Look Who Followed Me Home!

Today when I walked my 5 year old to school this poor young dog followed us all the way there. Much to my surprise when I came back out of the school he started trailing me home, coming up for pats and shivering badly (it's awfully cold and snowing in Toledo right now). I couldn't leave the poor thing out there so invited him in and well....long story short...it appears we now own two dogs, both young pups LOL. I'm not sure of his breed or cross-breed rather, perhaps a bit of pit with his head shape but maybe some labrador...who knows really. He's got a funny almost pink but part brown nose LOL. He's unfixed so that will have to change and he'll need shots and good lord but he NEEDS a bath LOL. In the pics he doesn't look all that dirty but up close and personal....he's filthy! :(

Gunnar wasn't too sure of him but after a supervised meeting and then a HUGE play session they are settled in resting and quiet. Mike and I have been thinking for awhile that getting another pup might help Gunnar be less needy with us all the time and perhaps a bit better mannered and calm (she tends to be VERY dominating with "her" humans).

Well within only a couple of hours she's much calmer, more interested in this other dog than constantly bugging us for attention and other than drooling madly in excitement or nervousness, she seems quite a happier dog now that she has her own pack mate.

Here's the new dog and one shot with Gunnar. No name yet so any suggestions would be appreciated or any idea what cross he might be. I'm guesstimating he's about Gunnar's age or younger...maybe 6 to 10 months old or thereabouts. Seems like he was once a pet as he's friendly but you can tell someone hit him hard on the head, when we reach to pet him he flinches and cowers slightly but wants to be petted so very badly....poor thing.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...wdogFeb071.jpg

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...wdogFeb072.jpg

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...ewdogFeb07.jpg

We gave him food and water (he was VERY thirsty and hungry) and tested him for food aggression....none at all thank goodness. :)

Next problem is our lease requires that if we have dogs they be kennelled whenever we are not home. I'm on the mad search for a used big kennel as Gunnar is already in one herself. If anyone in or around Toledo, OH has or knows of anyone that has a used large dog kennel for sale or to lend....please let me know ASAP. I may have to run out and fork over the $100 for a brand new one but my budget wouldn't like that (along with the unexpected vet bills of taking a dog off the street).

Wow- he's a beautiful looking dog, and looks very sweet! Def. some pit in there, and I think you nailed it with the yellow lab (just my opinion).
It's so funny how these strays can smell out the humans with a heart of gold, and follow them home lol. I know you'll take very good care of him and give him a loving forever home (and I guess he knew too!). :) congrats on the new, and unexpected (aren't those the best!), edition to your family.

Jo, he's handsome! What that collar around his neck on him, or one you put on him (wondering if anyone might be looking for him?)


Also, just because he's head shy, does not necessarily mean he's been hit. Some dogs are softer than others. We got Diamond at 8 weeks old, and she's NEVER been hit, but she will flinch away from a sudden movement about the head (had we not had her since very young, and gotten her as an adult, we probably would assume she had been abused), and prefers to meet new people with a scratch under the chin, rather than a direct pat on the head.

aw he's gorgeous.....I assume you've checked to ensure this dog isn't listed as missing? I'd hate to hear you got attached to him only to find out a 10 year old girl has been crying over her lost dog for the past couple of weeks :(

LOL!!! Those two look like they're gonna raise some HECK!!!!!! :P

That's great! I had a 12-inch subway sub with a large leamonade follow me home. But I ate it since I couldnt find its owners ;)

he is SO CUTE! what a sweetheart! sounds like he and gunnar will be great friends. check craigslist or post a wanted ad there for the crate--i see crates listed there locally from time to time.

:8: lol............. :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Today when I walked my 5 year old to school this poor young dog followed us all the way there. Much to my surprise when I came back out of the school he started trailing me home, coming up for pats and shivering badly (it's awfully cold and snowing in Toledo right now). I couldn't leave the poor thing out there so invited him in and well....long story short...it appears we now own two dogs, both young pups LOL. I'm not sure of his breed or cross-breed rather, perhaps a bit of pit with his head shape but maybe some labrador...who knows really. He's got a funny almost pink but part brown nose LOL. He's unfixed so that will have to change and he'll need shots and good lord but he NEEDS a bath LOL. In the pics he doesn't look all that dirty but up close and personal....he's filthy! :(

Gunnar wasn't too sure of him but after a supervised meeting and then a HUGE play session they are settled in resting and quiet. Mike and I have been thinking for awhile that getting another pup might help Gunnar be less needy with us all the time and perhaps a bit better mannered and calm (she tends to be VERY dominating with "her" humans).

Well within only a couple of hours she's much calmer, more interested in this other dog than constantly bugging us for attention and other than drooling madly in excitement or nervousness, she seems quite a happier dog now that she has her own pack mate.

Here's the new dog and one shot with Gunnar. No name yet so any suggestions would be appreciated or any idea what cross he might be. I'm guesstimating he's about Gunnar's age or younger...maybe 6 to 10 months old or thereabouts. Seems like he was once a pet as he's friendly but you can tell someone hit him hard on the head, when we reach to pet him he flinches and cowers slightly but wants to be petted so very badly....poor thing.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...wdogFeb071.jpg

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...wdogFeb072.jpg

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...ewdogFeb07.jpg

We gave him food and water (he was VERY thirsty and hungry) and tested him for food aggression....none at all thank goodness. :)

Next problem is our lease requires that if we have dogs they be kennelled whenever we are not home. I'm on the mad search for a used big kennel as Gunnar is already in one herself. If anyone in or around Toledo, OH has or knows of anyone that has a used large dog kennel for sale or to lend....please let me know ASAP. I may have to run out and fork over the $100 for a brand new one but my budget wouldn't like that (along with the unexpected vet bills of taking a dog off the street).

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Joanna,i think Lucky fits him as in he was Lucky to find a true animal lover:) .He looks like a pit something to me also.

i agree in the lab part of what ever he is. he looks to be a good sized dog for your other dog to play with. you are a inspiration with your kindness.

Oh gosh what a lovely story! Congrats on the new addition to the family guys! :carrot: :sunny: :D

It's awesome that he found you and that you're the type of person who's willing to take him in. I might take out a "found" ad in the local newspaper, or call local shelters to let them know you found a stray, and describe him--in case someone calls shelters looking for him...just in case he does have owners somewhere who lost him and haven't been able to find him.

I'm hoping for your sake that he's a stray--and that you get to keep him. 'Cause it sounds like you, your fam and Gunnar are already attached :) I'm sure he'd make a very happy life in your home.

congrats jo. what a gorgeous pup... looks like he was made to go with your family :hug:

do keep us posted on what his name becomes? don't know why but 'luther' comes to mind when i look at his gorgeous face.

I'm going to list him in the local paper. They give you a free four day ad there for found dogs so I'll just describe where I found him and that he's a young, unneutered male and see if anyone calls to describe him properly. That collar is just one I put on him, Robin, so we could leash both dogs for an introduction. He didn't have a collar or tags on him and darned near got run over about 5 times trying to follow me home (my heart was in my mouth but since I had nothing with me I couldn't grab him and keep him safe...just kept calling him and encouraging him to walk on the inside of the snowbanks with me...not on the road!).

I actually just got home from running out to buy a proper collar and leash for him and a new one for Gunnar (so she didn't feel left out and she needed a new collar anyways, her puppy one was getting to the end of it's useful time) as well as some dog shampoo. Found a lady on craigslist with a lovely big dog cage for only $20.00 so we'll be going out to pick that up later.

Mike named him Tank which just seems to suit him to a T. Other than him happily marking things in the house (ohhh nice coat hanging on the chair...peeeee....MINE!...oh look....this spot doesn't smell like me...peeeeeeee...MINE!) he's doing rather well and Gunnar seems to be accepting him quite beautifully. She isn't overly impressed with his amorous advances (she's spayed...he's intact) but a quick trip to the vet will sort that out.

I hope nobody does claim him. He's already found a place in our hearts in a few short hours but if they do at least we got him out of the cold and out of that busy traffic for the day. :)

I'm also thinking he might be part white German Shepherd as the more I look at how he's built (more long and lean than most labs I've known) he puts me in mind of the big white GSD's I grew up with. Something about his build and how white I think he is under that dirt makes me wonder about that being a possibility too. Oh well whatever momma and poppa dog were he's an awfully cute pup. :) He does play a bit rough with Gunnar (mouthing around her neck and so forth) but is immediately breaking off when I clap my hands loudly and say "ENOUGH"! One thing we've learned with dealing with Gunnar is we have to be a bit more of the pack leader and be quite firm about limits and what is and isn't allowed (Gunnar's stubborn as the day is long).

Just a quick follow-up. Tank has a couple of angels it seems. The lady I found with the big kennel for sale not only gave me a huge deal on it...$20.00 for a big, new condition kennel is a steal but she had a friend deliver it right to my door when she found out it was for a dog I found wandering in the snow! What a sweetheart some people are. The gentleman that delivered it didn't even want gas money but I insisted, as he saved me the trip across town and a lot of hassle with two half-grown puppies and only one kennel in the house LOL.

So puppy central now has two pups relaxing in their kennels (just getting the new pup used to his so Gunnar is showing him kennels are cool and you get a treat for going into your "house" nicely). :)

Congradulations Jo! I'm going to dig through my garage and back room and see if I still have my old kennel from my German shephard. If I do you can have it:) All its going to be doing anyways here is collecting dust :P

EDIT: woops, just read your last post :P I kind of just read your first post at first lol.

Awww how sweet of you Andrew. If it is the large metal barred kind with the slide in tray do let me know and I'll buy it off you. The kennel I just got is nice and is roomy but it's the hard plastic kind that you ship dogs in for air travel. It will do right now but the large metal ones are even more roomy and the dog can see out more (that's the kind I have right now that Vince lent us when we got Gunnar).

Congrats on your rescue! I'm utterly charmed by the whole story, right down to the nice lady giving you a break on the kennel.

Please don't name him Lucky though....it's tempting Murphy too much!

I've always liked the name Luath for a lean athletic dog...it's the name of the retriever in the original Incredible Journey, and I think it would be suited for him, since he made it "home" despite great danger!

I think definitely yellow Lab is in there, and then his ear-set kinda reminds me of Shar Pei, which would give also him the substance to his head that you are calling pitty. Could be pitty also I guess but those just ears don't match up.

Congrats to Tank, for finding his way to a cushie life. :gj: It sounds like he balances Gunnar well. The names fit so well too! Best wishes to you all. :hug:

He's got those odd kind of upturned at the edges eyes (don't know if the pics show it well) and his ears are so tiny for his head really....kinda goofy but then I always end up with goofy dogs (they say dogs end up resembling their owners!!!) :)

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Awww how sweet of you Andrew. If it is the large metal barred kind with the slide in tray do let me know and I'll buy it off you. The kennel I just got is nice and is roomy but it's the hard plastic kind that you ship dogs in for air travel. It will do right now but the large metal ones are even more roomy and the dog can see out more (that's the kind I have right now that Vince lent us when we got Gunnar).

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Its the large barred type. On each corner of the cage it has long metal pins that hold it together, that you can pull out to fold the kennel up, and store it. It has a tray, and the fron has a loop so you can put a clip, or lock on it incase the dog figures out how to open it up :D ....I just have to dig through my garage n such and see if I can find it. I might have thrown it away :eek: If I find it, you can have it lol. I don't really have a use for it.:sunny:

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

He's got those odd kind of upturned at the edges eyes (don't know if the pics show it well) and his ears are so tiny for his head really....kinda goofy but then I always end up with goofy dogs (they say dogs end up resembling their owners!!!) :)

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Your dog looks almost exactly like my Chocolate Lab girl...just different colors :P

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Originally Posted by AndrewH

Its the large barred type. On each corner of the cage it has long metal pins that hold it together, that you can pull out to fold the kennel up, and store it. It has a tray, and the fron has a loop so you can put a clip, or lock on it incase the dog figures out how to open it up :D ....I just have to dig through my garage n such and see if I can find it. I might have thrown it away :eek: If I find it, you can have it lol. I don't really have a use for it.:sunny:

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Thanks Andrew! Another Tank angel! :sunny:

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

(they say dogs end up resembling their owners!!!) :)

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Doesn't it work the other way around too? :dog: :D

lovely story!

I hope you get to keep him. :)

I do too Jenn. He's learning that kennelling is okay and not to be scared of it. He watched Gunnar entering hers calmly and getting a treat so he's getting the idea that's okay (we kennel the pups at night and whenever we aren't home to supervise them). Amazing what a piece of turkey will encourage a worried pup to do LOL. He slept quietly in his kennel last night and is getting the idea about housebreaking this morning though they'll be a few accidents for awhile. He still has a pretty high puppy yip so I'm betting he's no more than 6 months old tops but we'll see what the vet says.

Now I just have to get the point across that stealing my new pink slippers everytime I leave the room is a no no! Gunnar knows this rule and when I catch Tank with my slippers she rolls her eyes and books it out of the room LOL.

my ferrets like to steal shoes and slippers so I know how that is

he'll do well with you though :)

Awe; he looks like a little sweetie. So are you keeping him? :)

Well if no one claims him we sure are Jen. He's an incredible calming influence on Gunnar. By the time they finish their playtime, they both flake out for naps and since he isn't a jumper by nature, it seems Gunnar is picking up nicer manners by observing him and seeing him getting praised for not bouncing all over us constantly. Amazing that her instinct to follow his lead is doing more in 1 day than months of us trying everything ever did.

Little update....Tank got to experience what I bet was his first bath ever today. What an experience that was and I think Mike and I and our bathroom were wetter than Tank but we scrubbed him, as my granny would have said, "within an inch of his life" LOL. His coat has come up lovely and soft and I'm sure he feels way better. We thought he had some dirt/blood specks on his face...well they didn't wash off and it appears he has some sort of odd yellow freckling in the white fur of his face (sort of matches his ears and the yellow saddle on his back). It'll be interesting to see how he matures once he's grown and got his adult coat in. Found some scabbing under his coat that indicates he was in some sort of scrap but nothing major and almost healed over. He's adjusted beautifully to his new kennel. He's still awfully hungry and bolting his food to the point he almost chokes but he's slowed down on the water gulping so I assume he's finally rehydrated.

i love it when, you here good stories on dogs being rescued........his old owner probable let him go because ...........oh geeesh who knows why, when i worked for the Humane society, we had some lady turn in her dog because it didn't match her couch.....and she wanted us to give her another dog.......ha, as soon as she signed, we kicked her right out! :D

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Originally Posted by reediculous

i love it when, you here good stories on dogs being rescued........his old owner probable let him go because ...........oh geeesh who knows why, when i worked for the Humane society, we had some lady turn in her dog because it didn't match her couch.....and she wanted us to give her another dog.......ha, as soon as she signed, we kicked her right out! :D

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It is awful what folks do. Last week I was on the city bus and this lady was just casually mentioning how she had this rotweiller that "got too big" so she just opened the door and kicked it out. What in the world did she expect a rottie to get? I just never know what to say in those circumstances but you have to wonder about the cruelty of people to just turn a pet loose on the city streets to try and survive *sigh*.

What a lucky dog! And so cute!! :D That last pic actually threw an optical illusion my way. For a minute I thought "Wow, what a crazy perspective shot, Tank's paw looks HUGE!" till I realized that it was not his paw, but in fact his butt. :ohmygod::lmao:

Thank goodness Tank is a male so really doesn't care how big his butt is! :P

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

It is awful what folks do. Last week I was on the city bus and this lady was just casually mentioning how she had this rotweiller that "got too big" so she just opened the door and kicked it out. What in the world did she expect a rottie to get? I just never know what to say in those circumstances but you have to wonder about the cruelty of people to just turn a pet loose on the city streets to try and survive *sigh*.

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Thats Toledo for you. Most people don't care about animals here. I was talking to a guy before wanting to buy one of my afrocks, and he told me he used to have an Iguana, but tossed it off the High Level Bridge because he had a baby on the way :mad:.....needless to say he didn't get a snake off me...

what a cute dog! It was really nice of you to take him home. I used to have a big kennel that i would love to send to you, but i already donated it to a place that rescues dogs,and is in a great need for them (over the hurricanes they had a big overload of dogs that needed rescuing). Best of luck to you, hope you find a kennel that is used. (try Ebay, i know it is an odd thing to get from there, but they are said to have everything.lol)

Oh I did find a second kennel Amy the day I found Tank but Andrew has another of the really large ones that he's looking for in his garage for me. If he finds it, I'll be donating the huge plastic one I bought used to another needy pup somewhere. I was going to take some post-bath really nice shots of a much cleaner Tank to post. Unfortunately it started warming up here and raining and needless to say, one walk and Tank isn't so snow white anymore LOL. I remember now how hard it was to keep the big white GSD's I grew up with clean looking! It's wonderful you donated your kennel to those poor needy dogs and the wonderful folks that stepped up to help keep them safe. :)