Pet(s): Photos & Discussion

[ratgirlagogo]

19 hours ago, stewedsquash said:

I use one of these, with a smooth cutter part, to cut my biscuits [unless I do them cat head style]. But it is a great chopper for meat. I use it to make my chicken salad, you have more control on how big or little you want the pieces.

I have one of these too and I love it - and now I know where to find another one, so thanks!  I got mine at the Goodwill and I've never seen anything quite exactly like it since.

[33kaitykaity]

I thought I had found my new Peanut.  His name is Easy.  I am so mad now I could just spit.  My new boy had a UTI and TWO intestinal infections when they released him to me.  They acted shocked when I told them I want him back when they get him healthy and ready to be with me.  

He is such a lover bug.  I can't help but cry if he does not make it out of this.  

ETA:  I have been a faithful adopter of kittens from my local county animal -- kill -- shelter for 25-plus years. 

Edited July 23, 2016 by 33kaitykaity

[Sandman87]

It occurred to me today that Mom's cat keeps a very organized litter box. She always arranges it so that #1 is on the right, and #2 is on the left. Always. Makes it easier to keep clean with the litter scoop. I assume that no one wants to see a picture of it here.

And speaking of cat litter - I used to use Feline Pine, but I found a substitute for it a few years ago: The sawdust pellets for pellet stoves. I can get a 40 pound bag of the stuff (about 2-3 months worth) in a store for about 1/3 as much as the best price I can find online for the same weight of Feline Pine, yet is still has similar anti-odor properties. The only real disadvantage is that it's not as easy for the cat to bury the poop because the pellets are bigger, but if you scoop the box out regularly it's not really a problem.

[riley702]

Just for funsies: Which Harry Potter House Does Your Cat Belong In?   Lucy is a sweet, loveable Hufflepuff, while Swiffer is a Ravenclaw: "Your cat is worryingly smart. Your cat is like the raptors in the first Jurassic Park movie who figure out how to test the fence for weaknesses. ... It is VERY fortunate for all of us that your cat loves you very much. It’s the only reason she hasn’t used that uncanny ability to figure out how doorknobs work in a bid to take over the world." Heh, that sounds about right.

Found another one not specifically for cats.

[Petunia13]

My dog is stylish

[bosawks]

Cat-sitting is exhausting.........

[bosawks]

10 minutes ago, stewedsquash said:

I love how you posed the cat under the blanket that is protecting the pool table from the cat.

If I've learned anything from this week it's that attempting to protect something from a curious cat is a fool's errand......

[Sandman87]

Just be glad that they don't have hands.

[ABay]

We'd all be doomed to perpetual servitude! Oh..wait...

For about a year, the boy cat (I'm fairly sure) has overshot the end of the litter box from time to time. First, I got huge plastic trays meant to go under washing machines and put the litter boxes in them. They protected the carpet and made clean up easier. Then, thinking it might be arthritis causing the problem, I got a hood-less litter box with high sides and supposedly lower threshold at the door. It's really not much lower. Today I got a plastic storage box and cut most of one of the short sides off so there is maybe 1/4 inch edge. Unfortunately, this means the trays are going to get very messy. I'm not sure what else to do; I don't want him in pain every times he needs to use the box but I'm not looking forward to cleaning up, either.

[Happy Belly]

Hi everyone! I am brand new to the forum, but not brand new to my passion for all animals. I have protested at the slaughterhouse in NYC they claim is a shelter; I have protested here in my beloved state of NJ against the black bear hunting season and I also am a foster for a fantastic cat rescue located in NYC. I read with interest all the comments about cat poop. I have attached a picture of my Brandy. I adopted her from our local shelter after losing everything in a fire, including my 3 cats & 1 parrot. She was adopted even though she was obese, smelled terrible and had so much dandruff it looked like she was caught in a snowstorm. She was adopted because her life mattered to us, I thought she was beautiful and she purred so loud it sounded like a tornado was coming through the house. About 6 years into her life with us, Brandy was diagnosed with megacolon.  We, including our fantastic vet, tried all we could to give her some kind of quality of life without having to take her to the vet x amount of times per week so he could manually extract it from her. She was on special food; she took Lactolose everyday and only after 5 years of this, our vet said its getting worse and that we had 2 options...1 was having the dead part of her colon surgically removed and the other...well, you know. We went with option 1. She survived the surgery, was pooping on her own for a few months, but at her age, at that time she was 13, her heart gave out and she left us.  I guess I am just telling you all this because I truly understand the celebration that occurs when you see poop in a litterbox. We threw poop parties in our house because of it. i miss her so much.

[Sandman87]

On Wednesday, August 10, 2016 at 8:07 AM, ABay said:

For about a year, the boy cat (I'm fairly sure) has overshot the end of the litter box from time to time. First, I got huge plastic trays meant to go under washing machines and put the litter boxes in them. They protected the carpet and made clean up easier. Then, thinking it might be arthritis causing the problem, I got a hood-less litter box with high sides and supposedly lower threshold at the door. It's really not much lower. Today I got a plastic storage box and cut most of one of the short sides off so there is maybe 1/4 inch edge. Unfortunately, this means the trays are going to get very messy. I'm not sure what else to do; I don't want him in pain every times he needs to use the box but I'm not looking forward to cleaning up, either.

Sounds like exactly the problem that I had with my Big Guy, who had arthritis in his hips. Cleaning out the litter box a lot more often helped with the "peeing over the edge" problem, since he didn't feel as much need to crowd the edge of the box, and large plastic trash bags & paper towels under the litter box took care of the incidents that did occur. It also helped that I kept the litter box in the laundry area where there was linoleum flooring instead of carpet.

[riley702]

(((Happy Belly))) My Imp had megacolon. He only lasted a little under 4 years on daily Lactulose with multiple "clogs". I'd massage his tummy afterward because it would give him cramps. I had made the mistake of starting him out on only dry food, so when he developed megacolon and needed to up his water intake, he wouldn't touch anything else. Even tried pumpkin puree and baby food, but no go. It was so frustrating, I can't tell you how many times I cried. He hated going in to get cleaned out and starting hiding how he felt. He perfed his gut before I realized. This was right after I'd gone through a year of cancer treatment, and he'd been there for me. I still feel like I failed him by not realizing how sick he was. *tears*

Edited August 11, 2016 by riley702
Adding one of my last pics of Imp sleeping beside me.

[ABay]

@riley702, I've felt that way each time, too. It hurts too much to even think about.

[Happy Belly]

Awww riley702, I am so sorry, but never feel like you let him down. With this condition, our hands are pretty much tied. You did everything you could given the treatment available at that time. I understand now, per my vet's assistant, there is food available that supposedly will elimimate the need for extractions. If there is, I hope never to have to find out if it works. My Brandy also wouldnt touch the pumpkin but Royal Canin had a special food for our megacolon babies. She was a trooper...never complained. Your Imp is beautiful. Was he all black like my girl? I wonder if black kities are more suseptible to this condition? Hugs to you my friend. Never doubt what you did or didnt do. If you did nothing, he would not have lived so long with this condition and would have been in constant pain for whatever time he was on this earth, so you, my friend, are a good mommy. i hope you are feeling better from your cancer. July 7th was my last day for radiation for breast cancer, i hope you are doing as well as I am.

[riley702]

<3 Yes, Imp was all black. He was such a good boy. Congratulations on finishing active treatment. My treatment was in 2010. I guess the good part was it was all in the same calendar year, so only had to go through the out of pocket and deductibles once. :) Mine was also breast. I did 6 months of chemo (clinical trial that doubled the number of drugs and length of time), bilateral MX without reconstruction, followed by 6 weeks of radiation. Not complaining, though. It was screamingly aggressive, but I lucked out on it not spreading. I threw the mother-fucking kitchen sink at it and lopped off the other breast before it got any bright ideas about trying to kill me. No regrets.

Edited August 15, 2016 by riley702

[JTMacc99]

So a couple weeks ago my son wanted to walk around the neighborhood (he had a Pokemon egg he wanted to hatch), so I told him we'd bring Neo for a walk. It was kind of warm out that day, and I thought Danny the 10 year old lab probably should stay home in the AC, but Neo's a 19 pound Italian greyhound. He should be able to handle a half mile walk.  

For reference, this is what he usually looks like.

He was super happy as we took off up the street. Sniffing, peeing, trotting his skinny little legs.  As we got to exactly the half-way mark I look down at him, and he's panting and looks like he's about to fall over. I told my son that it looks like I'm going to carry Neo home. I asked him to take a picture of me holding him right after I picked him up, which is cute.  Then my son zoomed in just on his face...

[riley702]

OMG, is he OK?

[JTMacc99]

5 hours ago, riley702 said:

OMG, is he OK?

The first picture was actually taken later the same day. The tongue out, eyes closed picture was just a bit of perfect timing. Mostly he had his head up as I carried his skinny butt back home. 

[ABay]

We met our new vet today. He seems competent and the office is clean and pretty well-managed. So far, better than the previous place. 

The boy cat has a urinary tract infection. The vet gave him the 14-day antibiotic shot and I am really *really* hoping that takes care of it. I don't know how I'm going to get him into the carrier in 2 weeks for the follow-up, much less how I would be able to give him daily oral medicine. Chase him into his carrier every day? It's overwhelming just thinking about it.

The girl cat was fine. Of course, she growled, hissed, and tried to scratch and bite me when I was getting her into the carrier. Thank god the towel I finally got around her was think. I don't know how I escaped unscathed. He's the feral one I can't pet, let alone hold, and have to corner in a room after blocking all hiding spaces. She's the normal cuddle cat. 

Results of the stool sample tomorrow. Woo.

[Bastet]

Convenia (the shot) is a broad spectrum antibiotic, and the bacteria most often the cause of UTIs in cats are sensitive to it, so odds are it will do the trick and you won't have to attempt giving a feral cat daily meds.  Fingers crossed for you!  Did they send out for a urine culture to identify the bacteria?  That way you'd know for sure you're using the right antibiotic.

I'm glad everyone is relatively healthy and you're pleased with the new vet so far.

[ABay]

Thanks, @Bastet. The poor boy voided as soon as the vet touched his bladder so he took the sample from the table. He'd need to draw another sample to text for bacteria. Puss had been so brave and already through so much--they shaved his back mats and now he has a big irregular bald patch from mid-back to bum, he got the rabies booster, plus the antibiotic shot, and a thorough exam. They did send the sample out to test for albumin. They'll have the results next week.

After transferring the money from the credit union savings account into the checking account at another bank (because if they were at the same bank, I'd have no savings), I'm emotionally drained and need a cool drink and a nap.

[DeLurker]

Well, after several weeks we are back at home (went to visit my parents, Sir Robin included).  I'm afraid he is a bit lonely now as my Mom has a cat so he spent the summer trying to make friends with her (which did not go well).  The Wee Beastie, my name for her cat, was not pleased to have another cat in her house.  She immediately charged him and when he went back at her, completely freaked her out.  The following couple of weeks were her hiding in one half of the house with Sir Robin desperately trying to find her.  After that, she decided to reclaim her house by venturing back out into the common area, growling in an attempt to intimidate.  Sir Robin, dopey bastard that he is, continued to try to make friends thereby earning a couple of cuffs to the face.  In our final couple of days, he started ignoring her which resulted in her coming into the room where he was to get his attention and then scurry away.

He spent an inordinate amount of time stalking her, without showing any aggressive behavior at all.  She spent an inordinate amount of time hiding from him.  And now both cats are bored without the other to stalk or be stalked by.

[Demented Daisy]

Apparently, I have a comfy foot.  

[Demented Daisy]

On May 15, 2015 at 10:23 AM, Demented Daisy said:

 

 

Loki thought my feet were pretty comfy, too.  

[ABay]

What a sweet face!

[riley702]

On 8/16/2016 at 5:10 PM, ABay said:

The girl cat was fine. Of course, she growled, hissed, and tried to scratch and bite me when I was getting her into the carrier. Thank god the towel I finally got around her was think. I don't know how I escaped unscathed. He's the feral one I can't pet, let alone hold, and have to corner in a room after blocking all hiding spaces. She's the normal cuddle cat. 

My kidlings reverse personality for the vet, too. Lucy, who wouldn't say boo to a mouse, hisses and growls, but thankfully doesn't try to scratch or bite. Swiffer, normally the bossy little control freak, cowers and whimpers and tries to crawl under Lucy. Weirdness.

ETA: Heh, when reading that Lucy wouldn't say boo to a mouse, that reminded me of something that happened last week. There is a common hallway for the 4 apartments in my building and the kiddoes like me to prop my door open so they can explore. I watched them both very interested in something at the base of the stairs. Suddenly, Lucy grabs it and carries it out into the open with Swiffer hot on her heels. About then, I'm thinking maybe I should go find out what is it before they let it escape, but suddenly Lucy is crunching away! Must have been good, because they both nosed around looking for scraps and then went back to the stairs to look for more. Thankfully, they didn't find anything else, but they were disappointed. So, apparently Lucy will say boo to a bug.

Edited August 19, 2016 by riley702

[DeLurker]

There's been some recent postings on kitty litter throughout PTV.  Since I was bringing the cat on our drive to Florida this summer, I knew I would need a litter box in the car.  Since I have a wide collection of banker boxes, I decided to use that as the carrier and found a storage container that would fit in it to use as the litter box.  I just cut a flap on the banker box to make ingress/egress a bit easier.  Happily, it also solved the problem of litter displacement because the cat needs to furiously cover any output.

I also found my cat, and my Mom's, do not like to walk on rubber mats like this:

Mom had a few in the doorways to catch shoe ick, but the cats would always cross it suspiciously and reluctantly.

[MargeGunderson]

On August 10, 2016 at 11:07 AM, ABay said:

We'd all be doomed to perpetual servitude! Oh..wait...

For about a year, the boy cat (I'm fairly sure) has overshot the end of the litter box from time to time. First, I got huge plastic trays meant to go under washing machines and put the litter boxes in them. They protected the carpet and made clean up easier. Then, thinking it might be arthritis causing the problem, I got a hood-less litter box with high sides and supposedly lower threshold at the door. It's really not much lower. Today I got a plastic storage box and cut most of one of the short sides off so there is maybe 1/4 inch edge. Unfortunately, this means the trays are going to get very messy. I'm not sure what else to do; I don't want him in pain every times he needs to use the box but I'm not looking forward to cleaning up, either.

My elderly kitty has the same problem. She has arthritis so we switched to the Lucky Champ litter box http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3261 1926 19119 31616&pcatid=31616 which is easy for her to walk into. I put puppy pee pads underneath of the front of the box as this is the only place where there was spillage. The sides minus the front are are still high enough that she doesn't spray over them.  The pee pads are easy to clean up, jut wipe down the front of the box, thrown out the pee pa and put down another one.

Today is Emma's 20th birthday. She's celebrating with a good nap.

[Treehugger]

On July 1, 2016 at 4:48 PM, Bastet said:

 

I messed up the quote boxes, imagine that, so I intended to quote @MargeGunderson.  I wanted to wish Emma a Happy 20th Birthday!

[harrie]

Happy 20th, Emma and Marge!  

[Sandman87]

Happy 20th! I'd offer her a scratch behind the ears to celebrate if I could figure out how to email one.

[bosawks]

Happy National Dog Day!!!!!

[isalicat]

Greetings everyone! I just discovered this wonderful place and spent the last two days while I was supposed to be working reading through all 19 pages and enjoying all the adorable pictures of your beautiful doggies and kittehs. I just lost my most beloved tom cat, Mister Oh, after 20 years of sharing his life about three weeks ago - had to have him sent to cat heaven as he had developed very aggressive cancer (I thought he had an infection in his paw and kept trying to clean and put on topical antibiotics for some time, about which I will probably feel guilty for the rest of my life). As soon as the vet told me what was really wrong, that was it as I would never let him hurt a single second that could be avoided, but yes there is a giant hole in my heart, bigger than any previous loss (I have had a lot of cats - every one them found me over the years) but except for my very first cat, a tom named Picasso, this is the worst loss...I keep expecting him to just be here in all his usual places and it feels positively surreal that he doesn't just appear somehow. I did get his ashes last week and they also made a plaster of paris paw print for me (so I can prove how enormous he was - about the size of a bobcat actually). There is a Zen Buddhist abbey in my former town where Mister Oh found me and lived until about five years ago and they have the most beautiful pet cemetery and do a memorial service for your pet so he and I will be going up there pretty soon so he can "go home" once and for all. And now I'm crying again....:(

Anyways, definitely can't imagine life without at least one furry being in it so for the first time ever I guess I am going to actually go out and find a new feline sometime in the next few months. Lots of people here have said its better to get two than one, although I work from home so my cats have never been left alone for very long. As I said, cats have found me, so we usually had at least two or three at a time; it just happened that my calico, Kali, who was 23 when she died, was the last to go of the previous group and Mister Oh did not like any other cats (very possessive of me) so I thought it best not to bring anyone else home on purpose and I think any strays that came around were quickly "shown the door" by the giant Oh.  So do you all think I should go for two and if so, give me some ammunition to talk the husband into this as he was happy with just one at a time. I will definitely be going to a rescue facility or shelter and my only criteria is no long hairs (Mister Oh was a long hair gray and white with the most marvelous plume of a tail but the level of shedding, despite daily brushing, was ridiculous).

Well that was absurdly long winded! But thank you for all the pictures as they remind me again of the great joy we receive from our non-human companions and how much I will enjoy again being a "cat slave" :)

(no the avatar on my post is not Mister Oh....sorry, yet another cat from the past named O3).

[DeLurker]

Welcome aboard @isalicat!  Looking forward to hearing about your new furry friend when it happens.

I'm getting closer to adding a dog to our pack.  Things have been too unsettled for a long time and this is looking a bit more grounded.  So been haunting local, and some not so local, pet rescue sites.  I probably would have driven a couple of hours today for a labradoodle (giant too!) at a shelter but it said he wasn't a fan of cats.  Since catface (aka Sir Robin) is an important consideration, that puts Goliath out of the running.

[raven]

National Dog Day!

[Sandman87]

This morning Mom's cat commandeered the bed while I puttered around at my computer desk, and she started talking to me as soon as she saw me fiddling with my digital camera.

Me: "What?"

Cat: "Meow." (pause) "Meow!"

Me: "You want me to take your picture?"

Cat: "Meow."

I loaded some batteries into the camera and got ready to take a picture. I swear that she got up, came over to the end of the bed, and posed.

I'm obviously very well trained.

[Talky Tina]

@isalicat, I have just discovered this section of the forums as well. I didn't know there was an off topic section even though I kept seeing the "Everything else" tab I never clicked on it.  I have also spent the past days reading all of the comments here.  I am so sorry for those of you who have lost pets, I know that pain and I send condolences to you.  You all have such beautiful pets and I love looking at your pictures.   

I am retired now and live in the country, I bought 40 acres with an inheritance way back in 1983 and spent all together about 6 years to build my house. I lived and worked in the city so I didn't have a deadline and I also wanted to build it with no loans. I spent every weekend up here in a camper, then came up and stayed in the house when it was finished. I came up every single Friday after work. My plan for my life was to put in my time at my government job, retire with my pension and benefits and get the hell out of the city.  I donated all of my work clothes, moved up here permanently a week after I retired and I never looked back.  My big log cabin is my dream home. I am very lucky that my cousin and his husband are both contractors and they did a lot of the work, all I had to do was give them two acres at the edge of my land which I would have done anyway as they're my closest family.    I have no kids by choice, kids are OK I just never had the desire to have my own, I was married for 9 years and my husband was killed in a car accident in '99.  Now it's just me and my animals and I am perfectly fine with it. I love living in the country surrounded by my own little farm. 

Geez Louise, only I could go off topic in an off topic forum (they don't just call me Talky Tina because it's my favorite Twilight Zone episode).  Topic...I have three dogs, a German Shepherd/chow mix, a Newfoundland and my little mutt baby who is a Chihuahua/Dachshund/something/something mix of...something,  I have no clue what she is but she's a cutie. Their names are Blitzen, Jake and Charlotte respectively.  I also have five indoor cats and I brought my spayed and neutered feral-ish cats that I took care of when I lived in Portland. Then there's Harry my tortoise who I have had since I was 26.  I also have 3 goats named Walter, Ethel and Martha and I just got 20 chickens, 5 grown hens and 15 chicks. I'm hoping to get a pig next but I need to do a lot of research before I make that decision. I have three aquariums, a 120 gallon saltwater tank and two 55 gallon freshwater and a really bitchy bunny who has a bad attitude.   That's it for my pets except for Madonna who is my pet rat, I don't mention her much to people because they always turn up their noses and say yuck when I say I have a pet rat. My very first pet as a kid was a rat, my mom took me to the pet store to get me a hamster but as soon as I saw the rats that's what I wanted. She tried to talk me out of it but I wanted a rat and I have had a pet rat ever since and every one since my first one Donny (Osmund) have been named after singers.  They are actually really clean and smart animals. I have been able to teach some of them to do little tricks. I can put Madonna on my coffee table and yell "fire torpedo" and she'll jump off the table and on to the couch.   Wow...I have way too much time on my hands since I retired.  

Edited August 28, 2016 by Talky Tina

[Sandman87]

Welcome to the thread Talky Tina. Sounds like you have quite a houseful.

You reminded me of something I haven't mentioned here before: Back when I was in grade school, we had a "library" of small pets at the school that the kids could check out for a week at a time, but only after convincing the teacher who took care of them that we'd care for them correctly. A couple of hamsters, some snakes, three rats, some goldfish, and so on. I borrowed the rats several times, and they were great. I particularly liked the way one of them made my stepfather shriek like a little girl when I let it wander into the living room one day. He made me promise to keep it in my room after that. For some reason I could never get permission to bring one of the snakes home...

[Talky Tina]

Thank you for the welcome @Sandman87.  I do have a house and yard full but that's the reason I bought this property way back when.  My plan was always to move up here after I retired and have a little mini farm.  If I had my wish I'd have cows, a horse, pigs and anything else I can imagine but I know my financial limits and I don't want to neglect them just for the sake of saying I have them.  Maybe one day.  One pig is definitely in my near future though then I'll be done. I just need to research what kind of pig and what I will need for them etc. 

Edited August 28, 2016 by Talky Tina

[EyewatchTV211]

I happened to stumble upon this on National Dog Day and loved it, so I thought I would share:

http://www.upworthy.com/what-its-like-to-adopt-a-dog-as-told-through-a-14-part-comic?c=utw2&utm_content=buffer71f1c&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

[raven]

That was great, VMepicgrl!

There's a fun article on that site about the the first art exhibit for dogs too.

Edited August 28, 2016 by raven

[DeLurker]

Moving day for my nephew so I am dog sitting.  She's not happy about being here without my nephew, but has settled down.  Sir Robin doesn't care much that the dog is here, but he cares very much that I've put out food for her.  My cat keeps going and hoovering up the food.  Brat.

[ratgirlagogo]

On 8/27/2016 at 6:15 PM, Talky Tina said:

my pet rat, I don't mention her much to people because they always turn up their noses and say yuck when I say I have a pet rat.

Feh.  Obviously rats are the best  of all possible pets.  I've been keeping them for 30 plus years and all of them were amazing.

[Demented Daisy]

Over the past couple of days, Leia has developed an odd quirk.  We've always put their food on the bottom step of the stairs, so they don't have to stretch to reach the food.  Leia has decided that, after a few minutes of eating, her food should be on the floor.  So she pushes her bowl off the step, flipping it just enough so a handful lands on the floor while the rest stays in the bowl.  She eats what's on the floor, then walks away.

No idea what that's about.

[DeLurker]

That is odd...

Question:  I'm getting closer to getting a dog to join the DeLurker herd - with a little luck (and lots of restraint) it will be only one dog, but probably a decent sized one.  Think lab sized or a bit bigger.  A counselor at a shelter I was talking with yesterday says she recommends not getting larger dogs neutered until they are a bit older - the testosterone is important for proper physical development.  She will have adopters who she feels confident with sign a contract agreeing to get the procedure done in a set amount of time and submit evidence of the same for their records.

I've only had a limited amount of time to research this and only came up with one UC Davis study on golden retrievers to support the logic.  Any of you looked into this and have input or guidance you can direct me to?

[AgentRXS]

I'm not a vet or vet tech but I have worked at an animal shelter for the last 5 years. We of course neuter all the animals before adoption, even puppies as small as 2 months. And of course, Ive worked there long enough to see puppies get adopted and returned as adults. I noticed that labs and pits that were neutered young tend to be a little stunted in growth. They aren't as physically large as an a intact male dog.  However, I've seen no difference in size or shape in the shepherd/huskies breeds.  In female dogs, the girl dogs tend to be physically fatter then their intact counterparts.

However, I can definitely tell you  in my experience that the animals most involved in severe animal to animal or animal to human bites are intact male dogs between the ages of 8 months to a 2 years, with intact female dogs being the 2nd. Very few neutered animals display that level of aggression. So I recommend they be neutered sometime between 2-6 months of age.

Just my two cents.

[bosawks]

I had a male Chessie that we neutered at 6 months and he ended up being a big one......

[Demented Daisy]

We had Loki neutered around the 7 month mark and he grew to be over 100lbs.  Did the counselor gave a medical reason for not neutering a male?  Did she say anything about spaying females?  

[Bastet]

I have only heard the caution to wait until later on neutering with regard to truly large-breed dogs.  But since I'm a cat person, my knowledge comes only from reading discussion on pet forums over the years, not personal research or conversations with my own vet.

It's a risk to adopt out unaltered pets with a contract requiring the new owner to get it done, rather than spaying/neutering before the pet transfers from shelter to owner.  I know you'll have it done, at whatever age you and your vet decide is appropriate, but too many people don't.

I can't wait to hear about who you wind up adopting.

Edited August 30, 2016 by Bastet

[Talky Tina]

I seem to have had a post disappear.  I hope it wasn't in the wrong place or inappropriate for the forum. 

I hope I didn't break a rule.  The post was just talking about my animals and asking for suggestions on a breed that would enjoy running in the woods with me.  I do tend to run (type) at the mouth when it comes to my animals so maybe it was too long.    I posted it right after Ratgirlagogo's post. 

@DeLurker, how exciting!!  I'm so happy that you're adding a dog to your family.  Best of luck to you and your family in the new addition. 

Edited August 31, 2016 by Talky Tina