[QUOTE=Xyzzy;414747]We have a new intern here at the fantabulous mersenneforum.org headquarters.

We had not planned on hiring another dog, but one wandered aimlessly into our yard today and was in terrible need of employment. He was nearly starved but we see a lot of that around here in the land-of-no-leash-laws.

He has been extensively poked and prodded by our veterinarian and has been given a clean bill of health. He is severely underweight at 27 pounds but that is easily remedied. He is not picky about food at all!

The Troll children thus far have not had an allergic response to his fur, but we will monitor that situation very carefully. We are hopeful that the much higher efficiency filtration system here might help in that regard. The hovel we operated from previously was a hazardous waste nightmare.

:spot:[/QUOTE]

Looks really cute, in a people-friendly sort of way - now you just need to train him to wear goggles & scarf and ride in the sidecar of your motorbike. :P

We hope he proves a worthy successor to your dear departed previous hound dog.

[QUOTE=ewmayer;414757]Looks really cute, in a [B]people-friendly sort of way[/B] - now you just need to train him to wear goggles & scarf and ride in the sidecar of your motorbike. :P

We hope he proves a worthy successor to your dear departed previous hound dog.[/QUOTE]

Exactly! It certainly seems he has some socialization. Couldn't the trolls just wear respirators and take lots of Claritin®? :whistle:

Great to see he now lives somewhere where he will be well looked after. Clearly that wasn't the case before.

[QUOTE=kladner;414751]He must be bigger than I am picking up from the pictures if he is emaciated at 27 lbs. :sad:[/QUOTE]He isn't super big, but he wouldn't fit into a microwave, either.

We stayed home from school today since the medicine he was given has caused him to have some pretty intense gastrointestinal distress. We finally got a picture of him that shows his skeleton-like appearance. He looked worse yesterday. Since then he has eaten a lot!

The veterinarian was able to guess his age by his teeth. She thinks he is about seven months old.

:spot:

[QUOTE=Xyzzy;414841]He isn't super big, but he wouldn't fit into a microwave, either.

We stayed home from school today since the medicine he was given has caused him to have some pretty intense gastrointestinal distress. We finally got a picture of him that shows his skeleton-like appearance. He looked worse yesterday. Since then he has eaten a lot!

The veterinarian was able to guess his age by his teeth. She thinks he is about seven months old.

:spot:[/QUOTE]

Skinny, but looking at the rest of him - esp. the haunch & shoulder musculature - not direly so, as these things go. And his coat looks good. Another 5 lbs and he'll be right as rain, and he'll probably put that on in a mere week or two.

Does he goes walkies with you yet?

[QUOTE=Xyzzy;414841]He isn't super big, but he wouldn't fit into a microwave, either.

We stayed home from school today since the medicine he was given has caused him to have some pretty intense gastrointestinal distress. We finally got a picture of him that shows his skeleton-like appearance. He looked worse yesterday. Since then he has eaten a lot!

The veterinarian was able to guess his age by his teeth. She thinks he is about seven months old.

:spot:[/QUOTE]

I thought he looked fairly young. The previous photo of him sleeping is adorable.

How are the troll children doing? Any sniffles?

[QUOTE=ewmayer;414859]Does he goes walkies with you yet?[/QUOTE]Yes. We are just walking down the street for now.

[QUOTE=kladner;414876]How are the troll children doing? Any sniffles?[/QUOTE]We rarely see them but we assume they are fine, so far.

:mike:

Earlier today, the aimlessly-wandering-canine-in-need-of-employment was officially offered a position here at the fantabulous mersenneforum.org headquarters!

He accepted, which was very fortunate for us, because now he can work off his $500 medical bill.

Dog3 had some private parts removed this morning. We are not sure if he will miss them but we have been told that the procedure is a very responsible thing to do.

We do not know what forum task he will be assigned to do. Right now his only skill is retrieving a minute percentage of thrown tennis balls.

The Troll children are tolerating his presence suspiciously well. We presume they have been "borrowing" his dog food, because he hasn't gained any weight yet.

:spot:

[QUOTE=Xyzzy;417069].......

The Troll children are tolerating his presence suspiciously well. We presume they have been "borrowing" his dog food, because he hasn't gained any weight yet.

:spot:[/QUOTE]

Do you see him eat, but he's not gaining weight? How long have you been caring for him, now? I know you've had him to the vet.

I had experience with a puppy who was really small when my friend took him in, from a bad home with one of his sisters. He didn't get that much bigger, at first. But then he set course for something like 60-65 lbs. Did I mention that he was part lab and part pit? He had the loose skin and layered, near waterproof undercoat of a near-white lab, with a faint tan patch on his back. He had a red spot on the skin of his nose. When he started growing, he was incredibly strong. Walking him on a leash was real exercise.

Sadly, when I was no longer involved, Palomo first started going out under a chain link fence. When that was denied him by pinning down the edge, he went through it; forcing his nose through until he could put feet through and put those pit-bull shoulders to work. I saw the hole in the fence that had been laced back together. My friend got rid of him, probably to no place nice. It did not help that he refused to get "those private parts" removed. :sad:

[QUOTE=kladner;417091]Do you see him eat, but he's not gaining weight?[/QUOTE]We are watching now!

[quote]How long have you been caring for him, now?[/quote]Since the 15th.

:mike:

[QUOTE=Xyzzy;417120]We are watching now!

Since the 15th.

:mike:[/QUOTE]

Give him time. He may surprise you when he gets over having been starved and stunted. He still seems to move like a puppy, but that state might have been prolonged by malnourishment.