SearchRescued Dobermans and their quirks
I've been a member here for over two years and just adore the forum and everyone on it.That certainly includes your kids..
It's like a lovley furry extended family.
Have been noticing some similarities with our rescued kids and hope we can form some opinions here.
Do you think they have characteristics in keeping with the breed, yet set themselves apart by some quirks?
For instance:
Bad dreams..
I know Sofia has dreams, sometimes she's doing the doggie dream of running and chasing some unknown squirrel into early hibernation. But other times it's an extremely distressed "pooof" and a whimper, accompanied by a slight shudder.
She is a little head shy at times.
Or Diva is as affectionate as can be on her terms, but if she's taking one of her beuaty naps wants to be left alone.
Is very very aloof when it comes to other dogs.. She tolerates them all, but only allows one to play with. ( another rescue)
When I'm working upstairs, she usually stays down. That means Mike is gone and she's staring out the window waiting for him to come home.. will not eat until he's here.
Sofia is not a cuddler..we have our times in the morning where I will rub her ears ( she moans the most obscene moan you've ever heard) and she loves her eyes rubbed ( who doesn't?) and when we come in the house, she greets us with a strutty body wag... jump onto the sofa as I tell her " I missed you so much"; smile ( not a toothy grin, but her corners turn up) and wriggle into my neck, but only for a second. She has never tried to sit on our laps.
On the way out the door, she'll grab a mouthful of kibble.
After every single meal, she comes to find me, no matter where I am and tell me "thank you"
HATES loud noises.
There are other things too that I'm sure I'll remember after my second cup of coffee.. but for those of you who have a rescued pet, please chime in and let me know what you've observed.
I'd love to, not only compare notes, but hear about your kids..
P.S. Pictures are always welcomed
Many years ago, I rescued a female doberman ("Blitz") from an abusive breeder. He bred her every time she came into heat for years and years, and he was physically abusive to her as well....in fact, one side of her face was shifted upwards from her jaw to her eyebrow where he had either kicked her or hit her with some solid object and it literally re-arranged her face. This man was turned in by neighbors on so many cruelty charges I can't even begin to name them all. (He was prosecuted, btw) He had several brood females that needed to be re-homed, and I took one of them.
Blitz was the sweetest most mild-mannered dog I had ever seen. Shy (understandable) around men, and never did I hear her bark -- not even once. She paced back and forth, even when she was loose in the yard. Always looking over her shoulder and would freeze if she heard a strange noise. She was so pathetic it made me cry.
We had Blitz for about 3 years and she started biting at one of her back feet. Kept it up and it became an obsession with her. We took her to the vet, and no creams, meds, sprays, or bandages would keep her from biting at her foot. One day I woke up and went to check on her and she had literally eaten half her foot away. Rushed her to the vet, and they did a microscope culture on the wound and told me that she had many many cancer cells in her bloodwork. This was maybe 25 years ago, and I didnt have the means to do thousands and thousands of dollars' worth of what was at that time, experimental surgeries or treatments for her cancer. My vet told me that it would spread very quickly since it was showing up in her lymph nodes, too, and advised that we have her put down. We did. It was heartbreaking. I've always wondered if there was anything that could have been done, maybe an amputation or something that would have spared her life, but she was a 9 yr old dog that had been used and abused far beyond what any dog should have ever endured, and deep down, I knew that putting her down was probably the best thing.
Phil, Thank you again for such a wonderful story about your Caine.. He was a remarkable dog, and I love hearing about him. You both were so blessed to share such a good life for as long as you did.
Paul. Yikes.. so sorry to hear of what you went through with sweet Blitz. Glad you were able to give each other three loving and gentle years.
I am about to say something that's probably going to be either misunderstood or even disagreed upon. I stated my thoughts on Euthanasia on another post, but here I go again as I'm extremely passionate about it. Sometimes it's the only humane decision we can make and we owe it to these blessed beings.
I watched my folks go through many thousands of dollars and such heartache with house calls from vets, futile surgeries and medications to keep their collies and Airedales going only to endure more agony. It just wasn't right.
Our dogs come with a special gift.. Unrequited love.. It's in their heart, soul and spirit. They won't leave us until we let them go, and honestly in my 'not so humble opinion,' it's our responsibility to allow them a dignified and peaceful end.
Kate, 2 questions I've always had to ask myself & be truthful with the answers...
1. Am I trying to keep them alive for her/him? Or am I being selfish & it's just for me?
2. Quality of life vs quantity of life... Will they still be able to do the things that make them happiest? Will they have to deal with alot of pain? And so on, and so on, and so on...
Usually, after several hours of crying & beating myself up (I should've known better, or I should've seen this coming, etc...), I try to make the best decision possible thinking only of them.
I HATE being a grown-up & having to make decisions like that - it would be so much easier to be a kid so I could yell at my parents for making (what I think) is a wrong decision if the animal is put down!!!
Thanks Marti..
You've turned into a very wise grown-up.. ( don't you just hate it sometimes??)
Well said Kate and Marti.
Hello Lady Kate,
I have a 6 year old wonderful young lady, Victoria, that I rescued and your are right about her dreaming. She will have her "Chasing something" dreams but I also hear her cry and whimper in other dreams. We clicked when we met on the 11th of November 2011. She kissed me and we have been together since. If I knew how to post a picture of her, I would.
I do have a question about digging. I have baby/doggy sit for a friend and I know all dogs dig. Are dobermans more prone? I have a six foot, board on board wooden fence. I just don't want her to dig around the fence and hurt herself. Opinions? Thoughts?
Thanks.
Patrick
Kate I agree 110% with what you said and I only hope if/when the days comes that I'll have the courage and strength to make the decision that is best for HIM.
as for Digging Pat - Rocky doesn't at all but he's also not ever left out if we aren't home. He likes to be outside and has never dug at our fenceline but he's also not out there for 8 hours at a time where he may get bored and start. I see too many people that have lost pets because they got out of their back yard in my development. Every few weeks I come across someone on my walks searching for their lost dog that got out while they were at work. I am not at all a fan of leaving a dog outside all day...
while some dig b/c they are left out all day some just like to dig lol....major was never left out for very long but he could make it half way to china before you could get to other side of the house! i think it depends upon the dog it may take alot of work to break....i had to use an EC to assist....that was my last option but before using it, everytime i would go out and catch him i would give him a very firm NO DIG and he would give me that "what are you talking about look"....you know the one where they turn their head to look at both sides of them and behind them like you're having a hallucination, without realizing his nose is covered in dirt! and then if i attempted to walk towards him he would dash away very quickly......
Hey Patrick -
Tell your friend to take some of their poop, and put it in the hole they are digging. They will stop immediately. You can take more dirt, cover up the poop, and fill the hole in. They still will not dig it up.
Now, if there's a mole in the yard, it's a whole 'nother story.
:-)
I adopted Zeus almost 2 years ago from Doberman Rescue Unlimited (a GREAT rescue organization by the way), and there a few quirky things about him.
1. Fear of the dish drain. We wash our dishes by hand and drip dry them in a drain right next to the sink. From day 1 Mr. Zeus was extremely leary of the drain. We work on it every day (training closer and closer to the drain with it empty and with dishes in it) and he is slightly better but will always look at with a worried look. If a pan or dish should shift while in there, he jumps clear across the kitchen!
2. Fear of pan with water in it. Related to #1, we found this out when my husband had to use a warm compress and used a pan filled with warm water to reheat it. Zeus didn't know WHAT to do! His little nubbin covered his bum as close as it could, he had whale eye and cowered in the corner, and then walked up and down the hallway. He was VERY concerned.
3. Fear of people working out. Every time I try to workout, which is not nearly as often as I should, Zeus goes into his "I'm worried stance": whale eye, nubbin covering his bum as tight as possible, and slinking down the hall. He will find my husband and just stand next to him, looking up every so often with a "What the hell is she doing?!" look on his face. We are working on this with the clicker and are making some progress.
4. NO social skills with other dogs. We learned from his prior veterinarian's medical records that Zeus was involved in a pretty serious dog fight with his previous owner - has a the scar on top of his head to prove it. Even though we knew he was dog reactive early on, it was also clear that he had next to no social skills when it came to other dogs. He just didn't know what to do with himself and doesn't know how to read the other dogs body language. After a TON of work he is doing SO much better and is actually playing occassionally while in daycare. Still, for the majority of his time there he is off by himself just waiting for me to pick him up.
Zeus also dreams, both when he is running after something and when he is whimpering. I wouldn't begin to guess what he dreams about.
At the end of the day even though he is a big, imposing and stoic Dobe, Zeus is actually a fairly insecure dog. He is CONSTANTLY looking for reassurance from me. However, he is also one to "bite now and ask questions later" when pressed. For instance when he went lame temporarily over this past summer (he has bilateral hip dysplasia), I took him in to see an orthopedic surgeon to determine if surgery was necessary - luckily it was not. Anyway, Zeus usually does great at the vet and everyone loves him. But this specialist just rubbed him the wrong way and then made some kind of strange noise. With that Zeus looked up at him, turned away, walked over to me and sat on top of my feet looking directly at him with a "You stay over there and WE will stay over here" look. The specialist was done with his examination so nothing came of it, but if Zeus was pressed would he have made a bad decision? I wouldn't be surprised.
Our rescues do come with more history and baggage than a pup purchased from a reputable breeder that is for sure. While there are certain behaviors that may be more prevalent in rescue dogs (resource guarding, redirection of frustration/stress, separation anxiety, poor social skills, etc.), I would steer clear from painting them with too broad of a brush. Every situation is different and every dog is an individual.
Thank you so much for your P.M. Dianna. I really appreciate your interest and your obvious love for your wonderful Zeus.. a few things:
As I read through your post, it seems to me that maybe Zeus is in pain. Maybe that's why he gets reactive. these guys are so stoic, we have no way of knowing where, or how it hurts.. just a thought. If he's been fine at the vets' before and jumped when he was touched.. maybe the vet touched a a nerve, and that made him react. ( I know I'm not at my best if I'm hurting)
One of the ways I've curbed Sofia's insecurities,is to ignore them. Simply make light of what ever it is she's fearful of.. If there's a loud noise.. I say to her.. " Hey what's that? Let's go find." If it's raining outside and she's absolutely positive the drops are going to burn holes in her flesh, I make a game out of it.. "Let's go play in the rain." ( this rarely works LOL) Fearful of other dogs.. introduce and ignore. No eye contact, no touch, no talk.. I have said " silly puppy" so many times and it seems to work.
All our dogs are unique individuals.. What works for some, will go on deaf ears for another. I do know they take on our vibes.. They do absorb our thoughts and feelings, so that's a biggie.
It sounds to me as if you're doing everything possible to help Zeus through this transition. Am so glad you have the patience and caring to make him a loving member of your family.
Good luck and thank you again and again for your rescue work. It's not an easy thing to do... but it's the best
contact me any time
Katie
Katie:
Sofia's not alone - after 28 years of Dobermans I've never known one who could be convinced that rain isn't really sulfuric acid! We rescued Ziva about two months ago, and while she doesn't dream much, she does have "triggers" that make her lie as flat on the ground as she can get. She musn't have been too badly used because she doesn't do that very often any more - she was able to trust us very quickly. However, she absolutely will not go into our laundry room unless the door to the garage is also open, and occasionally she goes off and hides on her bed or in Harrigan's crate (the door's always open) and won't come out. Obviously she thinks she's done something awful and is afraid of the punishment. Obviously it isn't important to us because we can't figure out what it is! She's quite the mystery because she seems to be fairly well bred (really nice feet), has no major bad habits (she'd sleep on the couch if we let her), and doesn't have an awful lot of baggage.
Ziva's Dad:
Poor, poor Blitz - bless you for giving her 3 good years. It's tough when you're cleaning up other people's lousy treatment of a dog, but at least she got a taste of a decent life. Thank you.
I agree that we as people keep our pets "living off our love for them" rather than be logical and humane. It is the most horrible thing to experience. We agreed to let our 15yr old jack russel go before she was suffering and well, lets just say it took us time after time to finally do it. No teeth, heart & lung disease, coughing and mobility issues... still kept loving her... but the second tumour... we did it. It did not feel any better than the guilt of knowing she suffered to live. It was just as horrible. My heart bleeds. We were not going to love another dog because we know that we would have to make that decision again. BUT then there was so many dogs who needed a home... and as my 10 year old son said " We have a perfectly good home for a pet." I told my son why I didn't want to get another dog. He said " Mom"! Jackie does not know you sent her to heaven, she just knows we loved her all this time". My bleeding heart melted and we adopted Kayos.
Anyones dog snore? Loud!
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LK,
Caine wasn't a rescue but still had his quirks that made him special. He used to dream almost nightly when he got older. I always wondered about what. His hind legs would shake like running I guess and would let out some small woofs. It kinda bothered me since I knew his life was shortened, and wondered if he knew it too. Or were they happy dreams? dreams about his long lost siblings?
Okay but to the subject at hand, Caine would rather have you chase him for the ball instead of bringing it back to you, or he would stand just out of hands reach enticing you to grab for it and when you did he was gone.
Let Caine out and he would run the perimeter of the fence before anything else, or chase anything that was in his yard.
Caine always had to be petted before I went to sleep, and when he heard yo wake up he had to be petted before having any chance to get out of bed.
If laying in bed, and he came over to be petted, sometimes he would place one front paw on the bed, still being petted, then the next, then in one graceful swoop he was on the bed entirely. How a 120 pound animal could be so graceful is beyond me. At bedtime after giving Caine a little head pets, say okay enough bedtime, Caine would go and lay on his bed. But don't ever think about sleeping in, Caine would take the covers off just to make it easier for you to get up in the morning.