Black & Rust Male out of Scarlett's 1st Litter (Born October 2, 2005 -- Owned by the Adams)
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Dillon went to live with with Doug, Stephanie
and their family in Mankato, Minnesota.
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6 week old pictures
This rope bone has quickly become his favorite toy.
4 weeks old
3 weeks old
Below are the email exchanges we had. These are listed newest at top to oldest at bottom. You may want to start at the bottom and work your way up.
November 29, 2005 -
"Dear Laura,
Sorry I haven't written sooner. Everything is going well. We are getting more into a routine. A couple nights over the weekend I slept with Dillon in the living room recliner. We are working harder on the kennel overnight though and he is doing pretty well. (I'm sorry, but we chose not to
invite him into our bed.)
He doesn't like the cold outdoors much though. We had a couple warmer days over the weekend (in the 40's) so he got more outdoor walks then. Last night though it snowed a couple inches and the wind is howling. Dillon does not like the snow. He especially doesn't like going potty in the snow!
Our Jordan, the elderly dog in the house, is not real fond of Dillon yet. He tries to run away from Dillon and Dillon thinks he is playing! So back and forth in the kitchen they go! The cats aren't real excited about his presence either. Poor Dillon can't figure out why they don't want to play with him!! It is an adjustment for all!
But he is still a doll and we love him! Dillon does have one mark on the top of his head though. It wasn't real noticeable until the second day we had him but it still hasn't gone away. It looks like a scab, but since it hasn't gone away, we aren't sure. Do you remember anything on the top of his head? We will have the vet check it out, too. So rest assured, we are all doing well!
Stephanie"
RESPONSE:
"Thanks for emailing me!! I am laughing about the snow. Is he getting more use to it? I can't blame him. We lived in Ohio for 1-1/2 years (2 full winters) and I got to where I hated that white stuff! It is pretty .. but impractical. You are probably fine with it but aside from the 1-1/2 years we were there, I have lived in Texas my whole life. And, in the part of Texas I am from, not much snow!
I can't recall anything noticable on the top of his head. Sometimes they get an occasional bump, seems to me like a blemish. Has it gotten any better? Or, has the vet been able to see it? Well, I hope everything continues to get better for you.
Take care,
Laura"
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"What are we doing wrong? He will not stay quietly in his crate. A little while after Lindsey and I left this morning, when he should have been tired, Doug put him in his crate only to have him cry and cry. He is tired but will only sleep on our laps. Doug had instructed all of us not to hold him in our laps while we were sitting on the furniture so he doesn't think it is okay when he is bigger...but where was he at 9:52 this morning? On Doug's lap in the rocking recliner!!!!
Is it just because he is lonely and misses his mom and siblings you think? Or is he trying to train US?!!? Any hints for us? They would be most appreciated!"
Stephanie
RESPONSE:
"Stephanie,
I am sorry you all are having such a hard time! Honestly, I feel it is fine to hold him right now -- wherever you are! This is probably necessary for you all to bond with him. And, to help you get some sleep tonight, you might let him sleep with you. When Scarlett was a pup, I would put a small leash (anything around her neck) and had it attached to my wrist. This way she was completely happy -- she at that age .. around the place she always knew and us and mom .. would have fits when I started putting her in the crate. She was lonely.
The leash on the pup helps you wake up at night if he starts to need to do his business. About 1 to 2 times at night will be necessary for awhile.
Letting the pup in your lap right now while he is this young is not going to result in a dog that you constantly have to tell to get off the furniture. Again, let him bond with you right now. I imagine he is dying to play as well. And, his feeding schedule has been once in the mornings and once in the evenings. The pups get a little crazy if they are not getting that feeding schedule. I worried last night because I did not feed him that morning and he had very little water (to avoid nausea from the plane ride and a messy crate).
Once Dillon begins getting too big for your laps, then it is time to start enforcing Doug's rule -- one we definitely apply. At that point, he should be happy laying at your feet. You can start "weaning" him from your laps by first letting his front paws be up while his bottom is on the floor. Then he'll get too big for that and accept not doing it anymore. But, do help that process by spending time with him on that level (the floor).
I wish there was something I could do for you. Our pups are use to a lot of interaction from us and, of course, their littermates. Also, Dillon probably needs you to gain his trust .. after having been on the plane, he needs reassurance that nothing like that is going to happen again. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't think the plane ride was that traumatic for him. But, his world has just been rocked -- he is a baby. It is not really time to treat him as you would an adult Dobe, not yet. There is definitely going to be a time for all of that and I fully agree to doing it. But, HOLD him if he is crying and you are around! It is the best thing for him right now -- and for you. I hope this helps. My heart goes out to all of you right now!
ANYTIME you have questions -- let me know!"
Laura
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November 22, 2003 - "Good morning, Laura! Gotta tell you.....I'm very tired! Dillon slept real well from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. That was great! Doug got up to take him outside to go potty. When he came back in after the cold outdoors he was totally awake, hungry and ready to play. So Doug fed him and played with him. Sometime between 4 and 4:30, Doug put him back in his crate and he cried and cried! That woke me up again so I let him out of his crate and he climbed in my lap and snuggled in quietly.
I tried a couple times to put him back in his crate only to have him cry again. It was the third time at about 6 a.m. that he finally settled into his crate and slept for about an hour until Lindsey went into the kitchen. Of course, at 6 a.m. there was no going back to bed for me! So when he woke up again we went outside to potty and back in for breakfast and play. When Lindsey and I left at 7:45 he was snuggling up with Doug to sleep again. He is so cute and snuggly and wonderful!
People here at work are excited to see him. They want me to bring him in to work tomorrow for a visit. We have lots of dog lovers here!
Well, I'd better get myself back to work here. Just had to share our busy night with you!"
Stephanie
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November 15, 2005 -
"Laura,
Thanks for responding so quickly! Actually, you could also check for flights on Sunday the 20th too if that would work for you as well. That would actually be better for me so I don't have to take time off of work to go with Doug to pick him up. He could do it himself too but I really want to go along! Thanks again. Hopefully you receive this message before your husband makes flight arrangements for Monday the 21st!
Stephanie
RESPONSE:
"I will have him check -- it would have to be a late afternoon, early evening flight. I will give you some options!"
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November 14, 2005 -
"Dear Laura,
We have decided that it would be better financially to have him flown here. (Although I really would have loved to come get him.) I promise I will send pictures of his new family as soon as possible so you can put faces with the names.
Anyway, if Dillon is ready, we would really like to get him next Monday or at least before Thanksgiving. Would this be possible? That way he can meet the whole family - - grandkids and all.
Besides Cody, Justin and Lindsey at home, Doug has four children who are grown and out of the house. Three of them have children of their own. Cory and his wife Lisa have four children who are 13, 11, almost 4 and 2; Josh and his wife Jackie have a five-year-old and one more on the way due May 9; Clint and his fiance Laurie have a 2-year-old; and then there is Stacie. They all live in Mankato except for Stacie, so we frequently have a house full! Hope this doesn't scare you! But one thing's for sure, Dillon will definitely receive LOTS of attention!
Just wondering, how does the flight affect a puppy? Does it ever have an adverse effect? Do you give him any medication to help make it through the flight?
Looking forward to hearing from you."
Stephanie
RESPONSE:
November 15, 2005 -
"Stephanie,
I will have my husband check on flights later on today for Monday. He's ready! It is fun to know that he will be going to a home full of so much love!!
Don't worry about how the flight is going to affect him. Honestly, he will be fine. Every owner we have ever flown a pup to comments on how amazed they are at how well the pup seemed to handle the flight. He'll be fine! As for a medication I could give the pup, seems like I asked about that in the past and the vet did not think it was necessary.
My biggest concern has always been that I hope the pup doesn't get motion sick. I will not feed him morning of the flight, just a little water. So, when he gets there, he is going to be hungry! The pups eat once in the morning and once in the evening. The type of food is Nutro puppy formula for large breeds. You don't have to keep him on that type of food but do get a bag of it and whatever food you want to have him on (has to be puppy formula). Just mix the two starting off with just a little of the other food at first then mix in a little more after a few feedings until you eventually get him on your preferred brand straight.
The food mixing could go like this:
>>1st day or two Nutro since that is what he is used to ;
Then 3/4 Nutro, 1/4 other brand for a week, give or take a few days ; Then 1/2 Nutro, 1/2 other brand for a week, give or take a few days ; Then 1/4 Nutro, 3/4 other brand for a week, give or take a few days ; Finally strictly other brand
You will not need to soak his food, he is now fine with dry food.
Does that cover everything?? I am disappointed that I will not get to meet you in person. Be sure to send pictures!! I will hold you to that!"
Thanks!
Laura
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November 11, 2005 -
"Dear Laura,
I love the new pictures on Dillon's web page! I've been showing them to everyone at work today. I had printed two copies of his 4-week-old picture and my 12-year-old daughter Lindsey and I carry them with us everywhere! Lindsey thinks she is going to call Dillon "Dilly". We'll see!
Just so you know, we are going to have Dillon's ears cropped here in Mankato. He already has an appointment on December 19.
We can hardly wait to get him!
Thanks! "
Stephanie
RESPONSE:
November 13, 2005 -
"Stephanie,
I am so happy to hear how excited you all are about Dillon! It is fun to know that you are showing off his pictures. Since we are not concerned with a date for cropping the ears on this end, when are you thinking will be a good time to get him home to you? I received the deposit check today - thank you!" Laura
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November 8, 2005 -
"Dear Laura,
'Black Male Puppy Tagged Blue' now has a real name!
DILLON - - (as in Gunsmoke's Marshall Matt Dillon).
I checked on Mapquest for travel time and distance, and came up with estimated travel time of 14 hours and 30 minutes to go 949 miles. Still thinking about that and awaiting your estimate of travel costs for flight, crate, health certificate.
Thank you, Laura!"
Stephanie and Doug
RESPONSE:
"Love it! Thanks for letting us know his name! FYI: My oldest is Dylan. He will think that is neat!" Laura
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November 7, 2005 -
"Laura,
When you mentioned all the costs for flight, crate and health certificate, it made us wonder if we shouldn't just drive down to pick him up instead. To help us make that decision, would you be able to estimate for us what the total cost would be for all of that? Doug is going to check with our vet here to see what he charges for the ear cropping and we will let you know what we decide on that.
Just wondering too....how far along are the puppies on being housebroken? This time of year is the best time for us to work on that. Doug is a construction worker (concrete) and has the winters off so he'll be home with him a lot the first few months.
I am getting more excited all the time. I've already been thinking of names! One more piece of information on our family....we also have two cats in the house and one outside who sneaks into the house whenever he can! We also have a 14-year-old Rottweiler/Shepherd mix named Jordan.
Thanks for all your help, Laura!"
Stephanie and Doug
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November 5, 2005 -
"Laura,
Yes, we are still interested. We would prefer a black male. We do have some questions first:
Is it the Black Male Blue Tag pup pictured on your website that is available yet?
If you were to send the pup to us in Minnesota, would he arrive at the Minneapolis/St.Paul Airport and we would pick him up there? Or would he come to Mankato?
Do you take personal checks for the deposit and final payment?
At what age do you normally have the dog's ears cropped?
We will be looking forward to hearing from you again. Thank you." Doug and Stephanie
RESPONSE:
November 6, 2005 -
"Doug and Stephanie,
Thank you so much for getting back to me. Yes, the black male that you would be getting is tagged blue. He has a sweet personality and loves to play! One thing I need to make note of in regards to his coat color is that he has some red (actually brown) tipped hairs around his neck and a little over the shoulders. I consulted with the sire's owner as I have never seen this, nor has she, and we both feel like it will grow out. It is actually less so than when he was born. Don't get me wrong, he is definitely black. I just don't like surprises, especially when you are that far away and not able to see it for yourselves. Look closely at the pictures and I think you will notice what I am talking about.
If you do not have a problem with that, then let me know which airport you prefer to have him shipped to -- we will try for that one but will, of course, ultimately choose the one that has the best flight arrangement for the pup (i.e., no layovers).
For the deposit, a personal check is fine. However, when it comes time to send the pup home to you, we will require a wire transfer from your bank account to ours. That would include the remaining $650 for the pup ($850 less the deposit), the flight cost, crate cost, fee for health certificate (required for flying) and ear cropping fee if you were to want to use our vet (same one that did the mother's ears and is great!). Our vet charges $277 last time I checked. The cropping should be done anywhere from 8 to 12 weeks of age.
Let me know what other questions you might have!"
Thanks!
Laura
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October 30, 2005 -
"We are interested in purchasing a Doberman puppy soon. Do you have any male puppies remaining in your litter born on October 2? We live on a farm near Mankato, Minnesota. We have 3 children at home ages 16, 15, and 12. We also have grandchildren who visit often. Doug's parents owned two Dobermans several years ago and Doug has always wanted to have one of his own. We were checking the Internet for Doberman breeders and came across your website. We are interested in what we saw and read on your site. Thank you!"
Stephanie and Doug
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