Wendy, natural eared girl with Illinois Doberman Rescue

This is Wendy! She's a nine month old, natural eared, docked black and tan girl in Illinois Doberman Rescue.

(photo from Illinois Doberman Rescue)

UPDATED: Daisy WAS ADOPTED!! through DOBER, inc.

This is Daisy. She's in a foster home and available for adoption through DOBER, inc (Dreaming of Better Endings Rescue).

(picture from Dober,Inc Petfinder listing)

She's a natural eared fawn girl with a docked tail. Daisy is 11 months old, housebroken and crate trained, according to her foster mom. 

Special Needs Dobermans senior of the week: Spike

Spike is Special Needs Dobermans' Senior of the Week. I saw his picture on Facebook and...look at that face!

Some adoptable Dobers at Doberman Rescue Unlimited! Skye and Cedar

This is Skye. She's a natural eared, docked tailed, three year old fawn and rust girl at Doberman Rescue Unlimited.  Skye's original owner seemed to want her for breeding, but surrendered her to DRU after she had a litter of puppies and developed mastitis. Sky has had a lot of confidence building at DRU, but will need a supportive home which knows how to set her up to succeed!

Cedar is a 5 year old red and rust cropped and docked boy. He has played well with some female dogs, but according to DRU, he's particular about the dogs he will accept. He had a TPLO procedure done for a torn cruciate ligament in one of his legs, and receives medication for hypothyroidism. He also has the same "head bobbing" that Elka sometimes does. He's unsure about things like fireworks and thunderstorms, but a Thundershirt helps him out. 

If you're interested in one of these Doberman Rescue Unlimited dogs, you can read about their adoption procedure here. You can also see what other Dobermans they have for adoption here.

The Cropping and Docking topic rears its head again

Dogster.com had an article this week, written by Annie Phenix of "Ask the Trainer" columnship, on her stance of cropping and docking. She seems to be of the opinion that it causes behavioral, emotional, and social problems for dogs, which is an interesting topic, to be sure, though not one any actual scientific research has been done on (that I know of; the body of research I have at my fingertips could be considered limited. I'd love to read it if such studies have been done and published!)

However, she also opens the article with the obviously-meant-to-be-facetious comparison that she wanted her (grown) German Shepherd to "look more tough", so decided to dock and crop the (adult) dog. This is simply not done. A tail dock at an adult age is a full on amputation, and that dog will miss his or her tail. A tail dock done to a puppy is minimal, done at 3ish days before the bones have ossified, and with appropriate pain management and anesthetic. Ears must be cropped prior to 12 weeks, or you'll end up with a crop and flop, so might as well have gone natural anyway. I also found the article to be rather anthropomorphic, but as I attribute thoughts and feelings to Elka all the time, I don't really want to be a hypocrite. Just thought I'd mention.

Cheyenne, in Texas, looking for a home

This pretty girl is Cheyenne, though I guess her original name was "Soda", because she knows that one. Either name is kind of fun, isn't it?

(picture from Last Hope Doberman Rescue Facebook page)

Cheyenne is 3 1/2, and is currently in Texas with Doberman Rescue North Texas. She has natural ears and a docked tail. Cheyenne can be shy, but it sweet with people, and jogs well on a leash. She would do best in an only dog home. You can read more about her on the Doberman Rescue North Texas web site, under available Dobermans, or view her Petango page here.

(picture from Doberman Rescue North Texas)

If you are interested in adopting Cheyenne, or any of the available Dobermans through Doberman Rescue North Texas, you can view their online adoption application here, and view their adoption contract here. If you have any questions about Doberman Rescue North Texas, you can see a phone number and other information on their Contact Us page.

Blitz, with Distinguished Doberman Rescue, in Parsipanny NJ

Blitz is an adorable red boy who was pulled from a shelter in Georgia by DAN into a foster with Distinguished Doberman Rescue. He's 10 months old, natural eared, and with a docked tail.

(picture from DDR, inc web site)

His Distinguished Doberman Rescue foster mama says Blitz is:

Good with other dogs
Will do best with children over 10
Cats unknown

A family with good Doberman skills is preferred, somebody who can set rules and boundaries, and teach Blitz all of what life has to offer. At 10 months, he's sure to be a handful (what puppy isn't, really?) but also at that age where he can just learn so much.

If you or somebody you know is interested in adopting Blitz and feels they meet these criteria, here is the link to DDR, inc's application process.