Our Third Day

Buster

I had "Liked" a pet shelter page on Facebook that was located in Texas.  The name escapes me now - I'll add it later.  (It is called Friends of Weatherford Animal Shelter.)  One of the photos that came across my feed was of a lost dog that was available for adoption.  They called it a Catahoula, a name that sounded vaguely familiar, but I could not recall any traits of the breed.

Max

Max, our trusted Australian Shepard, has been gone for three months now.  We were back in the dog market.  I had looked at a "rescue", but the dog just wasn't the right fit.  We have another older dog, Rusty, and five cats, along with two horses.  It's easy to disrupt our household.  I wanted to make it as painless as possible.

About a week after seeing the shelter pic, I was taking photos of a horse training event about an hour away.  The wild horses being cared for on private land were the charitable beneficiaries of the event.  A silent auction including photos of the horses and handmade art were included.  There was also a listing for a Catahoula pup.

I searched out the donor and breeder of the puppies.  We had an extended conversation about breed characteristics and temperament.  I knew that if I got another Aussie he would be compared to Max and that seemed unfair.  This breed was labeled as smart, energetic, and short-haired (a handy trait when owning other furry creatures).

I bid and won.  The pup would be ready on the 21st.  I would have three males to choose from and picked the red one who first approached me.  It was a difficult choice.  With a litter of eleven it was chaos.   I liked the fact that this puppy was curious about the world around him, but kept coming back to check on his humans.

Between the time I won the bid and the time to pick up the dog I did a little more research.  Catahoulas are a combination of many breeds.  They are determined herders with a mind of their own.  They believe in pack hierarchy.  Obedience training is  must.  These are all things I am ready to handle.

We flip-flopped over a few names.  I landed on Buster. Buster has a good ring to it.  Our last Buster was a cat - a stray - who was tough as nails, courageous, and loyal (the food thing helped that).

So, it's on to this life.  A dog's life.  Raising a puppy happens about once every 10-15 years for us.  I forget how or what the last one was like.  I'll chronicle a few things here for the next time if needed, or as a resource for others out there.

Today, Buster officially turned eight weeks old.  He weighs 11 lbs.  He was born on 8-22-14

Monday the drive home was uneventful.  We crate train.  He had a little accident the first day in the crate.  He also had a slightly loose stool.  We are transitioning him from the breeders food to our brand, Blue Buffalo.  We've chosen not to use puppy food.  Some believe it fuels quick growth that causes bone or joint problems later on.  I am not so concerned about this as I am hoping he may not reach his full size potential of 70 lbs.  Fifty-five to sixty lbs. would be just great.  He woke up three times during the first night and I let him out.  He promptly did his business and returned to the crate.  He cried for about 15 minutes the first time, ten minutes the second, and five the third. Once in the crate, we leave him be.  We do not talk to him or let him see us.

Last night, he cried a bit longer the first time we put him in.  He slept about half the night.  I let him out.  His crate was clean.  He did his bidness.  Once back in he whimpered a bit then slept until WE woke him at 6 am.

The breeder had been just giving him straight dry kibble.  I started adding a small amount of warm water to the food and I think that helped the digestibility because coincidentally his stools started firming up.  I am feeding him about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of food four times a day.  We'll have him re-checked for parasites a week from Friday when he gets his next vaccination.

He has had his first shot and worming.  On October 16th he got Parvovirus, Distemper, Adenovirus Type 2, Parainfluenza.

I start training from day one.  This conflicts with many who feel the puppy should be isolated from public areas for fear of disease.  I weigh these risks.  This is golden teaching and bonding time.  I am not going to stay home and be isolated with him.  Plus, he's just been separated from his ten brothers and sisters.  The interaction, bonding, and training are more important than the risk of disease. I do limit his exposure by not taking him to dog rich areas, but we do walk the public streets.

There you have it.  Feel free to comment.  Raising dogs is like raising kids - everyone has slightly differing opinions and that's okay.  I hope to chronicle how Buster's life goes and let's see what happens.