Doppler The Dog Update

Steve said he didn’t want to give Doppler back! If one dog is fun, two dogs are twice… maybe three times the fun.

Our new dog Doppler has been responsible for a lot of email over the past few days. Where was she while we went to Milwaukee? How is she adjusting to life with the Foxes?

Doppler spent Thanksgiving with family! She was at Cheryl and Steve’s with her brother Bentley.

When I first met Doppler at the pound in Wallingford I noticed her ‘tough love’ relationship with Bentley. That hasn’t changed. They spent a lot of time on the floor with Doppler’s open mouth around Bentley’s neck. This is how they play! Doppler never hurts Bentley and vice versa.

Steve said he didn’t want to give Doppler back! If one dog is fun, two dogs are twice… maybe three times the fun.

Doppler adjusted to life in our house instantly. Other than her play with Bentley we have never seen an aggressive move. In fact I haven’t even heard her bark (Helaine has once when the washing machine was objecting to an unbalanced load of towels).

She has no desire to chew so we’re thinking with time she’ll be safe as a ‘free range’ puppy. Right now we plan on isolating her in the mud room when we go out.

The downside to her lack of chewiness is her disinterest in toys. She just doesn’t care! Yesterday I squeaked a little ball incessantly before rolling it down the hall right in front of her. Nothing.

We’re pretty sure she was house trained before she got to us. When she wants to go she gives reasonably obvious clues.

She sleeps at the foot of the bed on top of the covers. When she wakes up she gets very licky even if you’re still asleep.

Part of our goal is to have Doppler travel with us. This afternoon Helaine put her in a shoulder bag made for carrying dogs. Though she was a little reticent to get in once she was there she made no effort to get out. We assume our Sherpa bag for airplane travel will be similarly received.

She’s the perfect dog to carry if you want to get picked up by a supermodel… at least that was Helaine’s assurance to me. Supermodels, you already know how to reach me to try this theory out.

We are incredibly lucky. You can be lucky too. Local shelters, like the pound in Wallingford where we found Doppler, are jam packed with puppies looking for a little loving.

14 thoughts on “Doppler The Dog Update”

  1. In all probability, she might not have been played with! She may not know what toys are or fetch!! Look where the darling was found!!?? Someone wanted her (& her bro) found to be taken care of but they couldn’t be bothered! I don’t know who’s luckier: you & Helaine or Doppler!!!!

  2. My dog didn’t know what toys were either. She still doesn’t chase a ball, but she will retrieve her “babies” (stuffed animals) when she is in a playful mood. We are picking up our 2nd shelter beagle this weekend. He is a senior boy who needs some TLC.

    Still so excited for the three of you and enjoy reading your updates on Doppler 🙂

  3. What a Sweetie! So sorry to hear about her history and the condition she was found … but the flip side of that is happiness in knowing Doppler has finally found a place where she can get caught up on all the love and care she has missed out on!

    Keep the updates coming… I really enjoy them!

  4. Our new dog did not know what toys were either. She has learned to chase and sometimes fetch balls.She loves her chew toys and nylabone. She has chewed a few other things since the honeymoon period wore off so beware that may happen down the road 😉

  5. Beautiful photo…she looks like a little princess! My Corgi used to look insulted when I’d roll a ball towards him. He was a silly head, and lots of fun, but not one for the toys. 🙂

  6. Aimee….I don’t know you, but I like you! Adopting a senior beagle. That’s great. And obviously you are no stranger to rescue. I rescued a cocker spaniel about 5 years ago, but he didn’t even know it! He was given up to a vet in PA because he had mange and the owners didn’t want to (or couldn’t) pay for the treatment. Vet called a cocker rescue (friend of mine), and she called me. As soon as the mange was gone, he was mine. A very good thing.

  7. Sounds like Doppler might have been taken from her mother too early. From what I’ve read, 8 weeks is optimal for separation and a new human. Too early, and they don’t learn to play and socialize with their littermates, and too late, they retain too many doggie qualities. Mine has the opposite problem- I got him at 12 weeks and he had too much playtime. When he gets near other dogs he starts the rough and tumble on them right away. This was ok when he was a puppy, then as he got bigger he was doing it with smaller dogs, didn’t know his own strength. Unfortunately I hurt my shoulder so avoid doing doogie intensive activities with him. So no more dog park, because now he is 70 lbs and I wouldn’t be able to pull him off an unsuspecting terrier.

  8. I too, was wondering where Doppler would stay, since I knew you were going to Milwaukee for Thanksgiving. I thought of e-mailing you, but since you had mentioned that your friends were taking Bently, I surmised that Doppler would be going there also.
    Earlier, you questioned why were these dogs abandoned. Geoff, there are a lot of people out there, right now, with no jobs and their unemployment has run out. If it is a choice between eating and paying the mortgage or rent, it is usually the animal that is locked out. I don’t know why people can’t just take their animals to the pound and explain the situation, and sign them over—vs letting them roam and hoping someone will find them. Many of the dogs in my family have come from a local animal shelter—some from the Humane Society when they were in Bethany, a couple from the New Haven shelter. I have a Cairn that was a puppy mill rescue—he is about 3yrs and has been with me a year, now. He learns new things weekly now. In the beginning he was afraid of everything, but I would just put a fuzzy toy into the crate when I went out and eventually he took ownership. Now, he finds the one’s I have hidden away for later—and drags them out of the bag—or any fuzzy critter meant for a child, perhaps. He brings them to me to throw. He loves to make them squeal, and there is noting like having a critter dropped on one’s neck, or sqeeked in one’s ear, when you are trying to sleep! Have patience —Doppler will get accustomed to the toys and learn to play, when she feels safe. If she is a chewer—I buy Marrow bones in the supermarket and bake them for a few hours in a low oven–to get the grease out. I wash off the grease and give him one, and freeze the others—they last almost forever and are cheap and do not shatter—and you know that Cairn’s have sharp terrier teeth. My dog also, wants to be with other dogs, but I can’t manage that right now. Have Fun!

  9. Please try to get Doppler used to traveling. My brother has a Pomeranian that gets sick in cars and can’t take him anywhere. The dog needed a tranquilizer when my brother moved to a new place 20 minutes away.
    Have fun with Doppler- and i love the name!

  10. We always had good results with Sherpa bags. The dogs love them, and especially enjoy sticking their heads out fo the top of the bag and greeting all who passed in the waiting areas. We never had any issues except with finding an area for potty breaks at the airports. Allow extra connect time for that as well. Never needed tranquilizers, but YMMV.

    Get Doppler used to the bag by having it around and open for visits well before the trip. Feed her a treat or two if she voluntarily goes into the bag. We let ours sleep in it at night several weeks before the first trips.

    Be aware that TSA will want you to take the doggie out of the bag and show them her belly, so always have a harness on her in the bag, and a leash attached so she can’t get away. Carry your license documents and rabies certificate with you at all times. They will also send the empty bag through the x-ray machine at check in, so allow extra time. You get to carry the dog through the magnetometer, so pick a harness with minimum metal in it.

    Also teach Doppler to take water from a people-style water bottle–you won’t be able to carry a filled bottle with you, and training her to drink from a purchased bottle of drinking water is better. I always carried a few treats in the bag, as well as a very small plastic (x-ray transparent) dish for food or water, plus a few sheets of paper towel, just in case. Sherpa bags have a big-enough pocket to carry a few things.

    My first Tibetan Terrier loved to travel–the first time we took off, I soon heard a strange noise, and thought the plane was having some weird issue–then I realized that Quinn had relaxed, fallen asleep, and was snoring loudly….all the way cross country. He was such a great traveler…

  11. She is adorable those pictures make me want to reach in and hug her! My dog didn’t like to play either, I guess like humans, so do, some don’t.

    Geoff on a serious note and I hope you will respond because it’s important to me…last night at around 11:30pm I was in bed (I live in Waterbury) and everything began to “jump” and “move like in circles”, my bed, the mirror on my bureau, pictures on the wall etc. Was there any sort of earthquake in CT or nearby? No one I have told this to felt anything last night.

    I’ll check in later for a response. It was very strange and lasted quite a few seconds. Thanks, Jane

    1. Jane – As far as I know, nothing happened. As you know Waterbury is the center of the universe… or so said former Governor Rowland.

Leave a Reply to Aimee Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *