Where do you live at? I ask because we have three dogs (2 labs, 1 boxer) and have been tossing the idea of finding a home for the boxer. We seem to have taken on more than we can really provide for (time, etc.). My husband and I both work and then to give our son the proper attention for a 4 yr. old and then try to give good attention to the 3 dogs, it can be difficult. Plus we are considering trying for a second child within the next year. The boxer is the youngest (1 1/2 yrs.) and really could use more running/playing time. If you are in my area and we decide we should go that route, I thought you might be interested. Let me know.

no no no, thinker does not need more to take care of, oh mi gosh, I can just see it now, thousands of MB pets being shipped to thinker.... we live in antarctica, that is all I have to say!!!!!<p>2 cats, 4 dogs, 2 guinea pigs, 1 parrot, tank of fish, 4 horses, 4 kids, and 1 ws, she can't take anymore, trust me.

[img]images/icons/shocked.gif" border="0[/img] Didn't know she had so much. I just caught her post to someone else about taking in their two dogs and all the land she had. It was just a thought. We're not really sure what we're doing anyway. He's a great dog and we'd hate to get rid of him, but it just seems that sometimes there just isn't enough time in the day and it's unfare to him. I mean heck, aside from the weekday things (work, preschool, etc.), my 4 yr. old plays hockey and that's on Sat. and Sun. and then he bowls on Sat. as well. (All things he chooses to do and loves.) Anyhow, like I said, we are still uncertain what we are doing. Just looking for possible options. [img]images/icons/wink.gif" border="0[/img]

I dunno, Queen Tut, where do you live? I seem to have a need in my life for a new dog and I have cousins who have Boxers and they seem to be great dogs. We could talk!<p>I'm just kind of dropping in here. I still post a tiny bit on the old board, but it is so great to see you again, my friend!<p>Not kidding about the dog thing. Talk to me.<p>Love you<p>Elf [img]images/icons/grin.gif" border="0[/img]

Tutter13 - yes we have a lot of animals, I do care about their health, and well being. That is part of me, animals take my heart too quickly. We live in Michigan, and if need be I would take the dogs, and find a home for them. No dog needs to be left alone, they need attention. Labs especially need to have room to romp and play. <p>Like when one of our cats (she was just a little over a year old) died. We took 2 kittens, both girls. Cotta lives today, is sort of psycho, and the other was Terra - a great cat with a great personality. When I was taking our 2 big lab mixes to the human society to get them neutured, my mother-in-law went with me, since these guys were huge at 9 months. Terra was killed a month before, and MIL said lets go look at the Cats at the human society. I said no, and of course she said it couldn't hurt to look. So we looked and this most ugly black, scrawny, flea bitten, mite infested ears, black cat looked at me through the rails. I said can I just look at her and hold her. They called her treetop cause they found her in a tree outside. I put her next to my face and she put both paws around my neck and licked my chin and that was it. I took her home the next day when I picked up the dogs. That was Friday, and she became so sick, she had diarrhea, and vomiting. Took her in cause she had pneumonia, and they kept her for a few days. Told me they wanted to put her to sleep and get a new kitten. I said no I have become attached to her. For 3 days and 3 nights, I put this little cat in a handkerchief and tied it around my neck, and I slept in a recliner so she would be elevated, and cuddled. She turned out to be a really great cat, I named her Shu-fu. Is chinese for gentle, loving. She is so loving to me, I get up in the morning, and she is biting my leg for food. Go to the bathroom and she is biting my leg. You sit on a chair and she is there on your lap. She is a real people cat. This cat used to go to the potty on the toilet. We didn't train her, have a picture of her pottying. When the weather is nice, when I take all 4 dogs out to the field and stream, SHu-fu follows and I hear this little meow, she comes up to me and puts her front paws on my legs, to be picked up. She loves to be carried out in the field, and then when the dogs hit the one field to run and play, she usually wants down, and she investigates. Coming back, once again she wants to be picked up. It is really a riot when I have the bird on my shoulder, and Shu-fu in my arms. The bird tries to attack the cat. <p>Animals are great, unconditional love!

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by sad_n_lonely:
<strong>no no no, thinker does not need more to take care of, .</strong><hr></blockquote><p>awwwwww, c'mon, SNL!!! Wouldn't you and Thinker just love to have a cute little minature schnauzer puppy to balance out your menagerie?? He will sleep with you and wake you up every morning with doggie kisses!

Okay by me. Schnauzer could sleep with SNL, I have a bordercollie mix sleeping with me. Yes, SNL moved out of the bedroom tonight. Long story, will write a thread on it.

Well, the dogs have room to romp. They have their own bedroom and we have a good size yard. The labs are 5 and 7 and the boxer is 1 1/2. The boxer is full of more energy, and sometimes it just feels that we don't have enough time to give him. They are all loved greatly and well taken care of, no doubt. Anyhow, Elf, we live in Ohio. In any event, like I said above, I'm not sure what we are doing. We love the dogs and all, but sometimes it just seems we don't give them enough attention. I could be wrong, but that's how it feels sometimes. Anyhow, all in all we are great with our dogs, and who knows what we are doing. It could just be a phase. I too love animals and the dogs are wonderful. Anyhow, thanks everyone.

Thinker~<p>LOL! You sound like me. Before we had to move (we live in Florida).....we lived in the country in Tennessee.<p>I couldn't begin to tell you all of the strays I've taken in. MOST people in that area DID NOT take their animals to the vet, much less have them spayed or neutered. There wasn't a Humane Society within 70 miles. If an unwanted litter was born, many times the newborns would be packed in a box a left at the end of someone's driveway. Where we lived, people didn't believe in fences, they either allowed their dogs to roam the highways or tied them underneath a tree (or broken down vehicle, whichever was readily available).<p>Anyway, about two months before we moved, and before we even knew we were moving.......I noticed the dog next door (who was tied to a tree, no shelter) had had a litter of puppies. Now, I was SHOCKED because I thought the dog had died because I hadn't heard her crying for a couple of days. She was so sickly I couldn't even tell she was pregnant. It turns out she whelped and now had 7 puppies. I went over and once I saw her up close I nearly had a coniption fit! She was completely emaciated and now she had seven puppies to feed. The woman who owned her was a few french fries short of a Happy Meal to begin with and told me the dog was a German Dalmation. Ha! GERMAN Dalmation<snicker snicker> there is no such breed, the dog was a pure-bred mutt, and this woman was just ignorant enough to believe she had an unusual pedigreed dog. BUT, I told her that for some time I had been in the market for a German Dalmation & the dog was just what I had been looking for. I told her I would give her $50.00 for the Mama and her pups. She took me up on the offer.<p>I ended up loading them all in my hatchback car and taking them directly to the vet. Molly (the mother, originally named Mama Bean) was so sick and had worms so bad she had to be wormed 6 times. Her gums were almost completely white. The dog was on her last leg and I know (vet confirmed) that she would have been dead within a couple of days if she hadn't been treated. The people who had her KNEW she had worms. The IDIOTS! She had never even been to the vet in her life.<p>To make a long story short.....we brought Molly and all 7 of her babies (Old Dan, Little Ann, Pogo, Oreo, Maximus, Duke, Trouble) into our home. I fed Molly raw liver, broth, egg and the best dog food we could afford. She bloomed under our love and care and her puppies literally became OUR babies as well as her own. I know we spent over $1,200 on their treatment, food, and adoption fees and neither my husband nor I begrudge one single penny of it.<p>My husband stayed up until midnight building them a pen once WE decided they were big enough to be outside. I'm telling you, those puppies and Molly's recovery brought us so much joy. I have pictures of them. <p>I couldn't find homes for them (only Old Dan and Little Ann) and I still had 5 puppies and Molly. Plus my own mini-dachshund, a cat (the owner was going to wrap her in a plastic bag and throw her in lake when she was a kitten, so I made him give her to me), and 2 other stray cats we were feeding. I was in terrible shape because, as I said, we had no Humane Society and I even called the surrounding cities and states to see if they could take them. They couldn't. So, we ended up having to transport them 2 hours away to a for-profit no-kill privately owned rescue organiztion. I have grieved those puppies many times because.....well.....because I just miss them....and we had invested so much time, energy, love and money TO MAKE SURE they would be healthy and happy...I hated not knowing the homes they eventually went to. <p>Anyway, I guess I was just saying, I think the two of us have something in common.....the love of animals. I'm taking this waaaay off-topic and I would love to email with you, if you like.<p>selket<p>P.S. My mother and father picked up the two stray cats (Scamp and Titter)....and Scamp has completely taken up with my mother the way your kitty has taken up with you. She now has 2 dogs, 2 Amazon Parrots (Yellow Nape, African Gray), and the two cats....I wonder where I get my love of animals from?????? [img]images/icons/wink.gif" border="0[/img]<p>[ February 27, 2002: Message edited by: selket ]</p>

Hi Selket - I read you loud and clear! This is so good to hear another person who cares about animals. My mother-in-law does too, but hers has gotten somewhat to the extreme.<p>Since I was a kid, I remember our one collie mix got impregnanted by a neighbor. We had a high fence around her cage. Big roomy cage, fence was 8' tall. The neighbor dog climbed the fence and whoopie was made. 4 puppies were produced, and the mother died giving birth. The vet couldn't save her. We raised all 4 puppies in our home. Mom and I took turns feeding, and bathing, and loving. One puppy our neighbor took, they named him King, the others were adopted out and I asked them to send pictures of the puppies when they were about 6 months old. 3 people did, 1 never did. The puppies were born right before school was out, so I was able to get up in the night and feed. This was a wonderful experience, and mom could depend on me. She didn't ask my brother, he is my twin, cause she said he wouldn't get up. <p>Yes, it was hard to let our little puppies go to homes, but I knew deep in my heart this was the best thing, but you know God has ways of helping us, and he did take the pain away.<p>my e-mail is - Tazziblack@hotmail.com<p>Would love to hear from you!<p>Tutter3 - make sure you know what you want to do before you make a final decision. With the labs being of their age, it is going to be hard to find good homes for them. Labs are energetic dogs, the boxer is a family dog, but what I have read, he is a one person dog. Might be advisable to place him in an adult environment only. This is so hard, I can feel your pain, think hard about it, and tell me what you think.<p>[ February 27, 2002: Message edited by: thinker ]</p>

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by sad_n_lonely:
<strong>....we live in antarctica, that is all I have to say!!!!!</strong><hr></blockquote><p> [img]images/icons/grin.gif" border="0[/img] HILARIOUS! [img]images/icons/grin.gif" border="0[/img] <p>I live in CA and it gets really hot here so some days I have to keep our little cavey cooled using a frozen water bottle. He snuggles up to it and he's so happy. I guess you don't have any trouble keeping yours cool in Michigan! What kind are they and what color? Mine is an adult silky and he's black and white.