All that could have been done with the spay on Thursday, but I had another reason for wanting her seen before I took her to CASPCA.Lana is a sweet girl, probably half boxer and half pitbull, and it's the pittie half that I was concerned about. That's a fear born of prejudice born of ignorance and inexperience on my part, I'll admit that right now. Rotties and shepherds don't often worry me, but that's due in large to the fact that I know them pretty well. I am not familiar with pitbulls and I'm a bit cautious, even though I know that they are among the most wonderful and loving dogs there are.
Lana has never been anything but sweet and loving around here to us, but her initial greeting behavior with new dogs is very domineering. She has worked it out fine with everyone she has met around here, but with the wrong dog (i.e., another alpha female) I think there is the potential for some unpleasantness. I don't think she will ever be a dog park kind of dog.
Anyway, I wanted to use the good folks at Old Dominion as guinea pigs to make sure Lana would be vet friendly before I took her in to be spayed. I told them up front that she was nice but I didn't know how she would react to vetting. They are cautious and experienced, and she was wonderful, no problems whatsoever.
Dixie had been to the vet for vaccines a couple weeks ago when I first got her. What she needed before her surgery was a bath. The recent rains and snow have created a lot of mud and Dixie isn't a dainty dog who avoids getting her feet wet.
Her legs and belly, where the surgery will occur, were caked in dried mud splattered up there as she ran through mud and puddles. I couldn't take her in there like that. When I finished work this evening, she came in for a bath. The water ran like mud for a while and she's probably not spotless yet, but it's much better. Dixie is spending the night in a crate in my office so she can dry in a warm environment and stay clean. After their surgery, both she and Lana will be in my office, and Augie is still up here too, so we'll have a full house. And I'm bringing home a new foster tomorrow who will be up here, but hopefully will be moving on to another foster home in the next day or two. Hmmm, I may have to do a little juggling.
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I don't know GSDs and Rotties very well. I know Pitties much better. Their dominance with animals almost never translates to people. My girl is not a "dog park" kind of dog -- she's too bitchy and selective. But when it comes to humans, she is submissive as can be. (And she loves the vet because they pet her). Pretty typical of pitties in my experience. Lana is a stunner!
Agreed. Our female pit mix (probably also part shepherd, lab, and more) is also quite dominant when meeting other dogs. She will energetically hump them from any possible angle regardless of their size, age or gender. This usually disturbs the owners more than the dogs themselves. But after introducing herself in this way, our girl can happily play or relax with her new friends. She has never shown a moment's unpleasantness with a person, including children. If Lana behaves half as well, she will make someone a much-loved companion.
That is Lana in a nutshell. She humps any dog she meets, but then play with them. She's as sweet as can be with people. Nice girl and finally feeling a little better after her surgery.
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