@sidetongue

she snapped the stick mid-run 

we substituted Fury for Harold on our beach trip yesterday and honestly it hits different

The Miller vid got a bit of hype so I just wanted to remind yall that she’s still THE WORST and is a bad gorl

sidetongue:

Anyone recognise this majestic beast?

@ihavenotfallenyet nice job!! Our favourite little maggot man is staying with us this week. How flipping amazing does he look!

And just for context, here is a photo of the gang when we first met Mags:

Anyone recognise this majestic beast?

indiana-grace :

sirenbitch :

do you ever read people’s tags and get like damn why can’t I hang out with this majestic funny motherfucker

@sidetongue

@indiana-grace HAHA my tags aren’t 90% just roasting Miller

sidetongue:

A picture to accompany a story (not related to my dogs):

Yesterday at work we had an emergency cesarian come in. A mumma dog had a baby stuck for over 24 hours. She had come in the day before with a bub that had been stuck for over an hour, and as a result It had died. We removed it manually and then Mum gave birth (at the clinic) to 3 of the remaining four puppies. We said to her, if she does not have the 4th one soon, PLEASE come back.

The owner had no money, and even though mumma dog did not give birth to the last puppy, they did not bring her back. It was not until the following day when they realised their dog was likely going to die - that they elected for a cesarian. At this point it was just a salvage mission to remove the dead foetus.

Once the uterus was removed, we weren’t even going to open the sac to get the foetus out, we were just going to dispose of it. But, being the sentimental fool that I am, I opted to free the little dead pup, clean her off, and show her some love earthside before she was gone forever. I felt very sad for mumma dog, and I felt very sad for baby dog. I wanted her to know she was loved even if she wasn’t here long.

I cut the umbilical cord, wrapped the now-cold puppy in a towel and cleaned off all of the gunk and sac, which had already begun adhering to her body (a sign of decomposition). I tucked her close to me and held her; hoping somehow she could feel that she was loved.

After a few moments I did the mandatory check-for-a-heartbeat before taking her to the freezer. Only, I heard something. It went: thump… 2… 3.. 4… thump.

I thought, surely that is not a heart beat. There’s no way that is a heart beat. Then baby GASPED. As if to say, ‘hey human! You did hear something! Help!’

I started rubbing and stimulating and warming. The heartbeat was so faint and the gasping was basically agonal breathing (aka: death gasps) and I knew that despite this little sign of life, this baby was not meant for this world.

Still, I cuddled and I cradled and a rubbed that little puppy. I didn’t give her a CHANCE to stop trying, what with all of the jostling and jiggling. At this point; I was still monitoring mumma’s anaesthetic (puppy in one hand), so I passed bub to a colleague and just said ‘don’t you dare stop rubbing that baby!’

I continued on with surgery, and 20 minutes later mum was all stitched up and ready to wake up. I walked out of the surgery room and guess what I heard? A motherfucking squeak. And then another. And I walked over to my colleague who said ‘I haven’t stopped rubbing’ and in his arms was a wriggling, lively, noisy baby dog.

Against all odds, against what everyone thought, against what should have been, that baby lived. She later was feeding, snuggling and snoozing with mumma and the family all went home together.

My job hurts sometimes and my life hurts sometimes and things can be so unfair sometimes. I miss my foster dogs and I miss feeling like I’m making a difference in this world, but this felt like a difference. Today was a good day. That puppy will have a good life.

A little update: the little family came in for a check up today. Baby is doing great ❤️

He is home ❤️

He tells me he’s not sore at all and he’d like to go and play, thank you very much. We have 6 weeks of strict rest. And by strict rest I mean crated at all times except for wee walks, and even then he needs to be on leash. (He is not crated currently as I miscalculated my crate size, but he is also too stiff and swollen to walk all that much)

If anyone has any advice on keeping a VERY active puppy very INactive - I’m all ears.

An update on Harold for those following:

He was admitted to the vet hospital Monday morning and had his surgery today (Wednesday). I just got off the phone with the surgeon and the surgery went well, but they did find more damage then they were expecting. His left elbow was severely diseased and had no cartilage left, it was just bone rubbing on bone. The right wasn’t far behind. I’m not sure what this means for his prognosis, or how this changes things, but I’ll find out all of that when I pick him up tomorrow. But at least for now he is recovering well.

A picture to accompany a story (not related to my dogs):

Yesterday at work we had an emergency cesarian come in. A mumma dog had a baby stuck for over 24 hours. She had come in the day before with a bub that had been stuck for over an hour, and as a result It had died. We removed it manually and then Mum gave birth (at the clinic) to 3 of the remaining four puppies. We said to her, if she does not have the 4th one soon, PLEASE come back.

The owner had no money, and even though mumma dog did not give birth to the last puppy, they did not bring her back. It was not until the following day when they realised their dog was likely going to die - that they elected for a cesarian. At this point it was just a salvage mission to remove the dead foetus.

Once the uterus was removed, we weren’t even going to open the sac to get the foetus out, we were just going to dispose of it. But, being the sentimental fool that I am, I opted to free the little dead pup, clean her off, and show her some love earthside before she was gone forever. I felt very sad for mumma dog, and I felt very sad for baby dog. I wanted her to know she was loved even if she wasn’t here long.

I cut the umbilical cord, wrapped the now-cold puppy in a towel and cleaned off all of the gunk and sac, which had already begun adhering to her body (a sign of decomposition). I tucked her close to me and held her; hoping somehow she could feel that she was loved.

After a few moments I did the mandatory check-for-a-heartbeat before taking her to the freezer. Only, I heard something. It went: thump… 2… 3.. 4… thump.

I thought, surely that is not a heart beat. There’s no way that is a heart beat. Then baby GASPED. As if to say, ‘hey human! You did hear something! Help!’

I started rubbing and stimulating and warming. The heartbeat was so faint and the gasping was basically agonal breathing (aka: death gasps) and I knew that despite this little sign of life, this baby was not meant for this world.

Still, I cuddled and I cradled and a rubbed that little puppy. I didn’t give her a CHANCE to stop trying, what with all of the jostling and jiggling. At this point; I was still monitoring mumma’s anaesthetic (puppy in one hand), so I passed bub to a colleague and just said ‘don’t you dare stop rubbing that baby!’

I continued on with surgery, and 20 minutes later mum was all stitched up and ready to wake up. I walked out of the surgery room and guess what I heard? A motherfucking squeak. And then another. And I walked over to my colleague who said ‘I haven’t stopped rubbing’ and in his arms was a wriggling, lively, noisy baby dog.

Against all odds, against what everyone thought, against what should have been, that baby lived. She later was feeding, snuggling and snoozing with mumma and the family all went home together.

My job hurts sometimes and my life hurts sometimes and things can be so unfair sometimes. I miss my foster dogs and I miss feeling like I’m making a difference in this world, but this felt like a difference. Today was a good day. That puppy will have a good life.

this makes me laugh because he escapes pickle’s neck bite only to be met with another neck bite

brb still crying over those horrendous legs 

when I inevitably get another spaniel I’m gonna make sure it does not look like this 

despite Pickle’s abusive ways, Harold adores him 

there’s a man who walks his dog on the beach every sunday and he calls us “the ratty gang”

look at our cute little friend 

harold was such a good boy with reilly

We made a new friend at the beach named Reilly. He and Pickle ganged up on Haz 

help me I’m so sad I have to go out in public with this monstrosity 

How do you deal with miller in the home in terms of her antisocialness and intolerance towards people? Do you have to be extra in tune to warning signs to ensure she doesn’t bite? How does she show affection compared to harold and Henry?

Wooahh my dude, she’s not that bad lol. Miller is aloof with strangers and will bark if someone comes to the house or if someone startles her, but she is not aggressive. She is more affectionate than both Harold and Henry. Here is 30 seconds of her intolerance right now 😂

This is our little bastard Mickey I hope he helps

Mickey does help, thank you <3 Tell him he now has TWO big fans 

Dog park anon: so I guess the question is, is this something we should attempt, or should we let it go? If we do attempt, how would we best go about it? We’ve never had a dog with an unknown history like this, and previously knew exactly if our dogs could go to the dog park or not (1 yes, 1 no due to him being intact, and 1 no due to dog aggression)

Well I guess it comes down to, what are you wanting to use the dog park for? Socialisation, exercise, enrichment etc.? I’m not a massive fan of dog parks because a) compared to what we’re used to they’re pretty restrictive in terms of exploring/enrichment (my dogs are used to rivers and lakes and wide open beaches to play), b) often times irresponsible owners bring their dogs who have no business being in a dog park, which can lead to an unsafe, unpleasant and uncomfortable space for both you and your dog and c) they are often heavily overcrowded!

There is one dog park we visit because it has the river attached; and we only go if I don’t have time to drive out to the beach for them to swim. But if I want them to have a play date, I contact my friends who have dogs that my three know and like. If I want them to exercise, I take them for a run or take them somewhere wide open and secluded to play. Of course, this isn’t always an option for a lot of people, and dog parks are the most convenient way to exercise your dog.

If your dog is showing signs that he or she is stressed or uncomfortable at the dog park, maybe try alternatives. It could possibly be just the hesitancy of a new place; so take some snacks for reinforcement and building positive associations, but if doggo is still not having a good time, a stroll around the block with lots of sniff breaks can be just as enriching as being let loose in a dog park.

I'm gonna have alternate universe Miller and Henry--i have a speckley heeler mutt and I'm gonna get a Boykin spaniel this next year!!

YESSS you must update with pics when you get your span!!

Miller has both "I'm a grandma" energy and "I'm wine aunt" energy at the same time.

she also has “crotchety old man” energy who will yell at you for being on her lawn 

Hi, if it isn't too much trouble, I was hoping for some tips. I had to move in with my brother a few weeks ago, and because of me, my dog is poorly socialized. I am doing my best to get him out more, I'm disabled and broke, but he needs to get along with my brothers dog, who is a big baby, so I don't have to stay in my room all the time. I have a training muzzle for him, but could use more advice, so neither dog gets hurt, and I can do this right.

My advice would be lots and lots of careful exposure and positive reinforcement. Each time the dogs are calm in each other’s presence - reward. Each time there is a positive interaction - reward. Make your dog think “Brother’s Dog = Good Things” so your dog builds positive associations with being around him. 

Hi! Recently we took our 4 year old mix to the dog park for the first time (we’ve had her for a year, unknown history.) there were no other dogs there, and it was fenced in, so we let her off leash. We think she got way overstimulated, because she was drooling a ton and panting, and didn’t explore much. We’d like for this to be enjoyable for her (and socialize her as best we can) but aren’t really sure how to make this less stressful for her.

is this a question 

After Harold’s haircut…

Bek: Are you wearing the- 

Harold: The Chanel boots? Yeah I am. 

I’m sorry that he couldn’t get the surgery! I hope you can get some topical cream or something for his skin and have many more playtimes until the rescheduled surgery <3 

I laughed for a long time. Thank you. He is absolutely wearing the chanel boots

hey i specialize in fostering (and adopting lol) special needs cats and i wanted to thank you for all that you're doing for harold... i can really tell that you love him a lot and you want the best for him. btw, don't feel guilty about the skin - my childhood golden had TERRIBLE skin no matter what we did to help him. it's just the golden retriever curse to have shitty joints and skin :(

Thank you <3 Harold is just a giant dud it seems lol 

Harold looks like the only thought he's ever had in the life is just love, nothing else

You are exactly correct in that assumption 

WHOT A SPLOSH