Homeless Dog * animal not person*

craigP

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Dec 4, 2012
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well, here it is - I started feeding this homeless dog that ‘lives’ in my neighborhood around the corner table scraps that ordinarily would go in the trash from my lunch and dinner, anyway needless to say the dog has fallen quite in love with me, happy as hell when it sees me (even when I am trying to ignore him because I am simply walking to the colmado for a beer) follows me wherever I go when it does see me and not in a begging for food kind of way but more of a 'companion' type way, just hanging out walking beside me ( the locals are always amused at this sight) anyway as the weeks pass into months lately I have been thinking about getting into a more formal relationship for example buying a bag of real dog food, scheduled feeding times, food and water bowl, doing something about those fleas that seem to be plaguing him and ashamed to admit I envisioned him on a leash and joining me during my morning run- anyone had a similar experience? Am I headed for heartbreak here? more trouble than it's worth? Jeez now I wish I never fed him, but he is such a sweet little scrawny thing, just wants a companion, if I lost everything today I would go looking for that dog and hit the byways and highways with him...
 

Bronxboy

Well-known member
Jul 11, 2007
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well, here it is - I started feeding this homeless dog that ‘lives’ in my neighborhood around the corner, table scraps that ordinarily would go in the trash from my lunch and dinner, anyway needless to say the dog has fallen quite in love with me, happy as hell when it sees me (even when I am trying to ignore him because I am simply walking to the colmado for a beer) follows me wherever I go when it does see me and not in a begging for food kind of way but more of a 'companion' type way, just hanging out walking beside me ( the locals are always amused at this sight) anyway as the weeks pass into months lately I have been thinking about getting into a more formal relationship for example buying a bag of real dog food, scheduled feeding times, food and water bowl, doing something about those fleas that seem to be plaguing him and ashamed to admit I envisioned him on a leash and joining me during my morning run- anyone had a similar experience? Am I headed for heartbreak here? more trouble than it's worth? Jeez now I wish I never fed him, but he is such a sweet little scrawny thing, just wants a companion, if I lost everything today I would go looking for that dog and hit the byways and highways with him...

Keep him!
 

Criss Colon

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Jan 2, 2002
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yahoomail.com
I had the EXACT SAME THING happen to me!!!
Except I married her!
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And I too wish I had never "FED" Her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

Castle

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Sep 1, 2012
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Well, I don't know if this counts but...
I have a bag of cat food in the trunk of my car at all times. Stray cats from the parking lot know it and at the slightest sound of my car's engine they come out running like crazy. It's rewarding. You see, the bag of cat food only costs about 250 pesos, and it makes these little animals happy for weeks.
Yeah, I know what my neighbors are probably thinking, but I don't care.
 

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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if you can, adopt him. take him to the vet for rabies shot and another one of ivermectin (for fleas and some parasites). the stuff is cheap. have him washed as well.

i too, feed homeless animals. we are now stuck with a third cat. started from feeding her with spaying plans in mind when we found out she was long prego. looking for safe place she simply moved in. stole our hearts. she promptly gave birth and nearly died but she is fine now and her kitties are ready to be adopted.

saving a tiny life like this may be small and unimportant. but it is rewarding.
 

craigP

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Dec 4, 2012
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if you can, adopt him. take him to the vet for rabies shot and another one of ivermectin (for fleas and some parasites). the stuff is cheap. have him washed as well.

.
I was thinking about that, can anyone reccomend a REPUTABLE vet in Santiago?
 
I have saved 3 of our 5 dogs, soon to be 4 out of our 6 dogs! There is not a better feeling in the world for me to see a sickly dog (2 of them were on their death bed) get better and you would never know any of my dogs were street/shelter dogs.
They will protect me i swear more b/c I saved them.

I have them as pets more than guard dogs but it sure does help that my Irish wolfhound/rottie cross scares the CRAP out of EVERYONE. People stare as we drive down the road with this HUGE dog!
Vets are dirt cheap here, so it's not too expensive to get shots and the doggy looked at.

I really hope you do it! No better love than a dog! Sometimes the wife I guess ;-)
 

Givadogahome

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Sep 27, 2011
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Personally I think you have crossed a line and are now in no mans land. I had heartache over a similar thing. I started buying salami for this little scruff bag down at my local. She then started following me home, she then started getting food from the house, she then wouldn't leave my front gate. I came home drunk one day and stupidly allowed her into the property. I soon shut her out again in the morning for fear she would consider it home. She became my companion, she even would chase me on the motorbike, I would ride down into town park up outside the store (about 2-3 miles) and then when I would come out there she would be, panting away, sitting on one hip looking very proud of either herself of me. She'd then try to get on the bike with me to ride back, we did accomplish this once after a few presidentes and my riding skills improve dramatically, or so it seems.
After a few months she became one of the family, in the house at night and kicked out through the day.
The hassle came when she came on heat and every dog in the neighborhood was at our front door waiting for his leg over, we didn't get to her in time and she had been nailed. A couple of months later we have 10 dogs, 7 female, and all of them yapping and crapping all over our balcony. Once playing age they got demoted to the shed under the house, but the crapping continued and the property began to stink, the neighbors began to dislike us because of our noise and no one will take bitches here, the dogs went to farmers around the area, but the bitches were just getting bigger and bigger and Crapping more and more. We did get rid of them all eventually and back to our little dog we started with, all chilled out free from poop.
You could never put her on a leash, she was a street dog, she just wrestled with anything around her neck, and we lived in campo so no traffic. But eventually we had to move, and we didn't know what to do, we were moving to the city, a serious change for a dog that was so used to freedom 24/7. She had survived a few years without us there and she would no doubt continue to survive without us. In the end we agreed a neighbour would keep an eye, and see how she settled once we had left, feed her and just make sure nothing bad came her way. I was heart broken, but to take a campo dog who'd always lived on the streets and free with pretty much no traffic to the center of Santo Domingo with a small garden was never going to work for her.
So we check up and see she is doing alright, and she was poisoned a few days after we left, I can't tell you how upset I was at that news.
So my advise is if you are going to take it on, make sure the lifestyle you are going to offer is equal to that of what it will expect, street dogs are tough as nails, in their ways and often difficult to train. A dog walking by your side in campo off the leash is not going to work in the city, it'd be squished in minutes. All I'm saying is street dogs of the campo are often happiest where they are, just because they want to be fed does not mean they want a change in lifestyle, environment etc. it's completely different to city street dogs. And as for my experience with this one, damned if you and damned if you don't.

IMO

We've rehomed many dogs now, but I always make it fast and keep a distance personally, I get them better and then get them out, it's too painful for me otherwise, I'm crap at goodbyes, especially to good old faithfuls!
 
True in way Dog, my street dogs come when called but we live on a beach so we don't have traffic all over the place obviously. We put them on leashes when need be, they hate it but we are trying to do hard core training.

The one who lived on the streets the longest is the one who just hangs in our house and only goes out to pee to bark at people and loves going for walks on the beach. She is an old rottie cross and stays right with us jumping about. She barks at people we tell her to stop and she does.

It depends on the dog and human and PLEASE get your dog neutered or spayed if you do get him/her. Our one eye pup gets neutered tomorrow! The other dogs do go crazy when they are in heat, never experienced it before!!

They would have to be leash in cities though!!!! They will get used to it eventually!

I am very sorry to hear about your dog, dog that is really sad.
 

robbie

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Aug 3, 2006
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Adopt him, give the dog a chance at a nice life, you will be happier you did :)

He has already got a place in your heart or you wouldn't be posting here about it.
 

jilly777

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Jul 17, 2013
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I have joined Rescatame on Facebook...the group help dogs/cats around Bavaro and beyond.
Next week I begin my voluntary work with them and am steeling myself as I know that as an animal lover this is going to really test my metal.
I know that with such a great number of animal lovers on the forum that someone is going to give the dog a home...so good luck and keep us vall posted
 

robbie

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Aug 3, 2006
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I have met a few of the girls at Rescatame and donated things. They do awesome work!
Good for you jilly777, if I lived there full time I would be working with them too.
 

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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you cannot help all of them. but even if you help one you get love for ever. and you know you saved one little life, that's someone's entire world.
i cannot speak for dogs but this street mama cat we adopted totally rocks. you'd think she'd be street cat all the way. no. she learned all by herself to use litter box. she sits next to us at a dinner table, gently touching the leg to remind us she is waiting for a bite to eat. she cuddles, she purrs, she jumps on our laps. she lets me pick her up and torture with hugs and squishes. she takes medicine, lets herself be injected and has so much patience.
 

jilly777

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Jul 17, 2013
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Thanks Robbie.....I am prepared to help as much as I possibly can.
Its great that you have donated things....every little helps
 

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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I was thinking about that, can anyone reccomend a REPUTABLE vet in Santiago?
Yes.

Finally found an excellent vet clinic in Santiago, almost like a vet practice in the states.

Dr. Carlos Vargas has Clinic El Arca on Av. Rafael Vidal # 4-A across from the new near Bellon. I believe Dr. Vargas was trained in Israel.
 

expatsooner

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Aug 7, 2004
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I have saved 3 of our 5 dogs, soon to be 4 out of our 6 dogs! There is not a better feeling in the world for me to see a sickly dog (2 of them were on their death bed) get better and you would never know any of my dogs were street/shelter dogs.
They will protect me i swear more b/c I saved them.

I have them as pets more than guard dogs but it sure does help that my Irish wolfhound/rottie cross scares the CRAP out of EVERYONE. People stare as we drive down the road with this HUGE dog!
Vets are dirt cheap here, so it's not too expensive to get shots and the doggy looked at.

I really hope you do it! No better love than a dog! Sometimes the wife I guess ;-)

Thanks for bringing up some great memories Harleysock. I also had a Wolfhound/Rottie cross long ago (still not sure how my Rottie bitch and male Wolfhound managed through an electric fence but it must have been quick since he was the only pup in the litter) The result was one of the best dogs ever. He had the Wolfhound height with Rottie muscles. Of course I did get strange looks when I called him since his name was "Puppy" I had refused to name him when he was born because there was no way I was going to keep him so I called him Puppy and the name stuck. Just like he stuck with us instead of being placed in a home. :laugh:

I have had purebreds and mixes through the years and I agree there is something in the eyes of a rescue that is poignant beyond words. I have rescued dogs and cats and always my goal is to help at least two stray/feral animals a year through either placement in a home, spay and release if a female with a good support system in her neighborhood or taking in a badly hurt/diseased animal to be humanely put down.

To the OP I hope you do take the little one into your home and life, you will both be the better for it.
 

dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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interesting... i homed this mixed puppy with harley. there was only one. mother presented zero signs of being prego until she went into labour. and i saw the pup when it was 2-3 days old. it was tiny. our rottie had puppies so i have seen the size of them and this mixed thing was just barely bigger than a kitten. but it was growing very fast afterwards :)
 

expatsooner

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Aug 7, 2004
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Puppy was big from the get go :). His sire confirmation wise was an average pet quality grey Wolfhound and mom was a very well bred show quality Rottie. Puppy turned out brown with longer black hairs making up his over coat. From a distance he resembled a deer with his coloring and long Wolfhound legs. He and his parents are my favorites of all the dogs I have ever had. Saddest thing about the giant breeds is the short lifespan but it is worth all the pain of losing them early since they are such silly clowns with great personalities.