kandikisses
New member
Set flair for questions on general care but also contains happy news and big life updates for mine and this dog's life.
Some history: I've lived in my current apartment complex for six months. My next door neighbors have had a collie/husky (they think) puppy with whom I've interacted frequently when taking my own dog out to potty. He's now grown (~8-10 months old) to probably 30-40lbs, not neutered, is very energetic and anxious. Long story short, I know that the neighbors have not been treating him well. He's been left in his crate for excessive amounts of time to soil himself and cry (I've heard him wail day through night left unattended in crate), constantly left out in the apartment hallway alone (both dangerous for the dog and other tenants), been hit, cursed at, and just generally neglected. I know they have been unable to care for him for a while. I've tried contacting my apartment complex and they've refused to step in. He's very sweet and playful when interacting with my dog (Shiba Inu) but can be overbearing (doggy love-bombing) to both dogs and people.
Anyways, by the grace of God, these neighbors approached me yesterday and asked me to adopt him off of them. They are aware that my partner and I work at a dog daycare, so I was not surprised when he asked as we've slowly been suggesting that we would love to provide care for him. They brought him to me yesterday with his crate, a bag of food, and some leashes. I'm still waiting for them to bring me his updated vaccination records which they claim to have.
I am more than thrilled to give him a home and I plan to neuter him and make him an appointment to get established at our vet ASAP. Despite living with an adult dog already, this will be my first experience owning an energetic puppy like him. It's unfortunate that we live in a small apartment but do plan to move in the fall to a larger place with a yard. He did very well in his crate last night, ate his kibble, drank plenty of water, and has been going to the bathroom outside very well. He's obviously not used to being leashed but is working with me and I plan to walk him multiple times a day to train him on an easy walker harness. Our current dog (2.5 y/o Shiba Inu, spayed) is well socialized and attends dog daycare with us throughout the week, but she is a sassy Shiba girl and unsure about him so far. Who can blame her? He's a crazy pup boy with raging hormones. We have been taking their interactions very slowly, feeding them and using toys and treats separately to avoid tiffs over resource guarding.
I would love any first-time-puppy-owner advice and thoughts this community may have when it comes to his care in consideration of his challenging up to now. He's very loving and seems to be very rewarded by dog and human attention. I just want to make sure I am giving both him and my baby girl the best care possible going forward and establishing the proper routine for him as we integrate him into our lives. Any response appreciated. Thank you.
Edit to add further general information: his crate is a proper fit for him and he seems to see it as a spot for safety despite having some potential trauma associated with it.
Some history: I've lived in my current apartment complex for six months. My next door neighbors have had a collie/husky (they think) puppy with whom I've interacted frequently when taking my own dog out to potty. He's now grown (~8-10 months old) to probably 30-40lbs, not neutered, is very energetic and anxious. Long story short, I know that the neighbors have not been treating him well. He's been left in his crate for excessive amounts of time to soil himself and cry (I've heard him wail day through night left unattended in crate), constantly left out in the apartment hallway alone (both dangerous for the dog and other tenants), been hit, cursed at, and just generally neglected. I know they have been unable to care for him for a while. I've tried contacting my apartment complex and they've refused to step in. He's very sweet and playful when interacting with my dog (Shiba Inu) but can be overbearing (doggy love-bombing) to both dogs and people.
Anyways, by the grace of God, these neighbors approached me yesterday and asked me to adopt him off of them. They are aware that my partner and I work at a dog daycare, so I was not surprised when he asked as we've slowly been suggesting that we would love to provide care for him. They brought him to me yesterday with his crate, a bag of food, and some leashes. I'm still waiting for them to bring me his updated vaccination records which they claim to have.
I am more than thrilled to give him a home and I plan to neuter him and make him an appointment to get established at our vet ASAP. Despite living with an adult dog already, this will be my first experience owning an energetic puppy like him. It's unfortunate that we live in a small apartment but do plan to move in the fall to a larger place with a yard. He did very well in his crate last night, ate his kibble, drank plenty of water, and has been going to the bathroom outside very well. He's obviously not used to being leashed but is working with me and I plan to walk him multiple times a day to train him on an easy walker harness. Our current dog (2.5 y/o Shiba Inu, spayed) is well socialized and attends dog daycare with us throughout the week, but she is a sassy Shiba girl and unsure about him so far. Who can blame her? He's a crazy pup boy with raging hormones. We have been taking their interactions very slowly, feeding them and using toys and treats separately to avoid tiffs over resource guarding.
I would love any first-time-puppy-owner advice and thoughts this community may have when it comes to his care in consideration of his challenging up to now. He's very loving and seems to be very rewarded by dog and human attention. I just want to make sure I am giving both him and my baby girl the best care possible going forward and establishing the proper routine for him as we integrate him into our lives. Any response appreciated. Thank you.
Edit to add further general information: his crate is a proper fit for him and he seems to see it as a spot for safety despite having some potential trauma associated with it.