Our New Addition

[June]

...to our family! He's an unexpected one, to say the least. He's a Rotti Mix and Gary just picked him up from his ex-wife's (this is why we didn't make it back to Dogpatch Friday evening). Gary had a phone call Friday evening saying that his ex unfortunately had a stroke and emergency open heart surgery that has left her unable to take care of such a large dog. Being the great guy he is, he agreed to rush over and rescue him!

To make things totally confusing in our house, his name is Mikey! He's an older dog, about 10 years and has hip problems, but he's full of energy and very sweet. He's been great with the cats so far but the biggest adjustment has been with Capone. Capone doesn't seem to mind him until M decides to try to "be dominant" if you know what I mean. Bad hips and all he tries to climb on top of him. Hopefully that will end soon!

So next week we'll transfer his vet records and get his nails clipped, etc., and hopefully he'll be adjusting to his new environment.

[moe]

I'd say, you truly have a full house and heart, now June!! Pretty puppy!!

[WVDragonlady]

He's a sweety! so handsome!

[LazerFlash]

He looks like a nice boy, and kudos to Gary for having such compassion. FWIW, I think Rottis get a a bum wrap (thanks in no small part to that scary movie with Sam Neil). When we lived in Herndon, we had neighbors who raised them, and every one was a gentle giant, with more love in them than anything else.

[Piglet106]

He is adorable...so nice of you guys to rescue him...I am sure my two would love to come and play with him...We will try to come to dog patch soon and meet all of the "kids"....

[June]

Thanks guys!

He is very sweet. And he's definitely mostly Rotti, his tail was docked by the previous owner which makes him look even more Rot.

He's doing much better today! He has a hard time with his hips tho, poor baby. He takes glucosamine and K9 aspirin and we'll see what else can be done.

Oh, and BTW...he LOVES Wormie's homemade dog cookies!!!

[WVGeo]

He's got a happy face. My sister has a rottie/chow mix - he's got the color and build of a (big) rottie and a chow's fur. He's a rescue, and despite abuse and neglect as a puppy and severe displaisia, he is the sweetest dog you'll ever meet. Certain breeds definitely get a bad rap because of bad owners.

[grafxgirl]

I grew up with Rotti's and they were the best and most lovable dogs we ever owned. If we ever decided to get a dog, that would be the kind I would want.

[STR1KER]

OMG I can't wait to meet this poochie and give him the biggest huggles! He's BEAUTIFUL! It was a rottie/lab that saved my life when I got carjacked - He looks almost exactly like Roxie! WOW!

[Wormdoc]

Rotti's are great dogs and like Lazer says, they've gotten a bum rap. Mikey looks like a big ol' moosh, and I'm so glad he likes the Wormie Biskits....!

With him, Capone and Ashley..........yeeeeesh! What a full house!

[June]

He is a big moosh! They're getting along great, and at the moment all are barking off the deck at some deer. I just worry about the pain he's in with the hips and he also has one huge lump on his side that I'm hoping is just a fatty cyst.

He has an appointment with Dr. Atkisson this afternoon .

[moe]

How was Mikey's Vet appointment yesterday?? I hope he is healthy and well..

[Mommyof3]

Aww...what a sweet dog June!!

[June]

Well, everyone at the vets office just loved him, and he loved them right back!

The appointment itself didn't go so well, as the large lump on his side that was originally thought to be a "fatty cyst" is most likely cancer . I was the the only one at the appointment with him yesterday so I had to be sure to get down all the options...test first then remove, test and if not cancerous don't remove, etc., then go to Gary and break the news.

To me it would be easier on Mikey to just remove it and get it out of there either way, but because of cost issues G wants it asperated (sp?) first.

[Wormdoc]

Awww, hon! I'm so sorry....I hope whatever it is, it is benign!

[June]

That is my hope too, wormie. I'm getting really attached to him. He's such a sweetie. But Dr. A thought just by looking at it that it was bad and she found another, smaller one under one of his front legs. We were concerned and I made the appointment quickly b/c of this one lump particular lump. It is a huge lump on his side that's visible. Trolli saw it yesterday and said her dog Harley had one like it that wasn't good. Dad told me yesterday that he thought it was bad because all his dogs in the past have had fatty cysts and this one doesn't feel like a fatty cyst. He didn't want to say anything to worry me tho. To tell you the truth, I wish he had.

Anyway, I spoke to the doc on the phone today and I think we'll be doing x-rays tomorrow instead of aspirating. The x-rays are less invasive and will show whether other areas are involved, like the lungs and bones. She said that very often the lungs are effected with this type of mass. His breathing sometimes sounds funny when he's laying down.

[LazerFlash]

Rotti's are great dogs and like Lazer says, they've gotten a bum rap.

My neighbor acquired her first Rotti as a pup when my daughter was about 2, so they sort of grew up together. Her name was Obsydian and while she was dumb as a brick, she was arguably among the sweetest dogs I've ever known. My daughter and Syd used to play something we dubbed "The 'BOO!' Game": We both lived in mirror-image end-unit townhouses, the main level of which had a neat kind of horseshoe layout, with the stairs leading upstairs in between the dining room and living room areas. The pup and my daughter would race back and forth, chasing each other, with my daughter yelling "BOO!" at the pup at one end and the pup woofing at my daughter at the other. They'd play this game until they'd drop from exhaustion, and fall fast asleep together! It was among the cutest memories I have of my daughter's early childhood. But, you know my father gave me the queerest look all those years ago when I explained it to him; all he had to say was, "You let a 50 pound Rottweiler chase your daughter around the house? What's wrong with you?" He clearly had no clue, did he?

[LazerFlash]

The appointment itself didn't go so well, as the large lump on his side that was originally thought to be a "fatty cyst" is most likely cancer .

DO NOT despair, June. Just recently, our 9 year old black & tan coonhound had a close call with a malignant tumor on his right front paw. After a scare when a second, very quick growing cyst appeared within weeks of the first surgery, we thought for sure that the old boy was destined for an amputation. The second cyst turned out to be benign, so it appears that Fiddle has beat it for now. We can all hope that Mikey will be just fine!

[DogpatchDawn]

What a beautiful sweet puppy! I am so glad he found you. Regardless of the outcome with his health issues, I am certain he will be very happy the rest of his life with you guys. I hope we'll see him at dogpatch. Let me know if I can help in any way.

[June]

Thanks Dawn!