True but unfortunately it is a difficult diagnosis in humans and causes severe medical problems and freqently you never see the bite or tick. The Hudson Valley is a mecca for Lyme.

On topic you will find many happy dog owners here from all over the country.

I know that, Duffysmom. I was just responding about dogs picking it up.

On another note... anyone wanting to read a description of what Lyme disease can do to a person should read Amy Tan's biography (author of The Joy Luck Club), The Opposite of Fate: A Book of Musings. She has suffered through this disease, and the story is astonishing.

Sorry,
Didn't mean to sound so serious. I've heard great things today. On a lighter note,
Augie and Monkey have had their share of Mc Donalds. But as I've said before, they love love love pizza. Seriously?! A German Shepard named MONKEY! You bet.

Sorry, gotta say it -- I'd be a high maintenance dog, too, if my name was Monkey. Your poor Alsatian. ;-)

Augie and Monkey -- love those names. If you ever visit Chicago, buy Augie and Monkey some Lou Malnati's pizza -- it is like heaven. I hope all of you will be very happy in The Villages once you move there. Keep us posted on your house hunting plans :wave:

If I had it to do over, I would not have brought our dog to TV.

We had a small dog and a cat. The dog was pretty much a lap dog, with a love me, love me, demeanor. Never met a stranger, and everyone loved him. Our cat was, and is, high maintenance. We had to warn visitors not to pet her or ever get too close. Both pets had free run of a large fenced yard, in a very warm climate. The cat could actually flatfoot the fence and go off wandering the neighborhood, causing terror amoung the other cats in the area.

We worried so much about how the cat would adjust to TV and being an inside cat. We never gave a thought to how the dog would adjust. After all, he would be with us, and that was all that ever mattered to him. Well....we sure got that one WRONG!

We had pre-shipped the little bit we brought with us, and the house was not bare, but starting to look like no one lived there. We could see the anxiety mounting in the dog, but still....he was with us. On moving day, with our final luggage sitting in the middle of the living room, as we put him into his carrier to go to the airport (where he traveled in the cabin with us), he had, as the Vet put it, an "event". We don't know if it was a stroke or a nervous/mental breakdown, but he starting barking and whining. We had tried to travel without tranquilizers, but during a plane change, we finally drugged him. Did no good. I held him in my lap for the entire flight, while he whined. I must say a giant thank you to the flight staff and fellow passengers on AA that day. They did not say a word or give us dirty looks. Everyone was very understanding.

Long story short.....and lots of vet visits and various medications....our little buddy did not survive. His little heart just gave out from the anxiety. He was about 16 years old and had congenital heart disease. He had just a few months here, where he refused to go to the bathroom outside, with walks hourly, including over-night. It was too cold for him, and he would not walk, or go, on the grass. If one of us was not holding him, he was barking. We took turns staying up with him at night.

@ paulandjean, I don't find your suggestion offensive, at all. Sometimes making the tough decisions come from love. I would have either stayed where we were for a few more years or left him behind with friends. Like I said....everyone loved him. We just didn't know and made the wrong choice based on what we assumed. What else can you do?

On a brighter note....the cat has adjusted better than we ever thought even possible. She even makes friends with visitors, although we still warn not to get too cozy. She doesn't seem to have an interest in going outside. She enjoys the lanai and just surveying the neighborhood from her warm perch.

Not meaning to discourage the OP from bringing their dogs. Of course, bring them!! They will not only have you, they will have each other.

Just another side of the story.....

I'm very sorry to hear your sad story, and that you ended up losing your dog. You sound like great pet parents. However I did have one thought. It's quite possible that the end result would have been the same if you had left your dog behind. He possibly would have experienced terrible separation anxiety as he obviously loved you very much. I think you did the right thing for him.

Thank You very much............

Yes, Bare makes a good point, Casita. Also, since your little one was up there in years, you may be right about not making a big move with him. You did what you thought was right, and I'm so sorry for what happened. You must have been heartsick.

Casita my Duffy (avatar) loved to ride in the cart and was generally a good natured happy dog. Several months before we had to say goodbye to Duffy he began to shake and whine when we tried to take him outside, it was so bad that he never went outside again. It was clear that he was suffering and his body was shuting down. Now that I look back I can see that he was unable to cope with leaving his safe place. I'm glad that your warrior cat is happy and hasn't missed his need to patrol the neighborhood. You sound like a caring and loving person.

I feel your pain. Not wanting to leave our little Yorkie for a week was one of the many (some silly) reasons my DH cited for not wanting to accompany me on a LSV to TV this summer.

that story made me decide to bring more of my furniture than I intended....try to keep as many familiar items...maybe that will help mine when I move.

I wonder--and this is not a criticism by any means--if the toy and smaller breeds are a little bit more nervous than the 85-pound big lugs some of us have. Their nervous systems seem to be more sensitive to their environment. Maybe they are just smarter and pick up on what's happening better than your average retriever?

Our dog is, like, "Where's my next meal? Oh, there it is. Okay, everything's fine." He gets apprehensive over loud, sharp noises and when the vet comes at him with a needle, but that's about it.

I hope everyone's dog & cat make a smooth transition. I'm sorry for what happened to casita's dog. What a tragedy.

CFrance I think you are right on.

Think it is more temperament than size. Recently we took our 88 lb Aussie and 48 lb standard poodle to an overnight for boarding. The Aussie had his head out the window enjoying the ride and the moment and the poodle was fretting the whole time "where are we going, I don't think I like this, I want to go home, please turn the car around." Totally different personalities just like my kids - but that keeps it interesting!