Origami barking dog

Hello everyone, I am 50M, lately I have been going through an interesting life bump. Just a little background about me. I am a single father of three children. I grew up in an abusive household. My dad would physically abuse my mom and also beat my siblings and me. I have four younger siblings, three of them being girls. I was the oldest and would try to take the beatings for them. My oldest just was locked up on various charges and his ex is living with me because my son was abusing her. I actually posted about it, ill leave a link in case anyone wants to read it.
I do not like my father, I still have a relationship with my mom because I do love her dearly even though I partially blame her. A week an a half ago while my daughters were out at disney land, I got a surprise visit from my family. I opened the door to see my brother and sisters in front. I of course asked them if everything was okay and if mom was okay. I was told by my brother that I will have to take a deep breath and that I wasn't gonna like this. It was hard to see past them but I was able to see my mother getting outta the car with a man and my first thought was "oh boy" but it quickly turned to 'a long and violent " fuck". I swear to god I couldn't believe it, She was walking arm to arm with my fucking father.
I looked at my siblings with the expression of " what the fuck is this?" I told them to come inside and I stepped outside to confirm what I was seeing. I didn't say a word verbally but im sure the my facial expression spoke for me. I turned around and went back inside, i do not know what I was gonna say but I had to give me some time to process it. I closed the door behind me, leaving my parents outside. Admitttalty as AHOLE move. I asked my siblings about what was going on, we kinda had a sibling meeting. Everyone was kinda caught off guard as well by it as they were in a similar situation as me. I let my parents in after a few quick minutes.
We all sat down in the living room and we waited for the meeting to start. My mother started it off by thanking all of us for being here ( like if i was invited) and that she thinks its time that we forgave our father. I am not completely sure what she said after words but she was speaking for him and I angrily asked her if he cant speak for himself, If he lost his sharp tongue. My father was about to speak but mom raised her hand a bit signaling to stay quiet. She told us " your father wants to reconcile with you guys and wants to build something with you guys. That he came to her flowers in hand asking for forgiveness." there was a lot more but im going to be honest. I blanked it all out. I sorta snapped at her and told her that she was out of her mind. To come into my house arm and arm with the fucking animal I spent my childhood defending every single one of you from. To come in here and to tell me to just forgive him, be buddies, be father and son. To ask my siblings to do the same. My sisters were trying to get me to water down a bit but I told them to say something as well, this was the same monster that made them hide in their rooms growing up. They just sat down and stayed mute.
That she of all people should loathe this man, for the shit he did to her, for the shit he did to us. At this point I was ranting and looking at my siblings for help or for them to say something. They just looked at me. I turned to my father and told him to speak, not one word from him has been muttered. When he spoke, it was like the speech from the lich ( adventure time) that's how it felt for me. " After all this time, you remain the same man, unable to move past and find forgiveness in your heart. You are the same man as me and yet you look at me with such hate." He continued to utter garbage at me, not once did he apologize to me or my siblings, not once that he talk to me like an equal. He started to "remind me (us)" about all the things he did for us, the family. I scoffed at him. I Told him that him breaking my nose, and making me put down our dog because he was barking to loud over your show was really doing it for the betterment of the family. Like burning my sisters clothes because you thought they were too revealing. Or perhaps beating mother with a broom stick until it broke was for the betterment of the family.
My mom was trying to stop me from continuing on but I told her to keep her mouth shut, that this was between the animal and me. I told him the only reason you decided to come back from the grave was because his was dying, alone, with nobody by his side and the only people he ever had was his family. After all these years, he only now decide to come and ask for our forgiveness. To not only come to us like a coward hiding behind our mothers weaponized emotional incompetence. That he finally realized how pathetic his existence has been.
My siblings stayed quiet but only nooded at me when I turned to look at them. I refuse to accept his bullshit reconciliation plan. That he was more than welcomed to die alone. In some cold and empty room. I told my mother that the same faith would follow her if she decided to continue her association with him. She has had my support, my blood and tears for as long as I have been alive for. I told her If she wants to throw that away for this animal than she can walk out my fucking house with him.
My siblings have my back on this, they are not forgiving him. I love my mother with all my heart but I will die on this hill if i have to. AITA?

Throwaway
For the past 3 years, My wife Kat (F35) and I (M36) have rented out the basement of our home to earn some passive income. We barely use it and since there is so much demand for cheap places to live, we thought it'd be a great idea. Back in January, we started renting our basement to this PhD student named Lindsay (F28). Lindsay has been a wonderful tenant for the most part.
Because Kat and I have a 6-month-old son we put a no-pets condition into our contract which Lindsay agreed to. About a month ago, Lindsay and her friends found an abandoned puppy. It was dirty, undernourished, and looked far too young to be left alone. They took it to a vet and discovered it wasn't owned by anyone. They tried turning him into a shelter, but since all dog shelters in our area are overcrowded with surrendered pets, none of the shelters could help. At this stage, Lindsay and her friends decided to raise the puppy together.
Since we have our no-pets rule, Lindsay begged us to allow her to keep the dog and that she'd take full responsibility for it while it was with us, we verbally agreed to this since we had built a solid relationship with her.
Now that it has been a month, Kat and I starting to regret our decision. The puppy no longer sleeps as much and barks A LOT. Also, he spends approximately 90% of his time at our home since most of Lindsay's friends can't take him into their apartments which means that he is frequently using our backyard as his personal bathroom.
The worst thing about the puppy has been these past 2 weeks. Some afternoons, Kat will give our son his bottle on the porch. If the puppy is out and sees this, he goes ballistic. He'll run out of Lindsay's grasp and immediately tries jumping on Kat. He'll make all sorts of horrible whining noises when he does this. Kat and I both feared for our son's safety and gave Lindsay warnings the first few times.
Yesterday afternoon, Lindsay was bringing the puppy back from a friend and again he saw Kat bottle-feeding our son. He somehow squirmed out of Lindsay's grip and started jumping all over Kat again. Thankfully she got away, and Lindsay was eventually able to get him under control.
After I got home, Kat told me everything and how she didn't want the dog in the house anymore. I went over to Lindsay and told her what Kat and I thought. I told her that we could give her a week to find her dog an alternative living arrangement but that he was no longer able to stay in our home.
She became very flustered and tried to dissuade me, but I held firm. When she asked me what would happen if the dog was still here after a week, I told her that then she'd be breaking the conditions of her contract and would thus be evicted. I tried to be sensitive to her situation, but I didn't sugar-coat it either. Lindsay seemed stunned and just said that she didn't know what to do. She tried to push back near the end, but I told her our decision was already made.
AITA?

So there is a corgi that i am really really wanting, a fluffy bluie. He is 7 months old, and is a rehome. He is a rehome because the person is going to work after working remote since they got him and have decided to rehome him. This type of corgi is a dream dog for sure. The only drawback is that he may not be good with cats the owner doesn’t have any cats but believes he could be good with them. The other thing is that he barks at just about anything like people walking by or a knock at the door.
Do you think these are things that I can correct out of him? These traits aren’t something i want to just have to live with if i can’t curve the behavior however other than those two things he is exactly what im looking for.

A tad bit of backstory, my roommate and I met an upstairs neighbor that moved in a few months ago, have interacted with heher dog maybe less than 5 times total since moving in. She is extremely friendly and chatty (like joining us on the deck uninvited and so on...) and her dog has always been really friendly with us. A couple weeks ago she asked us if we could watch her dog for a couple days while she was on vacation and I said we couldn't because my family was going to be in town for some portion of it, with my sister and her fiance and small dog staying with us. The neighbors dog is a 90+ pound, young german shepherd that we were told "isn't great" with other dogs, so it was an obvious no while my family was in town. She said it was fine.
Fast forward to the weekend my family is in town, neighbor frantically asks us to look after her dog because her friend, who agreed to look after the dog prior, bailed after a few days and said she couldn't watch dog...My roommate and I initially said we could take the dog for walks/feed her but can't have her in our apt while my family was in town, and we both work 9-5 jobs in person so we can't really give the dog attention during the day. Her friend lives like 2 hours away and, while we were at work, had an uber driver pick up JUST the dog and take her back to neighbors apt. Last minute neighbor finds out that she has a new roommate (??) that is afraid of the dog...so now we HAVE to take her while neighbor is away. Dog comes to us with minimal instruction and no dog food (fortunately we had some dry food extra from when my folks were in town, but that was it). So we take her for walks in the morning and evening feed her dry food whatever. The next day she texts only my roommate and tells him that her friend will drop by our apt to leave some food at our house. I'm look cool real wet food for the dog, great. I come home from work and neighbor's friend is literally sitting in our living room hanging out with the dog. I'm like wtf, who are you and why are you in my house. She apologized and left and neighbor told me that she told my roommate this would happen (total bullshit). This whole time we keep asking her when she will be back from her trip and she's super wishy washy about it which is weird as hell because it's an international trip.
The last straw was a day or two before neighbor returns home. A bit of backstory, neighbor tells us to keep other dogs "30 ft away" on walks?? We find out almost instantly on the first walk that she's a menace around other dogs. She lunges towards them and barks loudly. Everybody in my neighborhood has a dog so taking her on walks outside of business hours is an immense pain in the ass. On this day my roommate takes her for a walk and experiences an encounter with another dog that he couldn't avoid because there were no cars to hide behind, my roommate stands in front of her to keep her from going crazy, so she lunges out and BITES his leg, like badly. He was gushing blood all day and went to urgent care to get it cleaned up and tetnis shots etc.
I kinda lost it at this point and told her that this whole experience was totally unacceptable. I venmo requested $400 from her for me and my roommate, basically $100/day for 24hr doggy daycare with a difficult dog that was dumped on us for 4 days. (a number based loosely on doggy daycare rates in our area, but also all the trouble we had to deal with) I thought it was completely reasonable. My roommate who is too nice for his own good keeps telling me I was too harsh on her, and ever since she has been avoiding me if we come/go at the same time, doesn't even say hi or anything. I don't feel like I'm in the wrong here, but I gotta ask, AITAH?

I hate how they fucking leave them outside until they’re barking to get let in again. I hate how they ignored two of my dogs warning signs of parvo and left them to die. I hate how my fucking dog broke his leg today and they refuse to take him to the vet!!! I fucking hate that they refused to neuter my dogs and let them multiply like fucking bunnies. I fucking hate them and it pisses me off that it’s been getting hotter and they just leave my dogs outside in the heat to probably die this summer!! Fuck

Hello all! Title basically says it all but for some added context my partner and I work at home so this is 100% about socialization not boarding. I was hoping I could find a good pet walking/playing group where my little adopted daughter can have fun during the day! She is a spunky energetic little mutt (I believe dachshund and rodesian mix? not sure). She does not bite but does bark to tell you she is here and to say hello.
Decently leash trained, sometimes gets hooked on passing squirrels, and has decent recall.
Her best friends are a Golden Retriever and an English Mastiff so size does not matter as long as the dogs are friendly.

The Bark That Birthed A Billion Dollar Dream
On that fateful day of January 12, 2009, the course of financial history was forever altered by...a dog's bark? You're damn right it was. As Hal Finney's computer pinged with notification of Bitcoin's inaugural transaction from Satoshi Nakamoto himself, it was the fearless bark of Hal's Labrador Retriever Arky that reverberated through the ether - the first sound to coincide with the successful transfer of this revolutionary digital currency.
Little did the pioneers know, that seemingly innocuous bark would come to symbolize the renegade ideals that gave crypto its soul. To the tightknit tribe of blockchain builders, Arky's joyous image represented the unbridled potential and beautiful simplicity of those heady early days before greed, opportunism, and soulless corporations seeped in to sully the landscape. Arky was the ark for the dream of true financial freedom - a system beholden to none, anchored solely in code, free like his piercing bark ringing out unchained across the ether.
With a narrative so quintessentially crypto that it's impossible to ignore, the Arky artifact has become a totem for those who resonated with Bitcoin's renegade roots. And now, those roots have rebloomed into an unstoppable financial force with $ARKY's heroic launch just 12 days ago. This beacon for the people's currency right now is at a laughably tiny $600k market cap. But massive capital inflows have rapidly taken over as crypto OGs and future billionaires alike recognize the soul-stirring significance of the First Crypto Doge.
The numbers don't lie: $ARKY has already entered a rip-roaring reversal trend that's shocking even veteran investors. With a slew of high-profile influencers and generational wealth traders breathing fire into the token's growth, $ARKY is skyrocketing past $100 million marketcap as I type...and that's just the start. The moon? More like a Martian transit pod is preparing for liftoff. For those debt-ridden and wealth-hampered folk who fumbled the chance to get in on Bitcoin before its cosmic ascent, $ARKY is a supremely rare second chance to board the crypto rocketship at a ludicrously undervalued ground floor.
But don't just hungrily lick your lips and FOMO buy on impulse - do your own research first. Dive into the fundamentals, scrutinize the tokenomics, analyze the roadmap and budget. Because if my hunch is right, you'll quickly see that $ARKY isn't just another dog money memecoin. It's the spiritual and financial descendant of Bitcoin's legendary founding bark - the sound that kicked off a revolution, one that's still reverberating powerfully through the annals of the blockchain to this day.
So raise a glass, mug, Dogecoin - whatever you've got - to Arky. Let his trailblazing spirit fuel your journey to the financial freedom you deserve. Freedom from greedy institutions, freedom from endless debts, freedom to finally live life on your own terms. After all these years, crypto's initial dream is finally being unleashed...
...and it all started with a bark.
CA: 0x9727eaf447203be268e5d471b6503bf47a71ea72
600k MC
Website: https://arky-eth.com/

I had to say goodbye to my childhood dog yesterday. I dread the day I stop finding her fur on all my clothes. I dread the day I stop closing the bathroom door so she doesn't snoop around. I dread the day I no longer look at her bed as soon as I enter the room. But I'm grateful I got to find her hair on my clothes for 14 years. I'm grateful for every bark at the doorbell. I'm grateful for every chewed up tissue in her bed. Rest easy girl, you've lived a good life, you don't have to be in pain anymore. I love you and miss you.

I live in a small block of flats in south east England where there is a small open resident car park within view of my flat. A guy from a nearby flat parks his Transit Connect (small van) in the car park. I believe it’s his day to day work van (he comes and goes in it every day) though I have seen him load/unload his two dogs from the back of it (LabradoGSD-sized).
There have been a few instances where I’ve seen him load the dogs in the van and leave them overnight. I know this because I am alerted to them going into the van because they bark quite loudly. They then bark intermittently from within the van for up to about half an hour. It dies down and the guy returns early morning (6am-ish) to take them for a walk. Apart from the initial settling, they don’t appear to sound distressed.
My question is: is it legal to ‘house’ animals in a vehicle overnight? Would it potentially be an issue for the RSPCA? Or is it, in effect, the same as having a kennel in the garden? And just an unusual but perfectly fine thing to do?
I have a dog myself, so it feels a bit ‘off’ that someone would occasionally have them in a van (it’s probably a handful of times a month). I don’t want to be that curtain-twitchy neighbour for zero reason, but I’d also feel terrible within myself if this behaviour definitely crosses any legal/welfare line and I was ignoring it.
Outside of this occasional odd overnight thing, the dogs appear healthy and happy (from a layperson’s perspective).

Earlier today my dogs were barking so I decided to see what was going on thru my bathroom window I stuck my head out and as I’m about to say anything this guy pushed the fence on my dog that she went back I yelled out saying “what the f is your problem” and he stayed quiet and I followed up by saying “I just saw you push my dog” he said “it was trying to bite me” mind you my dog is not even 6 month old pitbull who’s extremely friendly to everyone but tends to bark. I was like “she doesn’t fing bite I will call the cops on you’re for that s” and he said “well call them”. I was like I need to see him face to face because he left real quick so I go over and I see him and I press him in front of his relatives because he started saying “I was fixing the fence and she was grabbing on my glove and I lightly pushed” (the fence is Diamond Wire Fence) that fence is one that can’t be “fixed” and was never broken since I said “you literally pushed it hard enough to make her go back and he was denying saying “your full of shit” I was like “let me catch you doing that s*** and the cops will be called “ he said “I’ll do it again if she goes out to bite me” and I just said “ Bett that watch”. I forgot to mention he comes a lot to do yard work. I’m 19 (F) any advice on how to go about this.

I rented a sniff spot and it didn’t mention that there’s yappy little dogs on both sides of the fence. Normally she would go apeshit, but maybe because it was a foreign yard (new sniff spot for us) she didn’t react. Once I got the ball out to lay fetch she really didn’t care.
Honestly it’s a first. She’s been 50/50 on reaction since yesterday. Other dogs have been close by and barked and she only perked her ears up and pointed her head in their direction.
Why can’t every day be like this?

My neighbor called 911 on me after my dog and her dog barked at each other in and outside my property. When I was arriving to my house I opened my gate to go inside my carport, I get out and my dog was inside the gate with me, as I was closing the gate, my neighbor passes by walking her dog in front of my gate, her dog barks at my dog and my dog launches at the dog and starts barking back at the dog, at this time my dog it’s outside my gate. I promptly grab my dog and put him inside the gate. All this interaction was less than 30 seconds.
911 original report: My dog attacked her dog. There’s video evidence of the actual interaction. Cop sees video and sees no “attack” happened but decides to call Animal Control anyway; AC tells the cop that they can’t take my dog away since there was no human victim. Finally, the cop decided to cite me for no leash, city ordinance of “Dogs not permitted at large”.
The citation is for $285. Is it worth it to appeal this case? Do I have a fightable case here?

Shiba named Shiro, 4 1/2, male. Have had him since he was 2 1/2. One owner prior, and the ex-husband of owner was abusive and mean to the dog.
Hey guys, my dog Shiro has of course always been defensive over his own space. He’s never really gotten mean with anyone except once when he get stepped on, and when the person raised their foot away, Shiro bit at their feet. For extra info that may help - Shiros previous owner abused him, often kicking him, chasing him, and taunting him with loud noises such as vacuums. So we have always tried to be careful about raising our feet near him.
But the point of the post being - there has been a few circumstances recently where he has found something and taken it under my bed and lays with it, guarding it. Example 1: he got a half empty bag of beef jerky and took it under my bed with out me knowing. I only realized it because when I got home into my room, I heard him almost whimpering like as if in distress under my bed. I thought maybe he was hurt so I got down to look and he has the bag laying in front of him. I instinctively went to grab it cause he’s not supposed to have it and I didn’t want him consuming the packet on the inside. But when I did, he snarled and growled at me, and even snipped at my hand. I backed off for a minute and each time I’d get back on the ground to look he’d growl at me even getting down there. The weird thing to me, is he would get out from under the bed and get my attention by yelping, giving small barks(which he rarely does) and overall chatter and jumping on me. But each time I’d go near the bottom of the bed he’d scurry back under there. It’s worth noting that during these periods that he’s doing this, he’s notably more energetic around that time, and much more worked up in general. Barking more, whining, etc.
I’m seeking information about why he’s doing it, ways to to help, etc. Is it an attention thing?
Edit: Each time it has been some sort of meat/food item. Half empty pepperoni bag Beef jerky bag And now an empty bag that had beef stick bites in it Noteworthy that he never eats the contents of the bag, or even eats the bag. Just keeps it. He also did it with a dog bone he took from one of my mother’s dogs once.

By AMA I mean: About My Animals
I won't be answering any questions. This is about one of our family dogs, when I wad a kid.
I remember my mother telling me the story of how we ended up with a pair (mother and son) of dogs from some home breeder people. Her words to me:
The people that were selling pups said we could take the mother for free. "she's useless and dumb! When someone comes to the door, all the other dogs are jumping and barking and growling, but this one, runs away behind the corner and does this weird thing where she gets down all low, and watches silently!"
Then mom said we got the smartest dog for free!
(P.S. this dog proved it even in old age. "two raccoons are now unable to tell you that tale, I can tell you!" - commentary from The Gateless Keymaster by Louis Tully)
Commentary from the Orange Conceptual Temporal Measuring Devices Sutra, - "A nozh scrap anytime you say"
Commentary from the oldest recorded scripture of the Fluxing Aeons, the boudoir leather clad venus flytrap - *dies

Introduction

1. Will this be your first dog? If not, what experience do you have owning/training dogs?

• This would be the first dog that I own entirely myself. I previously owned a Labrador with help from my family and loved him, but would not be able to look aftewalk a dog of that size on my own due to poor physical health. I really enjoyed training my Labrador and would look forward to training a new dog.

1. Do you have a preference for rescuing a dog vs. going through a reputable breeder?

• I am open to both.

1. Describe your ideal dog.

• I would like a small-medium dog who can act as an emotional support companion for me. They cannot be super high energy or very strong as my fitness level/health is not very good, however I am more than willing to commit to at least a walk (1-2 hours) and playtime every day. I would need a cuddly dog that is easy to train, obedient and calm. Due to a member of the household being allergic to dogs, less shedding is preferred but not essential.

1. What breeds or types of dogs are you interested in and why?

• I am thinking that some form of spaniel would be good for me. I love Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and they may be a good match, but I am concerned by the health issues they can possess. I also think Cocker Spaniels are a possible good match. I really like Corgis but I think they may be too high energy?

1. What sorts of things would you like to train your dog to do?

• I really enjoy training my dog, so I would like to teach them basic obedience and then further tricks if they enjoy training.

1. Do you want to compete with your dog in a sport (e.g. agility, obedience, rally) or use your dog for a form of work (e.g. hunting, herding, livestock guarding)? If so, how much experience do you have with this work/sport?

• No.

Care Commitments
7) How long do you want to devote to training, playing with, or otherwise interacting with your dog each day?

• I would love to hang out with my dog most of the time. I work short shifts 2-3 days a week and would be home otherwise.

1. How long can you exercise your dog each day, on average? What sorts of exercise are you planning to give your dog regularly and does that include using a dog park?

• I would be able to bring my dog for walks of at least an hour's duration every day, plus playtime. These would be slow leisurely walks as my physical fitness is not very good.

1. How much regular brushing are you willing to do? Are you open to trimming hair, cleaning ears, or doing other grooming at home? If not, would you be willing to pay a professional to do it regularly?

• I am open to learning how to groom my dog as best as I can. If not I am willing to pay a professional.

Personal Preferences
10) What size dog are you looking for?

• I would like a small or medium sized dog. They would sleep with me in my room.

1. How much shedding, barking, and slobber can you handle?

• Not much barking as I live in a shared household. Shedding would preferably not be too much but can be dealt with. Slobber preferably not much but is not a deal breaker.

1. How important is being able to let your dog off-leash in an unfenced area?

• Not important, while it would be nice to be able to have the dog off-leash I will likely keep them on a lead when out and about.

Dog Personality and Behavior
13) Do you want a snuggly dog or one that prefers some personal space?

• Very snuggly!

1. Would you prefer a dog that wants to do its own thing or one that’s more eager-to-please?

• Eager-to-please

1. How would you prefer your dog to respond to someone knocking on the door or entering your yard? How would you prefer your dog to greet strangers or visitors?

• I want a dog that is friendly to strangers and visitors.

1. Are you willing to manage a dog that is aggressive to other dogs?

• No, I would like my dog to be friendly to other dogs.

1. Are there any other behaviors you can’t deal with or want to avoid?

• I would need my dog to be friendly, calm and responsive to commands

Lifestyle
18) How often and how long will the dog be left alone?

• I will be home most of the time. I work infrequently and people will most often be home when I am not there.

1. What are the dog-related preferences of other people in the house and what will be their involvement in caring for the dog?

• The others in the household would also like a calm and quiet, friendly dog. One enjoys walks and will be able to walk the dog or take them places if I am unavailable. One member of the household is allergic to dogs but does not mind some shedding.

1. Do you have other pets or are you planning on having other pets? What breed or type of animal are they?

• No

1. Will the dog be interacting with children regularly?

• No

1. Do you rent or plan to rent in the future? If applicable, what breed or weight restrictions are on your current lease?

• No

1. What city or country do you live in and are you aware of any laws banning certain breeds?

• Ireland, no

1. What is the average temperature of a typical summer and winter day where you live?

• Irish weather is all over the place, haha. Tends to be rainy or cold but can sometimes be sunny.

Additional Information and Questions
25) Please provide any additional information you feel may be relevant.

• Due to being autistic I would like a dog that will not be too difficult for me. I'm very dedicated to looking after the dog as best as I can, but could not have a dog that is too challenging to train or too strong for me to walk. I would love a dog who will be my friend and companion and enjoy cuddles.

Just because I am child-free and not a big fan of children, does not automatically make me a dog lover. Many dogs are grosser and just as annoying as children. This culture of bringing them into indoor establishments is getting a little tiring. Like it's not unique or cool anymore. I don't need a dog jumping on or sniffing me when I'm waiting in line for coffee. Nor do I want to listen to them bark at each other inside when I haven't had my coffee yet. Nor do I want to smell them.

The cats are so annoying, i killed them all. But it got me thinking, do the cats meow more than the dogs barks? Maybe i just havent had enough dogs to notice. i read something about dogs barking whem a mob is approching but im not sure if thats changed. do the cats just meow for no reason then? just to be annoying? its so wrong too bc cats are much quieter than dogs in reality...

My almost 6 mo puppy was very shy when she was young, and now she is fear reactive. She will lunge and bark with hackles up if someone surprises her or walks too close. Same thing with dogs. At home, she will stand five feet away and bark at a visitor for about 5 minutes before walking away, but she will growl or bark again if they move too suddenly. After about 20 minutes she’s comfortable with them moving around, and will maybe let them play with her depending on how many treats have been given or what mood she’s in.
I took her to my parents house over the weekend and it took her a day and a half to be fully comfortable in the house (be able to nap) and be able to not pull away after a short amount of pets from my parents.
We are working on giving her treats or praise whenever she is brave, whenever she sees someone and doesn’t bark, or whenever she sees a dog. We are also taking her to a group class where she does surprisingly well as long as no one gives her too much attention. We are also taking her to a “play and train” at a good facility that is slowly introducing her to dogs. Both of those are once a week.
Is there anything else we can do to build our puppy’s confidence so she can slowly be less afraid of the world? It makes me sad when she wants to cut walks short ( I always let her) and head back to our apartment. She is always so happy to see and play with me and my boyfriend, as well as our friend that comes over on the weekends.

Fainting/syncopal episodes
Hi there,
I’m posting out of desperation to see if anyone has had any experience with fainting in dogs. I have a female Shih Tzu who is 14 years old. She has mitral valve disease and a heart murmur which is controlled. Apart from these conditions, she is very active and healthy. A couple of years ago, she started to have fainting episodes. At first, they happened when she was barking or excited from seeing other dogs. She starts losing her balance, falls, her neck and limbs extend, and she vocalizes (screams). This usually lasts for under a minute and she gets back up slowly. Once she’s up and settled, it’s almost like nothing happened, she’s completely back to normal. Sometimes when she faints, she will pee or poop (only if she hasn’t gone recently). The frequency of her fainting episodes seemed to lessen after starting her on Vetmedin for her mitral valve disease. The cardiologist said that her mitral valve disease was not severe enough to explain her fainting episodes. Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen 3 different cardiologists and 1 neurologist who have pretty much concluded that she is experiencing vasovagal syncope. Recently, she has been fainting multiple times a day, without being excited, whereas previously it did not happen more than once a day. It usually happens when she gets up after lying down or sleeping for a while, when she gets in the car, or after she pees. She was prescribed Theophylline recently, which is supposed to help with vasovagal syncope, but she still seems to be fainting just as often. I’m really not sure what to do as it seems I’ve exhausted all of my options. She is otherwise healthy, but the episodes have been really stressful, and I’m sure confusing for her. I’ve been carrying her practically everywhere, which seems to help sometimes. I have also been wondering if there is a link between not eating/being fasted and her episodes. If anyone has any experience or input at all, it would really be appreciated. Thank you!