Hi Reddit fam 👋🏽 First-time owner of a male doggy (and loving it!). I’ve only had females before, so I’m hoping you can help me with these questions… much mahalos!

***At what age did you neuter your dog?***

***What was their personality like before and after getting fixed?***

I have a 7-month-old male Aussie–Collie mix. He’s very affectionate and friendly—no aggression (unlike my female dog 😅). Two of his littermates were already fixed, but I’m on the fence about doing it sooner rather than later.

Thanks again for your input. It’s greatly appreciated! 😄

https://gofund.me/c1c867315

At just 10 weeks old, our puppy Bustar should be discovering the world — playing, learning, and growing alongside his brother. Instead, he was rushed to the emergency vet struggling to breathe, fighting for his life.

What started as fear quickly turned into devastation. After multiple tests, Bustar was diagnosed with severe hookworm. The parasites had silently taken more than half of his blood, leaving his tiny body too weak to survive on its own. He urgently needed a blood transfusion but there was no local blood supply available.

His brother Slinky became his hero, donating his own blood and saving Bustar’s life. Against the odds, the transfusion worked. Bustar stabilised, and for a moment, we truly believed we were on the road to recovery.

But the fight wasn’t over.

Sadly, Bustar has since been diagnosed with pneumonia. His lungs are fragile, and he is now oxygen-dependent, requiring at least two more days in intensive veterinary care on strong antibiotics, just to see if his little body can begin to heal.

So far, this journey has cost $13,000, and it’s becoming impossible to manage — but walking away is not an option when a life is still fighting. Slinky doesn’t understand what’s happening — he just wants to see the brother he tried so hard to save.

We’re sharing Bustar’s story to raise awareness: hookworm can be deadly, even in puppies who appear healthy. Early prevention and regular checks can mean the difference between life and loss.

Bustar is still here. Still fighting. Still loved.

And Slinky is still waiting for his brother to come home. 🐾

It's Wednesday!

Welcome to our new Wednesday Wins post. Someone mentioned wanting a day where we can focus on the positive aspects of puppyhood. So let's get it done!

Share a win that you and your puppy had this past week! Learned a new skill? Overcame a challenge?

If you're new and just starting, set a goal!

So I have a 14 months old pointer and he is TERRIFIED of harnesses / coats (even worse since adolescence). When I make him wear a harness or a coat he just lies in a corner with his tail between his legs and then doesn’t move until i put the leash on and make him go outside. Once outside it gets better but when wearing a harness or a coat he seems in general more afraid of his surroundings compared to when he is just wearing the collar. I’ve tried different types of coats and harnesses but the shape / fabric doesn’t seem to make any difference. I would avoid the coat but has been between -5 and -10 ° C for almost a month and the only time we went out without it he got a trachea inflammation. Anyone with similar experiences? How did you solve it?

Hello my girlfriend and I have been debating adopting a 12 week old singleton puppy from her foster parents. We met her last week and she was sweet and energetic but had issues with biting. She is a mix of husky, lab, and Calhoun. Her current foster parents have their own dog who she’s been with for the last 6 or 7 weeks. Not much info on her first couple weeks after being born.

Over the last few days we have been going over if she is the right fit for us. We currently live in an apartment and one of us will be able to work from home as we raise her. We do not own any other dogs and she would be our first we raised.

Being that she is a singleton and we do not have any other dogs and lack of experience with puppies our concern is she may not be the best fit for us.

We want the best for her too, would it be better for her to be with other dogs? Or more experienced dog parents?

I read that singletons may have issues with confined spaces? We will not be able to work from home for the long term and be with her so we wanted to crate train so she can be independent in the future.

It’s hard for us since she is the first puppy we have met since deciding to adopt but want to make the right choice for her and us. Thanks for any advice or insight!

i inspected it and it was half black half brown with chunks of stuff and hair too. my mom said she took him out to the backyard earlier and he ate some dirt. he seems fine but it just scared me. Especially when I've made it a point to watch him closely. I was out for 2 hours running errands and they couldn't even monitor him. makes me feel crazy.