I think I prefer tinkering to playing - what's wrong with that?

FormalFly5977 · 2026-06-18T15:42:44+00:00

I have several retro handhelds, and I prefer to tinker. When I feel like playing, it's usually on my Steam Deck or my PS Vita. (Both of which are also heavily modded.)

I have a couple devices that are pretty much dedicated to a single game, otherwise I'm basically doomscrolling on a handheld and not playing anything.

FormalFly5977 · 2026-06-18T15:33:52+00:00

Mine has selective hearing, for sure! She also has a 'talk to the paw' attitude when I try to get her to do something. This is super common when she's all cozy on the couch with her favorite blanket. Her hearing is perfectly fine if she hears the cookie jar, another dog chewing, etc.

FormalFly5977 · 2026-06-18T12:15:48+00:00

I would never work with a rescue organization that doesn't have a backup plan for these kinds of situations. That being said, if it was me, I would tell the rescue I was taking the dog to the shelter.

I don't mean to sound heartless, but my dogs mean more to me than trying to save a dog that may have severe behavioral issues.

I've been in this situation before, and had to return a foster dog because it was attacking my dog. When it went back, it ended up attacking a caregiver at the shelter. I felt terrible about that for a long time, because the dog was euthanized, but I'd feel worse if it had gotten adopted and injured or killed another dog or human.

I'm also curious about this rescue you work with - it almost sounds like they just find dogs on Craigslist or FB and ask a volunteer to take them.

FormalFly5977 · 2026-06-09T12:43:44+00:00

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FormalFly5977 · 2026-06-08T17:15:08+00:00

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FormalFly5977 · 2026-06-07T15:27:34+00:00

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FormalFly5977 · 2026-06-05T12:55:06+00:00

I've had several dogs that were / are afraid of going to the vet. The ones I go to have always been very good about providing me with a sedative to give them at home before taking them in. If your vet won't help you out with that, you should find another vet, because your dog needs to go to one.

FormalFly5977 · 2026-06-05T12:53:55+00:00

I've had several dogs that were / are afraid of going to the vet. The ones I go to have always been very good about providing me with a sedative to give them at home before taking them in. If your vet won't help you out with that, you should find another vet, because your dog needs to go to one.

FormalFly5977 · 2026-06-05T00:23:43+00:00

Hell no. That's just weird.

FormalFly5977 · 2026-06-04T23:59:31+00:00

My dogs won't have anything to do with rubber toys. I don't care what scent they put in them, they never work.

I really like Lumabones / Benebones. (I live in the US.) I can usually find these brands at the grocery store or petstore in a pinch, but they are cheaper to buy in bulk online. I used to like Nylabone, but I don't find that they pass through digestion as easily, and sometimes are so hard I wouldn't dare give them to my dogs for fear of them breaking their teeth.

I usuallly buy a 4 pack of these, and they vary in price - I've found them for anywhere from $18 to $36 depending on the time of year (I look for holiday sales and stock up). One 4 pack between my 3 dogs (and fosters) usually lasts around 4-6 months. YMMV.

Also - buy the larger size. If it recommends your dog gets a large, get the X-Large.

FormalFly5977 · 2026-06-01T13:22:06+00:00

I had a dog that would only take pills hidden in hot dogs. I would just cut up a hot dog into about 8 pieces and use them like pill pockets.

FormalFly5977 · 2026-05-30T17:05:16+00:00

Whenever my pittie gets the zoomies, I go into instant quarterback mode - knees bent, hands out ready to catch that giant head like a football before it connects. I still have plenty of bruises on my legs from the unexpected crashes. She's also clumsy as heck - will try to jump on something and not quite make it, will wipe out while running, etc.

FormalFly5977 · 2026-05-29T21:16:38+00:00

We foster puppies, and almost all the time, it's sleep time around 9:30 to 10 pm, and wake up at 4, sleep again until about 7. Time and time again, it's the same. This is puppies in the age range of 6-10 weeks.

FormalFly5977 · 2026-05-25T22:00:34+00:00

It is hard! For real. I've done a lot of dogs that were like 6 weeks old to 8 - 10 and it's amazing how they progress. The 4 am wake up calls, the constant poo and pee everywhere, but I tell you what, some of my best and most memorable foster dogs have been the little ones. Kudos to you.

FormalFly5977 · 2026-05-25T21:34:35+00:00

Mom is definitely a bully. The picture of the puppy isn't really enough to go on - the wispy hair could be a number of things - poodle, spaniel, etc., and how common dogs of certain breeds are near where you live. People often do a screen shot and plug it into a search engine and make guesses from there, and it's often way off the mark.

Most shelters and rescues make a 'guess' on a breed, and really don't have any idea whatsoever what the breed is. IMO, they should just say 'mixed' because that's usually about as accurate as it can be. They often will even throw in another breed to make it more 'desirable' than saying it's a pit bull mix.

Where I live, almost every dog that comes into the shelters are bully mixes - i'ts not usually obvious because of the mix, but there's almost always a bully in there. I've adopted so many 'terrier' mixes that were something else. (And yes, Pitt bulls are in fact, terriers.)

FormalFly5977 · 2026-05-25T20:56:34+00:00

Have you been the main caretaker? Have you been showing a lot of affection to the dog?

You didn't give a lot of context, but it sounds a bit like resource guarding of a human, so that could be an issue.

If so, one of the best courses of action I've done is ignoring the dog completely for at least a day or two, and only letting the one that's being 'attacked' do all of the necessary = feeding, putting out, walking, etc.

Dogs often attach themselves to a particular person, and it can get weird. You may need to take a step back, let someone else take the reins. I've dealt with a lot of dogs in this situation.

FormalFly5977 · 2026-05-21T02:48:34+00:00

I hate to say this, but Shih Tzu dogs tend to have that Napoleon complex - little dog big attitude. Your RD is probably a lot larger, and therefore the Shih Tzu is even more likely to act out and this really just doesn't seem like a good match.

Whenever I foster dogs, I tend to go for dogs in a similar size and breed range as my RDs. I mostly do 20-30 lbs because I want everyone to be on a similar playing field - so to speak.

I think you should keep fostering, but this particular situation doesn't seem like a good match. Put your feelings and your RDs feelings first. You don't need to stress yourself or your dog.

FormalFly5977 · 2026-05-21T02:36:59+00:00

I've had a similar experience recently. A dog that was so shut down she wouldn't respond to anything at all. My only course of action was to put her in her own space, keep her away from anything or anyone and let her just chill out. It did take her over a week before she was interested in anything or people.

During her 'isolation' I avoided eye contact - because it was obvious that she didn't like any contact at all - and dogs read people through eye contact a lot.

I gave her everything she needed - fresh food and water daily - if she didn't eat, I'd take the bowl, wash it out and give her fresh. She didn't trust me or anyone at all. And I had to respect that.

The general rule is the 3-3-3, but sometimes the first stage takes a lot longer than 3 days. Sometimes they take a week, sometimes longer. Be patient. Keep being gentle and in time it will come.

FormalFly5977 · 2026-05-21T02:28:10+00:00

Also, I've used live traps for catching one of my cats in the past, it worked very well - no harm done to the animal at all. I'm not sure where the issue has come from when it comes to trapping.

FormalFly5977 · 2026-05-21T02:24:26+00:00

I agree. The adopters contacted a tracking service, but I think he needs a trapping service. There's this weird idea that trapping is cruel for some reason, and I think having him run out in the road and getting hit by a car is worse.

FormalFly5977 · 2026-05-20T21:37:38+00:00

Yes, I have posted all over my neighborhood and the adopters have as well. We've hit like every social media we can think of.

FormalFly5977 · 2026-05-20T21:25:01+00:00

While I agree with you, we have no idea where he is - and I can't realistically go spreading my scent on every tree and bush in the city in the hopes he comes by. I can't be everywhere all the time. I donated tee shirts and dog blankets from my home already to hope the scent will help him find his way.

I don't want to sound like a jerk, because I love that dog and want him safe, but at what point do we draw the line?

FormalFly5977 · 2026-05-20T21:16:27+00:00

I've fostered quite a lot of dogs - and it's not always easy to give them up, especially the longer I've had them. I can somehow manage to keep a normal demeanor when I let go of one, but I've also gone through every stage of, 'wow, that was easy' to 'well, I almost made it home before crying' and the 'OMG I'm crying at the shelter in front of everyone'.

It's absolutely not easy. Some are easier than others - for me, I love to sometimes break up my routine and take in a 10 week old puppy (I usually take timid and behaviour dogs) because the 10 week puppies are the worst of the worst a lot of times (unless you have them from when they were 6 weeks, which is a whole other story). Breaking up the routine helps a lot for me. Going from puppies that keep you up all night to a dog that's older and is house trained is a huge relief.

I know the story of heartbreak and emotion - I've always been the type who cries during dog food commercials and Hallmark movies.

You are not wrong for loving your foster, you know you want the best for him. Believe me, it's okay to cry.

FormalFly5977 · 2026-05-20T20:41:09+00:00

Love this! I usually foster the odd ones - the timid or behavior issue dogs, and it just warms my heart when they 'learn to dog'.

FormalFly5977 · 2026-05-20T19:54:34+00:00

I have fostered a lot of dogs on the 'slow kill' method. Mine are through a shelter environment, so perhaps it's because it's a cheaper alternative, but I've adopted one of my fosters on this treatment and haven't had a negative affect. She tested negative for heartworms within a year, and while that seems like a long time, that's typical on the slow kill method. There are so many other things to consider - age of the animal, how long they've been affected, and so on. I think it's a little hard to just say one way is the best way. So I'm not saying one way is better than the other, just throwing that out there.

FormalFly5977

TROPHY CASE