8/DCP_0003.JPG?dc=4675457678573855077[/img] Jackie and Maya are best friends, and they're MY best friends! Here are my beautiful happy puppygirls now: [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UwDdApkYAPGdQwmWD!oqYuVC*jgu5mIvOczPMjs9U0OoO4R!a2LHnvuvjHaa8kcEQV4AcMzgcYr86WrvGG36gdFxYzZYDQHOpl0MNOMtFOWkFs88eoBNFBs4VTD6*u3n/DCP_0010.JPG?dc=4675455616196315487[/img] [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0VQCJAi4ZgCGdQwmWD!oqYl1LcLWc2DQnB2iBKkmQpSTupy8t4L*wTDOp2E*nvQoBI8paA5mJzpgb1yrxoiwOWmbo7E!YZ5DJt5hJupGPAjOO6CD6D32j2EIvnF9Nxgs2/DCP_0015_1.JPG?dc=4675455615549009831[/img] [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UwCFAp8YvPKdQwmWD!oqYjDH5T4*SLIvf9FHqT7ZEL9FUNXZUqmjNrV6rWWfiLhgHaL*wrB!v9n7bZu7*XZKM354laf1GiKIHCNgqlfMyOEyTYq!uYcPJId*Wd6wdkrK/DCP_0016.JPG?dc=4675455616239217438[/img]

Maya is terrified of the hose, but she LOVES splashing around in the doggie pool. I think her former owner may have turned the hose on her to shut her up when she would bark. :evil: When I take out the hose, she gets as far away from it as she can, but once it's in the pool and the water is running, she'll leap right into the pool and have a blast. Here is the kiddie pool I got at Wal-Mart. It's big enough that both Jackie and Maya can lie down in there at the same time. [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0VACtAuEYNgSdQwmWD!oqYraGFnZrfL69bxwN0qrsMt3OkH*HZw3Hwv5reHWW8fGL9VybnVNqHLIszipchCzLCI!pwPXzzbwTku3R2XjfUdVWzf9QVOOKDCnLM2ZzFgZr/DCP_00030.JPG?dc=4675477056220558453[/img]

I don't own a flat-coat, but I absolutely love them! I always wanted to have two dogs: a Golden Retriever and a Flat-Coated Retriever. Well, I have a Golden Retriever/Husky mix (who basically looks all Golden) and a black Golden/German Shepherd/Collie mix. So at least I have the gold dog and the black dog! [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UwD**7IYa*OdQwmWD!oqYuVC*jgu5mIvOczPMjs9U0OoO4R!a2LHnvuvjHaa8kcEQV4AcMzgcYp2ecVwbiB2kg2MoOVg03Ohrx2To9NI6ZYhHKGdjf33jLBXJoh3sVUl/DCP_0010.JPG?dc=4675455616196315487[/img]

I personally don't like to see dogs live outside all the time, but that's my opinion. My two dogs spend around six hours a day outside, and the rest of the time they have free rein in the house. I have a fenced yard, but Maya (Golden Retriever/Husky mix) is a fence jumper. So I have her on a 40-foot cable attached to a harness whenever they're outside. She can still use almost the whole yard, and they can still play, wrestle and run together with no problem. I keep an eye on them the whole time they're out. When it's time for them to go out, I just hold up Maya's harness, and she picks up her right foot to put in the harness, and then she puts her left foot in the harness. She loves to get it on because she knows she gets to go play outside. But they're definitely couch potatoes when they're inside. Here's a picture of Maya attached to her cable. [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UwAkA7QY*vOdQwmWD!oqYsjUCxEpAt32D4U8qPe02Sg9c7TN7AAMxKdsZQ3*BdqEb9J4igu5qcoZtLe1OYmKPQNPO6lpVkAT9QVQGQ4d6rYIGpl3pu!EyAWniKmPPk8o/DCP_0003.JPG?dc=4675457678573855077[/img]

I don't give breath mints to my dogs, but my horse LOVES peppermints! And she has such lovely minty breath afterwards!

My girls are: Jackie (3-1/2 year-old Golden Retriever/German Shepherd/Collie mix?) [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0VQATA*0aQ6bcqskXN2eFF2vVVcJZfq0hGiwzYjNfzbOU1PARUR3NRpombWmHFCOxF!kZYZ1lgUZ2U2DkcYYyRTKos2xhujdKJ4HVHxccbSvuv*I1SQ6HGTsMB!TOk8Tb/Jackieball.jpg?dc=4675455615703708190[/img] Maya (3 year-old Golden Retriever/Husky mix) [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UwDnArUYSfSdQwmWD!oqYh*6XHLnKR3VpQI!AQCll8hO2Aqqj4HR5sLUuyyjOFZNtxjqSOKwVQ8RLUtgKbO*AGYKbUeOr68GVie2aBwVeG*qGnbaUY3k3m!!3*kPcSpr/DCP_0013.JPG?dc=4675461490783947788[/img] Sophie (6 year-old Appendix Quarter Horse mare. [img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0WQDfArocNECmT8VWdG0CD9QXuJTk3FwH4ITL8JhW9XLf60SjPfKaOfM7TaEWQeRKlRsjUziHjUj3CxL4MFJ!SnQy20!eQPhiwWAymMAwUhBKanZ*bNgyV1BMqc9Em!hq*QEAIqKvM00/sophiepastsure.JPG?dc=4675474840836700320[/img] And I think I'm going to be getting a 5 year-old Thoroughbred gelding named Jerry within the next week! I'll post a picture of him when I get one.

Well, I'm sure glad that I had Jackie and Maya microchipped at my regular vet, and not at Banfield! That would really make me mad if I had done it at Banfield and found out it couldn't be read at most places!

My family was VERY unoriginal. We always had either yellow labs or golden retrievers. And we had about 8 dogs in a row that we named Sandy!

Jackie isn't shedding much, but Maya is shedding like crazy! I have those lint rollers to get rid of dog hair on clothes, and I keep one at work and some at home. I'm ALWAYS full of dog hair (usually Maya's). My horse is shedding like crazy now too! When I groom her, I wear a windbreaker so that I don't get totally covered in horse hair.