We have great neighbors. They are wonderful people and I truly like them very much. They are good to us, helpful when we're away and we have a good relationship. However, let's just say they are not the most responsible people in the world when it comes to certain things. They drink a lot and think life is grand, and for now I guess it is for them. But, I have concerns. My biggest concern right now is my 10 week old Lab puppy, Maui though! They have a little mixed breed dog and in my opinion he doesn't get the best of care, but basically seems to do alright. However, they let him run free all over the neighborhood. When we had our Lab Maggie before she died, she actually would go out on the side of the house with me and do her business. My husband would always go and pick up doing what he called 'poop control' periodically and also clean up their dogs too, as they didn't. No problem. But, as I said, I had my concerns about their dog, Bentley. So, we get Maui and they want to meet her. We walk over with her in my arms. They want to let Bentley play with her. I used the excuse that I couldn't put her down because there may be some deer or rabbit droppings around and she hasn't had all her shots yet. They sort of looked at me like I was crazy. The main reason of course was that I didn't want her around Bentley! We restrict Maui to the back yard, garden and pool area which is all fenced in and plan to keep it that way. And, she's also never out there without my husband or myself right now either. Maggie was older and I was always with her on the side yard when she was out, but she was used to going over there since we were the first people to live here ... none of the other houses had been built. Still she never ran the neighborhood. My neighbor's brother came over to meet Maui the other day and asked if she had played with Bentley yet and I said no because she hasn't had all her shots yet and I'm confining her to the back yard. Basically I'm avoiding saying .... 'is Bentley up to date on is shots?' because I know he isn't. So, the other day the man comes to door very distraught. Seems Bentley is having a seizure and he's without a car at the moment. My husband gets the car and they decide to take him to the closest vet up the street. By the time they get there Bentley has recovered and the doc says it could be caused by a lot of things and they wouldn't know unless they did some blood work. They didn't do any. I would think they would follow up with their regular vet, but don't think they have. However, while my husband is there it comes out that Bentley is in fact way behind in his shots. The man said to Jack, 'I hope he doesn't have rabies, he broke the skin on my hand when I tried to help him'. At this point, I'm more convinced than ever that Maui not come in contact with this dog. But what about after she finishes her shots? Can she still pick up something from him? I'm thinking I should say something to my neighbor ... like did you follow up with your vet ... Alan said Bentley needed some shots .... or something like that. I just don't know. How would you guys handle this? Just looking for opinions. I don't want a bad neighbor situation, but I also need to take care of my puppy first and foremost! Thanx!
Oh dear, it could become a difficult situation through no fault of yours. Quite rightly your first concern is the health of you little pup so I totally agree with not letting her meet Bentley if you're not sure whether his vaccinations are up to date. Could you pop over, without Maui, to see how Bentley is now after his seizure and trip to the vet with your husband? It may provide you with an opening on vaccinations. Once Maui is fully vaccinated, not sure if that includes rabies in your area, she should be OK to meet Bentley as his lack of vaccination becomes less important. It may be worth checking with your vet, if your neighbour should start querying about Bentley meeting Maui it can always be useful to say the vet said....... Hope things go well for you with your neighbours
This is difficult, but you are right, your priority is Maui and her safety and health . I agree, pop over on your own to enquire about Bentley, without your pup and don't allow any contact until you are 100% certain as to the cause of the seizure , it could be any number of causes at the root of it and some could be contagious .
Thanx Rosemary! Yes, Rabies are included here in GA. I don't normally just walk over there, but go when the situation arises, and I think I will say something like that. It would be nice if I didn't have to because I really don't want to create bad feelings. But, in the meantime, I'm keeping Miss Maui here in the fenced in yard! Maui will have her 3rd set of shots and visit with the Vet on 7/6 and I will most definitely ask him. I'm not sure if we do 3 or 4 sets here, but of course she will have whatever is recommended. She's already taking puppy Heartworm and Flea and Tick treatments. The Vet is also a friend of mine, so I might even text or pm him on FB ... we'll see. Hopefully, once she's been vaccinated fully, it won't be as much of a concern for her health. I do feel badly for poor Bentley though. I hope he's okay. If it were my dog, he'd have been at the Vet the very next morning to follow up ... but he's not, so not much I can do.
Thanx kateincornwall! Wow, my main concern was the shots, Parvo and that sort of thing. I never gave a thought about the seizure being something else that could be contagious. Would that be even if Maui had all her shots?
What a worry for you. Such a dilemma. I don't think that my input is going to help unfortunately. Bearing in mind I am not a vet and my information relates to human vaccination. Having a shot against a particular disease does not mean that disease 100% prevented. It reduces the chances of transmission and reduces the severity of a disease if it is contracted. Some vaccines are more effective than others. A lot of vaccines work on "herd immunity". This means that it has no guarantees on any one individual but reduces the population burden of infection and hence the chance it is around to pick up. For instance.....the flu vaccine is only about 50% effective in protecting someone over the age of 70. But widespread immunisation reduces the chances that someone elderly will be exposed to the flu because prevalence is lower. I have no idea how effective each of these vaccines are in protecting individual dogs and that is something that someone with veterinary knowledge would be ale to help you with. I guess some vaccines may be 99% effective and some maybe 50%. I don't know. Your vet might be able to help. I would definitely be cautious and keep Maui well away until her shots are done and the two week period is up. I wholeheartedly support vaccination by the way. Absolutely. You need to protect your pup. You can never protect against everything and it shouldn't make you worry more....just do the best for your girl and keep her protected as much as is ordinarily possible.
Oh dear! Maybe honesty is the way to go. Explain that you are worried about your puppy mixing with any dog that hasn't had vaccinations (including kennel cough). Quote what your vet says, then it won't be just coming from you.
Sorry, not as abruptly as I have just put it! Maybe soften it with: it would be really lovely for them to play together but I can't do it without your dog being up to date etc - smiley, smiley.
Thanx Jacqui .... a dilemma indeed it is! I will be talking with my Vet of course and pretty much plan to keep Maui away anyway, especially for the time being. But, agree .... a shot or a pill is never a 100% guarantee or cure all, but we just do what we think is best! Thanx so much for your input, appreciate it! Here's a picture of Miss Maui .... so exhausted just being a puppy! LOL!!
LOL!! Jane! I hear you! I'm afraid at some point it's going to have to come to that! And, that's also a good idea to just 'put it on the Vet'!! HAHA!! But, seriously, you 'gotta do what you gotta do'!!
How about, I am really getting on with Maui's training and she finds Bentley so distracting that she wants to play with him all the time. I need Maui to concentrate so I hope you won't be offended if we keep them apart for the time being. This should buy you a few months grace to see how the situation with Bently developes.
You can certainly buy time with......"the vet says she is not to mix with unvaccinated dogs until 2 weeks (or 4 or whatever you could get away with) after her vaccinations" Its also exhausting being 5 after going to the beach and eating a whole trout...... 2015-06-21_08-20-19 by drjs_5, on Flickr and then some veg and yoghurt....oh and the leftover from the roast chicken carving plate...
Some of my best friends have a lab and don't keep his vaccinations up to date. They are "too busy", have other priorities yada yada yada. I completely disagree with the way they bring up their dogs. I am not in any position to dictate what they do. They are not bad people; I wouldn't be friends with them if they were. They make bad decisions, in my mind, but have not had any issues with that. Maybe they have been lucky, maybe we're in a very low-risk area (I don't believe we are). But, if I turned judgemental, I would lose both their friendship and any chance I had at influencing their decisions with their dog. That said, when I brought Willow home and she was awaiting her final vaccinations, I was very clear. Not rude, not judgemental; just clear. I am not prepared to risk my puppy's health by bringing her into contact with an unvaccinated dog. I don't think you need to get political or judgemental about it. Just be clear. You have your standards, and they might differ from theirs. They may think you over-protective and you may consider them irresponsible. But I don't think it needs to be a friendship breaker. As long as you simple state you are doing what you consider to be in the best interests of you unvaccinated, vulnerable puppy, who could argue with that? I do also appreciate, reading this back, that if I had been reading it from someone else's perspective, I would be saying these people aren't worth keeping in your life. That they clearly have no thought for the welfare of their dog, and so aren't worthy of your friendship. However, things are more complicated than that. They live in a community where it's normal to beat dogs; they wouldn't consider doing that for a minute. Dogs here are kept outside. Theirs lives in their house and sleeps on their bed. Dogs here are tools and would never be taken to the vet; if a dog gets sick, it gets a gun to the head. They took their last dog for cancer treatment for many years. There is much room for improvement, but they are light years above the norm here, already pushing the boundaries and treating their dog like a pet, rather than a tool. Yes, there is a long way to go, but those first steps away from what culture dictates are the hardest and they have made them. So, as much as I was able to say that I was not comfortable for my unvaccinated pup to spend time with their unvaccinated dog, I can only commend the break they have made and try to do my best to educate them more, in a non-judgemental and non-threatening way. So I would say to try to protect your friendship by being as subtle as possible, because that way you will have more ongoing influence. But, you can still be firm about your standards at the same time. I think, when explained clearly and without judgement, it's kinda hard for someone to get upset about it. They can play together later.
Thanx Tina .... I'll keep all of this in mind. For right now, just keeping her out back instead of going to the side yard at least is keeping her safe. Yesterday I had the side door open, just the outer screen door showing and Bentley came running over barking and of course Maui thought it very exciting and was barking back. I thought they might say something, but they pretty much ignored Bentley and were headed to their back yard for some cocktails.
@ Jacqui .... that picture is wonderful! @ snowbunny, thank you for your response. All that is so true. As I said, I don't agree with their lifestyle on many levels, how the take care of their dog and even how they are bringing up their children. BUT ... it's their right to do and live as they wish. THEY are GOOD people too! I'm just hoping things work out okay as we really do like them and have had a great neighbor relationship. I do feel it will be okay and hopefully it will all work out. Thanx for taking the time to give you thoughts! Here's Maui in the pool today with my grandson, my husband and my daughter in law.
