I found him

[rasoforos]

I found him 4 days ago...

A couple of dogs that live near my office brought him there...

He was clean, well taken care of, his ears cut...

...but his legs were ran over by a car. His wound open and infected...


He would have died if we have left him alone. We took him to the vet who confirmed that he has a leg fracture but we got his wound cleaned and got him on antibiotics and anti-inflamatories. He could not stitch the wound due to the underlying infection. He has a good chance of surviving now but is not out of the woods yet. He is still a technically a puppy a bit under a year old.

His owner did not bother to microchip him. I filed him with the police just in case he reports him missing (standard procedure) and placed ads and pictures of him in pet websites and the Greek pit bull organisation website...

...but nothing. No-one reported him missing or claimed him.

He is a well raised dog and by the cut ears I can tell someone spent good money on him. The fact that no-one claimed him makes me believe he was abandoned...

I am not sure why I am posting this.


Part of me is angry because due to the recession a lot of high-maintainance animals are abandoned. The pet websites were full of found dogs.

Part of me is angry because when you own such a dog and spend so much money on him and you dont spend 10 extra bloody euros to microchip him you are a careless owner.


The vet told me that many people avoid chiping their dogs because they will be prosecuted if they abandon them.



If no-one claims him we will take care of him. Hopefully he will not die on us.

And when he is out of sick leave he is hired as head of security

[Vuk]

hmmm...I am always wary of dogs like that...known too many of them... Goodluck with him though and congratulations.

[rasoforos]

hmmm...I am always wary of dogs like that...known too many of them... Goodluck with him though and congratulations.

Two people or more with him all the time. Dominant behavior, no eye level contact and careful handling until we know him better. He wouldn't be my first choice either because of what they breed these guys for...

...let's hope that if he turns on me he goes for an arm or a leg because I haven't had any children yet and would like to be able to have some

[Vuk]

Two people or more with him all the time. Dominant behavior, no eye level contact and careful handling until we know him better. He wouldn't be my first choice either because of what they breed these guys...

...let's hope that if he turns on me he goes for an arm or a leg because I haven't had any children yet and would like to be able to have some

You have a bigger heart than me. If it was me, I would have him put down. :P I wish you the best of luck with him.

EDIT: In my experience, small, stout dogs in general are very viscious fighters. Larger dogs (the ones people are much more afraid of) are generally less agressive, less likely to turn on their owner, and much more friendly. I do not know if this has just been my experience, or if it is true across the board.

[LittleGrizzly]

Good man rosa!!

Is a lovely looking dog and you are a saint for getting him fixed up!

I could never get a dog put down...

[tibilicus]

A fine specimen of a dog you have there. What are your plans regarding him?

[KukriKhan]

We have a guy out here in California, Ceasar Millan (he has a popular TV show) with great dog-raising - and human-training, tips.

There's no such thing as a bad dog... just under-led ones. Become the pack leader, and watch the dog shine.

Fine job, rasoforos!

[Major Robert Dump]

I take great offense at being called a careless owner for not micro chipping my dog.

It is a matter of personal privacy for the animal, a matter of canine liberty.

So while you may find me irresponsible, I can assure you that if and when dogs are allowed to vote that I will get a lot more votes than you.

i hope the dog gets better, u should name it Backroom

[rasoforos]

Thanks for your kind words guys.

MRD I posted this at a time of distress. Of course it is your choice whether to chip him or not It is just that if his owner had done so then we would be back with the people he loves (or the people who dumped him would face a nice lil' fine)


Well an update:

Despite my efforts no-one looked for him or claimed him. I guess he is a keeper and we ll take a trip to the vet for the necessary medical stuff (despite being obviously owned and taken care off we will still need to give him the whole set of vaccinations)



His wounds are healing nicely and closing and the swelling is getting less. He still favors his other leg due to the fracture but it seems that he is going to be alright. He was an angel while we changed his plaster although I bet it hurt him some (it took 3 of us though ) He even eats his antibiotic pills with no fuss.

He is very friendly with people and does not seem to show signs of aggression and just loves my wife (a.k.a the person who brings him the food).

I somehow think that 'Backroom' would not be agreeable to my wife but I ll give it a shot

[Vuk]

Name him Zeus Dynamite! That is an awesome name for a dog. :P Carefull though that your wife doesn't give him some sissy nickname. Girls are really good at doing that. I named my very first dog Bart the Barbarian when I was a wee kid. :P My sister ended up giving him the nickname Barbie. :P I have no idea how that happened, but it ended up sticking. (and this dog was NOT a barbie :P)
Anyway, enjoy your little bundle of love!

[Meneldil]

Poor thing looks kind of sad. I would be if I were in his place.

Hope you and him will have a good relationship and become good friends . Congratulation for doing this, you're being a good man according to my non-absolute, non-religious morality standards.

[Vladimir]

Good story and I like the joke at the end. Take care of him and he'll protect you from throngs of adoring Hellenic womenz!

[HopAlongBunny]

Beautiful dog!

Look at it this way...if the owners had "chipped" him you wouldn't have a puppy :)
Hope it all works out.

[Andres]

Great story

[rasoforos]

Sorry for resurrecting this from the dead but I thought maybe someone would like an update (and because I have good news )

First of all we named him Darwin. My wife thought of the name.

Well Darwin's leg is all healed up now. He has a small scar but it barely shows.



(sorry for the pic quality. I might make an album with nice pics of him later this week)

The doctor came in today and she says that while there is still a bit of scar tissue inside, he seems to be now all healed up. He does not favour his other leg anymore and is not in pain. We also gave him a Kala Azar test (which is endemic in the Meditteranean and a reason many owners abandon their dogs) and he is 100% clear.

We also got his vaccinations going and expect him to be a bit poorly for the next 2-3 days.

He is a happy and now healthy dog and he is very attached to Irene. Very friendly with both people and other dogs and totally worthless as a guardian dog which is not a big deal

He set his birthday at 16/03 (to coincide with my wife's and our cat's) since he is about 12 months old.

When not chewing things he shouldn't be, Darwin enjoys playing with his basketball or playing with me, my wife or our staff. He eats about 2kg of food per day (usually a mix of dry and wet food plus yoghurt for desert) so he ain't a cheap dog but he is worth it. Seeing him every morning makes my day Me and the boys also built him a dog house which, I gotta admit is only slightly smaller than some places I ve lived in throughout the years (2.20mx2.20mx1.50m) but he is a big guy anyhow.

All in all I am very glad that fate brought him our way and I am very satisfied with his good gentle nature. It has only been a month and we are already so attached to our boy. We often like to joke how much more aggressive and impolite our cat is. Here is a bonus pic of Katiki rummaging through my salad:




SO NEXT TIME YOU COME TO GREECE BRING DOG FOOD ALONG

[LittleGrizzly]

Great to see the dog better... had me ohhing and ahhing all over again... cute cat to...

Heres to a long happy life for darwin!