Introducing Finn.

So, Tuesday night after I got home from work, I got a call from Josh asking if it would be okay if he came home with a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon. Apparently he had been working in cahoots with a friend of ours who is very involved in the Griff world, especially rescue. He was up north fishing for the week, and on the way home, he picked up the Griffon in Traverse City from his short term foster.

So, Finn. He was pretty much neglected for the past two years because his previous owners had a child with a brain tumor. He was trained with an e-collar to stay in two rooms of the house, and was let out to go potty once a day. He needs some major help in the grooming department, has a double ear infection, may have some thyroid issues, and needs some help in socialization and exercise. He is out of Rooster lines, which is pretty much the BYB/Puppy Mill of the Griff world. However, he is warming up super fast, has some great bird and water instinct, and has some training on upland birds. So, hopefully he will be a good stepping stone and a good "starter" dog for Josh, who will be doing all of the training!

So, meet Finn! Crappy pictures, but alas, they are there.





BTW, it has been super hard not to slip up before the intro!

I'm glad I can finally speak freely! XD

Excited to get some better shots of him tomorrow and she him all cleaned up and with no more infection. Poor guy was shaking his head around like a bobble head today!

Awww, poor guy! So glad he's in good hands now. Definitely needs some help in the grooming department, lol, but I'm sure he'll be looking FINE in no time.

All the best!

He is super adorable!
Can't wait to see him all shined up.

Oh wow, poor guy! So glad he is in good hands now.

Aww poor lad. Should be nice to see him develop!

How handsome! Will he be foster only or staying on a longer term basis?

aaww poor guy! Glad he is with you! And he is very cute!

I will answer this to say that he is staying so long as he can work out as Josh's new hunting partner!

Sorry I've been kind of MIA on this thread. Like Danielle said, he will be staying on the terms that he will be turning into a dog that can hunt waterfowl. He is pretty unstable right now, but who knows what he will be like down the road. We've learned through experience not to base a dog's personality, especially when shy, on the first few months.

Josh plans on mainly starting to build a bond right now.. Just spending time with him and getting him to come out of his shell a little bit. Also, beginning with some socialization to everything. If everything is going well, he is looking at taking some classes, probably a CGC class, possibly Nosework to help start a foundation for tracking birds. If he doesn't seem to be looking like a solid bird dog, he will probably become a long term foster until we find a home to place him in, as we are getting up in numbers, and keeping him would mean sacrificing a dog that would do what Josh is looking for.

Time will tell what comes of Finn. Right now, he will only come out of the crate for Josh and hides under the table a lot.

Awww, poor guy. He looks a little shabby but I'm sure you will have him straightened out in no time . I'm sure with lots of cookies and happy he will come around! How is he getting on with the other dogs?

So far he's been pretty good woth every one! He and Harlow have hit it off the best. Lol

I was impatient and wanted to add some pictures of Finn that I took today!

Poor guy is always shaking.

DSC_1953 by DJetzel, on Flickr

DSC_1955 by DJetzel, on Flickr

DSC_1956 by DJetzel, on Flickr

DSC_1961 by DJetzel, on Flickr

DSC_1964 by DJetzel, on Flickr

DSC_1970 by DJetzel, on Flickr

DSC_1973 by DJetzel, on Flickr

DSC_1977 by DJetzel, on Flickr

What a beautiful face. Glad he found you, sounds like he has a long road ahead of him but he's finally found someone to give him that chance.

Grats and best wishes

He is so adorable!

How is he settling in now? It he starting to relax?

What a gorgeous boy!

Thanks all! Yes and no. He is beginning to come out of his shell a little bit.. he now plays with the other dogs and will chase toys and such, but still spends a lot of time under the table hiding. He will now come out of the crate for me though, which is awesome. He is getting MUCH better on a leash, and is getting some muscle in his hind end now. He can actually do stairs! WHOO!

We are still having a lot of trouble with his ears. Unfortunately, he is still very not very trusting and difficult to handle, so cleaning and putting ear drops in is not a fun job, and often doesn't get done well because he fights it so bad. Josh and I are debating having the vet do a sedation so that we can properly clean them, trim up the hair around, and get a really good dose of antibiotics in there. This would most likely be the best way to go about doing a blood draw for a thyroid check as well as a heartworm test.

It is still very up in the air on whether he is a permanent addition, or whether he will be with us long term until a suitable home is found. He does not seem to have drive for waterfowl, as Josh brought home some dead birds over the weekend and he wasn't interested. We are currently talking with our Griffon breeder to see if he will help us do an evaluation.

I love that face of his.

Another update on Finn. A fellow Griffon owner and friend who set up the rescue for us stopped by three nights ago. I really wanted to see what she thought about him, and to see if the way he was acting was normal for the breed. When she looked at him, she said no, and that he looked like he may have more than an ear infection. Turns out that he did.

We got a quote from a vet for way more than we could handle at this time, so our friend has taken him for the time being, as she gets free vet care for rescues. Finn apparently did awesome at the vet, and has accepted everyone great at her house. He has a UTI, extensive sinus and deep inner ear infection, potential start of pneumonia. He will be on extensive medication and will be meeting with a behaviorist tonight.

Once he is better, we will re-evaluate how he fits in our home and go from there. I feel so bad for the big guy, as we did not realize how bad this infection had gotten (or was when he arrived).

Poor guy, but at least he is getting the help he needs. And if he is not meant to be in your home than I hope he finds a wonderful home meant just for him.