Our son's dog, Kate B. left us in her 12th year. She slept at my feet on the corner of the bed for so long that I automatically bent my right leg to make room for her even after she was gone. I told my DH that we had to find another friend. He said we could not replace her. I told him that was true but a new little friend would help to fill the void she had left (I boohoo'd for what seemed like weeks...my son could not believe I took it so hard). Six weeks later Tess came into our lives, all 1 3/4 lbs of her and she has been the best dog of our 42 year marriage. She loves us both, loves to talk to our grown son on the phone...hates his 4 huge cats! We just took in 2 black feral kittens we found under our house. I thought Tess was going to disown us. LOL She loves to tattle on what they are up to and with those two they are ALWAYS up to something (what was I thinking!). The good Lord shared a wonderful friend like Tweed and surely HE will send you another that will help you during the trying times you are dealing with. Much love from Tess, YoYo, YaYa, DH and me (((hug))) Peggy

I have a few chickens (started with six, now down to two). One got attacked by a coyote several years ago (not killed) and had bite marks on her back and lots of missing feathers where the coyote grabbed her. She made it through the night, aborted eggs for a week, and gradually got better. So, your chicken will probably be fine if he's made it this far. Last summer I had to nurse one of the others back to health twice. I had to keep her in a box in the house to keep the others from picking on her. During that time, I fed her canned cat food to build her strength. Chickens love cat food, and it has lots of protein, so it's good for them. It's also easy to tell if they're eating it. So I suggest you put a can of cat food in the pen with Tommy. It might also be a good idea to get antibiotics for him. I got powdered antibiotic from our local feed store and mixed it into my chickens' water container. It was inexpensive, and I didn't have to take the chicken to the vet (most vets don't know very much about chickens anyway--mine didn't). You need to realize that unless you keep Tommy in a coop all the time, he will probably get hurt again. A free-range chicken is easy prey for many animals, such as raccoons, possums, hawks, cats, and dogs. (Three of my chickens were killed by coons, even though they are in a fenced enclosure.) It's not fair to your "pet" rooster to let your dog attack him or fight with him.

Thanks Trinigemini. I already do have her on some type of antibiotic (Nitrofurin). It's an antibiotic that she can take daily on a long-term basis, as per my vet. My vet has tried pulse antibiotic treatments, but that didn't work. This seems to work well, and I take her in every few months for bloodwork and urinalysis/culture. The main problem is that she has neurogenic bladder, and cannot urinate on her own (I have to manually express her bladder), and therefore she leaks when it "overflows", hence the incontinence. Also, even though I express her bladder very thoroughly (and 3-4 times a day), I was told that it will never be fully emptied, thus causing the urine left behind to become stagnant. That's what is causing the infections. Ugh....sorry that was so long!! Prairie Love, Yes, continued use of antibiotics (even low dose) is not good. I was told that the Nitrofurin is ok on a daily basis, at least for now. The alternative is kidney failure, if my dog continues to have constant UTI's. However, I have been giving her probiotics (Acidophilus) on a daily basis since she's started taking antibiotics. Thanks for the warning though...I will be seeing my vet next week and will ask him how much longer she will be on the Nitrofurin (that's some expensive stuff too!!! 77 bucks for a 2 month supply).

Melanie, follow your instincts. If this dog is too much for you, then talk to a rescue organization by all means. You have not failed this dog, this dog may have some big, BIG problems that you are not prepared to deal with. JRTs are a great breed, but there is a huge span of personality and temperement in the breed. I know first-hand, because I have had them for many years, but I had to give one up to Russell Rescue due to escalating, terrifyingly violent aggression against my other dogs (including her own mother.) It really came down to the commitment I had made to the oldest dog 12 years ago when I adopted her - I just could not allow the attacks to continue, because one of them was inevitably going to be fatal. We went the whole route when the problems began, from weekly visits from a dog trainer recommended by our vet for aggression problems (with much homework in between visits), to medication (which did not help), to dividing the house with baby gates - with the constant risk that one moment of inattention would launch another savage attack. At one point, the troublemaker was in her crate, and got herself so worked up into a rage that she got the OTHER TWO to start fighting on their own, just by watching her. It really was h*ll on earth for many months. It all came to a head one day when my boss took me into his office, shut the door, and said, "I'm really disappointed in your performance lately." I started crying, and it all came out - living in a war zone - the tension, the stress, the disturbed sleep, the fatigue, the arguments, the guilt, the fear, the disappointment, the injuries to the old dog (a trip to the emergency vet with a torn jugular once, a ripped eyelid another time.) My boss was really understanding, but it all suddenly became crystal-clear to me what this situation was doing to all of us, and I understood that it was time to move on. After much soul-searching, tears, and long talks with my wonderful vet, we were THIS close to putting her down (we had literally dug her grave anticipating taking her in to the vet the next morning), when Rescue called back on a Sunday night with a temporary placement, fully understanding all of the dog's problems. The Rescue people were absolutely terrific. The last I saw of my beloved pup (the dog whose birth I'd witnessed, the dog I thought I'd grow old with) was seeing her sitting on the Rescue person's lap exchanging kisses after a parking lot hand-off. Within a few weeks, they placed her with a family out of state who had experience with the breed, had lost their own aged JRT, had a fully JRT-proof backyard, and fully understood the behavioral problems. Last I heard it was working out great. Like Migo, mine was a fabulous buddy and just adored people, but could not tolerate another dog. Serious aggression between dogs is terrifying and unmistakable - it is NOT playing - not even aggressive playing. Your comment about your other dog screaming gave me chills - I remember that sound so well. Do what you have to do to protect all of the other animals to whom you have made a commitment, and do the best you can by Migo. You're not a failure - everything you've written shows that you are a sensitive and responsible dog-lover, and you need to be strong and do the right thing for everyone concerned. Best of luck, Susan