Homestead mailing list

[SJC <indexer AT localnet.com>]

bob ford wrote:
> ....Irish Hunt Terrier. 
>   
Cute little buggers with their shortish legs, as I remember.  I like 
Jacks of all sorts (except the poorly behaved ones, but that holds true 
for any breed, for me), especially the so-called broken coats.  And I 
especially appreciate the ones that can settle down and be quiet.  Yap 
and I = poor mix.
>   This dog is fearless to the point of stupidity.  She also can get her feelings hurt.  
>   
Chuckle.  Sounds like she is all terrier.  If they had any fear at all 
how do you reckon they could send them down a hole after badgers?
>  This dog has seizures.  Both of the last two terriers were purebred.  I 
> believe I will get a mix, next time, if I live longer than this one..  It is 
> difficult to watch her seize.  We could give her phenobarb, but, once you 
> start, it is forever.  Purebreds prone to seizures - don't know why.
>   
Many breeds are, one of the negatives of close breeding.  Sometimes hard 
to get the right mix of med/no med to keep them from getting accumulated 
damage.  The devil of it is, even if you buy a guaranteed pup, by the 
time the epilepsy shows up, you're already attached to the dog, who 
wants to give it up then. 

Streak was a rescue but nevertheless the breeder called me when she 
located him and reiterated her desire to be responsible for the dog.  I 
certainly appreciate that, but no way I'd have given the dog up at that 
point.....fortunately he's never shown any sign of a problem.  Just had 
his yearly bloodwork and came through with flying colors, so I'm hopeful 
he'll live long.  I'd been worried that the burns he got in the last 
house fire would take a toll on liver, kidneys, happens sometimes, and 
he lost all skin over half his body with third degree plus burns, 
indicating the burns decimated muscle tissue under the skin.  
Fortunately, he has no contractures/strictures (common burn damage), no 
restriction in movement, still fast enough to regularly catch squirrels, 
last winter caught a couple of weasels and a fisher, so pretty fast yet.
> We tried to adopt from pound first, they never had small dog puppies.  Never.
>   
That's the case here, too.  Bites.  Streak and I just lost his lifelong 
buddy, a dog someone beat the tar out of and dumped on our road several 
years before I got Streak, and we both miss her since she had to be put 
down last Dec at ~20 y/o.  I've been looking for another dog since but 
guess will have to go out of New England to get one, as they are few and 
far between here; what I do find is from breeder at over $1K, not gonna 
happen.  Streak  is very well trained to go where/when he's told, so 
gets in and out of tub on command, etc, but trying to deal with a 
puppy/rescue dog will be difficult until I can get rid of this walker so 
have been looking for youngish smaller dog for over a year.  No dice.  I 
do see they are far more common in the south so will likely just wait 
until I move to get new dog.  Would like to have young dog while Streak 
still good though; he can teach a dog his trade better than I......

SJ, in Maine