Sure. But I said if she's just going to be a pet.

^^This.^^ Is the breeder sending in the registration papers? If she's not, if I were you I'd file them away (or trash them) and save myself the registration fee. 'Cause if you're going to have her spayed and she's "just" going to be a pet there's no reason to spend the money, unless it means something to you to say "my dog is AKC registered."

I'm so sorry. Please try not to beat yourself up. Accidents happen to everyone.

Not really. The truly good breeders I know don't make very much at all. It's the puppy mills and back yard breeders who make money.

I don't think it's a bad thing at all if the chip is registered in both the breeder's name AND your name. Good breeders often do that as a backup. But if it were my dog I'd want my name to be the primary contact, and I would want to have complete control of the registration account with the chip company. If you don't want the breeder's name -- just have the vet insert a different chip. The vet will have them.

And I think that's a wise move for a rescue organization or a municipal shelter. But a breeder . . . I'm not so sure about it. Breeders move and die and lose records. They go on vacations and travel all over to dog shows/competitions and are subject to a host of other possibilities that could make it difficult or impossible to contact them quickly. I'd want to make sure any dog of mine was going to be easily traceable back to me, but especially so with a dog from a breeder versus a shelter or rescue group.

The last I talked to anyone in the know about that (which was at least a year ago), I was told that any scanner should indicate the presence of a chip, even if it can't be read by that particular scanner. I would think that most vets would have scanners that can read all chips, but there are so many chip manufacturers now, so . . ??? @sheryl -- Do make sure that the chip can be registered to you and not the breeder if at all possible. Personally, if the one she provided has to be registered to her, I'd pay for another one that could be registered with my own info. I suspect it's just a chip and that you'll register it yourself.

Our local forecaster here in inland NC says that Dorian has pretty much stalled over Grand Bahama Island. That means that the eye wall may re-form and that the storm may wobble. Even a little wobble can mean a shift in the storm's path that could be significant (for better or worse). Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for the entire SC coast.

One reporter said it may be Wednesday or even later before we hear much from them again, since Dorian is moving so slowly. They're going to get pounded for an extended period of time.

I'm in NC, and not in a rural area, and the Walmarts nearest me almost always have the waterproof muck type boots available. But @Lanny -- I wouldn't worry too much about waterproof boots until winter. It's warm enough here that wet feet aren't a huge problem unless she really doesn't like getting her feet wet! DS23 graduated from UNC last year. It's not unusual for them to have various adverse weather events throughout the year that result in canceled classes and reduced hours at the dining halls. But assuming that she's in one of the regular freshman dorms -- they do seem to try to keep the Chase Dining Hall (formerly called Rams Head) open as much as possible, since it's closest to the freshman dorms (and those kids are farther away from the restaurants on Franklin Street and probably overall have fewer options than upper class students).

I agree with Bill -- you aren't taking her out anywhere near enough, especially since it's her first day! People drop their jaw at the advice, but Bill's absolutely right--every 20 minutes or so is what you should be shooting for. With the exception of prior to medical procedures I am not a fan or believer of restricting water intake, ever. I've never found it the least bit necessary.

We’ve had YouTubeTV for about a year and a half and have been very pleased. But we do have very good, high speed internet service through AT&T. It occasionally buffers but not enough to be a big deal.

They all certainly make noise, but how much depends a lot on the brand. Honda generators are well known for being much quieter, but they cost considerably more than most of the much louder gennies. There's a mobile groomer who does two of our neighbors' dogs and her unit has the quietest RV generator I've ever (barely) heard. You have to literally be right beside the vehicle to be able to hear it running.

Also, water heaters can be a source of fresh water. You can hook a hose up to one and drain water out. Just remember to throw the breaker first, to ensure it doesn't get power before it has a chance to refill with water.

I'm a mostly-vegetarian, and I don't remember the last time I ate fried chicken (years and years and years). And I think that's what the poll is about. But I did have a Bojangles grilled chicken sandwich last year and it was far and away the best fast food grilled chicken sandwich I've ever had. I also like Bojangles 'cause I can make a veggie meal with their sides.

Yes. And it's perfectly okay to pick something (or stick with what the breeder is feeding) for now and change it in a few weeks or months. Unless your puppy has a really sensitive stomach you can change food anytime you want and as often as you want. In fact, I totally agree with "C" -- there are some solid reasons for rotating between several foods. When I'm feeding commercial foods that's exactly what I do.

Same here. My boys know of a couple of families with six kids and one with seven, but they don't know any of those very well. More than three is unusual in our circles.

With the DCM issue, though -- some pet owners are (rightfully, IMO) more interested in nutrient profiles than in a simple reading of ingredients lists. (FWIW, I'm not arguing for or against either "side" of this issue. Just presenting things to consider, which IMO should be way more than ingredients lists. My personal criteria includes how much research goes into the formulation of the food, the manufacturer history--how many recalls have they had and how serious (IMO) those recalls were, do they own their manufacturing facility or contract it out to a third party, etc.).

They do have a breeder program, but my understanding is you have to buy quite a lot of it to make much of a difference. Plus I don't know if it's still true or not, but several of the boutique foods used to have similar rewards programs (even regular pet owners could participate).

I'm guessing you haven't paid any attention to the price of RC?? That stuff isn't inexpensive by any stretch of the imagination. Many of the "boutique" foods are less expensive. A quick Google search shows me that I could get Fromm for less per pound than RC. So I doubt cost is the breeder's reason for using it.

@sheryl -- Dog food is a minefield. Everyone has an opinion. That doesn't mean they're right, or that their criteria for what constitutes a "good' food is the same as yours or mine. That's one reason why more often than not I don't give food recommendations. Also, over the years I've found that most pet store employees tend to think they know way more than they do. I would never consider a pet store employee a legitimate source of information or recommendation! You might want to ask your breeder WHY she/he uses RC. I suspect she/he has more reason than just cost. And if you trust this person to be selling you a healthy puppy . . . why would you doubt their choice of food?

I've always had polyps removed when I had a colonoscopy, and I've never been charged because of them. There is a pathology charge. I have no idea if a colonoscopy w/o polyps has that or not.

As far as I know DS20 has never had a drink and doesn't plan to. He's on a medication that makes it unwise, plus I think his Aspie brain decided years ago that alcohol is something he wouldn't do, and that was that. DH isn't a drinker. I wasn't, except on my dentist's advice I did very briefly try a nightly glass of wine to prevent teeth clenching a few years ago. It didn't last long. Neither DH nor I have any moral issues with drinking responsibly, and DS23 does drink and we're okay with it. I simply don't want to drink my calories and don't particularly enjoy the taste of alcohol, and DH is a bit of a control freak and doesn't enjoy the taste. So maybe DS20 got it from us and maybe it's his own thing. But . . . it's unlikely he'd ever be found on a Christian college campus. He's at least an agnostic, and perhaps an atheist. @MissLemon -- I suspect the label of agnostic fits both DH and I the best, too (although DH may be more atheist) but for us that has nothing to do with drinking or not, no more so than it has anything to do with us choosing to be kind, moral, law abiding people.

I'd try a simple step-in harness, something like this, and see how he reacts. I'd look for the lightest weight one I could find that I thought might work. Or you could try a Martingale type collar, which is harder to slip out of than a buckle collar. But if he were mine, and walks were in a busy city environment . . .I'd feel better with him in a harness. But I prefer harnesses for almost all dogs and situations, so that may just be my bias there. He's a cutie!

I'm so very sorry.