Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 9:23 am Post subject: A nice non-problem, problem
It isn't a problem as such but a curiosity and I wondered if any experienced Lab owners have come across this.
4 Months ago we lost our beloved Black Lab Boycie. He was only 4 years old but had a heart valve problem from birth, which we didn't know about when we rescued him at the tender age of 5 months.
We swore to get another rescue dog as soon as we could and with so many being available we got Jiff within 2 weeks of Boycie's death.
I think, on reflection, this was possibly a mistake. We were absolutely devastated when Boycie died in his sleep one morning and probably should have taken a little more time before taking on another, but we thought at the time that we couldn't bear the thought of another dog, like Boycie, being in need of a loving home.
So we took on Jiff. I won't go into the details of his past as it is quite upsetting. He was an ex-drugs dog who had simply been abandoned.
Since we took him on 4 months ago he has had two very severe epileptic attacks, a tumour removed from his leg and other health issues addressed . We knew when we signed the papers that he had some health issues, but we weren't sure how severe. But then the whole point of rescuing a dog is that you provide a home to one that needs it.
He is gentle, loving, friendly and a complete wuss.
So this is the problem. He picks up personal items, such as clothing, socks, shoes and Wellingtons and takes them to his bed. Where he leaves them.
He doesn't chew them or damage them. This morning he picked one of my wife's gloves, put it in his bed, then went back for the other glove so there is now a pair of gloves in his bed!
I know he has developed separation anxiety with us and I thought maybe it could have been that. He isn't bothered that we take them back and I wondered if it was just a cheeky streak as he is building his confidence?
I have to keep my wool walking socks under lock and key otherwise Moss gets them. He's very gentle with them, but it's not fun putting on a sock filled with Moss drool....
To be honest - I'm just glad that he doesn't go for used pants as a lot of dogs seem to!!
And the other day I saw one of the kittens dragging my running trousers along the landing by the draw-string ribbon at the waist!
Nothing seems to stay where I leave it in this house!
I don't have any experience of this, but Jiff sounds like a real sweetheart.
He's certainly landed on his feet when he found you.
Would you have felt any different about Boycie had you waited? Probably not.
When we lost Murphy in October we were devastated but still wanted another dog for us and for Woody. Bella came to live with us in December, and we love her to bits. It doesn't change the way I feel about Murphy, I still cry for him most days.
Good luck with Jiff, hope you are able to sort his health problems.
____________ Diane, Woody and Bella (watched over by Murphy)
Loss leaves a heart-ache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.
I am so sorry you lost your boy. We to lost our boy, way too soon last year. At the time we said we would never own another. He used to take things of ours all the time to his bed or just carry them around. It was one of the many things that used to make us smile about him.
Three months on we adopted a rescue Lab, she is lovely and a total joy.
We will never forget our boy but home feels like home again.
I`m so sorry to hear about Boycie, remember though that you made those short 4 years very happy for him, he may not have had that had you not rescued him.
With Jiff, it sounds like a comfort thing to me, you say he`s had a bad past and was abandoned, its probably his way of trying to ensure he doesn`t get left again, the things he takes will have yours and your wife`s scent on and it helps to make him feel more secure.
Have you got something you don`t wear anymore, if so let him have it to keep, it may help him with his separation anxiety too, you can also help him with that by leaving him for just a few minutes and building up time over some days/weeks.
When you come back don`t make a big thing of saying hello to him, go about your business of putting shopping away etc, then say hello to him and give him a treat, he will learn that when you go out it doesn`t mean he`s never going to see you again, you will come back and sometimes with something special for him
Dylan does this all the time. He loves to steal anything he can get his paws on but never ever chews them just either hopes for us to chase him and have a game or if that is not forthcoming he lays down and cuddles them awwwwwwwww
So sorry you lost Boycie
But welcome to Jiff and so so well done to you for giving a rescue dog a loving home
So sorry that you lost Boycie so young. Sounds as though Jiff is very lucky to have found you.
We have multiple dogs and they leave such a massive hole when they go and my only comfort is having other dogs - if I were to lose an only dog, I'm certain I'd be adopting another rescue dog very soon, as you have.
Could be a comfort thing or it could be a Lab/dog thing? If he's not chewing them, that's a blessing, at least you will know where to look if things go missing You could move things out of his reach that you don't want him to have and as suggested give him something of yours that he can have, in case he is seeking reassurance/comfort. If he is feeling anxious, I'd recommend looking into a Thundershirt too, as they can be very beneficial for anxieties.
I hope all his health problems are behind him now and you have many years of happiness together
aww what a sweetheart Jiff is very lucky to have found you. I wouldn't be too worried about him 'collecting' things, Sam does that with some things and I just smile when I see him, from what I've read some dogs do this because they actually want to keep the item and the bed is theirs so taking things there is showing ownership, some do it because they are worried and want things that smell of their owners basically because these things make them feel safe, others do it simply because they like to gather things together and some do it because they have been rewarded in some way maybe just by attention of their owner who wants the item back. Unless he seems distressed I wouldn't worry about it just smile and at least you know he's good at tidying up and you'll be able to find anything that's gone missing. Sam had a phase of collecting my shoes if I dared to talk to someone for a long time on the phone - he would carefully, wagging his tail the whole time, come into the house open the cupboard door take a shoe run up the garden and put it under the apple tree come back in and repeat until he ran out of shoes! Cheers Sam! He will still fetch visitors shoes from the hall and come and put them in the lounge where we are makes it look like he's saying here's your shoes go away now!
I hope that he has a run of better health now he's settled with you and receiving good care and attention from both you and the Vets.
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I lost a BC in exact same way xxx
