My best friend and my son's only friend was our dog. She died four months ago. I no longer have the strength or the time to walk another dog. I wish I did.

@ayankeeinnm

I appreciate your sharing. My sympathy goes out to you in losing a valued family friend!

Teresa

Teresa @hopeful33250

If people ask, I saw no, and thank them for asking. If people pet without asking, I try to ignore them, and do something to get Sadie's attention back on me, and I just keep shopping or whatever it was that I was doing. I'm not a confronter, so it's really hard for me to ask people to stop petting her or talking to her. I know I should, if for no other reason than to educate the public.

Anyone have a suggestion that would help me deal with these issues?

Jim

@ayankeeinnm

I don't walk my dog, much as I'd like to, because my feet hurt too much when I walk (peripheral neuropathy). Fortunately, we live in the country on ten acres, so she gets exercise whenever I can pull myself up out of the recliner.

Some people get walking exercise machines and walk their dog that way. And sometimes a friend or neighbor will walk a second dog when they walk their own.

I don't want to be rude by asking what prevents you from walking, and you can just ignore the question, but perhaps others might have ideas of ways to exercise a pet. I do understand how hard it is to lose an animal you loved. Is your son unable to do the job?

Jim

@jimhd , Hi Jim, just politely say, I'm sorry she's working now and I can't allow "dogs name" to defer from that because I depend on her at all times for my health. That's what I would say. Anyone who wants to stop and pet a dog, generally loves dogs, they will understand. Unless they're totally mean. Maybe your dog and you will recognise this before they have the chance to approach you. I'm a defensive person by nature. My motto, " the best offense is the best defense" or something like that. Still recovering from a bad fibro flair from the night before. Took a lot of meds. Sorry. But I mean it about the explanation at the top of my post. People will understand. Give them a chance to understand. Love, Judy

Thank you, Judy @danybegood1. I appreciate your suggestion. I'm going to try it when I'm shopping tomorrow. I'll have to write it down, or I'm sure to forget it. (I wish I had a better memory.) I know that it's hard not to pet a pretty, friendly dog, especially for dog lovers.

Jim

Really sorry to hear, @ayankeeinnm , that you lost your dog. Losing a pet can be heartbreaking.

@ayankeeinnm , I'm so sorry that you lost your best friend. How is your son doing with the loss of his only friend? It must have been devastating.

Jim

@ayankeeinnm @danybegood1 @liz223

Our daughter's shih tzu, Toby, is causing her a lot of stress. Every time her baby cries or makes some other sound, Toby barks. He doesn't do it around any other baby, and he doesn't react to our granddaughter's recorded crying. They're doing everything that a trainer, who came to their home, recommended.

So, to give them a break, we're bringing Toby home with us after our visit with them for Thanksgiving. By the time they come here for Christmas, we are hoping that Toby will move past this habit, and they can take him back home. Our daughter is feeling the stress of tending to her baby, and at the same time, having to deal with the dog. We hope that Toby gets along with our Pete and Sadie. They were here for a week two months ago, so I'm sure they'll take up where they left off.

I don't think I mentioned that a month or two ago, Sadie was attacked by two large rottweiler/lab mix dogs, and would soon have been killed without my pulling her away from them and kicking them off her. One had her flank and was shaking her, while the other was at her throat. At one point, she was on her back. I was able to drag her to a door that was close by. She had a tear under her chin, and a number of puncture wounds on her back. I took her right to the vet, who cleaned the wounds, and gave her some antibiotics to take for a few days.

Sadie is now afraid of other dogs, and has regressed in some of her training. I'm a little concerned that she could turn aggressive toward other dogs. She had overcome her timidity in new places, but we're back to working on that. I have her sit beside me if another dog is around, and reassure her that she's ok. Of course, being a service dog, she's not supposed to interact with other dogs or people, so it's ok if she snuggles up to me when people (or dogs) approach her or speak to her.

We're both still recovering from that trauma. I think that in time, Sadie will settle down and become less fearful with lots of calm reassurance. She's still comfortable in familiar settings and with people and animals she knows. I hope we'll overcome this, because I don't want to lose her as my service dog.

Someone suggested I find a kennel club, so she could sit with me and just watch dogs in a safe place, but I haven't been able to find any place like that around. I might try taking her to a dog park while we're at our daughter's next week, and keep her on the leash, without any interaction with dogs. We'll see how it goes.

Jim

Hi @jimhd

I hope Toby's visit with you (and Pete and Sadie) goes well. Keep us posted as to how they are getting along.

Teresa