Hello from Coastal North Carolina

B

Blake

Forums Novice
I'm very happy to find this active site and to read all the great stories and glean such helpful information it's members share.
My name is Blake and my best friend is "Izzy" , my four year old Sheltie.
Without a doubt he is THE best dog I have ever owned.
Soon after Izzy came into our lives my wife Leigh, began her battle with Breast Cancer. In all the darkest months of our lives Izzy was a Godsend to me, helping me cope with my my fears, my sorrow and my months of taking care of my wonderful wife. What a difference he made.
I had often considered another Sheltie and now I have been learned a friend of a friend is looking for a home for their four year old male Sheltie. I so excited about the prospect but wanted ask for your comments on bringing him to our home. All info was positive in regard to his temperament, health and traits with the exception that he is a barker.
His current and life time owners both work and he has been subjected to crating during the work day. Fortunately, I am retired and will have plenty of time to work with him.
I would appreciate advise and thoughts on this topic and will look forward to hearing from.

Best of Holidays to you and yours,
Blake, Leigh and Izzy
 
Welcome to the group! I am also located in the coastal NC. I'm originally from Pittsburgh though so I'm thoroughly enjoying the whole no snow thing down here :biggrin2: You'll learn lots here. We also LOVE photos of shelties, so feel free to share photos of your gang :yes:. We're here to help you with any issues/questions you may have.
 
Blake, Izzy sounds like a gift from Heaven! Perhaps you can do a trial period, and if there is no problem (after a couple of weeks), then Izzy has a pal for life!

How is your dear wife Leigh doing now??
 
Welcome Blake, Leigh and Izzy to Sheltie Nation, one of the most fun, informative sites going. When you ask, there will be more help here than you will ever need. As for the barker, I think once you have this furbaby in your home, where Izzy will be a companion and you are home for most of the day, that will stop most (if not all) of the barking from the new family member. Kudo's to you for welcoming this new baby that sounds like a new home is exactly what the other Sheltie needs. Please keep us posted and, oh year, we love pictures.
 
Welcome...Blake, Leigh, Izzy and maybe a barker. :)

Shelties are indeed a very special breed and can bring us huge comfort when life is hard. Bless Izzy for his love and support during Leigh's fight with cancer.

Is your friend close enough that you could take Izzy to meet their little sheltie on neutral grounds and see how they react to each other? Often you will get the answer to "is this going to be a really good addition" from both dogs in question. Let them spend some time together since it can take more than just a few minutes to gage how they will react to each other. Some dogs take a while to accept a "newbie", others are instant friends...but that doesn't mean that the ones who seem hesitant initially won't end up being great pals given time. What I watch for most carefully is any sign of inter dog aggression.

As to the barking...that can go both ways. Your "maybe" new addition may quiet down considerably once he is getting the time, exercise and love needed for any dog to be well balanced and happy...but he may also teach Izzy to bark more. I have had it go either way over the years when a barker came into our family. And typically 2 dogs do tend to bark more than one. If one of mine barks at something, the others rush to join in...even if they have literally zero idea what the first one is barking at!

Let us know what you decide...sounds like you may have an exciting time ahead. :)

Trini
 
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