Hey, I know! Let's get a puppy we can't take care of!

[Koala]

vitafamiliae.com/puppy-on-a-hot-rock/

(You'll have to excuse the rant I am about to go on here. I am an animal lover, and LL's most recent post has me :pull-hair: )

Yes, that’s right Internet. If you were paying attention on social media this weekend, you already know: we got a dog. Correction: we got a puppy.

We swore up and down we wouldn't do this until we were done with diapers, but I guess instead we’ll just make it our goal to have our human puppy and our dog puppy handle their own poop at around the same time next year. A girl can dream…

Translation: We have a lot of kids. So many in fact that I frequently wonder how I'll survive the day with them. Kids are HARD ya'll. Because of this fact I made a commitment not to bring a helpless puppy into the mix until I at least got everyone potty trained. This weekend, however, we were like "what the hay"! So great news! We got a puppy!

He is mostly Andrew’s project (I’m focusing on the 7 other human puppies we’re raising) and, for that, I am truly grateful. I simply haven’t any angst left to spare on the myriad of questions like, “How often should he be let out to pee?†and “Does he have enough chew toys?â€

Translation: I don't have time for this puppy. I am too busy taking care of my puppies. Did you catch that? I just referred to my kids as animals! Funny huh? :D But really, ain't nobody got time for a dog!

Because winter arrived the very same evening that Wooster did, we’ve got him all settled in his kennel on the back porch with blankets galore and rocks warmed in my crockpot wrapped in old t-shirts.

I’m hoping to at least get a new crockpot out of the deal.

Incidentally, the second the warm rock arrives in his kennel, Wooster quits yelling at us. I’m thinking of putting warm rocks in everybody’s bed this winter…

***Let me just preface this by saying that I live in the same general area as LL. It has been cold here at night...like bitter. The thought of that little puppy on the back porch just breaks my heart. I have a GIANT German Shepherd, and a mean old orange cat. Giant German Shepherd sleeps with me. Mean old cat sleeps in front of the heating vent. Giant German Shepherd won't even go out to pee after a certain hour...he just holds it til morning because COLD! You can open the back door (leading to the backyard) and he immediately walks backwards. :P Orange cat doesn't go outside period.***

Because winter arrived the very same evening that Wooster did, we’ve got him all settled in his kennel on the back porch with blankets galore and rocks warmed in my crockpot wrapped in old t-shirts.

I’m hoping to at least get a new crockpot out of the deal.

Incidentally, the second the warm rock arrives in his kennel, Wooster quits yelling at us. I’m thinking of putting warm rocks in everybody’s bed this winter…

Translation: See this tiny puppy? We're putting him on the back porch with a hot rock and calling it good. (raise your hand if you think we have ANY intention of getting up regularly to change said rock) Hey, did I mention it has been below freezing here at night?

Hmmm...wonder if this would work for the kids. There IS more room on the back porch.

Because we planned poorly, my washing machine is still broken. Anything that Wooster soils is simply sitting, along with nine people’s laundry, waiting for a part to arrive that will make us fully functional and hygenic once again. The kitchen towel situation is quite dire. Fortunately, my kids rarely change their underwear (they think I don’t notice), so the only people truly suffering are Andrew and me.

Translation: Since we are totally not getting up to take this puppy to the potty, we are content to just let him soil himself and his kennel.

Worse yet, I have no washing machine so I am just tossing towels full of piss and shit into the hamper with the kids clothes. Damn but it smells in here.

But I'm not worried about it. Hell, I don't even see that my kids' hygiene needs are seen to, much less some puppy we picked up on a whim.

Only, would someone explain to me why my younger kids, who were thrilled about getting a dog, are suddenly terrified of him and dissolve into tears when they hear him? Help me, oh Internets. Finn kept screaming that he was “scawudâ€

Translation: Does anyone know of any nearby shelters? The kids are already terrified of this tiny puppy and I'm thinking this is not going to work :think:

p.s. Before anybody writes me, I caved right after I hit publish and Wooster’s kennel got moved to the basement until the temps go up slightly. But he still gets his hot rocks. And I’m still getting a new crockpot. And he’s still an outdoor dog… Ahem.

Translation: Don't complain to me about putting a puppy outdoors when it's below freezing! Didn't I tell you I gave him a hot rock?? :roll: You can tell yourself I put him in the basement, but the deal is he's an outdoor dog. The end.

[Marianne]

I want to steal this tinny puppy to take care of him. My labrador and my baby german shepherd will love him. :( Poor little things, he's so cute...

(and this blog... 7 children, homeschool, adoption, and DoTerra. Good fundies.)

[BrownieMomma]

Those people should not have that puppy. Poor thing. :(

[freejingerbeth]

vitafamiliae.com/puppy-on-a-hot-rock/

(You'll have to excuse the rant I am about to go on here. I am an animal lover, and LL's most recent post has me :pull-hair: )

Translation: We have a lot of kids. So many in fact that I frequently wonder how I'll survive the day with them. Kids are HARD ya'll. Because of this fact I made a commitment not to bring a helpless puppy into the mix until I at least got everyone potty trained. This weekend, however, we were like "what the hay"! So great news! We got a puppy!

Translation: I don't have time for this puppy. I am too busy taking care of my puppies. Did you catch that? I just referred to my kids as animals! Funny huh? :D But really, ain't nobody got time for a dog!

***Let me just preface this by saying that I live in the same general area as LL. It has been cold here at night...like bitter. The thought of that little puppy on the back porch just breaks my heart. I have a GIANT German Shepherd, and a mean old orange cat. Giant German Shepherd sleeps with me. Mean old cat sleeps in front of the heating vent. Giant German Shepherd won't even go out to pee after a certain hour...he just holds it til morning because COLD! You can open the back door (leading to the backyard) and he immediately walks backwards. :P Orange cat doesn't go outside period.***

Translation: See this tiny puppy? We're putting him on the back porch with a hot rock and calling it good. (raise your hand if you think we have ANY intention of getting up regularly to change said rock) Hey, did I mention it has been below freezing here at night?

Hmmm...wonder if this would work for the kids. There IS more room on the back porch.

Translation: Since we are totally not getting up to take this puppy to the potty, we are content to just let him soil himself and his kennel.

Worse yet, I have no washing machine so I am just tossing towels full of piss and shit into the hamper with the kids clothes. Damn but it smells in here.

But I'm not worried about it. Hell, I don't even see that my kids' hygiene needs are seen to, much less some puppy we picked up on a whim.

Translation: Does anyone know of any nearby shelters? The kids are already terrified of this tiny puppy and I'm thinking this is not going to work :think:

Translation: Don't complain to me about putting a puppy on outdoors when it's below freezing! Didn't I tell you I gave him a hot rock?? :roll: You can tell yourself I put him in the basement, be the deal is he's an outdoor dog. The end.

Oh. My. Stars! I don't even know where to begin. I didn't even know that people put their pets outside, at night, anymore. I live in Colorado. I just can't imagine putting my 2 dogs outside, at night, at any time of the year, much less on cold nights. This is disgusting! And by the way, if you know your kids aren't changing their underwear, you probably need to step in and do a little parenting. You are doing them a disservice by ignoring it. :ew:

[ILoveJellybeans]

Poor little puppy :(

I told my kids that there is no way we are having a puppy until I have no more diapers to change too, cause I just know that it is going to be me who potty trains and walks it.....but I would totally adopt this poor dog if I could as at least I wouldn't put it outside and would pay attention to it.

[slickcat79]

I thought this was going to be about *chuckles* Erika Shupe.

This is worse :(

[Koala]

I want to steal this tinny puppy to take care of him. My labrador and my baby german shepherd will love him. :( Poor little things, he's so cute...

(and this blog... 7 children, homeschool, adoption, and DoTerra. Good fundies.)

You have a baby gsd??? They are the best! Mine is 16 months and I just adore him

[Marianne]

You have a baby gsd??? They are the best! Mine is 16 months and I just adore him

Yeeees, I have since two weeks ! He's 8 month and everybody loves him. German Shepherd are my favorite dog **

[PennySycamore]

You have a baby gsd??? They are the best! Mine is 16 months and I just adore him

We had a GSD that crossed the Rainbow Bridge years ago and my daughter has no less than three! I love when the ears of the puppies just begin to stand up. Some days they'll be at half mast, some days one will stand up, and then you'll have that day when both ears are standing up. It's adorable!

This woman doesn't deserve a dog, much less a puppy she has to house train. Who ever heard of using a hot rock to keep a puppy warm?

Oh, and letting your kids wear dirty underwear? That's just shitty parenting! If your washer is broken, wash the underwear by hand like your ancestors did. Hell, my mother-in-law washed diapers by hand in the late 50s when they moved to England for a few years and didn't have a washer.

[hoipolloi]

Saw this too and shuddered. What a jerk - actually what a pair of jerks LL & her husband are. Apart from the terrible idea of settling a puppy down for the night, outside, with a "hot" rock, there is so much else wrong with this.

Dogs belong inside with their people, especially when they're puppies. A sure recipe for a poorly behaved dog or worse is to isolate it outside, away from its pack (= people). This is an especially stupid thing to do when you are expecting said puppy to learn how to get along with children. If the puppy doesn't have the opportunity to be a regular member of the pack (which allows him to learn his place & generally how to behave with them), you are increasing the chances that bad things will happen down the road.

The only good thing is that the human adults seem to have stopped reproducing; hopefully, they won't be able to adopt any more kids either.

[Walking Cat Bed]

My roommate's cat (who was a barn kitten and is now an inside-cat-who-plays-outside) has been mad at me all weekend, because I wouldn't let him outside when it was below 40 degrees. Especially overnight. He's been whining about being "stuck" inside before deciding to nap on whichever bed has the warmest blankets.

I'm pissed that they're treating a sweet, lovey puppy this way. If Dinger didn't react to most dogs with "NOPE, fuck right off dog, hiss swipe growl" I'd figure out how to kidnaprescue the poor puppy.

Edit for teeny riffle.

[Sobeknofret]

I've been sitting here for 20 minutes or so, trying to think what to say.

I'm not a dog person. Can't say why, but I'm really more of a cat person than a dog person. My husband is a dog person, and accordingly, wanted a dog. As I was passing an adoption event one day, I ended up adopting a three-year old German Shepherd mix for my husband and son. But, suddenly, even though I'm not a dog person, the dog decided he was a Sobe-dog. He waits for me when I leave the house, he sleeps on the floor next to my side of the bed, every time he sees me he wants his head rubbed or belly scratched. He is completely convinced that the only reason that the UPS guy hasn't killed and dismembered us is because he barks so ferociously at him. I even buy him special bones at the butcher shop and stuffy toys he can disembowel, and pick up the pieces afterwards. He is referred to as "Mummy's fur-baby." I've heard it said that a dog is the only thing in the world who will ever love you more than he loves himself, and I swear I believe it.

Three weeks ago, my baby dog-boy was diagnosed with advanced lymphoma in multiple sites, and he's almost certainly going to be gone by Thanksgiving. My heart is broken. I cannot imagine a world without my puppy-face in it.

When I hear about people like this, I see red. I can find forgiveness for just about anyone on the planet, but not people like this. That poor puppy needs a better home with better people.

[feministxtian]

My 2 beasts are some of the most spoiled beasts on the planet...poor things have been dragged across the country every time I've moved (VA to AZ to NV). Housing requirements include a special place for #2 dog's crate and whether or not the yard is big enough for them. I cannot believe that they would just ignore this pup...puppies take A LOT of work to socialize and train...stupid bitch.

[browncoatslytherin]

i hate people who just throw their dogs outside and call them "outside dogs". dogs are social creatures by nature, they need their pack. psychologically, they don't typically do well when isolated from their "pack" (the humans they identify as their own). this poor, poor puppy. :(

[keen23]

I have no issue with crate training/kennel training a dog or puppy. If you do it correctly (unlike what these horrible people are doing), the dog essentially has it's own safe place to sleep or retreat to when it wants to do so. We've always had crate trained dogs. The crates are in the living room. The dogs willingly go to their "house" when it's time for bed. My parents' current dog doesn't even get locked in at night any more. He willingly goes to bed around 10 PM, and gets up at 6 AM, spending the entire night in his crate.

[browncoatslytherin]

I have no issue with crate training/kennel training a dog or puppy. If you do it correctly (unlike what these horrible people are doing), the dog essentially has it's own safe place to sleep or retreat to when it wants to do so. We've always had crate trained dogs. The crates are in the living room. The dogs willingly go to their "house" when it's time for bed. My parents' current dog doesn't even get locked in at night any more. He willingly goes to bed around 10 PM, and gets up at 6 AM, spending the entire night in his crate.

my parents' poodle did the same. she preferred the crate to even sleeping in bed with them (which the min-pin always had to sleep with us, crate be damned!). we could even just mention, "it's time for bed" and she'd go in her crate.

[hoipolloi]

I have no issue with crate training/kennel training a dog or puppy. If you do it correctly (unlike what these horrible people are doing), the dog essentially has it's own safe place to sleep or retreat to when it wants to do so. We've always had crate trained dogs. The crates are in the living room. The dogs willingly go to their "house" when it's time for bed. My parents' current dog doesn't even get locked in at night any more. He willingly goes to bed around 10 PM, and gets up at 6 AM, spending the entire night in his crate.

Absolutely. This is especially helpful for ALL concerned when there are small children around who don't know yet how to behave around dogs.

[Miss M]

I can't stop looking at the pics of the puppy and comparing them to my now 6 year old Great Pyr/Rott mix female Phoebe, who once she gained her full growth topped out at 135lbs. I got her when she was 8 weeks old and she looked exactly like this puppy! She is my constant companion, in the 6 years I have had her we have never spent one night apart, she has traveled three times across the country and back with me, she is my love.

They are starting this puppy off ALL WRONG, and I would wager that it won't be long before puppy goes to another home, at least I hope it does and that that home is a good one!!

[polecat]

i hate people who just throw their dogs outside and call them "outside dogs". dogs are social creatures by nature, they need their pack. psychologically, they don't typically do well when isolated from their "pack" (the humans they identify as their own). this poor, poor puppy. :(

My neighbors do this. They have a gorgeous Malinoit that they got after a series of break-ins in our neighborhood. He built her a little kennel/run thing. She has a doghouse, some straw and what looks to me like a big wire cage. And that's where she lives, all day, all night, all year round. Last winter, we had temps well below zero (F not C) with bitter winds, thanks to the giant field behind our house. There were four and five-foot drifts out there. It was breathtakingly cold. And there that dog was, out there, probably half freezing. He's not breaking any local ordinances because she has fresh food, water and straw, but damn -- how is that not cruel?! And then he has the nads to tell us about how her previous owners abused her. Phshaw.

We don't have dogs although my husband and I both like them. I don't have time to walk a dog. I don't have the inclination to pick up after the dog. We don't have a fenced yard. I don't want to housebreak a puppy. I don't want to socialize a puppy. I don't want to do any of the WORK that accompanies most puppies/dogs. (Husband works long hours, so the dog would largely fall to me). So we don't have a dog. Why is it that people don't GET that if you can't take care of a dog and can't provide it with suitable living quarters that you should NOT have a dog no matter how much you want one?!

[Koala]

From her fb:

I will be following along on your dog journey. We had one for several months last year and it didn't work out (older dog, we were first time owners), and now 1 of my 3 really wants a puppy. Good luck!

Hey, I've got a solution! DON'T! A child wanting a puppy does not justify taking in an animal you won't be able to keep. If you think an older dog is hard, just wait to you see the kind of work a puppy requires.

Pets are not toys. You don't take them for test runs and then toss them aside when you get bored, and you certainly don't get them on the whims of a child.

[feministxtian]

I have no issue with crate training/kennel training a dog or puppy. If you do it correctly (unlike what these horrible people are doing), the dog essentially has it's own safe place to sleep or retreat to when it wants to do so. We've always had crate trained dogs. The crates are in the living room. The dogs willingly go to their "house" when it's time for bed. My parents' current dog doesn't even get locked in at night any more. He willingly goes to bed around 10 PM, and gets up at 6 AM, spending the entire night in his crate.

Our lab mix is the one that is crate trained. He's 5 years old now and he loves his "night-night". He used to go in there with my grandson...and take a nap (both of them). When he's had enough of the chaos of moving, he goes in his crate. But, since he IS part lab, he will chew/eat anything left out so he goes in his crate if we are leaving the house. However, he is NOT locked in the crate 24/7. I crate trained him for his own protection as a tiny puppy with teenagers, a bigger dog and 2 cats in the house. At first his crate was next to my bed then when he was about 6 months old he moved downstairs. His crate is big enough for him to stand up, sit up, lay down and have his food and water bowls in there (and his favorite chew bones). I'm a firm believer in crate training...IF IT IS DONE RIGHT.

[Walking Cat Bed]

i hate people who just throw their dogs outside and call them "outside dogs". dogs are social creatures by nature, they need their pack. psychologically, they don't typically do well when isolated from their "pack" (the humans they identify as their own). this poor, poor puppy. :(

When my roommate and I realized that the dog he'd rescued (her former "family" was going to dump her at the pound) wasn't a good match for us OR his cat (who is the Headship of the house and makes sure EVERYONE knows it), we found a better home for her. She has a bigger yard to play in, a doggy friend to play with, and took her bed with her -- which is inside, as is her doggy sister's bed.

Even when we sent Harley outside alone, it was a five-minute thing -- so she could pee, usually. Mostly because it's cruel to leave dogs outside alone for extended time periods and a teeeeeeeeeeny bit because she figured out how to push the gate open and would run to the front door to be let inside.

[Jana814]

I'm a big a dog person!! This makes me really sad that they would do this to their dog!!

[Maggie Mae]

He is mostly Andrew’s project (I’m focusing on the 7 other human puppies we’re raising) and, for that, I am truly grateful. I simply haven’t any angst left to spare on the myriad of questions like, “How often should he be let out to pee?†and “Does he have enough chew toys?â€

It's not that difficult. If you can't figure out how to set a timer to let the puppy out every 2-3 hours, and a few bucks for chews, you probably shouldn't get a puppy. Get an older, housebroken dog. Or, I don't know, don't get a dog if you can't handle it on top of your children. Dogs should be treated like a member of the family, because they are.

I'm still not over the picture I saw of a dead dog a few weeks ago. A house was foreclosed on, and the monsters left the dog in the house to starve to death. How could anyone do that?

[micatite]

My family has a long history of sled dogs (Samoyeds, to be precise) that can easily tolerate (and actually enjoy) frigid temperatures. They're meant for extremely cold climates. That said, ours did NOT sleep outside, even if it would be cooler, because dogs are pack animals and want to be with their pack. To protect it, to socialize within it, to be a part of it. So our current dog sleeps in my parents bedroom in a 'pup tent' canvas travel crate that fans are aimed at (to keep him nice and cool, no matter how warm it gets.) That hot rock nonsense is just that and unless that dog is a dog bred for extremely cold climates, he's going to get sick or frost-bitten or something.

We once adopted rescued a Samoyed that some neighbors had gotten as a Christmas present. You know the drill...cute white puppy with a red bow. Perfect Christmas fantasy. And that was great until they had no time or patience whatsoever with the puppy and ended up chaining her outdoors in a Minnesota winter (which didn't physically hurt her...the temp issue isn't a problem...but screwed up her psyche) and hitting her with newspapers and flyswatters when she barked and complained at being otherwise ignored. Yes, she was quite warped by her time with those *censored*. Fortunately she wasn't turned mean by it...but she was terribly afraid. It took her 6 months before she'd look us in the eye after we got her. After that, she only wanted to be with us because she only felt safe with us.

I freely admit that if my parents weren't around to look after him all day, I would not have gotten my current dog at all because a Samoyed wants to be with their people/pack all day long. It wouldn't have been fair to him or to me if he was left alone all day...and boredom would also cause acting out (natural enough for dogs...just like with kids) and destructive behavior. My parents take him to the dog park or the dog beach nearly every day while I'm at work and they take him around with him as they do their daily errands. As they're getting older, when the time comes that we lose Kodiak, I will NOT be getting another Samoyed unless I'm in the position where I can be with him throughout the day.

Those kids are probably scared of the puppy because it's probably reacting as is its nature (like nipping to get away if it's frightened) and because nobody's bothered to take the time to train and properly socialize it. That is a recipe for a bad biting...which they will then blame unfairly on the dog and probably have it put down as being 'vicious', even if it's anything but.

If you don't have the time, energy and money to properly care for, train, and socialize your dog and the wherewithal to meets the needs of whatever breed it is, DON'T GET THE DOG. If you've already gotten it, find it a good home with people who will meet its needs. Don't ignore it or abuse it or let it get out of hand where it becomes a danger to people or other animals. The fault is not the dog's...it's the humans.