As I sit here biting my nails,taking my nerves pills, and thinking about breaking into my batch of christmas "punch".. :lol: .I am listening to the constant yapping and howling of a puppy!

I thought I'd play the nice daughter in law and get my mother in law a puppy. She has one old dog, that has needed to be put to sleep for like, forever. So,,I found the cutest little thing! Part Beagle and part Chow...

I bring him home..Joe says his mom doesn't want another dog (Gee..everyone else brings her dogs and especially pet birds..(that's another story for another time) )


So we think maybe we'll just keep him for the kids. He's lonely! He won't eat and misses his MOMMY. All he wants to do is be held! The kids are even tired of hearing it yowling. I can't take him back to where I got him since the people still have 8 more just like him to find homes for.

I held him for awhile...but now I have him in the bathroom with a soft blanket, food water, and a big stuffed dog! (He's making so much noise, the neighbors think I'm probably beating him! )

What the heck did I get myself into?

There is a place that finds homes for animals...I might call her later.

Until then...I'd better go taste that punch !! :lol:

Depending on how old he is some pet stores will take him and find him a home.

He's about 10 weeks old but the nearest pet shop is about 40 miles from here! YIKES!

It's never a good idea to get pets for other people. It doesn't have a great chance of working out.

The Beagle part of the little guy wants to yowl, and the Chow part is very sociable. If you take him to a pet store, remember that if he isn't adopted, a lot of places will destroy him. Some places even sell them for less money to animal research laboratories.

The SPCA is a good option for him if you can't keep him.

Let him sleep with the kiddoes, that might help him, and he will learn to be protective of them that way--Chows are protective of kids in a big way, he could be a real asset to your family.

Depending on how old he is some pet stores will take him and find him a home.

I've heard bad things about animals bought in pet shops and I always feel so bad for the animals kept in those little cages, with people tapping on the glass and teasing them all day. I've heard they grow up to be nervous & antisocial. I could be wrong, but it's never seemed like a very good environment for growing puppies and kittens to be in. :(

How about an animal shelter? Do you have a local Humane Society??

Echoing what Brandy said, never get pets for people unless you KNOW they are serious about getting another pet. Tons of animals wind up in shelters every year, and even put to sleep, because people give them as gifts and the recipents don't want them. Obviously that's beside the point now, but if you really don't want him, look up your local animal shelter and they'll find him a good home. In the meantime, play with him and love him. :)

If you're thinking of giving him up, go to http://www.petfinder.com. You can search for shelters close to you (on the left hand side, there's a link to finding shelters).

Our local "HUMANE SOCIETY" isn't very humane...they don't try to find homes for the animals and if they pick up a stray, more than likely, they kill them right away (they destroy animals each and every tuesday.) Oh yea..they stress how important it is to find homes for the pets by putting little pictures in the paper and such...but you go to adopt and it's $70 for puppies and dogs...$60 for kittens and cats! (It used to be just a donation and animals found wonderful homes.

We do have local APA that I've worked with some in the past. They have many foster homes and they will keep the animals until a home is found for them. I'm going to give them a call soon but I know that right now, even they are having a difficult time placing animals.

Right now..the little guy is asleep at my feet. <Insert AWWWW here! :lol: > he feels like a big warm pair of fuzzy slippers. Oh...btw..his name is Beethovan (sp?) since he looks just like the St. Bernard in the movie.

Brandy..you are right about the Beagle part howling...and I have heard about the protective side of Chows...but that was good info. :)

Our local "HUMANE SOCIETY" isn't very humane...they don't try to find homes for the animals and if they pick up a stray, more than likely, they kill them right away (they destroy animals each and every tuesday.) Oh yea..they stress how important it is to find homes for the pets by putting little pictures in the paper and such...but you go to adopt and it's $70 for puppies and dogs...$60 for kittens and cats! (It used to be just a donation and animals found wonderful homes.

We do have local APA that I've worked with some in the past. They have many foster homes and they will keep the animals until a home is found for them. I'm going to give them a call soon but I know that right now, even they are having a difficult time placing animals.

Right now..the little guy is asleep at my feet. <Insert AWWWW here! :lol: > he feels like a big warm pair of fuzzy slippers. Oh...btw..his name is Beethovan (sp?) since he looks just like the St. Bernard in the movie.

Brandy..you are right about the Beagle part howling...and I have heard about the protective side of Chows...but that was good info. :)

Do a search for no-kill animal shelters in your area, or even a little out of your area. The Humane Society and the SPCA are not the same organization, and many SPCAs try to be no-kill if they can. Some will keep animals for a few years if they have to.

Our local "HUMANE SOCIETY" isn't very humane...they don't try to find homes for the animals and if they pick up a stray, more than likely, they kill them right away (they destroy animals each and every tuesday.) Oh yea..they stress how important it is to find homes for the pets by putting little pictures in the paper and such...but you go to adopt and it's $70 for puppies and dogs...$60 for kittens and cats! (It used to be just a donation and animals found wonderful homes.

We do have local APA that I've worked with some in the past. They have many foster homes and they will keep the animals until a home is found for them. I'm going to give them a call soon but I know that right now, even they are having a difficult time placing animals.

Right now..the little guy is asleep at my feet. <Insert AWWWW here! :lol: > he feels like a big warm pair of fuzzy slippers. Oh...btw..his name is Beethovan (sp?) since he looks just like the St. Bernard in the movie.

Brandy..you are right about the Beagle part howling...and I have heard about the protective side of Chows...but that was good info. :)

That Petfinder link I gave you has a huge list of shelters in Illinois and most say whether they are no-kill or not. The reason for the large fees at the humane society is because they usually give the animals a physical exam, get them up to date with their shots, and neuter/spay them. Not all places do all of that stuff, but I think most places do if they have the funding. Actually, $60-70 is kind of cheap compared to our humane society. Kittens and puppies are well over $100 apiece. The "old timers" are cheaper. :lol:

Sounds like he's growing on you anyway. :) Either way, I hope he finds a great home. :)

The $60 & $70....you can get about $20 of it back WHEN YOU BRING A RECEIPT IN from the vet AFTER you have had it's shots AND "fixed"..but that could be months and alot of people just don't have that type of money up front...has to be cash also. This bites huh?

They DO grow out of that stage..... ;)

Although you tried to do a very nice thing, no one should ever get a pet as a gift unless they ask you to. It is the worst gift in the world and the main reason why the animal welfare leagues are swamped in January with unwanted pets. So sad :(

I've decided that I might just give it to her anyway tomorrow night when we go to his mom's....this occasion is one of THE most dysfunctional events of the year so to hell with it.She's gettin a dog too! :lol: She won't give it to the shelter. I'm on her sh** list all the time anyway for one reason or another (mostly because her son married me almost 12 years ago so he's not available at everyone's beck & call) So............ :lol:



(Or........we might keep him...Alan, how long will it take for him to grow out of this stage? )

Maybe I'm just confused since I'm a cat person mostly..I can't remember the last time I had a dog as a pet...it's been ages!


Thank you all for the great advice.............

I've decided that I might just give it to her anyway tomorrow night when we go to his mom's....this occasion is one of THE most dysfunctional events of the year so to hell with it.She's gettin a dog too! :lol: She won't give it to the shelter. I'm on her sh** list all the time anyway for one reason or another (mostly because her son married me almost 12 years ago so he's not available at everyone's beck & call) So............ :lol:



(Or........we might keep him...Alan, how long will it take for him to grow out of this stage? )

Maybe I'm just confused since I'm a cat person mostly..I can't remember the last time I had a dog as a pet...it's been ages!


Thank you all for the great advice.............

Remember ,an animal that is no wanted knows he/she is not wanted and is often miserable. If she won't give it to a shelter, what will she do if she doesn't want him? He will get pushed into yet another home when he is at his most crucial part of his training stages and he will become harder and harder to train--very confusing for the little guy.

She may not want a dog because if she is suffering from the loss of one, she may not have finished grieving for him/her. My little Princess died in April and I am still not ready for another little one yet.

Please do try to do what is most fair for the little guy, so that he can settle into what should be his final, happy home, and good luck to you in that pursuit. Both he and you deserve the best fit for him.

The $60 & $70....you can get about $20 of it back WHEN YOU BRING A RECEIPT IN from the vet AFTER you have had it's shots AND "fixed"..but that could be months and alot of people just don't have that type of money up front...has to be cash also. This bites huh?


It does bite, but these shelters operate often from day to day not knowing if they will be able to pay the bills--the influx of unwanted animals after holidays and summer vacations, the rising cost of heating and cooling, the cost of cleaning and feeding--it all sucks.

Ya'll, remember the shelters all year, not just at Christmas ;) Even buying them stamps for their mailers, a phone card to help them cut down on long distance costs, a bag of bedding or kitty litter, dog treats for training, etc., is a big help and hugely appreciated, if you can afford it.