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Ruger the saved GSD...

651 views 8 replies 5 participants last post by  kellzey 
#1 ·
Hello everyone. I'd like to introduce myself and my family to the forum.
I'm Andy, the proud parent of Colt, a pure bred JRT that I adopted from a family friend who had to give him up due to a work situation, and Ruger, my new GSD.

A little background, then I'll get to the story of Ruger.
My G/f Sarah and I currently live in a 2 bedroom apartment in Concord NC. We have recently moved from the University area. Almost 2 years ago I adopted Colt, our JRT. He had been through a lot in his short life up to that point. His original family wasn't all that nice to him, because like all JRTs he had lots of energy and lots of personality and they couldn't handle him. It also didn't help matters that he was hit by a car when he was a puppy and has an underdeveloped leg. He was then adopted by a family friend who loved him very much and made him into a pretty good boy. Unfortunately the family friend took another job where he would be out of the house up to 14 hours a day, and just could not leave Colt alone that long. Being that I lived at the time with 3 other room-mates I said I would take him because I knew someone would be around almost all the time to take care of him. He is exceptionally smart, and only marginally hindered by his leg now that he has reached full size. He is still just as fast as a normal JRT, but he doesn't have the jumping ability that a healthy Jack would have. That is not always a bad thing!

After we moved to a new place, I expressed interest in adopting another dog, now that we have more room so Colt could have a buddy. We also had an incident about 3 days after moving in. Apparently sometime during the night someone was either trying to peep in to our place, or get in through the back door. Ever the good watchdog, Colt slept through the entire ordeal. I had always wanted a GSD, or other "working" style dog, and with Colt's enthusiasm for life, his intelligence, and his nature I knew we would need a smart breed to compliment him (and maybe wake up if someone tries to break in :eek:.)

After a few weeks of checking websites we decided to look around on CL and see what was available. We both ooh'd and ahh'd and "Dawwwwwww'd" over many different ads, for all kinds of dogs. Most of these were people who were moving, or had some kind of life event going on that was forcing them to give up their pets, and most had a $200+ re-homing fee. Then I saw a listing for one of the local shelters. It was one of the few around that is still a "kill" shelter, so we started looking through all the listings.
On page 2 there was a listing for a 2 - 3 year old male GSD.

This was Saturday night, 8-13-11. His adoption/put down date was 8-15!
I immediately showed the listing to Sarah and told her I wanted to call and check him out, provided he was still there on Monday morning. We checked into the shelter website and saw that there was a $90 fee to adopt which included a wellness check and having him fixed. Sarah agreed. Monday morning I woke up early and called the shelter. They did confirm they still had him, but as with all shelter dogs, it was a first come basis. 2 other people had already called to check on him that morning.
So I walked Colt, and hopped into my Jeep. This shelter is over 35 miles away. I got there in less than 45 minutes. :D
About an hour later and $90 lighter in the wallet, I was on my way back to the apartment, and Ruger was moved from his holding kennel to the waiting kennel to be sent to the vet. We spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning up the apartment and gathering supplies.
The next day I got a call from the vet telling me that his surgery had went just fine, and that I could come get him in a few hours. The only issue is that he is heartworm positive. Happily it is in its early stages and he is not symptomatic at all. The vet said we could wait a bit before having the treatment done, since he had just gotten lots of shots and been... cut.
The only other thing they said is "he smells awful!" so I had them give him a bath.

A few hours later I went to pick up my new buddy, and he got to enjoy his first of many Jeep rides.
Here he is all cleaned up and doing what he does best... laying around the house.
 
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#2 ·
A little more information about Ruger. On the way home from the vet I noticed he had a runny nose, and the mucus was green. I thought it was just allergies, but that night he was so pitiful trying to sleep. I researched and diagnosed it as kennel cough. The next morning I called the vet back and let them know. They prescribed him some antibiotics. He just took his last dose yesterday evening and is all better now. He also has his stitches out, and the swelling gone from his surgery. He is learning all about his new home, and his new family. He has the best temperament, only barking when Colt tries to assert dominance. We also learned today that he doesn't like the steam iron. We are working on the basic commands and walking properly on his leash, not dragging mom and dad around. He's doing very well so far. He is already housebroken and only had one accident the very first afternoon he was here.
 
#3 ·
Welcome Andy, Sarah,Colt and Ruger! Sounds like a great first chapter of a wonderful life for Ruger. He is very handsome and so is Colt.
Good to hear Rugar is getting over the KC...and that he didn't share it with Colt.

Are there any places for training nearby? That is a great way to bond with a newly adopted dog.
 
#5 ·
The 'honeymoon' period usually lasts a few months with a rescue/shelter dog. You won't see Rugers true personality for awhile so practice NILIF and work on building his confidence, along with consistant leadership.
 
#6 ·
Thanks onyx I'll keep that in mind. Right now his favorite pass time is lounging around. I actually have to go get him out of his resting spots to get him to play around. I figure its just his way of adapting to his new life. He has been through a lot over the past month. He was put in the shelter for chasing chickens, and was only there about 5 days.
 
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