This pup, vet estimated at 5-6 months old, not chipped, showers up on Josh's doorstep this morning. Any thoughts on her breed? Josh will be going door to door Jess gets home this afternoon but I'm guessing dumped in the wilderness. And knowing Josh...

pit, maybe some catahoula and heeler.

Josh was thinking pit heeler mix, I was pondering some catahoula. I was hoping you would coming Jenn, you're more knowledgeable on these breeds than I.

He says she's really sweet.

My uncle always had Catahoulas. Strong dogs. If it's a Pit-Cat it will be a very strong dog, but a decent natured dog as long as not too much heeler. I hate heelers. Irritation of a breed that pester and go constantly. Cats are more mellow. Could be very good with kids and protecting kids if a Pit-Cat. May be less good with kids if there's much Heeler.

Wow - talk about bizarre coincidences. Josh and Jess got a call from Jess's mom. They had to put down there boy, Boots, today.He's been failing of late and was quite listless and unresponsive today. It was a surgery that would have left reduced quality of life or euth. She called to tell Jess - Jess found Boots as one of a litter of pups in the barn on the property where she was living late teens. All the others found homes except Boots and her Mom agreed to take him. He was a chow mix and did not get along with any other dogs (hence, the frequent visits here, from Archer.)

Welp - Jess's Mom said she was putting the crate (was Archer's, when Boots no longer needed his crate, they donated it to Ami, which Z'ev totally destroyed.) So Jess told her Mom she needed the crate, found a puppy and it was totally house trained. This is the conversation Jess had with her Mom


"No more dogs, no more dogs...you have to keep him until your father's birthday..." Apparantly all of her parent's dogs have been strays found by Jess...

Josh asked at the vet about chip and if he recognized the dog, has been trying to contact ASPCA and went around the neighborhood to see if anyone was missing a dog. No luck so far. I really believe the dog was dumped - he's out in the middle of nowhere, the dog has no chip, no collar, no tags. She also looks frightened. Josh said the brief time he was gone, looking for her owner, Jess reported the dog had some separtion anxiety. I've searched the various lost and found boards around here and nothing.

It's just so eerie that a puppy turned up on their porch just as Boots passed...

Some type of heeler mix. Common looking dog for around here

She is tiny! Smaller than when Josh first got Archer at 17 weeks. Nowhere near as sturdy as she looks in that picture. Very dainty paws, slim but clearly well fed. Built more like Doberman/Pointer but her face definitely has pitty proportions. And she has all but imprinted on Josh. He's trying to find her owners but nothing yet. The way she follows Josh around, I really don't think she's a wanderer so I rather believing she was dumped. And this is forecast to be a really cold weekend and this pup is NOT a double coated breed. She would not have survived long

Lot of bonding going on, too. Woke up to picture on my phone of puppy sleeping in Josh's lap. And - for the first time ever, Evelyn slept in her bedroom of her own choice: She wanted to sleep with "my puppy" whose crate was in her room...and, puppy doesn't yowl in the crate!

Hah. Josh just sent a video of Archer and pup playing in his fenced in garden. They were having a ball. She runs under Archer's legs, stops, then flips over Archer's back. Having a grand old time.

Josh says he's not keeping her.

That's what he says.

Being small and having that much agility more likely heeler. Catahoula are larger.

Watching her play is poetry in motion. Nobody in the area is missing her, they've been going door to door. Nothing from Humane Society, either. Josh is concluding they really can't keep her - their house is just shy of 1000 sf, with 2 kids, Archer at 66 pounds takes up all the leftover space on the living room floor plus the cat. Right now, looking like she might go to Jess's parents who just lost their old dog. Probably better for all - I find I'm at wit's end when just Archer comes over and I have 3 dogs for a few days. Ami stays outside for most of the day, Z'ev would like to but with the muzzle I don't like him out unless I can watch him but Archer? Ai yi yi. Archer is in/out in/out in/out ALL. DAY. LONG. He wants people company. And, even if there is plenty of clean water outside, he only drinks inside. And he gets thirsty.

Sigh. I wish I could keep an infinite number of dogs. She is so sweet, lovable. But I have to know my limits, psychologically, physically and economically. Adding Z'ev defined my limit - especially with 2 porcupine quill removals in one month last year! But - Inez and Bryan are lovely people, gentle and caring. If they take her, she will have a good home. And, she'll be able to romp with Archer as well, they visit frequently.

And.... She's in heat. Lovely. But she has a home. Going to the in-laws.

Hopefully the heat started after she was safely secured with Josh. Glad she has found a home and will be loved though. It's amazing how many good dogs are strays and dumps by people too wrapped up in themselves to know what they are throwing away.

Josh thinks her heat was just barely starting when she showed up on the door (maybe why she was dumped?) She is now wearing Josh's old boxers