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O/T - Dog Papers, Dog owners help me!

futurestepmomnowstepgf's picture

So I was on the phone with my mom tonight and I was telling her how my bf's friend is moving this week out of state so our pet sitter when we are out of town is now gone Sad We have a cat and a dog. I was telling my mom how when my bf and I come visit next we need to figure out a plan for the animals, I told her how we were thinking about taking my cat to her vet since they also have boarding. Then I said the hard part is we can't take the dog to a boarding place because she doesn't have papers. Then my mom brings up a point I did not even think of since we are looking for a place to rent, they make ask for the dog and cats shot records ... and the dog has no medical papers.

Anyone know how to go about getting a dog papers? Can we just take her to the vet and establish her as a pet there and get medical records? The reason the dog doesn't have papers is because BM got the dog on one of bf's deployments. He came home to the dog being there and he never saw any paperwork for her or anything. BM never took the dog to the vet or anything after she got her. Then the way bf ended up with the dog is that when they separated, bf went to the house they had been living in together to pick up something and took the dog with him. BM asked about the dog after and bf said he didn't know anything. 
 

Other than once a year ago, BM has never asked about the dog since. Didn't try to get her when they were negotiating their terms for the agreement, she tried for his truck, but not the dog. Now BM has 1 big dog (which we have known about since the dog scratches her often and either the child or BM says the dog scratched her) and apparently 3 new puppies? Bf's daughter just told us this last week on bf's time. Anyways, not really relevant just interesting.
 

Anyways, we are going to look at some rentals tomorrow and my mom suggested asking nonchalantly what we would need to provide for the pets just to see what the realtor says. If he says we need medical papers, etc. how do we do that when the dog literally has not one piece of paper about her? I tried googling but it kept saying papers for purebreds, etc. so not helpful! But I know there are dog lovers on here so please help! Btw we have no idea what breed she is, just that she is a mix. We are planning on getting a dna breed test thing soon to find out! 

Comments

--figureditout--'s picture

Basically what they are wanting is shot records.  They may want licensing info if that's required in your town.  Do not use the words pit bull or other bully type breed if you can avoid it.  Same goes for rottweiler.  People are biased, and a lot of rental agencies and insurance companies will not allow certain breeds on their properties.

futurestepmomnowstepgf's picture

We have our theories on her breed but definitely isn't a pit! And okay! I have not a clue about the licensing but it is going to depend too which town we live in, we are between moving to two different ones

justmakingthebest's picture

Also stay away from:

Shepherd, Chow, and Doberman.. 

Try and get the vet to say something like Lab mix if is large or Terrier mix if it is small LOL those are inconspicuous breeds. 

futurestepmomnowstepgf's picture

She's small, weighs between 20-30 lbs. we think Australian cattle dog and maybe lab or something like that. Definitely isn't any dog breeds renters usually stay away from 

ProbablyAlreadyInsane's picture

Shepherd isn't too bad if it's obvious (The older one def has visible signs, and the younger one looks like a shepherd with floppy ears. lmao). Both of mine are shepherd mixes and I haven't had any issues.  The only issue I've had has been their size.  Most rentals want them under 50 lbs, lol.

But if there are no obvious breed markers. PIck the most docile breed you can!

ProbablyAlreadyInsane's picture

You may have to just take her to the vet.  BM doesn't sound responsible, so it's largely possible she didn't get her any of her shots to begin with.

futurestepmomnowstepgf's picture

I don't think she did either!

I was just worried there would be issues just showing up with her to the vet. Like when my bf got me my cat and we took her to the vet, they wanted her adoption paperwork, etc. she was also a kitten. Bf's dog is around 4-5 we estimate

ProbablyAlreadyInsane's picture

If you explain the situation. Just say that your BF's ex got the dog years ago and you noticed you had no vaccination records so you want to get her up to date.  I haven't had any adoption paperwork for any of my dogs and they've taken them totally fine Smile

Call and make an appointment, vaccines don't take very long at all.

Winterglow's picture

This is actually pretty easy to sort out. Just take the dog to the vet and explain that you want to straighten out the situation and why. All that people are interested in are the shots anyway. I don't see any point in getting a doggy DNA test ... Just let the vet do her/his job. 

futurestepmomnowstepgf's picture

DNA test just for us to figure out what her breed is/mix of breeds is. That's just purely an us thing we want to do because we are curious. 
 

but thanks for the info!

futurestepmomnowstepgf's picture

She's mostly black with white spots on her paws and then white and brown under her neck and belly, so we have theories but really don't know lol

tog redux's picture

With one of my dogs, my theory was mostly right, but the other one - very surprising.

tog redux's picture

Have you guys not gotten shots, check-ups for the dog? Is your dog not licensed? Around here you have to pay every year and prove the dog has been vaccinated for rabies. If not, then it's a good idea to do that anyway, then the vet will have records.

Some places do have breed restrictions - is that what she means? Is it a pit bull or a pit bull mix?

futurestepmomnowstepgf's picture

The dog has not been to the vet. According to bf, BM never took said dog to vet. So not a clue where she stands on any of that, but definitely hasn't had a rabies shot any time recently. I've been wanting to take her to the vet and get her rabies shot, etc just didn't know since we have no past medical records or any information on her if we would have any issues.

my mom just met like vaccination records and licensing. I don't know what the deal is here, we are so populated and people move all the time, hasn't been any issues. Meanwhile my parents who live in a smaller less transient area, have had to prove their dog and cat have their shots, etc.

the dog we think is Australian cattle dog and lab maybe, she's only 20-30 pounds, definitely no pitbull. We want to get a dna test just to find out what she is because we are curious

HowLongIsForever's picture

Dog licensing requirements vary state by state, some even by municipality.  You may be in an area that licensing is handled at the county or township level or even the city level where the requirements are stricter and a simple county license won't suffice.

What you will need is proof of a current rabies vaccination (rabies = requires a vet) and proof of spay/neuter if the dog is no longer intact - fees are typically higher for intact animals.  Some locales do require additional vaccinations but always at least rabies.  Proof is literally just the print out showing the date and vaccination(s) given along with the dog's info (name, age, spay/neuter, etc. - typical header info).

In most places you can submit your request for a license online and upload the necessary documents.  You can also typically purchase a 3 year license if your vaccination record documents a 3 year rabies vaccine.  If there is no vaccination history on the dog, protocol is 1st set plus boosters (4-6 weeks later) and a 1 year rabies.

Typically you have a window to purchase a license on a new canine family member, anywhere from 30-90 days.  New residents are usually 30 days.  Expect a minimal late fee or penalty of some sort for not getting the dog licensed appropriately.  Some may have lower rates for "puppies" - under 1 year at the time of licensing.  Annual renewal windows are generally pretty strict with an additional late fee if the renewal is not purchased by expiration.  Some states are a one and done and will not require a renewal.

Verify there are no applicable breed restrictions both within your city/township and your homeowners/renters insurance.  Regardless of the dogs unproven pedigree, whatever breed guesstimate made by the vet will be gospel for that purpose.  If there is a reasonable assumption of say, labrador and shepherd combo, refer to the dog as a lab mix.  

Generally speaking, insurance companies will exclude security working dog breeds, both canine and human aggressive breeds, and propensity for high property damage breeds.  If you aren't truthful with the insurance company and they find out the hard way, you can find yourself with an uncovered claim or cancelled coverage. You may also find that your company will insure a blacklisted breed up until first incident (reported bite, for example) but will require significant policy updates after the first incident (ex. additional $1mil binder).  Insurance company breed blacklists can vary wildly from carrier to carrier so don't assume you're out of luck or in the clear.

A landlord may not specifically require proper licensing but you'll want to make sure you follow what is outlined in your rental agreement - there may be a requirement to follow all "generally accepted" or "as required by law" practices in order to not be in breach.

If you don't have a veterinarian, look into some of the mobile clinics like VIP Pet Care.  Or do some research on low income vaccination services provided by area rescue organizations.  It's not a bad idea, though, to establish a relationship with a veterinarian for your dog just as you would a GP doc for your own health.

 

ETA - DNA tests for mixed breeds aren't the same as say a DNA'd purebred.  It's a comparison of markers in dogs blood against a generic breed database.  So it might give you some insight but it's not necessarily proof or confirmation of breeding. 

futurestepmomnowstepgf's picture

We will probably just end up taking her to my cat's vet, they aren't cheap, but aren't super expensive, but we have had zero complaints with them so would be easier to just stick with people we like probably!

Thanks for all the information!

BethAnne's picture

We inherited a cat from BM some years ago. As far as we knew this poor cat had never seen a vet before. We were moving across country a few weeks later and had to fly the cat with us. Airlines require that animals they fly have upto date vacinations and need vetinary records to prove it. We took the cat to the vet. The vet gave the cat a health check and the required shots. The vet filled out the travel documents required by the airline. We paid the fee to the vet and the cat was able to fly. Not difficult, just took some money. 

Even if you are not moving or don't need records for renting, I would get your dog to the vets. It's best for everyone if you get  her vacinated asap and seen by a vet for a check up. I would hate for your dog to get sick. 

futurestepmomnowstepgf's picture

well flying the cat and driving with the dog, in about a year! The cat is all caught up on her shots though at least!

Good to know! Yeah, we have been lucky there has been no issues with the dog getting sick or hurt yet, but even if they don't request an updated shot record, will end up taking her to the vet anyway so she is all situated. We just haven't known if we would run into issues with having no past paperwork or medical records on her

Aniki-Moderator's picture

You can also contact the boarder and ask if they give the shots. It can be more expensive than the vet giving them, but some places are more than happy to do this.

futurestepmomnowstepgf's picture

I will definitely be looking into it all and comparing. At the very least, we will get this doggo on the up and up!

bananaseedo's picture

Glad to hear you will get it taken care of.  Your DH can complain about BM but sounds like he's had this dog for quite some time and hasn't been bothered to find out about it's records or take it himself to get vaccinated.  He seems to rely on you a lot for his dirty work though.  

Another option is titers that check for immunity of the shots (not for rabies)- its' more expensive but will show if it's built immunity and not needing extra shots (which can also be bad for them).  That's what we do with our dogs. 

 

futurestepmomnowstepgf's picture

I don't take care of any of his "dirty work." Yes, I am in no way saying my bf is not responsible for not being updated on shots to be honest we were both worried since we didn't have paperwork. 
 

honestly, I would LOVE to know. Because from my stand point looks like you're saying I do his dirty work because I post on this site asking for advice. Which honestly me posting here about the dog makes sense because I'm sure other people on here have like one already said "inherited" a dog from their ex without paperwork of any kind. So if anything it's logical to ask for advice here on this because people can give some. Plus I know there's a lot of dog lovers on here too! So if that's what you classify me as doing "dirty work" because I ask for advice on here like the site is for then sure, sweetie I do his dirty work. 

Livingoutloud's picture

I think it's common sense to take pets to a vet for vaccinations and a check up, at the very least,  no matter how one obtain said pet. That's the first thing people do when obtaining/finding/adopting a pet. How did BF not know that? it seems strange to me. Of course it is not your fault. Your BF  is lucky to have you. 
 

 

futurestepmomnowstepgf's picture

Us had adopted a pet before the cat he bought me for my birthday so no it was not common sense.