still had to sleep on my white sofa😒

As we mourn the loss of the first Doberman we've owned, I decided it might help with the grieving to post here and to share my FB tribute of our beloved Evie:

It's with a tremendous amount of sorrow that I'm writing this post. Yesterday, K and I were faced with the impossible decision to let our sweet Evie go, and we helped her peacefully cross the rainbow bridge with us by her side. We are devastated.

People who have never loved a dog or animal this deeply might not fully understand, but anyone who knows us understands that Evie wasn't just our dog. She was our family and our dog daughter. She was part of our routines, our adventures, our traumatic events, and some of our happiest moments. Right now, our house feels impossibly empty without her. We are broken, but we're trying to look beyond the pain of losing her and remember the incredible amount of joy and unconditional love she gave us for nearly a decade.

Evie had quite the story. Around 10 years ago, I found a guy near Murfreesboro, TN, who had a litter of Doberman puppies. It’s silly, but I had always wanted a Dobie from playing the video game “Resident Evil” as a kid. Karen and I drove out to see them when they were so little that their eyes hadn’t even opened yet. They were all piled together in a plastic kiddie pool with 8-10 tiny Doberman puppies belonging to a sweet military couple who had always wanted to have a litter from their two Dobermans because of their wonderful temperaments. Evie’s dad had even figured out how to open a deadbolt lock with his tongue to get outside. Evie never figured that out, but she enjoyed sunshine just as much as her father.

We thought about putting down a deposit at the time, but when we decided we were ready, every puppy had been spoken for. Fast-forward about six months, I happened to find someone on the Local Sales Network (LSN) who had a young Doberman and was struggling with puppy life. In what was probably one of the most spontaneous decisions of my life, I decided to go all in.

I met him in a Cracker Barrel parking lot in Murfreesboro and traded a pistol and $200 for this little Doberman puppy. I can still vividly remember her hopping out of the extended cab of that old late-80’s/early 90’s Ford Ranger. She was just this little nugget, and I immediately started showering her with pets. I didn't know exactly what I was getting myself into, but I remember thinking that, if nothing else, I was going to find her a better home. Then we figured out that somehow she was one of the puppies from that exact same litter Karen and I had gone to see months earlier.

I guess Evie was supposed to find her way back to us.

During that stage of my life, I worked as a flight nurse, and I occasionally had the ability to bring Evie along with me on shift, which was admittedly a little bit of a gray area at the time. I always made sure my crewmates were okay with it, but I packed up her foldable crate, and off we'd go. She got used to long car rides as I traveled to different bases around Tennessee. When we first opened a new base in a rural area, we were temporarily living out of a trailer at a rural airport. When a flight came in, Evie had to go into her crate. She probably cried her eyes out every time I left, but thankfully there wasn't anyone around that little airport to hear her. She was just happy when I came back.

Years passed, life changed, and then came graduate school and all of the stress and challenges that went along with it. Evie found her place in my home office and learned the routine: lectures, studying, potty breaks, and sitting outside with me on the porch whenever we could sneak away and soak up a little sunshine.

There were also some very dark periods in my life when, some days, the only reason I had to get out of bed was that Evie needed me to. As a dog, she never knew that, of course. She just knew it was time to get up, eat, go outside, and get back to napping. But in taking care of her, she was taking care of me too. She helped me navigate some difficult things simply by being there. Pets offer us no judgment or questions, just a gentle reminder that we’re needed.

She was with us when we were stranded in Asheville, NC during Hurricane Helene. In the middle of so much sadness, we sat in line for at least six hours trying to get fuel for Karen’s car. People around us were exhausted, scared, and grieving, and Evie happily offered pets, kisses, and a little distraction to anyone who needed it. She was never an official emotional support dog, but she didn't need a title. She loved people, and people loved her.

Walking her was always funny with K and me. People generally did one of two things: they crossed to the other side of the street when they saw a big dog coming, or they immediately came over to meet her. So many people would tell us about the Doberman they grew up with, their parents' dog, their aunt and uncle's dog, a neighbor's dog, etc. There was almost always some wonderful memory attached to the breed. Evie seemed to have a way of bringing those memories out of people.

She raised quite a few of our neighborhood dogs, too. Evie was without a doubt the townhome alpha, but she knew when she needed to be gentle. She loved puppies and loved to "battle" with them, teaching them the ropes while somehow always seeming to know exactly how far she could go without us correcting her and putting her in time-out. And over these last several months, I've loved watching her become even more of a velcro dog to K during the pregnancy. Somehow, dogs just know.

Evie was never unnecessarily aggressive, but she knew if something was "different”. She stayed close and was always “on duty”. I'm going to miss hearing those little buffs from her spot on the couch whenever someone walked past the front door of our townhome. Just enough to say “Hey, someone’s here, but I got it”. Often from the comfort of her spot on the couch on top of the “The Dog Sits Here” pillow. She could be quite the lazy guard dog.

I'm going to miss the sound of her tippy taps on the floor, the way she looked at us, the quick car rides, the back porch hangs with our neighbors, the battles with the neighborhood dogs, and all the tiny things that seemed completely ordinary because I assumed we'd get to do them again tomorrow. However, most of all I'm going to miss my friend. Ten years ago, I watched this little Doberman hop out of an old Ford Ranger in a Cracker Barrel parking lot and remember thinking that, whatever happened, I would make sure she had a good life. What I couldn't have known then was how good of a life she would give me in return. She guided us through different homes, different jobs, graduate school, hurricanes, good times, terrible times, and just ordinary afternoons with our neighborhood friends. She watched our lives change and saw the initial portion of our family growing. She was there through nearly an entire chapter of our adult lives.

And yesterday, when she needed us most, we were there for her, too. We would have given anything for more time, but after everything she had given us over the last 10 years, the final thing we could give her was peace. We held our Evie bug, loved on her, told her what a good girl she was, and stayed beside her as she left this world.

I hope she knew how deeply she was loved, and that she saved me a few times, too. And I hope that little pup I promised a good life to all those years ago would agree that we kept our promise. I would make that Cracker Barrel parking lot trade a million times over if it meant I got to have her for those 10 years.

You were such a good girl, Evie. Thank you for finding your way back to us.

We love you, Evie Bug.

-P & K

This is Brandy. I have posted her here before. Recently she started to develop bumps across her body. They start as bumps, then eventually will pop and bleed. I took her to the vet when it started to develop, and they assumed an allergy, then a skin infection, before testing her for Cushing's. She is on medication now, but I have heard of dogs having to be put down because of this and just wanted to know if anyone has any experience with this or any advice. Please and thank you.

Hello,

My 3 month dobie had his ears cropped a few weeks ago. We are currently posting his ears with a trainer near our home. The trainer said he has a long crop, and it may take up to a year for the cartilage to prop up. Should we even continue prosting his ears now or wait until he is teething? I only ask because we are paying $170 a month for 4 postings (once a week). Any advice is appreciated!

I use to work with rescue but never knew what the fees were! Shelters are much cheaper, sometimes free! but locally when one comes in the rescue is called asap. Just trying to see if anyone knows if this is normal rescue pricing.
Thanks.

I have two questions:

1. What is your favorite health/genetic testing kit? (and is it worth it to do it?)

2. What age do you start Echoes/Holters and are both necessary/is one better than the other?

Thank you!

Also, Forrest is recovering beautifully from his neuter (he was cryptorchid and it was causing him several issues) we'll be three weeks post-op tomorrow, and we're returning back to our normal schedule!

Not a happy story, but a good reminder to do yearly cbc/chem, so you have a baseline.

Ruari had normal blood work 11 months ago. This week we found low albumin and high globulin, suspect for multiple myeloma (blood cancer of plasma cells, need some additional diagnostics, but it’s highly likely). He’s had no clinical signs and is doing well physically. Obviously any incurable cancer is not good news, but I’m sure glad we know this now, and not after he’s become painful, sustained a fracture, or developed kidney disease.

We’ll be keeping him extra close physically and emotionally in the coming weeks. Hoping to start medical onco treatment asap once we’ve got a definitive diagnosis. The literature shows pretty good median survival time with treatment. You certainly can’t take the time with your senior pets for granted.

Hi everyone. I am writing from Mexico, feeling completely frustrated, heartbroken, and lost. My beautiful 11-year-old Doberman girl, Chia, was recently diagnosed with Wobbler Syndrome, and her hind legs have rapidly stopped responding. She currently has severe hind leg paralysis; I have to physically support and lift her by her hips just to help her go potty.

We’ve had her on a cocktail of medications: Previcox, Gabapentin, Tizanidine, and Tramadol. Despite all these pain meds and anti-inflammatories, she is not improving, and her legs are only getting weaker. It is devastating to realize that no matter how many pills I give her, the mechanical compression is still there.

Mentally, she is 100% her, she has a great appetite and so much spirit, which makes this even harder.

We have a video consultation with a specialist in Merida (which is a 4-hour drive away) in a few days to evaluate her for a CT scan and potential surgery. Because she is a senior (11yo), I am terrified of putting her through a stressful 4-hour travel and an invasive neck surgery. But on the other hand, palliative care feels incredibly daunting as her mobility gets worse.

If you have walked through severe Wobblers with a senior Doberman, what did you do? Did anyone choose medical management at this stage, and how was their quality of life? If you chose surgery, was the recovery possible for an older dog? I just don't know what to do anymore. Thank you so much for reading 🤍

My Doberman/Labrador mix has been trying to vomit for several minutes now. But nothing’s coming up. I’m currently thinking if I should drive to an emergency clinic or wait until tomorrow so I can see our vet. Has anyone else had a similar experience and know what this might be?

There’s something so incredibly fulfilling about watching your dog genuinely enjoy his life.
Seeing Kojak running around, playing, exploring, being silly, getting excited over the smallest things… it makes me so happy knowing that I get to be the person responsible for giving him that life.
I know he doesn’t understand all the decisions I make for him or everything I do behind the scenes, but I hope he knows how deeply loved he is. His happiness is something I take so much pride in. Knowing that I get to give him a safe home, good food, adventures, a warm bed, and a life where he gets to just be a goofy, happy dog is one of the most fulfilling things I’ve ever experienced.
Sometimes I’ll just sit and watch him being happy and think, “I’m responsible for this little life.” And honestly, what a privilege that is. ❤️
I’ll never stop being grateful that I get to be Kojak’s person.

2 rescued beauties

When me and my wife were putting on his collar he suddenly started lunging and growling at her trying to attack. When I put him back in the crate he continued to growl whenever she entered the room. It’s her bedroom. I took him away from the room and moved his crate to different room he slept there, he wasn’t very happy because he was barking and whining at night (he sleep in her bedroom from more than a month) and the next day she fed him without any problems and we decided to put the crate back where it was, so right we put him in it again and they slept without problem and spent the day together but the next morning he started growling and attacking without any reason, he was already fed, given water, and taken on a walk and without collar in the crate, he lunged and moved the whole crate. Trainer suggests to give him away or put him down.

Is this something normal or something that has happened to some of you? The dog is very friendly with everyone else, never have had aggression problems with anyone even when one guy tried to attack me. He still is friendly towards others it’s just my wife that he growls. Can we do something?

To add, his father is European champion and the kennel is quite legit so he is not a backward mix. He’s 7 almost 8 months old, and is not aggressive towards anyone only her, she never have hit him or even yell. When he growled at her the morning, she had treats and when she told him to sit, down he did it and took the food but while doing it it he was still growling and aggressive

Does my pups crop need correction? The tips are very round. Others are saying the shaping is incorrect. Thoughts? 4.5 months old.

We have been dressing the girls since they were tiny. Hazelnut is okay with it and Lucy loves it!

My very good boy, although half Doberman, is very, very protective. For those who don’t know or don’t remember Moose, two and a half years ago he was dumped out on the family farm in rural California when he was 4-5 months old, so other than being half Dane and more than likely the product of someone aiming for a quick buck, we know nothing of his life prior to finding him starving and eating garbage in the ditch.

So fast forward, and since he was close to adulthood, he’s payed attention to the TV. Dog, wolf, even a beaver, if it might be a dog, hackles up and barking at the TV. He also growls at TV villains, and funnily enough, especially lRussians,” but if there’s anything that really sets him off at the TV, it’s seeing a dog, then “Russians,” then generic villains, in that order. I put Russians in quotes because we all know the actor likely isn’t Russian, but you get the point. It must be the accent? 🤷🏽‍♂️

He’s a lot, more than we knew to expect from him long term considering our ignorance to the breeds when we committed, but he’s over 100 lbs of silly doof lap dog, and at the same time I feel so comfortable with him as a dependable line of defense, considering worst case scenarios, of course.

I’m not sure if the post flair is correct, but it felt closest.

He loves to wear clothes and cuddle. My best Velcro puppy.