Rush and Harley rescue dogs.

[mazyku]

Hey, I am new to the dog forum and recently a new owner of a rescue dog. Here is a little info on my dog. My son lives in NC and one of his neighbors just up and left two of his dogs to fend for themselves. My son noticed that they were getting skinny and gained their trust. He also noticed that one had a bad leg. Being the animal lover that he was brought up, he took the two brothers to the vet to have them checked over. The one brother, Rush checked out fine but the other, Harley was very sick. Not only did he have a fractured leg and hip but he also had the parva virus. My son and daughter in law nursed Harley back to being well. The hard part was over and they thougtht finding them homes would be easy. Unfortunately, Katrina hit and all the shelters, as we know, were full. My son is a member of NASCAR truck and worked out a situation with the Greg Biffle Assc. (Greg does a lot of work with rescues in NC) to have the dogs flown to Maine to be adopted up there. But the rescue gods were not on our side and the Maine shelter called and said they were full. In the meantime, I was looking for a vet who would give us a deal on Harley's hip and leg surgery since he survived the parva and being hit by a car we thought he deserve a chance. The problem was it was in Pa. So, my husband and I drove to NC picked up the dogs and took them to Pa for their neutering and Harleys hip surgery. The sugery put me back $1,200. Donations were requested via emails but as of yet the vet has not received any. As for Rush and Harley, I found Rush a wonderful home with my girlfriend who had three rescue dogs but the Jack Russell that she had hated her cats. So, Jack went to my husbands cousin and Rush found new friends at her house. Harleys surgery went rather well. It was hard taking care of a dog that you did not know anything about but with the help of friends and family Harley is doing much better and enchanting our lives with wonderful memories. We don't know if he will ever be able to use his leg since atrophy had set in but at least he will not be in pain. They did an FHO on him and he does aqua therapy for that particular reason. He has three wonderful sister cats and love to play with the youngest. He has become my tail as he follows me all over the house. On Thursdays he get to come to work with me and loves the ride in the car. I was not ready for another animal in our house especially a dog but I have to say, he has brought us much happiness. As soon as I can figure out how to put pictures on the forum I will post them. Now for the real reason for posting. Harley with his three good legs loves to dig. Any secret on how to get him to stop digging up my yard. We tried the burying his poop thing but he still dug. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Jamiya]

Wow, congrats and good job for the sacrifices you made to help these dogs!!

Digging is a tough one. Sometimes the only thing that works is watching them so they can't dig! If you do see him digging from across the yard, don't make the mistake of calling him to you to yell at him. Instead, you burst out of the house and tell him "NO NO NO" all the way up to him so he associates the correction with what he was doing at the time it started. It's called "bridging" because once the dog stops what he is doing, he has no idea what you are correcting him for. You can do the same thing with praise. If a dog does something REALLY good and you don't have treats on you, you can praise them all the way back to the kitchen and find something, and they will associate all the praise and the treat with what they were doing when it all started.

One of my dogs was digging in one spot, and I would sneak up behind her and then start yelling. It scared her and after the second time I did it, I noticed she doesn't dig there anymore.

Hopefully someone else will have more solutions for you.

[honeybears]

wow, what a great story, I agree with Jimiya, you need to catch him in the act. you can also try a can of coins and shake it as you say no when you catch him. glad to hear you a doggie convert

[Mary_NH]

great story....my local shelter has gotten boxers up here (NH) via Nascar when the races are held in the summer in Loudon. I find it very heartwarming they are willing to help dogs find their way to shelters that can help home them. My local shelter is 100% no-kill.

[mazyku]

Thanks for the unique ideas on helping with the digging situation. He is a wonderful dog and he and his brother did deserve good homes. I guess God has strange way of helping different people. I do wish there was something we could do to the original owner. The only hope I have is that karma gets him in the end. I believe in pay backs. As for converting to being a dog lover, I always have been but love my cats dearly. They are easier to handle and it is funny but they act more like a dog then the dog does. He won't eat treats or even his dry food but he loves the cats treats and their dry food. Like I said before, as soon as I learn how to place pictures on here I will do it. I plan on enrolling him in Petsmarts obedience classes. Wish me luck!