WINSTON'S very sad day
We have removed carpet, changed pet food, shaved him and bathed him, but alas....it is indeed the dog himself. Its with a very sad and heavy heart that I am looking to place him. It's just too much now that i know for sure that he's allergic to the dog and not any other factors. I admit i was in denial for the better part of the year. I kept thinking that if i cleaned more, spent more on filtration, etc. then we could manage it. But my son is almost 5 and the difference between being out of the house and away from Winston, verses in the house with him is confirmed. Its the dog. We are heartbroken, but its turned into a full on panic, as i didn't ever realize that it would be this hard to find a loving responsible home for him. He's a great dog, and handsome. Everyone loves him and talks to us when we are out walking. I thought we would be able to get a neighbor to take him on, but suddenly i feel like i am standing out on the street waiting for the tumble weeds to blow through. Help! I don't want to take him to the shelter, and i am reluctant to put an advert in the paper for fear he'll end up fight bait. My vet offered to take him on, but the man (god bless him) has 17 homeless dogs on his farm. Plus, Win-dog is just a big 85 # baby. He'll be 2 on Halloween, lives in the house with us and our 3 kids. ( I don't have a fenced yard, so we walk him several times a day.) So, here are the details: Neutered male, purebred but unregistered. Current on all shots and heartworm tests/treatment, excellent health. Blue eye/brown eye, nicely blued all along his back, white face. (He's a handsome bugger.) Very eager to please. He's been to puppy school, but he is still very high energy as i think he's still in puppy mode. He doesn't like grooming too much, but i have never taken it on myself, he goes to the groomer. (I'm a weenie, don't have the patience for it, or a grooming table.) So, anyone know of a possible placement in or around Indianapolis? andee26 |
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| Andee... If he doesn't like grooming, is he in good shape? Also, how is he with other dogs and/or cats? Its really sad that you have to give him up. |
| I'm SOO sorry you're going through this. All the problems followed by this heartbreak, it's almost more than I can bear to think about.
We'll help you get your boy into a good situation. Have you contacted any rescue programs yet? NOT a shelter, but an Old English Sheepdog Rescue? OES Rescues operate on the following premise: "This time, it's all about the dog." That means that sometimes prospective owners get turned down (and angry) because they aren't allowed to adopt an OES. It is sad, but "this time it is all about the dog." We have a list of rescues here on the site: http://www.oes.org/html/oes_rescue.shtml The contact for Indiana is a member here as well. With just the smallest hint of your patience, we'll get him into the best possible situation; a family pre-screened for an OES, and we can be here to help with any advice as well. |
| That is so sad -- but don't worry! You will be able to find a great home for him. There are many sheepdog rescue organizations that can help. The largest is New England OES Rescue (www.neoesr.org) but despite the name, its reach is not limited to New England. And one of the forum members, Nita, handles rescue cases in Indiana. I expect she will see your post and will have good information to help you.
Please do register on the forum. It is free and easy and that way, people will be able to contact you through private messaging or email. I know this is a hard decision but, with help, you are going to be able to find a wonderful home for Winston. Both of my dogs are from rescue and I feel really lucky to have them. Best wishes, Val |
| Nita, the Ind. rescue person is wonderful! She'll help you termendously, and will find the bestest home possible for Winston! |
 <---wondering if she can talk Tony into another sheepie!> |
| Oh, wow....I'm so tempted. We got Harley from rescue a couple of months ago, and we've been wanting a playmate now that things are finally settling down....I'll have to talk to my husband, and we don't want to take on too much (getting two dogs so close together) but we'll think about it.
However, what was suggested above about rescue is a great idea-- Nita is super-nice, and very helpful. We ended up getting Harley from Chicagoland rescue, not from IN rescue, but Nita has been there to help every step of the way. I'll email her the link to this thread so she can take a look. We live in Lafayette, IN. If it's an immediate problem, and you need to get him out of the house ASAP because of your little boy's allergies, then we can foster (Nita has one rescue, Jack, right now, but we've talked about helping with foster or transport before). Anyhow, Nita would definitely be the best person to go through-- she's close enough, Greensburg, IN (about 1 hour from Indy), and she's a great person-- she'll find a wonderful home for your dog, and find someone to take great care of him in the meantime. How does he do with other dogs and/or cats? |
I emailed Nita about your post in case you wanted to talk to her. I just wanted to also tell you how sorry I am you have to give up your dog. Your poor little boy is probably heartbroken as well.  Hopefully Winston can go to a home near enough that you can visit if you'd like. Good luck to you and Winston in whatever you decide to do! |
| That would be great if Harley got a buddy!!! |
| Hi all! thanks for getting back to me so soon. I am definately waiting to hear from Nita, and no, Lafayette is not a problem, as we are in Hamilton County about 50 minutes down the road.
As far as Winston goes....he loves our cat Lego. He's social with other dogs at the park, but he's not an alpha dog, IMHO. He did very well at puppy school as far as the socialization goes. He allows whomever has the leash to be 'lead dog,' although, when i was pregnant, he did try and walk me a couple of times. ha ha! Incidentally, Lego is going too, but he practically lives at our neighbors house already. They have a 9 year old girl who thinks he's beautiful, so thats a resolved issue. Someone asked about grooming,...he is in great shape. He is currently shaved, due to trying to control the hair issue, in hopes that it would help with my son. But in the end i think i heard its not so much the hair, as the dander. Winston has great skin, never had any of those issues that i know some sheepies can have. No fleas or anything like that. The deal with Winston and brushing is that he is a bugger for stiff brushing. If it pulls too much, he gets rowdy, so I think it was more a case of me learning how to brush him out in a way that he could tolerate. He has had a couple of run ins with groomers that didn't have a clue about sheepdogs, and one other time i had to shave him as he bacame matted after a bath before being properly brushed out. During my pregnancy i got a little lazy with brushing him....i just couldn't do it when i was so huge. But he requires at least 2 or 3 good brushes a week when he is a long hair or it turns into an unbearable chore. OK, also, I am andee26 as well as andeeb. I tried to log in after i registered and it wasn't working. all seems good now though. thanks again to everyone who is responding. andee26 |
| If your son is also allergic to Lego, could it be that that's the ONLY allergy causer in your home? Have you tried your son being in the house with Winston but not Lego?
Just a thought . . . |
Drezzie's Mom wrote: If your son is also allergic to Lego, could it be that that's the ONLY allergy causer in your home? Have you tried your son being in the house with Winston but not Lego?
Just a thought . . . Yes that might be it....my daughter is allergic to cats. but she is not allergic to our four dogs.....Have you had your son tested by an allergist? It might be worth a try after kitty Lego goes to his new home. I know how difficult this must be for you, its obvious by your posts that Winston is a very much loved and cared for member of your family. All the best..... |
| My sister is very allergic to cats and pretty allergic to shedding dogs, but we have always had OES and they never bothered her. When she was young they did an allergy test to isolate what bothered her. It is a great test because you know exactly what you need to avoid. |
WizardMerlin wrote: Yes that might be it....my daughter is allergic to cats. but she is not allergic to our four dogs.....Have you had your son tested by an allergist? It might be worth a try after kitty Lego goes to his new home.
I know how difficult this must be for you, its obvious by your posts that Winston is a very much loved and cared for member of your family. All the best..... If you haven't had your son tested by an allergist, I would highly recommend you do so before making any decisions on Winston. Test for cat, dog, bunny, etc. It's very possible he is allergic to the cat and not Winston, and seeing how your son is when the cat is gone may not be enough as cat dander gets everywhere and will linger. 2 reasons I think he might not actually be allergic to Winston: My husband is allergic to cats, dogs, bunnies, everything. He is severely allergic to certain breeds of dogs such as german shepherds. He is even allergic to poodles, wheaten terriers and all the other "hypo-allergenic" breeds, but he is not allergic to Old English Sheepdogs, not at all. He even does most of Barkley's grooming! So far the only other breed we've found he's not allergic to is the Briard. Best friend's husband: also very allergic to cats, dogs, bunnies, everything. He also has had no allergic reaction our sheepdog after spending quite a few hours with him. Your son could even test positive for dog at the allergist, but not be allergic to OES. I doubt the allergist uses OES dander.  Something to think about. It's obvious you love Winston very much. |
| See! I have been saying this as well. Here's the whole story. I selected this breed for just that reason. Paddy (my kid) has that very scary peanut/tree nut anaphylaxis reaction....and the first time we ended up in the ER and he was a few minutes from having to go on a ventilator. His airway completely closed for nearly a minute, while they were trying to entubate him. Suddenly, the medication took effect and it opened up and he was ok. We stayed over night and had a blood test done the next week.
Then...the dog. OK. I did my research and found all of what your saying to be true. We checked out the breeder to make sure his bloodlines were truly 100% sheepdog. No funky blend in the mix that may cause him to be allergic. He is the real McCoy. But then we started feeding him after he got home. Well, come to find out, almost all dog food, even the very good ones, have an ingredient listed as 'hydrolized plant protein' which 95% of the time is peanut protein or peanut hulls. Sometimes its soy, but not usually. Well, i went to my allergist after Paddy was just hugging the dog and broke out in these horrendous weals/hives. I rushed him into the tub and slathered him with benadryl, as well as an oral dose. He took a nap and woke up fine. On the allergists advice, we changed dog food to a nut free (and very expensive i think) brand of dog food, got him off the science diet and iams that I had been feeding him, and it seemed to stop happening as often. Basically, the 'hi-pro' factor that is advertised by some dog food manufacturers is exuded in the skin, which helps the dog and his coat, but can be disasterous for nut allergy sufferers. I thought i had the problems solved. Now, mind you, Paddy will 'bloom' sometimes for no appearent reason. So, after my in-laws were here just recently, badgering me about the dog, i reluctantly took him in for the horror of all allergy tests....skin pricks. We had done blood tests (RAST), patch tests on his back, and brush tests on his arms all to avoid this one thing. In the end, it was the identifier that we needed. We also found out about some tree pollens, and some spore sensativity, which in my opinion is probably coming in on the dog. I still think this is the case as we have shaved Winston and it seems to be alot better. He has never been allowed in the boys room at night, he's kenneled downstairs. But Paddy still suffers. He's been on playdates w/ a golden retriever and had full blown asthma attacks, so I do really think you're right. Its just uncomfortable enough for him, that he will go upstairs if Winston is out and about downstairs with us. He goes upstairs with his ribbon and sucks his thumb and says he doesn't want to play if Winston is out. I don't know if he is associating what he has heard the doctor saying, definately the grandparents have had an opinion about this...and on and on. But the reality is, I cannot keep whatever allergens, be it the dog or something from outside, out of my house if he stays. Paddy is actually ok with it. It's my 8 year old that is coming to pieces. Lego, (my bad ass cat) has lived outdoors and at the neighbors (during weather) for several months now. We just made it official recently, and it hasn't made much of a diff. He hung out mostly in the workshop with my husband, close to the cat flap, because we knew early on that Lego is really a ferocious wild beastie of a cat that likes to eat birds and chipmunks. (he's really a big sweetie tom, but he likes to think he's a bad ass.) He's very happy at Analeisa's house, and has been for a while. Anyway, this is probably more than you ever wanted to know about my little life...thanks for the input though. |
| Wow, your son has been through so much for only being 5 years old.
Thank you very much for sharing your story. I will have to check our dog food label very carefully when I get home. I have a neice with a peanut allergy who is near Barkley and his food when we have family get-togethers. |
| I know exactly what you are going thru, that same daughter I was talking about with the cat allergies also has the peanut/nut allergy. Never have we had a problem with the dogs or their food. I do however carefully read every ingredient in the food that comes into our home. Right now we have a puppy and feed Iams Smart puppy and there is no hydrolized plant protein in that food. But I do think the ingredients differ with the same brands in Canada and the US.
Every person with the same allergies will react differently and you know your son and his situation best. I truly think you really have done everything to keep your Winston and I am sure someone here will give him a great home. I am sorry you have to go thru this. You are a good mom, what kind of life is it for your little boy to want to sit in his room to avoid the dog.....you are doing the best thing for both Paddy and Winston. Hugs, |
| Wow, Andee, what an ordeal you and Paddy have been through!! Of course, Paddy has to come first. Will keep you in my thoughts. |
| That sounds just terrible for your little boy-- and he has to be your FIRST priority.
I've been talking with Nita as well, and a lot of the questions I asked her (how he gets along with cats, etc.) you answered in your post, so thanks! If everything works out, I think we will end up being the foster family until he gets a forever home. As much as we'd love to keep him, I don't know if it's the best idea for us right now, but we'd love to have him on a temporary basis, and we'll just try it out and see how it goes-- you never know.
I just wanted to tell you that if Winston does end up going into rescue and if we are the foster family (nothing's been permanently decided yet), you're welcome to come visit him anytime. I'm a teacher, and I have the summers off (this week is my last in school), so Winston will have plenty of company and playtime. We told Harley about it, and he's really excited to meet Winston. We've had Harley in obedience classes, and he just LOVES to play with other dogs. His best buddy right now is a mini schnauzer. At home Harley play-bows to the cats, but they never want to play, and he gets disappointed, poor boy, so we're all really excited about possibly having a friend over to stay.
I know this must be a really difficult decision for you-- you've obviously tried all you can to keep him. At least if we do end up fostering him, you can bring your 8 year old up to see him if you'd like-- it may cheer him or her up to see him playing with Harley and having so much fun. |
| What a tough situation! There are dog allergies in my family (hubby, one son) and so when I chose the breed of dog I wanted, I was looking for a low shed dog without dander problems (and this has definitely been the case with all 4 of my OES, although since joining this forum I keep reading about bad skin problems with OES. However, I'm not telling my dogs about them, and so, hopefully, we will continue without), as well as being an excellent family dog and one who wasn't too small (hah! I didn't want little, and what I got was giants) to get stepped on. I know how much regard poodle fans have for that breed, but I find them unappealing--an OES seemed perfect for our allergic household.
And it has been, absolutely. However, no one has peanut allergies, thankfully. I know how dangerous those are and I don't blame you for your decision to re-home your Winston. I have read of wonderful things happening through OES rescues. It is important to use an OES rescue as they are most familiar with breed traits and behaviors and have vast experience with what constitutes a good fit. I am sorry for your family that you have to give up your pets, but of course, your son's health comes first. |
| Oh - I hope a sweet family can be placed with your sweet boy. You definitely gone through a lot. |
| So, anyone know of a possible placement in or around Indianapolis?
I wish I was ready for another adoption, he sounds perfect for me. |
| Hi,
It's a terrible situation your in... we too suffer from many allergies, but fortunately not to dogs! I'm located in a burb west of chicago, and would be interested in meeting him. We are currently owned by a very playful, 3 yr. old neutered male. Michelle |
| How sad for your family . I hope you can find him a great home and you will be able to visit him if you want to. Good luck! |
| What's going on with Winston now? Have you contacted rescue? Are you still looking for a new home for him? |
| Hi to all, thanks for your kind words and thoughts. I have been in contact with the OES rescue for my area, and it looks like we have a situation for him in a town about an hour north of here....(Yeah Tara!)
So, Tara! I look forward to firming up details with you. I gotta tell you....if it ever is not working out, I would have him back. After talking to Nita, i think your in the same mindset. I just couldn't bear it if i thought anything bad was gonna happen to this dog. Connor, my 8 year old, is pretty convinced that Winston needs a playmate, since Paddy is home all day with him 'and really doesn't like him because of his (Paddy's) skin.' My husband on the other hand, is near tears. He took Win out on a long run yesterday at the park, (before the weather got crappy) and, well, he took some tissue. So much for his British Stiff Upper Lip. 
I feel like that evil parent in Ol' yeller. It just amazes me that we form such bonds with our animals. He really is part of the household, and even though the house will be cleaner, it still won't feel the same coming home to a quiet, empty house. Granted, with 3 small children, there is always a din.... But I'll hear it. I'll post how it goes when we do the transfer. andee26 |
| Andee-- in case you're reading this, Winston is doing GREAT! He and Harley are buds already. When we first introduced them, there were a couple little growls, but we took them on a walk together to bond, gave them some more sniffing time, and they've been playing most of the afternoon. Now they're all pooped out and napping right next to each other.
My husband gave Winston a quick bath, and Harley kept trying to jump in the tub with him. He did really well with the bath, and I'll email you more details tonight and let you know how he eats and stuff.
Try not to worry-- I know it's tough to let a dog go, but he seems to be doing very well so far, and I think he's enjoying being with Harley. (I know Harley's having a ball with him!) |
| Oh Tara! (I write the following with mixed emotions). I'm so glad the Winston and Harley are doing great! Dogs need brothers and/or sisters!!! The reason I said mixed emotions, Tony and I had talked about taking Winston, but I'm so glad he has a happy place, and really glad Harley has new best friends. Hugs and belly rubs all around!!!  |
| Thanks so much to Tara and Derek who have eagerly agreed to foster Winston for the Indiana-Midwest OES Rescue. Sounds like Harley and Winston are doing fine.
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Sounds like a good match to me.  |
| HI, just new to the forum and seen your dilema about Winston...have you found him a home yet?? We're in Michigan and looking for an OES to give a good home to. Abbey's Mom |
| Hi Abbey's Mom,
Winston was adopted on Mother's Day by an OES-experienced woman in Michigan.  Here's what she had to say about Winston's first days with her:
Nita, Thanks for checking up on Winston. Each day gets a little bit better. It takes time for a new member to get used to a new schedule and new brothers and sisters. Winston loves his new backyard and is enjoying all the new smells. I have been walking him in the am in the baseball fields by my house which are enclosed and I am able to take him off his leash. I have found it to be a great way to wear them out. Butch, being a senior, can only tolerate so much playtime but Winston seems to understand. I only have to crate Winston when I'm at work right now I have been leaving him out at night and hes fine. Butch is on the bed with me and Winston has moved in to Butchie's bed. The only problem I'm having is with the cats. He will not leave them alone. I know in time this also will change. Thanks, Janet Many thanks to Tara and Derek (kdtara84) for transporting and doing a great job of fostering Winston and to Jill (ButtersStotch) for going out of her way to do the home visit so quickly. Thanks to Janet for continuing to love  Winston as much as he was accustomed to. Hugs to Andee and her family  for trusting us to place Winston in a deserving home. 
Nita |
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