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I feel like we are all sitting in the waiting room of a birthing center, waiting on the puppy to arrive on the plane. We've already waited once for Whatsright's puppy!

Nothing cheers us up or makes us smile like new fur babies.

News, news and more news!!!

After a very tense night (had to get up and dressed at 3:30 and 5:00 am to take Missy out in the yard in my slippers and flashlight, as she was telling me she was suffering gas pains and didn't want to mess diahrrea in her crate! I couldn't stand her pitiful whimpers any longer), this morning first thing, H took a stool sample to the vet to make sure it isn't Parvo or something we sure don't need NOW. But lab results won't be back in time, PP!!!

At 5:15 am I turned on the iPad to check for shipping email updates, as it was by then within a half hour of the first flight's departure time: still Nothing!! Oh, except a FRAUD QUIZ from the bank I'd sent the money over there with! My heart skipped a beat, but it was just a generic quiz. Too late anyway, if these guys were taking my money, I thought.

Then this morning sometime after the puppy's scheduled flight was to have left, my H decided on his own to call over there, and the puppy had just been put on the first airplane! In a while, I finally did get the shipper's email with an invoice, his vaccinations and vet record, along with the promised 2 photos - he's getting to be a big little guy! Chewing his tug rope, at the home of the shipper guy. Seemed content, tail was a little black BLUR it was wagging so fast! 😀

So just now I did a flight tracking search and that flight HAS landed in Istanbul, Turkey 3 hours and 15minutes ago, but was running 34 minutes LATE!!! I bet it was my puppy who made it late, hahaha! Seriously, a few weeks ago I was checking the same tracking website and it gave average arrival time for that particular flight as usually running within 15 minutes of its scheduled times. So what do you want to bet it was the not-so-little black shepherd's doing? (Or maybe his ditzy breeder didn't have her papers ready, and they held the plane for the authorities to clear him?!)

Meanwhile, our vet said "give Missy Kaopectate" and thinks the probable cause of her misery is stress. Yep, that'd be my guess, knowing her: we left her what she felt was too long at the vet's and she had a meltdown after the fast-acting sedative wore off!

Maybe we will be taking 2 vehicles AND towing the camper with one of them to isolate the two black shepherds. I don't know, but I can tell you I'd better be moving the sofa out of my sleeping room for his crate space, before TOMORROW NIGHT!! And also need to finish all my spring planting, plus attempt to get H to drill those post holes for the play yard - which would have made a huge difference last night...just now, he is firing up the hot water heater in the old camper...WR, it's true, nothing brings out teamwork like a new fur baby!!

SQUEEEEEEEEE

[This message edited by Superesse at 8:12 PM, Tuesday, May 23rd]

Please isolate your adult dog from the puppy until the GI stuff has resolved.
As someone who lost a Dane pup to Parvo please protect the baby.
On a side note my sister had to take her doodles to the vet yesterday due to ongoing GI issues for a week. They have a virus that is going around. They gave meds, and fluids, and gut rest for 24 hours. So they get to eat tonight. I am keeping my 3 from hers (we live next door to each other) until it's resolved. Although her dogs get upset guts just thinking about food different from their normal kibble.
Whereas my Labs are part goat, and never get upset tummies. LOL

Anyway hope your puppy is healthy beautiful and bright.

PP, I'm sorry you also had a dog experience amputation but I'm glad to hear he had a few more good years. Thank you for the crossed paws, I love that!! Hope your dad is doing better.

WR, thinking of you, your H and Bella.

Superese, I'm so excited that your puppy is on his way!!! Hope your girl is feeling better.

Thanks, Tushnurse, I'm going to do my best to keep them at a distance, no nose touches now, that's out! Maybe Missy doesn't get to sit in the camper, either. Yet I'm not sure how isolated I can keep them if we travel in the same tow vehicle. As you know, I cannot ride with either dog in the fifth wheel. I wouldn't put Missy through that, anyway. Maybe puppy could deal, after all, he just is spending the night in a Live Animal Cargo Facility (I hope they love him and reassure him every so often.)

I just set up his crate in my bedroom area so I can make eye contact with him and get to him quick. But her crate is where it has been for 9 years, about 10 feet on the other side of a desk divider, away facing the exterior door in the same room (12 x 30 feet). So that's not an isolation ward, I know.

This whatever-it-is set of symptoms (just diahreah and big old gas, not very bad odor, though) I have not seen before in her, so I'm really suspicious since the other Czech breeder on his website insists people avoid vets for 2 weeks, just for this reason. He had a customer lose one of his puppies to Parvo and the customer called for a replacement under their guarantee but he refused, claiming the puppy was healthy when it left their country. He blamed the buyer's environment.

I'm into the last 18 hours, ladies, so any further suggestions or if we could have the assurance she isn't sick with anything communicable, that would help. Vet didn't seem worried but again, like today with the Kaopectate advice, nobody said how much or how many times to give it to her. We are just supposed to KNOW. :(

My vet restated his reason for not wanting to check the puppy as being for the puppy's protection, not for fear the puppy will bring something bad with him. But our girl has been cooped up in this vet's small surgery room (cages racked on one side of the room) twice in the last week...so it is a worry, if she may have picked up a germ.

The Kaopectate seems to have calmed her gut down a lot and she has good appetite and is much more relaxed as the day has gone on. She had been vaccinated a few years ago several times for Parvo and Bordatella. But not since the lockdowns. If I had to move her upstairs for the first week or so, I could do that and let her DADDY get up for the midnight whines, while I deal with the puppy's midnight whines, downstairs!

We have our paws cross over here.

Good luck Supereses!!!

Good Puppy Morning, All!

A certain little GSD is being carried along in the cargo hold of an Boeing 787 Dreamliner, now somewhere East of Greenland, 3 and a half hours out!!! Flight is "en route and on time"!

Looks like the plane may have hit some turbulence as it reached the Atlantic Ocean just off the coast of France; the altitude graph tracks a short, steep spike going from 30,000 to 35,000 feet and right back down, the poor puppy. I hated when that happened to any plane I was ever in. Hope he didn't know to be worried.

Missy slept through the night without a potty call, but H reported that on their morning walk she still has very soft poo. At 9 am, I'll call the vet for her stool sample results and that should give us more to go on.

Tushnurse, I hope your sister's dogs don't have anything serious. I wish we weren't so all alone out here or had a dog sitter we could leave her with. Paws crossed!

Thanks zebra and PricklePatch for cheering us on! I am soo sleepy this morning, wonder why. Ha, because our lives are getting ready to change...

[This message edited by Superesse at 1:27 PM, Wednesday, May 24th]

I’ve been thinking of you all morning.

I can’t imagine how anxious you are. Try to remember that BOTH your dogs (doesn’t that sound nice!) will pick up on your mood. Calm reassurance is what both of them need. (I’m sure you know that!)

If it helps, keep us updated as you can while you wait.

Just 3 more hours…that’s so great!

Sounds like things are improving Sup - Hopefully she just had a bug. My sisters girls are doing better as well.

WR - How's the hubs? Is the puppy eating better?

My little man is now sleeping in his crate all night now, got up a 4 to piddle, and slept until 6 am after. WOOT WOOT hopefully my sleep deprivation is coming to an end.

So I managed to get through the reception guy at the vet's to the most helpful vet tech, and told her we have concerns about letting Missy near the new puppy we are to pick up at noon. She was firm in saying Missy has nothing contagious (stool sample was all negative; the front desk had told my H that much) and they had not had any dogs this week with viral gut issues, and the sedative hasn't given any dog so far this symptom (it IS the first listed side effect from the drug, I'd found). Well, so what is her problem? STRESS! The tech actually recommended we only let Missy view the pup from a distance for the first week, as she has already gone through so much stressing her.

So while we're on the phone, she stands there with her cone, whining at us...because the Camper is parked right outside, TRIP! I told the vet tech that I think she understands the word "puppy," and it winds her up!

WhatsRight, you are sweet to think of my stress level...What, ME, STRESSED?!? 😆

We are about an hour out from the airport, and so is the flight!!! Beginning its descent...more turbulence right over NYC and a slight course diversion. Congested airways, I reckon. This is so exciting to be able to follow our puppy's flight.

PS oh so the breeder sends me a short note to let her know when he arrives, with 2 hearts...isn't that nice, after not answering all my emails for the last three weeks? The shipper had emailed the pup was on his final leg this morning and to let him know when we get him. I will take a quick photo and email it to him, and I suppose I could just copy the breeder...😙 (I know, I know, that isn't NICE...but she doesn't seem to like much written from my side, and that way I'm adding her to the loop. I had hoped for a warmer connection since it was her baby too, but she is just not too interested. She is a high volume dog breeder....)

[This message edited by Superesse at 4:12 PM, Wednesday, May 24th]

It's happening!!!

Can't wait for your next update!!!

Correction on my flight tracking data, now that I understand two graphed lines with two values, altitude and speed, it looks like there wasn't any turbulence, after all, just the aircraft putting the speed up to climb to the higher altitude over the water, which flight plan was filed in advance. Because he's on final approach now and the speed is decreasing as he is at under 4,000 feet. H comments "He's going to beat us there." (Typical competitve male, haha.)

Now that we're off the interstate, Missy has climbed up and perched her front torso on the seat console so she can see...darn it she KNOWS something's up! I asked H to please disconnect the truck and trailer when we get to the parking zone, and drive her off far enough she can't do the rowdy Derby Day Fan bit!! I wish that it weren't the case....I had hoped for a calm introduction. But the vet's and you guys have warned us not to, and I'm trying to do what is best...not "humanize" the scenario.

Don’t you spend one ounce of concern / stress about the breeder. Yes, a quick picture is nice, but you can follow up with more later.

All your focus / joy can now be on your babies (plural).

So glad the vet has no reason to believe there is any reason to think your baby has something infectious. Also, I think it sounds right, to keep your present pup at bay for a short while. Also, I can’t imagine he will be happy seeing you interact with the new one.

Good luck managing all this ! I definitely think you are up for the challenge!!!

Hi y'all! Everything went like clockwork, the folks at the cargo facility enjoyed the idea we were getting a pup. I first spotted a pallet with a large dog crate and one the same size come into the building on a forklift. Then I saw a single crate with rope netting securing the kennel to the pallet, and all I could see was maybe 2 erect ears....the kind lady agent pointed at the crate...he was IN THERE!

It took both of us to carry the crate out to the camper 100 feet with the shifting, whining load moving around inside! Missy didn't see this part! His crate had an absorbent blanket which wasn't smelly and seemed almost dry, so we went straight into the camper with it, and left Missy in the truck. We had shade under the elevated train tracks, and nobody around. So it was time to open the crate door.

Of course, Mr. Mechanic had to help me. So much for the theory that they bond to the person who sets them free - Superesse was planning on it being her! But the puppy was adorable! I forgot how fast-moving they are! He did climb right up in my lap as I sat on the floor with him, and went right for my wrist, gnawing and it and whining! So I got the message: said he was HONGRY! And THIRSTY! We gave him water out of a water bottle, and he wanted that, then I pulled out the bag of kibbles and when he heard the crinkle, he knew exactly what was coming! (Of course he could have smelled it, says H.) He put his nose hard down into the little kibble plastic bag, so far in I had to extract his head, so he wouldn't suffocate as he chewed down!! He was FRANTIC to be fed!

I had to act quick to save a few, since it was almost a full cup. I was thinking he'd barf it all back up if it was too much. But then he focused on the orange teething toy we brought, and went to work on it...for a while. I wanted to send you all that photo! But I was a bit busy!! Soon, he moved his attention to the cut edge of the carpet piece we'd put down over the camper's carpet to dog proof. I think he could smell our old boy, whose favorite spot had been that place. He was right behind me, and I didn't see that he got right to work pulling threads out of the carpet, in about 30 seconds! No no no and here's your chew toy. I really didn't care if he was having a blast, but H said "We don't want to even start with that behavior!" He's right, of course.

So I sat with him and alternated chew toys, put on a puppy slip leash and we took our first walk on American "soil" blacktop near a truck parking area. He wanted to sniff everything, even the tractor trailer steps nearby. He showed no need to potty, too fascinated by everything. Then he suddenly decided he wanted to head back to his fun "den" and came right back to be lifted up into the camper! H went up to the truck for something, and closed the screen door at my request. (H still doesn't realize a dog seeing an open door is going to want to go out of it, and follow!) But the pup was so cute, he put his nose to the screen door and looked, waiting for H to come back. Another beautiful moment!

But you should have seen the welcoming committee H got when he came back! Pup jumped on his neck and nibbled his hair as he just bent down inside the doorway, 3 feet off the ground! Wow....lost another one to the Man with the Truck! I think this is hardwired into these dogs: the menz comes and goes with the good stuff, and the womenz sits here feeding me....

So finally we had time, just me and him, while H went back to "tell" Missy the news, I guess. He said she smelled his hand but wasn't interested in the blanket he brought back to let her sniff. And after he had played a while with his toys, I saw him standing facing the back of the crate which I'd left with its door open, like he wanted to go check something out. I forgot boy pups don't squat to pee...soon I saw a yellow stain forming on the carpet remnant, and grabbed the paper towel roll to blot it fast as I could. So then pup backs his butt into the corner as close to the door hinge side as he could...and guess what else he did?! Good boy! So after more Momma Magic, and luring him back into the crate with the teething ring, after he strenuously resisted being gently lifted in, and gnawed my arm in protest, I shut the crate door and quietly left the camper. I will check on him in a bit, and maybe we can let Missy see him through the camper door. I think he's going to be okay!

Aw, what an amazing post!!!

You made me cry!

Yes, the way you have described it, everything is going to be OK now 😊

Have a wonderful, wonderful day!

Congrats Sup!!!!!
They grow so damn fast, enjoy every minute.

Loved reading your update!!!

Enjoy your new family member.

YEAAAAA!!!!

It sounds so much fun! You certainly brighten my day. He’s a tip: the person who feeds them by hand they love the most…..lol. Actually it is the person who feeds them and plays with them. Feeding by hand slows the eating down, and bonds. Have. you read the Monks of New Skete book?
It is one of the best dog training books. They would wear a belt and loop a leash through to keep the Shepard’s supervised. Now I know Ruffwear makes a waist leash, as do other companies.

Keep us posted about Missy and Mink.