This is Samson (the 3rd one we’ve seen, but hey it’s an awesome name). Samson is Quimby’s brother!!! It had been nearly a year since they had seen each other, but after a few minutes they seemed to remember. I took a bazillion photos of them playing, they are so similar and so different at the same time. It was a truly awesome experience, his owners are really nice and have a great home for him. He has a huge lawn to play in, and gets to get outside a lot! Much more to come this week, but here’s a general vibe of what happaned:

You can tell that Quimby was bigger. He probably had close to 20lbs on his brother, but interestingly enough Samson dislpayed more dominant behavior. Apparently Samson’s comfort zone is at home, wheras Quimby seems to find comfort everywhere, with everyone. I will post more similarities / differences tomorrow.

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I had high hopes when I gifted a dog DNA test to someone who I knew would use it on Quimby. It had been, when we adopted Quimby, we were told that the only thing they really knew was that he was part lab. This theory was confirmed by several vets and animal care providers. I had read poor reviews about Dog DNA testing online but decided it would be worth it to see what our Quimby was made up of. The entire experience a complete and total waste of time and money and I would not recommend it to anyone, ever.

Looking at www.canineheritage.com, everything seems in order. It sounds like a legit organization. Just listen to this statement from their website:
The Canine Heritage® Breed Test, developed by the pioneer in canine breed identification and a recognized leader in DNA technology, can help unravel the mystery of your mixed-breed pup. How often have you been asked: What kind of dog is that? This DNA-based diagnostic test can give you the answer by comparing your dog’s DNA to over 100 of the most popular breeds.
Wow 100 breeds. I had my theories on what he was, and was sure that out of the 100 they test, he would have at least 3 or 4.

I ordered the test, which involved swabbing Quimby’s cheek and sending in the sample. Easy enough. The estimated date for an answer was 4-6 weeks. 6 weeks go by and they send an email, stating that we need to contact them. They ended up calling and explaining that the only match they found was a 3rd generation Rottweiler. The woman who called then went on to say that she went on to poganddog.org and judging by the looks of him had some ideas.

W-T-F

I paid out money for this? I don’t want your best guess or opinion, I get that from everyone who meets Quimby (for free). That would be like getting a paternity test and having the scientist tell you that while the results were inconclusive, judging by some internet photos, it looks like you are definitely not from New Zealand. What kind of business does that? Apparently Canine Heritage. Of course there are no refunds for these results either.

My advice: Stay far, far away from any company offering this service. It’s a complete waste of money. Take the hundred bucks it costs to get the test done,(spent the money on it BEFORE we knew about his surgery, FYI) and donate it to a shelter. Then take a walk to the dog park for some “expert” advice.

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Things I learned this weekend:

-Carrying a 55 lb dog is not like carrying a 55 lb weight. Weights don’t generally move around and try to run off when you try to pick them up.

-Whatever pain killer Quimby is taking must be really good, cause half a dose knocks him out for hours. He will most likely need more of this, and that is unfortunate, considering a dose costs around $10.

-Quimby wants to play- and will jump onto the couch and play with the cats if you turn your back on him for 3 seconds.

-I need to go for a run before I explode. I can’t imagine how Quimby must be feeling. He probably wants to run more than I do. It saddens me that I can’t take him with me, but I gotta get back on the pavement.

-I am more tired than I should be considering I stayed in all weekend.

Still accepting donations for Quimby! The big day is going to be tomorrow!

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Quimby had his surgery yesterday. This was removed from his leg:

Yes, the surgeon wore leather gloves.

Quimby is not happy, at all. He’s 8 months old. He wants to frolic and play and pounce. Not be all laid up and sad looking.

Under the bandages he had epic stitches. I feel his pain. I also feel my pain, as I was awake for a large portion of the evening. I’d stay awake for a week if it meant he would be all better though. Still accepting donations! It wasn’t cheap surgery, but it was less than expected which is good!

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I get asked why Quimby needs surgery quite a lot, and I was unsure myself. Here is a diagram that I found that is pretty accurate:

Healthy Elbow

Quimby Has This

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As you can see this is not good. We have to remove the piece of floating bone. It’s pretty sad, because while he will be able to run, his elbow will never be the same. I wish there were another option, but unfortunately at this time, there just isn’t.

He’s at the vet right now. I hope he’s okay. Keep him in your thoughts.

Still collecting donations!

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This is Quimby during a football game. He Loves the Patriots cause he lives in New England now. Secretly he is a Titans fan, because he is from Tennessee, but we are okay with that. Quimby always had some crazy long arms, just like Randy Moss. I’m pretty sure they would be best friends.

Go Long Arms!

He loves the Pats so much. He wishes he could go to see them play on 12/27. Unfortunately he can’t make it because he will still be recovering from surgery. Please donate to the Quimby Surgery Fund to help the cost of the surgery. Thanks!

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I don’t know why he was laying like this the other night. He wasn’t sad, he was actually in a great mood. Maybe there were just too many of his paws touching his face? It was a pretty funny pose for him to be in for basically no reason. Took a bunch of photos that came out great too. He should look happier than this, because the fundraiser has been going very good. Maybe he thinks he deserves more? Lets find out together!

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I am collecting donations for Quimby. Email me if you have any additional questions!

Spread the word and re-post this on Facebook, or Twitter or Digg or whatever social media you kids are playing with these days.

Huge thanks go out to the following people and businesses:

Kerry F.
Tara R.
Kaye K.
Kathryn M.
Matt B.
Nancy D.
Pat R.
Jay R.
Joe M. (a Sherpa)
Mike, Dirty
Alyssa R.
Shaun P.
Natalie Ice
Dustin “Crystal Gravy” S.
Mount Sunapee, Lake Sunapee Real Estate
Zwickerhill Photography
The Pig Kahuna

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Quimby and Damien had never met and I was a little worried. We took them for a walk just as it started snowing. It was Quimby’s first snowfall! He loved it. Once we got back home we let them play and they got along splendidly. Quimby didn’t even limp, which was a big surprise. Here’s a photo of the two of them, with me in the middle, sitting on Quimby’s bed, right where I belong.

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Okay, so I was at the dog park the other day, and it was pretty nice out. Quimby has been limping so we decided it would be a good idea to keep him in a small fenced in area. He was liking it. Smudge was in there with him, and although Smudge can’t really keep up with how hardcore Quimby is, they were playing pretty good. Smudge was running and Quimby was chasing him for a while. They were moving really fast when all of a sudden Quimby decided he would break free of the fenced area. It is my belief that he believed that if he believed hard enough that the fence was not there, it would cease to exist. He then ran head on (at FULL speed) into the chain link fence.

Like this only Quimby

It looked like when a ram decides to ram something, only Quimby isn’t a ram, he is a dog. He does not have horns built to destroy things at all, however he does know how to be intense and epic. The fence is now concave where he hit it. It was a crash of epic proportions. So much so that he now has a bald spot. Have you ever headbutted something so hard that you have a bald spot? Yeah, I didn’t think so.

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