Immediate homes needed for two older, neutered KY dogs (Aussie & All American Mutt)

[SteppinEasy]

I need to find new homes for two older dogs: a 10 y.o. Aussie and a 9 y.o. Shepherd mix. Both are healthy, neutered, housebroken and well behaved. They are used to horses and living on a farm, but need a home where they come in at night, at the very least. Both aspire to be couch potatoes!

These dogs belonged to my elderly parents who have now passed away. I have been looking for a home for the boys for over a year, but am now down to the wire. I have two weeks before I have to move and I can't take them with me.

Here's more information about each of them:

Patches--the most adorable black and white Aussie you'll ever see, with a gentle, loving disposition to match. Patches has been with my family since he was dropped off here at @5 weeks old, with half his face ripped off.:( My mother nursed him back to health and he was her constant companion after that. He would be ideal for an elderly owner who still likes to take short walks, because that was what he was used to here, but he'd do well with anyone who would pay attention to him. I do think children frighten him a bit, though, so he might not be suited for the youngest ones.

Patches is a generally timid dog. He tends to get picked on if he's in a pack, so it would be best if he could be an only dog or with just one other very quiet companion. He has a *slight* hearing loss and also comes with very, very mild arthritis (stated just in the interest of full disclosure--99% of the time, you'd never be able to guess at the fact that he has any physical issues), so he really does need that indoor home, especially in the winter. He doesn't tend to roam and he has no vices that I know of. He's a great little dog that everyone wants to take home...until they hear that he's 10.

Puffy--Puff was born here at the farm on Labor Day, 2000 (his mother was a stray someone dropped off here), so he's not quite 9 yet. He's a yellow and white mutt of some All-American shepherd variety. Picture the dogs with the cigarettes hanging out of their mouths in that painting of the dogs playing poker...while Puffy's a lot cuter, something about his expression says he'd fit right in with that gang, lol. He oozes personality!

He was born without a tail, but he wags his stub with great vigor anytime he sees you.;) Puff is most definitely a lover, not a fighter, but he would fight a running buzzsaw to protect someone he loves. You will never meet a more loyal, appreciative dog!

Puff is terrified of loud noises. ANY loud noise. And if it looks as if it *might* rain, he's a basket case if he happens to notice it while he's outside. But once he's in the house, he's fine. He just wants to be with someone who makes him feel safe.

These guys are close to Lexington. They are UTD on heartworm and flea/tick prevention but are due for vaccinations. They've been together since Puff was born, but they aren't particularly attached to one another. Both would really like a person they could call their own.

The last year has been a nightmare for me dealing with my parents' deaths, being unemployed and broke, losing the farm I grew up on and having to make a lot of hard decisions about the animals. These dogs are the last ones I have to worry about.

Honestly, THEY don't know they're older! Neither will you...won't someone give them a chance?

(Just in case anyone is wondering what will happen to them if I don't find them a home before the deadline, don't worry. They won't go to the pound or an unsuitable home. I'll do the responsible thing and put them to sleep, but I'm praying I'll be spared that one last trauma.)

[dawglover]

Oh, I wish I had room for them.
Someone help these guys!

[fwfarm]

Anyway to post photos of these guys?

[SteppinEasy]

FW, I had a computer crash and lost all pictures of them, but am planning to take some tomorrow. Anyone interested, please PM me and I'll get pics to you as soon as possible. Thanks for any help you can give.:)

[boston's mom]

Good luck getting these guys new homes! They sound like wonderful dogs!

[pintopiaffe]

I *so* wish I didn't have two boys already. Four boys is asking for trouble. :cry:

Praying like CRAZY they find the someone they need to find!

[danceronice]

The two weeks is absolute? And how would they handle being in an outdoor run during the day with a doghouse, and inside at night? How do they feel about cats?

(I am going to lose sleep over this. I am moving, I absolutely will not be able to take a dog or dogs in for at least five to six weeks...but I am, provided this sale goes through like I'm hoping it will, moving to a country house and I was just looking at dogs as I very much want one, for guard-dog purposes and just because I love dogs. And I really don't want to have to train and deal with a puppy as I'll be at work at least 29 hours/week on a flex schedule. Our last two dogs at home have been older shelter dogs. And Puffy sounds an awful lot like Oscar the Best Dog Ever, our yellow shepherd mix, except no tail.)

[FatPalomino]

My husband and I are suckers. Esp. for old dogs.

We have a pen in the barn, and can always fit more in the house. We look for homes for anything that'd adoptable, and have found homes for everything. Our motto is, if the dog can find a better home with a friend than it has with us on the farm, it's adopted ;) We have lots of friends in rescue, that help us place these dogs. Everything except the terminal cases have found their own adoptive homes.

The catch is: our farm goes for sale tomorrow, and hopefully we'll be moving in 2 months. It's a relatively local move due to my husband's new job, and will be to another acreage property, but, adding 2 dogs for that move is tricky. Oh, and we're in Colorado, but we can always hook them up on ride share or a flight (hopefully, expenses paid!). As long as they are good free roam (aka on a farm), won't kill cats, and are good with other dogs (25-100 pounds!), we *could* fit them in. ::gulp::

Keep us as a last resort, please. PM me for my cell number if needed.

[SteppinEasy]

Danceronice, the two weeks isn't absolutely absolute, :-). As in, no one is going to forcibly evict me if I'm still here past the two weeks. I just need to move as soon as possible and two weeks was the date I'd set up to move into my friend's house.

If it's something you really think you could do, I might be able to stay longer or come up with some alternative plan. People might be more amenable to help if there's a definite end in sight, as opposed to "until I find them a home."

And I could tell you so many stories about Puff, lol! I had to bottle feed him and his brothers for the first few days of their lives while his mother recovered from an emergency C-section. His brothers were no problem, but Puff did NOT want to eat. He acted like he had lockjaw...my dad had to pry his mouth open for the bottle every single time. Puff was the runt of the litter and looked exactly like a creampuff pastry; hence, his name. Even the vet was convinced he'd never survive.

He's been an odd duck since minute one.

Thanks for considering it. Even if it doesn't work out, the effort is much appreciated.

The dogs would be mostly okay outside, but you'd have to monitor them closely in the winter: Patches for his mild arthritis flare-ups; Puff for the fact that he's got a short coat and therefore gets cold a bit easier than some dogs. Again, Puff is TERRIFIED of loud noises and storms, so leaving him outside when there's a possibility of storms might not work.

The dogs have been around a lot of barn cats, but they've never been exposed to one in the house. All my cats had a lot of attitude, as well, so I also don't know how they would react to more timid cats. The barn cats generally thought the dogs were beneath their consideration.

Thanks for the support, everyone. I hope this has some kind of happy ending.

[SteppinEasy]

Thanks FatPalomino! I will definitely keep you in mind. The dogs generally get along well with other dogs, but like I said Patches gets picked on in a pack, so it's not the best situation for him.

[shakeytails]

I absolutely do not need any more dogs. I have 4 Corgis and a Great Pyrenees, money is tight and I'm going back to school due to my unexpected unemployment. But if push comes to shove, PM me. I'd hate for you to have to euthanize a pair of good old dogs. I'm just west of Elizabethtown, so transport isn't much of an issue.

Sunshine (a Chow/Golden Retriever X) came from a TWH farm that was being dispersed due to divorce. I was at the auction and asked about the old dog, since I could tell it wasn't a good situation. I left my name and phone number with the wife. The people who bought the farm agreed to keep the two dogs (Sunshine and a Beagle), but within a year, they had lost it and moved out, leaving the two dogs behind to fend for themselves. The husband lives nearby and made sure they had food and water once he realized what happened. The beagle disappeared. The wife somehow remembered my name and looked me up. I had to work that evening so DH went to the farm to pick up Sunshine. She was laying in the barn guarding it when he got there. She loved to ride in the truck with her former owner, and she jumped right in DH's truck when the owner told her it was OK. She came to our farm and settled right in, though she would never willingly go for a ride in a truck ever again. We called her the "horse trainer", because she would scold the horses if she though they were doing something wrong. She was old when we got her, and we had her for 6-7 years. She's buried under the Pin Oak in front of the barn next to Dee (the best-est farm dog ever), so they can always watch over their horses.

[danceronice]

I don't want to put a huge burden on you--lord knows I know about moving deadlines (I start my new job on the first and will probably be living in a short-term apt/long-term hotel for at least a week or more while we work on the house.)

But if no one can take one or both of them (I might not be the ideal for Patches as Michigan winters are not kind on arthritis), Puff at least might be a good dog for me. If the owner leaves the kennel and run that are there, great, if not, I can rig something myself. There's even a "quonset hut" (not metal but same shape) that she's been using as a garage I was thinking of using for chickens, but which could work with a fenced yard as a very large doghouse during the day when I was at work. The house has a mud room/porch with windows and as long as he's good about waiting to go out (Molly's ten or eleven and has spayed-female issues with holding it sometimes) that would give him a place to be in winter or on stormy days where he could see out while I was gone, but would still be indoors and warm (or away from scary booms. Molly has gotten a little better about storms but hunting season still leaves her a wreck--gunshots in particular, she does not like AT ALL.) When I'm home, he could go wherever in the house. It's all one story so no stairs to worry about. Does he walk on a lead? I'm mildly paranoid about letting dogs wander.

As long as he doesn't have a strong prey drive. I'll find out how one of my cats feels about dogs next week (my parents are taking my cats until I"m done with moving) but the other was raised around Molly and is much more likely to back down or just tolerate being sniffed. The other cat has never been exposed, but as long as he can retreat I suspect he could adapt. As long as they got to keep sleeping on the bed!

Again, if you find another home with no waiting or without splitting them up, don't wait on my account. It would be mid/late September before I could get to you or to shakeytails if they were kind enough to foster. (And my friend would happily aid and abet matters.) I don't want to make your life any harder and it sounds like you've been through the mill. But, barring any major unforseen circumstances, if in late September Puff needs a home, I could be able to provide him one.

[danceronice]

Bump for Patches....

[tx3dayeventer]

Sent a PM about Patches from not-so-cold Texas

[SteppinEasy]

Patches the Aussie still needs a home. Anyone?

[danceronice]

If you are in Indiana or Southern Michigan (along I-75 or I-94W) and you are interested in Patches, I can very easily drop him off when I pick up Puff if travel/transport is a problem--I will be traveling from north from Kentucky to southwest Michigan and can very easily route the trip along 80/90 turnpike, or I-94 in Michigan.

Picture in this entry:

http://julietvalcouer.livejournal.com/

[monstrpony]

Would this work for Patches? I have a large, fenced yard, 4' woven wire, 2" square mesh; dog door to a space under the house for during the day, dogs are in the house with me at night. I do have two other dogs--a 6 y.o. Corgi who can be a little assertive, but he is small for a Corgi, and an older (also ~10) mixed-breed, found on road, female who is very independent and keeps to herself. I do occasionally take one dog for a walk or for car trips, but mostly they are in the large yard, not quite 1/4 acre, lawn with three large apple trees for shade.

Clearly, the group would need supervision at first, and I could separate them when I'm at work during the day if needed. I work full-time, so I like to have more than one to keep each other company.

I *love* Aussies, but couldn't possibly do a puppy justice. I lost my dog-of-a-lifetime Corgi in May, and have been waiting for something like this, someone who needs me, to fill the vacancy in my pack. I'm in western NC, could meet someone in Knoxville or so for a transfer.

PM me if you think it could work--

[Boomer]

Is Patches still available?

Is he good with other dogs? Or traveling?

My parents have an 11 year old chocolate lab and are full-time RVers. The lab is very quiet and a submissive type dog.

I mentioned Patches to them and my mom perked up. They have a motorhome so the steps are not hard to get up. Patches would get wonderful care and be very loved.

My folks are currently in West Virginia (they just travel the country at will). PM me if you think this might work for him.