Mastiff time!

jflail2 · February 2015

DSkip wrote: »

Congrats! My wife and I are at the point where we don't want any more pets, but we will see how that changes once the kids get a little older.

I hear ya man. I'm completely the opposite (40 and single), so this adoption is going to fill a somewhat noticeable void in my house. I've also signed up for the Big Brothers program, so while it won't be blood relatives, I'll still be working to help my dog and "little" live a better life. Can't ask for more than that.

tonyb · February 2015

Congrats man, great breed and yes, you probably saved that pups life. All the best for you and the new pup.

ken brydson · February 2015

Great news!

MrBuhl · February 2015

Outstanding!! Congratulations to you both!!

trav0810 · February 2015

Outstanding! Glad you got her. I think this will be a great fit for you both!

jflail2 · February 2015

Thanks guys! I couldn't be more pumped about it working out. The foster mom thinks Lilly was kenneled constantly as a breeder mom, and possibly abused as well. She's apparently really coming out of her shell, and also apparently LOVES to be outside (which made the foster mom think she was locked up constantly.)

No worries Lilly, you're about to come home to doggie heaven.

And thanks DSkip. I coached a youth soccer team here a while back, but my life was in shambles at the time so I couldn't keep up with that and life as well. The BBBS program, much like adopting a dog, is a multi-year commitment, and totally worth it. Doesn't look like I'll be having kids at this point, so this is my chance to have a positive impact on 1 young person's life. I'm at the point in my middle aged life where I have just about all the toys I could ever want. It's past time for me to start focusing on leaving a positive legacy behind.......

teekay0007 · February 2015

FANTASTIC NEWS, jf2! So glad to hear it - Lilly's a lucky girl! There ya go...what a beautiful Valentine's Day date for you!

Hopefully, you'll be able to contain yourself with all the upcoming excitement next week.
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I did the same thing last Valentine's Day - here's the little nugget (Frankie, on the left) I picked up. If your adoption goes half as well as mine has, you'll have done very nicely!

Be sure to post some pics once she makes it to her forever home.

gdb · February 2015

Great news ! Be sure to take a bunch of towels and assorted wipes

and get her micro-chipped as soon as is practical. Best of luck to both of you !

jflail2 · February 2015

teekay0007 wrote: »

FANTASTIC NEWS, jf2! So glad to hear it - Lilly's a lucky girl! There ya go...what a beautiful Valentine's Day date for you! Hopefully, you'll be able to contain yourself with all the upcoming excitement next week.
-
I did the same thing last Valentine's Day - here's the little nugget (Frankie, on the left) I picked up. If your adoption goes half as well as mine has, you'll have done very nicely!

Be sure to post some pics once she makes it to her forever home.

That's hilarious. Frankie's smiling like he pulled a fast one on you. Kudos for going the adoption route! And yea, I told a girl at work that I was buying my valentines date this year.....she looked a bit mortified till I explaind the adoption, haha.

Yup gdb, drool rags in every room as well as in the car sound like a must. I'll be posting pictures once she gets settled in a little.

teekay0007 · February 2015

jflail2 wrote: »

That's hilarious. Frankie's smiling like he pulled a fast one on you.

Actually, Frankie's a little girl...short for Princess Francesca.

And yes, she pulls a fast one on me at least once a day. She was a bit of a challenge to get house trained, but now I've got her ringing the bells hanging from the back door handle whenever she needs to go out. Prior to that, she'd just lay 'em down wherever she happened to be at the time. They were so tiny though, she's only about five pounds when soaking wet, I'd usually just kick them under the couch and gather them up later when I deemed it a worthwhile task.

I hope Lilly's already trained!!!

Interesting note...on the wrapper of those Duraflame logs you can buy at the store, it says, "This product is naturally K9 produced by passing a couple of cheeseburgers through a large mastiff".

Looking forward to your upcoming pics and hearing of a hopefully uneventful ride back home with your new companion!

jflail2 · February 2015

Taking a 1/2 day today and riding down to TN. Meeting the foster mom to pick her up at 9AM tomorrow, and should be home by 6PMish tomorrow. Dreading the 6.5 hour ride down to pick her up, but it'll be all worth it when we're home.

There will be lots of pictures incoming very soon, haha.

trav0810 · February 2015

Fantastic. Have a safe trip!

cfrizz · February 2015

Drive safe and congrats to you both!!!!

jflail2 · February 2015

jflail2 · February 2015

jflail2 · February 2015

jflail2 · February 2015

Mexican stand off between her and the cat. Cat won at 1/10th the size.

trav0810 · February 2015

Great Pics man! Glad to see you all made it home safe!

teekay0007 · February 2015

jflail2 wrote: »

Or at least I hope so! I've submitted the initial application, as well as an initial screening call, in the hopes of adopting this pretty girl:

http://www.southernstatesmastiffrescue.org/dogs/available-mastiffs/lilly-bell-tn-available

I have a friend that has some Cane Corso puppies, but I prefer the more gentle nature of the English Mastiff, as I'll have it around strangers on a daily basis.

Anyone here have a mastiff or other "giant dog breeds"? I have done a boatload of research, but am ears open to any additional feedback, training ideas, etc.

Fingers crossed, I'll be able to pick her up in early/mid-February if all goes well!

Just looked back at your initial post in this thread, jflail2. Congratulations! I love it when a plan comes together! Wow, there she is! She is truly beautiful. How was the trip? Is she a good roadtrip companion? Love it how the cat laid down who's in charge already - no new sheriff in town!

boston1450 · February 2015

Cat rules the roost

she is a beautiful addition. I think she will bring much happiness to your home. Congrats

MrBuhl · February 2015

Congrats man - she's beautiful!

ken brydson · February 2015

Beautiful girl. Enjoy!!

gdb · February 2015

She is gorgeous ! Now, ya need a forklift to handle all the dog chow bags.

oldrocker · February 2015

That ain't no dog, that's a small horse....

muncybob · February 2015

She's a lucky dog! Like most large breeds, she's probably a big softie.

As for dog food, we decided to go with a more expensive brand as the amount is about 1/2 of what we were feeding before. So in the long run it works out about the same in $$ and less **** patrols in the yard

pitdogg2 · February 2015

txcoastal1 wrote: »

The only down fall is their longevity

and Bone Cancer

jflail2 · February 2015

Thanks all. She is quite simply a wonderful dog. Whoever abandoned her really missed out, which fine with both of us now.

And wow teekay, this was indeed "Hannibal from A Team esque", haha.

For food, we're doing the innova large breed formula, along with a nice filet every Friday. I'm not well off, but I'm not broke either. She will eat very well in my house, regardless of the cost.

She's already walking well on a leash, obeying multiple commands, etc. She really just wants to please. Took her to 2 pet stores yesterday and she was a rock star, hah. Everyone had to stop and pet her or say hello. She loved it and was well behaved around other dogs as well. She does have some separation anxiety, which we'll need to work on over the next few weeks. Past that she really is the perfect dog!! I hit the jack pot....

Thanks again for the kind words all. If my little brother match is anywhere near this good, its going to be an awesome next few years!!

teekay0007 · February 2015

jflail2 wrote: »

For food, we're doing the innova large breed formula, along with a nice filet every Friday. I'm not well off, but I'm not broke either. She will eat very well in my house, regardless of the cost.

Sounds like she landed in the perfect spot!

jflail2 wrote: »

She's already walking well on a leash, obeying multiple commands, etc. She really just wants to please. Took her to 2 pet stores yesterday and she was a rock star, hah. Everyone had to stop and pet her or say hello. She loved it and was well behaved around other dogs as well. She does have some separation anxiety, which we'll need to work on over the next few weeks. Past that she really is the perfect dog!! I hit the jack pot....

It's great that you are getting her out to get her socialized with as many different people and pets as possible. That will help her settle into her new life more than anything.

Saturday's episode of 'Lucky Dog' (CBS) had Brandon McMillan working with a dog with severe separation anxiety. With the right training, Grover made a dramatic transformation. The episode would probably be an easy find online, if you're so inclined.

Edit: Lucky Dog full episode archives (Grover's separation anxiety episode isn't listed yet, may take a while to be available): http://cbsdreamteam.com/lucky-dog/episodes/ Other episodes are very good, informative and enjoyable too!

jflail2 · February 2015

DSkip wrote: »

Few years? I'd be looking at the big brother relationship as more of a lifetime commitment, even if it's just a phone call every once in a while.

Well of course that'd be the best possible outcome. I was just thinking 6 years or so of effort till the kid is out of HS. But yes, if all works out, we'll be friends for life!

Lilly is starting to get it. She seems more comfortable here, and let the loudest bark I've ever heard loose when strangers walked by the fenced in backyard this AM. I think she's slowly getting that this is her home.

jflail2 · February 2015

Lilly hanging with her new friend Blue. They played and destroyed chewies until they were both spent.

Mastiff time!

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