OT: 2 Adult dogs and 6 puppies

[Marvin]

Hi, all.

I live in "West Amherst".

The health of my niece, my wife, and myself have all gone downhill recently.  In my case, the statins and the inactivity due to long COVID caused many of my muscles to atrophy.  Because of this, we can not keep up with the needs of the dogs: the adults because they are too quick and the puppies by sheer numbers.  They are:

Sally, 3yrs, Newfie-poodle mix.

Jack, 1yr, Australian heeler.

6 puppies of theirs 

In particular, we need someone who can train dogs well to take Jack.  He is way beyond my strength and very aggressive.

Most of the time, Jack and Sally are very amiable and well-behaved; indeed, usually they sleep with me.  But they do things like take open peanut butter jars off of tables and chase so vigorously that they knock over furniture.

I love them very much, but Jack and Sally getting out into the street earlier and almost getting hit was too much.

Please feel free to PM me if you know any interested parties.

Thank you very much.

[Doohicksie]

I have a heeler mix and they are great and loyal dogs.  Pound for pound I don't think you could go into battle with a better dog.  But that said, they don't always know when relax.  Ours is great with people but when she sees other dogs she wants to protect me from them.  She's gotten into it with pitties and rotties and shepherds and holds her own with her little frame.  Fortunately it's only ever been scuffles, no blood drawn.  I carry pepper spray when I walk her mostly for the protection of any loose dogs that might approach us.

She's 7 and I wonder if I could get her trained to make her more tolerant of and less reactive to other dogs.

Anyway, I understand the stresses you're facing right now; I hope you can find good homes for your pooches.

Edited March 14 by Doohickie

[Mango]

I am so sorry to hear about your health issues. As somebody who also had some long covid issues I feel this one!

To anybody thinking of the heeler please beware they deserve a very active home. They aren't a "nightly walk and let out in the backyard" kind of dog. They are smart and stubborn. If you don't give them enough stimulation both physically and mentally they will become destructive/bad dogs. If you camp, hike, work outside, or want a running buddy a heeler would be absolutely perfect. I have had two. 

For reference my first one was my training partner while I lived at the Olympic Training Center. We would run anywhere from 10-20 miles (in a single go) 3-4 times per week and she could have handled more. Like 20 mile run in the morning and she would bounce of the walls in the afternoon. 

This isn't necessarily to protect the owner/house, it is to protect the dog too. They are custom built for extreme work in extreme working conditions. 

 

Edited March 14 by Mango