Thursday, August 5, 2010

A new addition to our family!


Is that Barkley looking into a funhouse mirror?

Nope, it's our new dog max! Max is an 8 month old Treeing Walker Coonhound (possibly a mix) that we adopted this morning. He is very skinny and came to us with 3 or 4 dog bites- he was staying in a house with 10 dogs, and apparently the other dogs (pointers) were beating him up a bit. He was also completely covered in red mud when we first met him- he's already had 2 baths this morning and doesn't seem to be terrified of water the way Barkley is, which is awesome. He's also a lot more chill than Barkley- in fact we've had no problems at all with him, but had a few problems when Barkley kept trying to hump him in the face. :) But we crated Barkley for a bit and now they are getting along and happily chewing on toys together. :)


This is Max's story as told by his foster mom:

I work at a Veterinary ER clinic in town. When Max came to us, he was the runt puppy in a litter of Walker Coonhounds. So runtish, that he weighed 2lbs at 6 weeks and his littermates topped the scales at 9lbs. We thought for sure he wouldn't make it, but I decided to try and foster him to get better. He did. I typically have all dogs neutered before going out to their new homes, but a gal I worked with had this great friend that was dying for a puppy. They swore they would have him neutered when he got old enough, and they had 3 young kids and 2 cats (which were indeed already altered), so I relented. When max was 10 weeks old, and 10lbs, he went to his new home. That lasted until about 2 months ago, when I caught wind that the fabulous family had been evicted, leaving poor Max alone inside. He was returned to me, intact, of course. They did love him but apparently ran thin on funds and then separated, so Max was more burden than he was worth. (lesson learned for me, though). Anyway, he is socialized with children - all 3 of theirs were very young, less than 6. He was around cats there and hes around our cats here. He does very well in the house - has had zero accidents while here, but he's always supervised. He is crate trained, and thats where he sleeps at night and stays when we're gone. He is socialized with other dogs - we have 10. He is a submissive boy, and definitely not a fight starter. His only behavioral problem that I know of is baying at the neighbors. When they are doing something noisy, he's all coonhound. FOR SURE. That said, I do believe he's mixed with either a beagle or some other stumpy creature. His color is lemon/white, which isnt standard for Walker Hounds, and his size is much smaller than a normal walker. Max is about 8 months old, so he wont be growing any more. He's topped out at about 40lbs. Id imagine he might fill in with a couple more pounds, but I'd be shocked if he reaches 50lbs. We just had him neutered, so he's ready to go!


10 comments:

  1. My, your place is turning into quite the zoo! ;) I can't wait to come visit!

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  2. >but had a few problems when Barkley kept trying to hump him in the face. :)

    dogs will be dogs :)

    P.S. I like how my word verification is "rasha"

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  3. Even though Max has already peed and pooped in the house, I still think he'll be a great addition, especially once Barkley quits making sweet, sweet love to Max.

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  4. Ah. A new baby. I hope he sleeps through the night for you!

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  5. The dogs are cute! You did a mitzvah by taking him in and giving him a home.

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  6. Mazel Tov on your new cutie pie. May you have much nachas.I love when you post pictures of the little doggies.

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  7. I am absolutely horrified to hear that his previous family just abandoned him in their old house. I don't care what your finances look like, there's no excuse for that kind of cruel behavior. I don't get people who do that. I remember when I adopted my beagle, the shelter people asked me what I would do if I moved, and I didn't even understand the question. When you adopt a dog, you make a commitment to it. If you can't take care of it anymore, you find it a new home. You don't just leave it to die somewhere.

    Yasher koach on your taking in this sweet little doggie. Enjoy. Dogs are love machines.

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  8. I saw the nose and the eyes and saw the blur yet sold the world all before the turning of time.

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  9. He is so, so beautiful! Congrats!

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