Remember me?? Big news!!

texasheathers · 09-18-2010, 06:09 PM

Hey you guys! Remember me?? I was on the forums at the beginning of this past summer and we were planning to get a labradoodle puppy if I went back to work teaching. Wellll.... I tried for a while to get hired at one of the schools in our area - but it didn't ever seem to work out and then we kind of decided that I'd spend one more year at home with our daughter - who is 2 years old now. But, no job - means that our budget is tight and so out went the plans for a labradoodle.

Well - crazy enough - today a good friend emailed me. She's a teacher at a local Montessori school in our area. One of her parents had been fostering a 5 year old male labradoodle. He belonged to an older family member who had been unable to care for him due to losing her husband and her own failing health. The family that had him had four small children, and he had been living with them since last February. They had not advertised him at all because they didn't want him to go to just anyone - but preferred a word of mouth reccomendation. They needed a new home for him because they already had a dog that had some issues and they couldn't have both dogs. He was already house trained - had never had an accident in the time they had him - was perfect with their kids - they had all the vet records, hip dysplasia testing etc etc etc... she coudln't remember the breeders name but she has all that information with his paperwork.

SO - we had pretty much ruled out getting an adult dog because we have the kids - and felt like it was too much of a risk - but this sounded too perfect - so after soccer games this morning we went to go meet him. Oh my gosh - he was gorgeous - creamy white color - HUGE (he's 80 lbs). First we introduced him to our two year old to see how she reacted to him and visa versa - and it went perfectly. She fed him treats which he took ever so gently for her - and within minutes she was leaning on him and he was pulling her around the room.

I could go on - but needless to say we brought him home. We have him on loan for the weekend and if all goes well then he's ours. She didn't want any money for him - just a promise that we would never give him to anyone else - and if we ever couldn't keep him to bring him back to them. They even offered to take him to the vet to make sure all his shots and everything is up to date if we decide we want him for sure.

He's been here all afternoon - romped in the backyard with the boys - and is about to leave on his first walk around the block with my husband and the boys. He's pretty strong - but he's also very obedient - he's got stay and sit down perfectly.

I could not remember what kind of dog food I'd read on this site that you guys all reccomended - so I had to go to to Petco on my own. There was some discrepancy from the fostering parents about dog food - they had used several different things and I think her and her hubby were not in agreement about hte importance of the quality of food - she suggested something without wheat or corn - and the husband said he had the dogs on Purina - but apparently they'd been switching around a lot according to who was doing the buying. So - I just looked for something that was lamb and rice - because that was what he'd previously been on - and something that corn and wheat was not one of the first ingredients - so I got Natural Choice by Nutro in the Large Breed Lamb and Rice formula. Maybe not the best choice - but I made the best choice I could with the information I had - and I got a small bag so if this isn't the right thing I will just do better next time.

So - anyway - Rocky has been at our house all day. He is pretty amazing. SO gentle with the kids. Gracie even had him by the tail earlier and I'm telling her to let go - but he's not even paying her any attention - he just keeps walking around dragging her behind. I did get her to stop finally - so now she hangs on his neck and he drags her around. He's taller than she is. It's pretty cute.

For now - if I can get this to work - here is a picture we took of him on the ride home... sitting in the back of the van with my oldest son.

SO what do y'all think?? He seems perfect for us! And his previous family says they will dogsit for us anytime!!

Heather

**lindamarie** · 09-19-2010, 11:19 AM

OMGOSH!! You have me in tears of JOY here!! Seriously! I am all misty eyed and so happy for you!
What a beautiful story and beautiful doodle!!
From what I read here.......YOU NOW HAVE YOUR FOREVER DOODLE!!

This is the way Bogart acts with kids too...........so gentle and so kind!
Ohhhh....that picture! Rocky looks so HAPPY too!!

As far as food goes, there really are tons of choices.
After plenty of research and trials, we had our former Springer and now Bogart, on Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul. The ingredients seem perfect and one time when I called them.......I swear I was talking to the cook in the kitchen who makes this food!

It was like one of the family!

Yes, I do remember you and wondered where you ha gone....what had happened etc.
It's soooo good to see you again!
AND.......I'm looking forward to hearing more on your families life with ROCKY!! YAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

texasheathers · 09-19-2010, 11:43 AM

Thanks Linda! I was bummed when the whole going back to work thing didn't work out - and I'd pretty much learned everything I could to prepare to get a doodle - and then we weren't getting one - I was too depressed to read the forums - lol! It's crazy how Rocky fell into our laps - we were not even looking for him.

He is fabulous - hopped right in the car when we left his previous home yesterday. Yesterday went great - and we had a party to go to last night - we took the two older boys with us and left my two year old with my stepdad and Rocky. Then, my mom got off work and came over and brought their Yorkie. I had told her NOT to bring him - but she did anyway - lol. I would be mad - but Rocky and TJay got along PERFECTLY. TJay is still a puppy - only about 5 pounds - so you can imagine the two of them together. Rocky was on alert at every strange sound last night - and he barked a few times to let us know something was outside. (raccoons) - but his barking wasn't annoying and he would stop as soon as we acknowledged it. He has a LOUD bark! I am glad he does that - makes me feel safer here when my husband is out of town and it's just me and the kids.... at least I'd know if someone was coming up to the house at night!

Our night was easy - he slept in the den part of the night and then our 2 year old had an accident at 5 am and so that woke him up and then we went back to sleep and he moved into our room and slept on the floor then. We tried to send him to the bathroom outside at 5 am but he looked at us like we were crazy and wouldn't go outside. THen we got up at 8 and we had two out of three kids in the spare bed in our bedroom and he woke my middle son up with a nudge - lol. Marshall's face was priceless when he opened his eyes and saw Rocky staring at him!!

He's laying on the tile floor right now after romping through the backyard with the kids all morning. He is enjoying all the attention over here I think. One of the neighborhood kids came over - but he didn't treat Rocky with the appropriate respect and my oldest son got pretty defensive and told his friend to go home - yaaay!!!! I get tired of all the kids in the neighborhood coming to visit - they never want to leave!!!

OH and another of our neighbors was at the same party last night and she had seen us out walking him - she said he was beautiful and wanted to know what kind of dog he was! He does have a very distinctive look - we are about to load him up and go to the park, maybe Petco and a quick stop at the grocery store - I have to admit I love the attention he draws.

I need some tips on caring for his coat. It's wavy - doesn't mat. I'm going to bathe him today but I haven't bought a brush yet - do I need a brush right after I bathe him or can I wait and pick up one next time I'm at the store? Also - getting him dry - just towel dry and let him go or should I attempt to blow dry him?? The family that had him had only been taking him to the groomers - and had never bathed him themselves so they had no idea how he would be in a bath. I can't imagine him being anything but calm and laid back! I was just planning to use baby shampoo to bathe him with for now... ????

I still can't get over how big he is!!!

Oh - he has a tattoo on his ear - a number 3 - what do y'all make of that?

Heather

CharlieBear's Mom · 09-20-2010, 01:17 PM

What a wonderful story -- sounds like you both hit the jackpot!

**lindamarie** · 09-21-2010, 10:18 AM

Oh Heather! Your story continues to make me smile!

How did the bath go?
We usually just let Bogart air dry. He doesn't mat either......he has a fleece coat that looks to be just a tad more wavy than Rocky's.
I do have a brush that has wirey thingies on one side and a soft brush on the other side. I must confess that we rarely use it because he doesn't seem to need it especially in the summer when he has his summer cut.
But, I do like to fluff out his legs with the wirey side of the brush every now and them. He has the most skinny legs!

So, when we have him groomed, we tell them not to clip the legs.
When they're brushed out, they look full and like he has huge legs!

I wonder what the THREE tattoo is all about? Did you ask the previous owners? It would be interesting to know.

Have FUN, FUN, FUN!! I am sooooooo happy for all of you!

texasheathers · 09-27-2010, 02:48 PM

He wasn't getting in the battub - we'd only had him a day at that point - so I'm hoping next time he's more willing. We bathed him outside with just a waterhose and that worked fine.

He's definitely coming out of his shell though!! He is still VERY well behaved but he has a rambunctious side - very cute!!

**lindamarie** · 09-28-2010, 10:02 AM

kath0469 · 10-07-2010, 02:39 PM

Congrats to you! I just got my puppy 3 days ago so I was checking out this forum for info and found your post. He is gorgeous!! Obviously, he was meant to be with your family.

Lucky Me · 10-17-2010, 02:28 PM

Congrats!!!
Sounds like this doodle was meant for you.... he is beautiful!!!

**MaxandMe** · 10-21-2010, 05:43 AM

WOW...........i am soooooooooooo happy for you and your new DOODLE!!

i didn't cath your doodle's name or are you waiting? anyway, this is one of the sweetest stories of getting a labradoodle.

his coat should be fairly easy to take care of and dry quickly as he looks like a F1 by the picture. A regular brusha and the curved slicker brush that you push a knob that pushes the hair off the tines is great to use! only costs about $5.99 or so.

Hip HIp hooooooooooray for your son being protective of your doodle and teaching other kids respect!!!

I can't wait to see more pictures and hear more! he sounds awesome!

09-18-2010, 06:09 PM	#1 (permalink)
texasheathers Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Crosby, TX Posts: 42	Remember me?? Big news!! Hey you guys! Remember me?? I was on the forums at the beginning of this past summer and we were planning to get a labradoodle puppy if I went back to work teaching. Wellll.... I tried for a while to get hired at one of the schools in our area - but it didn't ever seem to work out and then we kind of decided that I'd spend one more year at home with our daughter - who is 2 years old now. But, no job - means that our budget is tight and so out went the plans for a labradoodle. Well - crazy enough - today a good friend emailed me. She's a teacher at a local Montessori school in our area. One of her parents had been fostering a 5 year old male labradoodle. He belonged to an older family member who had been unable to care for him due to losing her husband and her own failing health. The family that had him had four small children, and he had been living with them since last February. They had not advertised him at all because they didn't want him to go to just anyone - but preferred a word of mouth reccomendation. They needed a new home for him because they already had a dog that had some issues and they couldn't have both dogs. He was already house trained - had never had an accident in the time they had him - was perfect with their kids - they had all the vet records, hip dysplasia testing etc etc etc... she coudln't remember the breeders name but she has all that information with his paperwork. SO - we had pretty much ruled out getting an adult dog because we have the kids - and felt like it was too much of a risk - but this sounded too perfect - so after soccer games this morning we went to go meet him. Oh my gosh - he was gorgeous - creamy white color - HUGE (he's 80 lbs). First we introduced him to our two year old to see how she reacted to him and visa versa - and it went perfectly. She fed him treats which he took ever so gently for her - and within minutes she was leaning on him and he was pulling her around the room. I could go on - but needless to say we brought him home. We have him on loan for the weekend and if all goes well then he's ours. She didn't want any money for him - just a promise that we would never give him to anyone else - and if we ever couldn't keep him to bring him back to them. They even offered to take him to the vet to make sure all his shots and everything is up to date if we decide we want him for sure. He's been here all afternoon - romped in the backyard with the boys - and is about to leave on his first walk around the block with my husband and the boys. He's pretty strong - but he's also very obedient - he's got stay and sit down perfectly. I could not remember what kind of dog food I'd read on this site that you guys all reccomended - so I had to go to to Petco on my own. There was some discrepancy from the fostering parents about dog food - they had used several different things and I think her and her hubby were not in agreement about hte importance of the quality of food - she suggested something without wheat or corn - and the husband said he had the dogs on Purina - but apparently they'd been switching around a lot according to who was doing the buying. So - I just looked for something that was lamb and rice - because that was what he'd previously been on - and something that corn and wheat was not one of the first ingredients - so I got Natural Choice by Nutro in the Large Breed Lamb and Rice formula. Maybe not the best choice - but I made the best choice I could with the information I had - and I got a small bag so if this isn't the right thing I will just do better next time. So - anyway - Rocky has been at our house all day. He is pretty amazing. SO gentle with the kids. Gracie even had him by the tail earlier and I'm telling her to let go - but he's not even paying her any attention - he just keeps walking around dragging her behind. I did get her to stop finally - so now she hangs on his neck and he drags her around. He's taller than she is. It's pretty cute. For now - if I can get this to work - here is a picture we took of him on the ride home... sitting in the back of the van with my oldest son. SO what do y'all think?? He seems perfect for us! And his previous family says they will dogsit for us anytime!! Heather

09-19-2010, 11:19 AM	#2 (permalink)
lindamarie Super Moderator Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Birmingham, Michigan Posts: 6,171	OMGOSH!! You have me in tears of JOY here!! Seriously! I am all misty eyed and so happy for you! What a beautiful story and beautiful doodle!! From what I read here.......YOU NOW HAVE YOUR FOREVER DOODLE!! This is the way Bogart acts with kids too...........so gentle and so kind! Ohhhh....that picture! Rocky looks so HAPPY too!! As far as food goes, there really are tons of choices. After plenty of research and trials, we had our former Springer and now Bogart, on Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul. The ingredients seem perfect and one time when I called them.......I swear I was talking to the cook in the kitchen who makes this food! It was like one of the family! Yes, I do remember you and wondered where you ha gone....what had happened etc. It's soooo good to see you again! AND.......I'm looking forward to hearing more on your families life with ROCKY!! YAAAAAAAAAAAAY! __________________ Linda & Bogart Dogs=Unconditional love "We have it all! Just like Bogie & Bacall!"

09-20-2010, 01:17 PM	#4 (permalink)
CharlieBear's Mom Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Kansas Posts: 147	What a wonderful story -- sounds like you both hit the jackpot! __________________ Karen and Charliebear

09-21-2010, 10:18 AM	#5 (permalink)
lindamarie Super Moderator Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Birmingham, Michigan Posts: 6,171	Oh Heather! Your story continues to make me smile! How did the bath go? We usually just let Bogart air dry. He doesn't mat either......he has a fleece coat that looks to be just a tad more wavy than Rocky's. I do have a brush that has wirey thingies on one side and a soft brush on the other side. I must confess that we rarely use it because he doesn't seem to need it especially in the summer when he has his summer cut. But, I do like to fluff out his legs with the wirey side of the brush every now and them. He has the most skinny legs! So, when we have him groomed, we tell them not to clip the legs. When they're brushed out, they look full and like he has huge legs! I wonder what the THREE tattoo is all about? Did you ask the previous owners? It would be interesting to know. Have FUN, FUN, FUN!! I am sooooooo happy for all of you! __________________ Linda & Bogart Dogs=Unconditional love "We have it all! Just like Bogie & Bacall!"

09-28-2010, 10:02 AM	#7 (permalink)
lindamarie Super Moderator Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Birmingham, Michigan Posts: 6,171	__________________ Linda & Bogart Dogs=Unconditional love "We have it all! Just like Bogie & Bacall!"

09-19-2010, 11:43 AM	#3 (permalink)
texasheathers Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Crosby, TX Posts: 42	Thanks Linda! I was bummed when the whole going back to work thing didn't work out - and I'd pretty much learned everything I could to prepare to get a doodle - and then we weren't getting one - I was too depressed to read the forums - lol! It's crazy how Rocky fell into our laps - we were not even looking for him. He is fabulous - hopped right in the car when we left his previous home yesterday. Yesterday went great - and we had a party to go to last night - we took the two older boys with us and left my two year old with my stepdad and Rocky. Then, my mom got off work and came over and brought their Yorkie. I had told her NOT to bring him - but she did anyway - lol. I would be mad - but Rocky and TJay got along PERFECTLY. TJay is still a puppy - only about 5 pounds - so you can imagine the two of them together. Rocky was on alert at every strange sound last night - and he barked a few times to let us know something was outside. (raccoons) - but his barking wasn't annoying and he would stop as soon as we acknowledged it. He has a LOUD bark! I am glad he does that - makes me feel safer here when my husband is out of town and it's just me and the kids.... at least I'd know if someone was coming up to the house at night! Our night was easy - he slept in the den part of the night and then our 2 year old had an accident at 5 am and so that woke him up and then we went back to sleep and he moved into our room and slept on the floor then. We tried to send him to the bathroom outside at 5 am but he looked at us like we were crazy and wouldn't go outside. THen we got up at 8 and we had two out of three kids in the spare bed in our bedroom and he woke my middle son up with a nudge - lol. Marshall's face was priceless when he opened his eyes and saw Rocky staring at him!! He's laying on the tile floor right now after romping through the backyard with the kids all morning. He is enjoying all the attention over here I think. One of the neighborhood kids came over - but he didn't treat Rocky with the appropriate respect and my oldest son got pretty defensive and told his friend to go home - yaaay!!!! I get tired of all the kids in the neighborhood coming to visit - they never want to leave!!! OH and another of our neighbors was at the same party last night and she had seen us out walking him - she said he was beautiful and wanted to know what kind of dog he was! He does have a very distinctive look - we are about to load him up and go to the park, maybe Petco and a quick stop at the grocery store - I have to admit I love the attention he draws. I need some tips on caring for his coat. It's wavy - doesn't mat. I'm going to bathe him today but I haven't bought a brush yet - do I need a brush right after I bathe him or can I wait and pick up one next time I'm at the store? Also - getting him dry - just towel dry and let him go or should I attempt to blow dry him?? The family that had him had only been taking him to the groomers - and had never bathed him themselves so they had no idea how he would be in a bath. I can't imagine him being anything but calm and laid back! I was just planning to use baby shampoo to bathe him with for now... ???? I still can't get over how big he is!!! Oh - he has a tattoo on his ear - a number 3 - what do y'all make of that? Heather

09-27-2010, 02:48 PM	#6 (permalink)
texasheathers Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Crosby, TX Posts: 42	He wasn't getting in the battub - we'd only had him a day at that point - so I'm hoping next time he's more willing. We bathed him outside with just a waterhose and that worked fine. He's definitely coming out of his shell though!! He is still VERY well behaved but he has a rambunctious side - very cute!!

10-07-2010, 02:39 PM	#8 (permalink)
kath0469 Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 2	Congrats to you! I just got my puppy 3 days ago so I was checking out this forum for info and found your post. He is gorgeous!! Obviously, he was meant to be with your family.

10-17-2010, 02:28 PM	#9 (permalink)
Lucky Me Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Northern California Posts: 1,744	Congrats!!! Sounds like this doodle was meant for you.... he is beautiful!!! __________________ Judi,Tuesday, Marley, Easy (and little Reba too!) www.judiblueszoo.com

10-21-2010, 05:43 AM	#10 (permalink)
MaxandMe Super Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Upstate, NY Posts: 15,103	WOW...........i am soooooooooooo happy for you and your new DOODLE!! i didn't cath your doodle's name or are you waiting? anyway, this is one of the sweetest stories of getting a labradoodle. his coat should be fairly easy to take care of and dry quickly as he looks like a F1 by the picture. A regular brusha and the curved slicker brush that you push a knob that pushes the hair off the tines is great to use! only costs about $5.99 or so. Hip HIp hooooooooooray for your son being protective of your doodle and teaching other kids respect!!! I can't wait to see more pictures and hear more! he sounds awesome! __________________ *Annmarie, Max,& Peanut* "Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." Anatole France uncondtional love: what a dog always does for us and humans strive to do but can we?

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