do you think the dogs know?

[georgette]

<FONT size="4">We're all extra touched by the dogs with disabilities or those who have had an especially tough time. Do you think dogs can tell about the newcomer?
Actually in the case of Danny & Barkley, if he knew he didn't care - he was ready to eat him alive.
I soooooooo wish I could foster them.
- g</FONT s>

[Penny's Aunt]

You may have something there.

We have a small kitten that was born with an underdeveloped cerebellum (the little brain at the base of the main brain). He was a third of the size of the other kittens, had tremors, & tended to fall over a lot. As they grew, all his bigger sisters really beat up on each other, but they were really gentle with him, & a couple of them would clean him (his mom wasn't the best mother).

We kept him & found homes for the mother & kittens (all had been abandoned by neighbors that moved). My young Belgian Tervuren (25 times his size) & the kitten are the very best of friends. The dog lets the kitten crawl into her open mouth, chew on her legs, pull her long tail hairs, pull her whiskers, chew on her ears, etc, & she thinks he's just great. One chomp of those large jaws would be the end of the kitten, & two gulps would dispose of the evidence, but she's incredibly gentle.

As I watch them, I wonder, too, if the animals know. They seem to.

[loving two dachsie's]

I agree that they do know. Sounds like you could get some cute pics of them togetherhttp://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/smile.gif

Linda

[LisaH]

There's a guy in New York who adopted a mutt named Ginnie after he became disabled and could not longer work. (He wrote a book about this, and for the life of me I can't remember the name.) His real love was cats, and Ginnie the dog loved cats too; on their walks she'd always zero in on the saddest, sickest looking alley cats. After a while the owner decided to get Ginnie her own cat. When they went to the animal shelter, he was surprised that Ginnie "picked out" a beautiful little healthy-looking white kitten with blue eyes. After it had been home with them for a few days, he realized why Ginnie had chosen it--it was deaf!

[Mark]

Not just disabilities, but illnesses too. About 6 or 8 months ago Top Spin couldn't leave Duck Butter's right ear alone. Sticking his nose in it and sniffing morning noon & night and then licking with his big 'ol tongue until soaking wet. Duck Butter happened to be due for a Vet visit so we asked her to check Duck Butter's right ear. She said that she had the verrrry beginning of an ear infection that DB wouldn't even have noticed. When she asked how in the world it occurred to us to have her ear checked . . . we told her this story. http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/smile.gif

Mark