HAPPY DAY

[BeckiHutton]

Woooooohooooooo!!!! We got the house. Lily will be coming home in about a week couldn't be happier right now I have missed my baby girl so much. The garden isn't great, and the house itself is pretty small, but at least we will all be together again it will do until we cam find somewhere better

[Sarahloo]

[cherriemater]

Yay @cartwheel@ Yay!!

[chica_2626]

Congrats!!! I so wish I could afford a house. It's so hard to find chow-friendly rentals!!

[Cocoa]

That is wonderful I am so happy for you that you get to have Lily home with you again

[Tippsy'smom]

Congrats!

[BeckiHutton]

Thank you all we are not so chow unfriendly here in the uk, but it is very difficult to find rental property that allows any pets. I don't know if any of you are aware of our system of 'council housin' over here. Basically they are cheaper rental propertied that go through the local authorities. It is very hard to get a property though. We were very lucky. You normally have to wait months or years for a property to come up.

[Judy Fox]

Congratulations Becki - I bet Sweet Lily will be so happy to see you too.

[BeckiHutton]

Thanks judy I hope she will. It's still going to be a fortnight or so until things will be ready for her and Alfie to move in, but at least we know that we all have somewhere to go and be a family again

[MissV]

Howcome the states are so chow-unfriendly?
We dont have a problem here in SA with the breed... mostly because people dont know what it is, but it always baffled me when i was doing my research how many american sites said, "your insurance might not cover it etc etc, the breed may be banned..etc"
wow... WHY?!

ps. Well done on finding a place with a garden, lily's mom! My bf goes to the UK regularly (his dad lives there) and i know the property situation is bad! Finding a place with a garden (thats not in the country) is tough cookies!

[Sirchow]

So glad you have found somewhere you can all be together again. I would be broken hearted to be parted with my gang. Well done you getting a council house. I have been on lists in the past and only been offered houses you would be scared to go outside of. What part of the UK are you in?
Two weeks will go past quickly

[chica_2626]

Because people in the U.S. live in a state of fear and discrimination against many breeds of dogs, especially pit bulls. Where I live it is illegal to own a pit bull inside city limits. There are some areas of the country that have imposed similar bans on chows, though not with nearly the frequency that pit bulls are discriminated against. The problem is there is an endless supply of irresponsible owners and a dumb CDC list naming pit bulls, rottweilers, german shepherds, chow chows, and others as "dangerous" dogs to own. Most rental properties and insurance agencies use these lists to discriminate against owners of these dogs regardless of the dogs history.

I actually filmed a brief blurb on behalf of the rescue I volunteer with stating that I want to see these laws changed. I refuse to believe it is acceptable to judge a dog simply based on it's appearance. This pit bull ban in Cincinnati scares me because they could just as easily decide to target chows next. They are taking people's pets from their homes and euthanizing them simply for being born a certain breed. Doesn't matter if they've not shown a bit of aggression in their entire lives. It's utterly ridiculous and such discrimination against people would never be allowed.

Anyways, didn't mean to threadjack this and be such a downer, just trying to shed some light on the reality of dog ownership in the United States!!

[TyChowgirl]

I agree. It's awful. I didn't start experiencing this sort of discrimination until Ty started to really fill out, probably about the 5 or 6 month mark, so not long ago. I knew there was going to be some issues here and there, because I read about how Chows were frowned upon. I figured, however, that because the city I live in is seemingly so open to pittbulls that it was a little different here. It seems like every other dog in my neighborhood is a pitt or pitt mix, and if you go to the local animal control, most of the dogs found there are the same. It's not the case however. I've had someone literally avoid me and Ty while walking down the street, state that I needed to keep my vicious dog away from them (mind you, Ty knows heel and typically walks by my side calm and minding his own business) and then walk up to a lady and her pitt and love on the pittbull. It upset me enough after a week of dealing with public being so wary of my perfectly calm dog that I ended up posting one of the very few notes I've ever written on Facebook. I was so bent out of shape that a researched most commonly found dog bites in the US by breed. The mixes won on the particular article I found (research done in CO a few years ago) but close behind were Labrador retrievers and then there was a gap between the percentages of labs, pits, rotts, shepherds, and finally Chows. It also compared bites on children and labs and chihuahas won that one too(chows were not mentioned). Moral of the story, just like you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, you can't judge a dog by its breed.

[BeckiHutton]

It's no problem. We are not allowed pit bulls anywhere in England. I'm not a bog fan of the bull terrier breeds personally, especially staffies, because they are used as an image thing where I am from. It's not the breeds themselves, it's the people owning them. It should be the people, not the dogs, who are banned.

Sirol, I am in Suffolk, England. Hoping to move (again!!!) to great Yarmouth in the next two years. I would love to be by the coast. It is hard to get a council house, but if you know how to play the system, you can find it easier to get a place. It has taken a long time though. It just depends on the situation you are in more than anything. We managed to get on band a when we were evicted, because we said that we had nowhere to go

[Victory]

Howcome the states are so chow-unfriendly?
We dont have a problem here in SA with the breed... mostly because people dont know what it is, but it always baffled me when i was doing my research how many american sites said, "your insurance might not cover it etc etc, the breed may be banned..etc"
wow... WHY?!

ps. Well done on finding a place with a garden, lily's mom! My bf goes to the UK regularly (his dad lives there) and i know the property situation is bad! Finding a place with a garden (thats not in the country) is tough cookies!

The other reason is that Chows were once an extremely popular breed here, and many were badly bred, badly raised etc and were unpredictable and dangerous. Responsible breeders have almost wiped these traits from the breed, but the traits and the human attitude that goes with it can still be found in BYB chows. I've had chow owners, (inexperienced ones) come up to me on the street when I have mine with me, and they are SHOCKED at how friendly and non aggressive my two are. I gently tell them that their chows can and should be like mine too.

It may take years and years for the CDC and insurance companies to remove chows from the banned breeds lists, In the meantime we can just support those insurance companies that do allow chows, (and other breeds) Mine is State Farm, no breed restrictions, the only question they ask is, "has your dog bitten anyone" Answer no and you are good to go.

[Sirchow]

Becki I am glad you found how to play the system You are a long way from us. I live in the central belt of scotland near Falkirk and luckily dont need to find a way round the system cos up here there are no council houses you would want to live in. A bungalow recently came up round the corner from us that is addapted for elderly or disabled and there were litterally hundreds and hundreds of people short listed and it went to a family who have another member of their family in the street! They have a horrible collie that attacks our chows so I am not happy.
I am just so pleased for you that you have got the house and you can have Lily home to stay

[BeckiHutton]

Thanks sirol I am glad too. Lol. I have always wanted to go to Scotland, it seems like such a mice place (apart from the weather!! Lol)

[BeckiHutton]

We get the keys on Monday

[MissV]

Sorry Becky for hijacking your thread!

I'm still amazed how different things are in different parts of the world! Thanks for sharing guys! Its super interesting!
Even with so many BYB here, there have never been any bans on any animals.
But then again, in the african culture - they still slaughter animals (like cattle and sheep) in their homes for cultural reasons and celebrations, so yea... i guess people arent threatened here by animals at all, its the animals that should be scared!

I'll stop hijacking this thread now! lol

[chica_2626]

Hooray for getting the keys!

MissV - I just said last week, the world is acting like I should be protecting them from J.D., when quite frankly I feel like I need to be protecting HIM from THEM and their negative thoughts and actions towards him!

[BeckiHutton]

Had a call this morning from lily's foster mum. We are going to have to move her in this weekend because apparently she has been really naughty. Chewing toys up, wrecking the garden and apparently this morning lily nipped her and broke the skin, so she doesn't want her anymore. So, lily is coming home this weekend it is going to be a rush though, but we should manage.

[BeckiHutton]

We have had to take her today, which means that she is spending the night there by hersrlf. poor girl must wonder what is going on. she will be going to the kennels tomorrow. hopefully it will only be for about 4 days. i am just worried about her tonight spending it in an unfamiliar place by herself i hope.she will be ok. the reason is, apparently she went to attack her foster mums son, after biting her. she showed me what was supposed to be a mark on her leg but there was nothing there. the real reason is because she is having new carpets laid and doesnt want lily there in case she has a little accident. silly cow also wants us to pay her £125 as 'compensation'. but at least we have her back now

[Judy Fox]

Oh dear! Never mind - in a weeks time, it will all be over and she will be settled in her new home - It will be tough on her but I am sure that with love and back to routine she will cope.

Try not to think to harshly about the ladywho has been looking after her - she has got you through a sticky situation!

[BeckiHutton]

Yeah i know she has. dont get me wrong i do appreciate it. it is just the fact that she has lied and made.lily out to be aggressive. which she is not.

She is in the kennels now. i feel so sorry for her. she is just being passed around everywhere, and it must be hard. she did seem a bit stressed. poor girl.never mund. a good bath and griim and lots of good food and she will be back to herself.

you will have to forgive me for moaning. i am just so exhausted from decorating 12 hours a day for the last few days and it is taking its toll. once we are all settled i will be fine. i'm just worried about eveything at the moment.

[cherriemater]

Awwww Becki!!! Here's a hug for you {\O/} You're doing right by Miss Lily by sparing her from all the smells of new carpet and your decorating, Think about how happy she'll be seeing your face every morning when you're all together again!! I can just see her lying there by your side and letting out a happy, contented "sigh." Our Kimba would do that after holiday travel. No dogs allowed in our families homes so she would sleep in the garage, all tucked in with favorite blankets. She never minded the cold but was so lonely. When we'd get home where she slept on our bed with us, she would do that. She would lie right in the middle of my husband and I putting her head on Joe then on me (to make sure we were really there) and then let out this huge "siiiiiiii-gh!" (There's no place like home, there's no place like home.) Miss Lily looks alot like her. She's gorgeous!