Non Cycling related but interesting anyway, Whats your favorite breed of dog and why

[Smiley]

I have now owned Three (3) Chinese Shar-Pei and am down to a 3 year old female named Joy whom we got from our breeder cause she was not delivering pups with consistency. She was partially blind due to entropian and we still decided to keep her cause her disposition seem very good at the time. For us the Pei is a very nice and clean owner loyal dog that does not need as much excersize as much as they need people company . I think we have settled for this breed to be with us for as long as we own dogs. I also now think that I'd be more inclined to take in a dog that is neglected as opposed to bringing a puppy home. These rescue type dogs seem to have a knowledge that this is a second lease on life for them and they appreciate their new owners more.

[PaulE]

He was the runt of the litter, but he's big for his breed now, tall and 19 lbs. In our family, everyone is tall, even the dog. He doesn't shed, has a good temperment, and is fairly low maintenance. He's my favorite because it's what we have.

[JohnS]

Golden Retreiver- I love their disposition, intelligence, looks and their long soft fur. I also have a soft spot for Rotts and Pugs. Go figure... Most Rotts I've met have been oversized lapdogs. I love the way Pugs moan, groan, growl and otherwise "talk" to you. That being said, my next dog will 99% sure be a 50-80lb mutt from the Humane Society. "Used" dogs are already housebroken. I like dogs big enough to wrestle with on the floor.

[flydhest]

for anyone who saw the old phorum photo gallery, my dog Lucy is the most beautiful dog in the world. This is an empirical fact, so it's not even worth debating.

She's a pure bred Swedish sheepdog, which is to say, she's a mutt, part boder collie and my wife is from Stockholm so we made up a breed. She does, however, conform strictly to the breed standard for the Swedish Sheepdog, right down to the trace of white fur on the tail and the habit of sitting slightly to the side. All defining characteristics of the breed.

Friends of ours used to live in a snooty section of San Fran where all the neighbors had dogs with pedigrees. Their dog, Fred, was a mutt, but they got tired of being looked down on, so they decided he was a Nubian Beagle. The number of people who would knowingly say, "Oh yes, you don't see many of those, but they are great dogs. A friend of mine had one . . ."

Good fun. As my buddy's grandma used to say, "Never call someone ignorant. Draw attention to their ignorance." :no:

[Ozz]

It's the owners you need to watch out for....

I had serveral retrievers growing up (goldens and chocolate) and they have the best dispositions. I also had a couple Springer Spaniels. They were also wonderful dogs.

Current dogs are a pair of Japanese Chins. My wife and I got them when we were living in a condo, and wanted something small and quiet. Do not get one of these dogs expecting them to be a watchdog. They will not bark, but will snort and snuff all over visitors. WARNING: These dogs may be small (ours are 4 lbs and 7 lbs), but they shed hair like a 150lb Malamute!

We dread taking them out in public cuz we can't walk more than 5 minutes without being stopped by someone (typically older women and teenage girls) wanting to pet, talk about or pickup our girls.

Flydhest, Lucy is a beautiful dog....but I am sorry to say she is but a close third behind my Kelsey and Lalique! ;)

[bcm119]

I like springer spaniels and elk hounds. I don't know too much about elk hounds, but one followed me home once and I had him for 4 days before the owner responded to my lost dog flyer, and he was the most earnest and charismatic dog I've met. I had a spaniel as a kid, so I'm biased about them. Cockers are funny- very stubborn, not too bright, and very emotional.

[flydhest]

Flydhest, Lucy is a beautiful dog....but I am sorry to say she is but a close third behind my Kelsey and Lalique! ;)

Ozz, we're going to have to take this outside :butt:

. . . you go first, I'll meet you there for your "lesson" after I finish my beer. Don't worry, I'll be there. :no:

flydhest
(who has won his last 5 fights by about 25 meters)

[gt6267a]

wheaton terrier : my childhood dog. they are so happy and joyous and it's contagious. you can't be in a bad mood around one.

[Ozz]

Ozz, we're going to have to take this outside :butt:

. . . you go first, I'll meet you there for your "lesson" after I finish my beer. Don't worry, I'll be there. :no:

flydhest
(who has won his last 5 fights by about 25 meters)


Hmmm....kinda reminds me of debating 'pretty welds' on bikes! :beer:

[flydhest]

Nope, pretty welds on bikes is for wimps.

Explaining why I was needed out the back door when I was supposed to be duking it out with you on the sidewalk . . . now that's more my style.

When we meet in a bar, and the fight's about to start, there will only be two hits!

My credit card hitting the counter and that cold beer hitting your lips.

You've been warned.

[Len J]

was a Hungarian Kuvasz that I had for 13 years (before I had to put her down last March). Looked like a Large White Golden Retreiver with Black Nose, Lips and paws.

Good:

- Hair did not smell
- Hair shed dirt (1 bath in 13 years & she was spotless)
- Extremely Intelligent
- Great Guard dog
- very protective
- Can be easily socialized / safe around children if trained.

Be aware of:

- Extremely strong willed. Not a dog for someone that isn't willing to set boundaries.
- Must be socialized or can become a "One owner" dog.
- Dog loves to run. When Marika was younger, she would accompany me on 20+ mile recovery rides and come back barely winded.
- Will want to be high in any pack pecking order.
- Is definatly a pack dog......Owner and owners family will becaome part of pack. See strong willed above.

We are thinking of getting another.

Len

[Climb01742]

you guys never got the memo? it's been decided. official notification has been sent out. the best dog in the whole wide world is a cocker spaniel. geez, guys, get with the program. :p my first dog as a 6-year-old was a cocker. one of the three dogs we have now is a 14-year-old cocker. and i'm sure my last dog will be a cocker. in my soul there is a hole shaped exactly like a cocker. when i have one to fill it, i am one happy camper.

[Ozz]

English or American???

BTW - What is the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow?

[Climb01742]

mine have all been american cocker spaniels. as to your second question, sorry, man, you lost me. :confused:

[gt6267a]

i need to start picking fights with Flydhest in bars that carry westleteren 12.



When we meet in a bar, and the fight's about to start, there will only be two hits!

My credit card hitting the counter and that cold beer hitting your lips.

You've been warned.

[Bruce H.]

The breed you love.
I have bred, raised and shown Golden Retriever's since 1979 and love them to death. I have also raised two for "The Seeing Eye" program in Morristown N.J.
They are wonderful with children and handicapped people and are extremely loving animals.
I also feel there are numerous "great" breeds of dogs out there. One to satisfy anybody looking for a terrific friend and companion!
Bruce H.

[Ozz]

Monty Python Holy Grail
Q & A to cross "Bridge of Death"

Bridgekeeper: Hee hee heh. Stop. What... is your name?

King Arthur: It is 'Arthur', King of the Britons.

Bridgekeeper: What... is your quest?

King Arthur: To seek the Holy Grail.

Bridgekeeper: What... is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?

King Arthur: What do you mean? An African or European swallow?

Bridgekeeper: Huh? I... I don't know that. Auuuuuuuugh.

Sir Bedevere: How do know so much about swallows?

King Arthur: Well, you have to know these things when you're a king, you know.


:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

[Too Tall]

Standard Poodle (Black of course).

They don't make me itch too bad and are entirely empathetic for humans. VERY protective of the home and kin. I'd have no other. We are down to two...bummer.

Am a big fan of bulldogs for their "best buddy" qualities and sweet nature.

Big big fan of female black labs because they are house loyal and about as dogish as a canine can be. I mean heck they even get all excited about drinking water!

[Phil Selisker]

My favorite dog is our Lab, Sally, she's 8 1/2 and real sweetheart. :)

[Climb01742]

phil, we have a four month old chocolate lab girl pupster. we love her, sweet as can be. but let me ask you...do they ever calm down??? :p

[pjm]

Any breed that doesn't bark or beg.

[Ozz]

That would be a fish....

[Sandy]

I am sitting in front of the computer, with my Serotta leaning against the wall, about 2 feet from me. I am on the Serotta forum, reading a thread started by my great friend Smiley. It is about DOGS. I read all the posts thus far on the thread and am totally relaxed. I glance down at my beeping heart rate monitor (I am planning on riding a little if it does not rain) and my heart is beating at 46-47 bpm. There truly is a heaven!!!


I don't think I have a favorite breed. I feel most sorry for Pit Bulls for how they are often raised and bred. I don't have a dog, but if I had one, I think it would be one of the larger breeds, if a pedigree. I KNOW where I would get it-From the local shelter.

Dogs really do calm and relax you. They are truly wonderful beings.

Saluki Sandy

[Sandy]

That would be Kevan, not a fish. He does not bark or beg. Oops, I am wrong. He does beg!

Schnauzer Sandy

[MartyE]

I'm partial to two very different breeds.
First is Golden Retriever, I used to work with the Golden Retriever
Rescue in the DC area before I moved. Never saw a bad golden
(although there are tons of badly bred goldens), temperment of the
breed is exceptional.
The other is German Shepard, one of which thinks she runs our
house now (when she isn't being terrorized by the cat from hell).
She was a rescue we adopted in South Africa, have had her since
she was about 8 months old. Intellegent, loyal (almost to a fault),
but like the Kurvaz mentioned above needs to be trained otherwise tends towards dominance.

Ok, after just reading a story about a GSD eating 28 golf balls maybe
intellegence isn't the right term for them :rolleyes:

Marty

[Sandy]

Thus far, I like the picture of Too Tall, in his red/pink dress, with his dog Beau, taken a few years ago. Notice that he was considerably wider and much shorter at that time. He was a mere 5 ft. 1 in. I lent him my stretch machine, Sandy's Supersonic Stretcher. He wanted to be exactly 6 feet tall. Unfortunately, he did not follow precisely my directions, and left SSS on for too long. He now is approximately 6 ft.7 in. I suggested he change is name from So Short to Too Tall, which he did. :) :)

Now Too Tall is holding me responsible for his change in length and won't even pay me for my help in his name change. I think that we may end up in court about this. :) :)

Am I in trouble with Too Tall?


Shilo Shepherd Sandy

[csb]

[MartyE]

Shilo Shepard Sandy?

Really? haven't seen one of them in a while.
who needs horses when you've got a shilo to ride on.


Marty

[JohnS]

My bro-in-law has one. It is the squirreliest, dumbest dog I've ever seen, and I like sheperds.

[Sandy]

20-25 people=1 dog, maybe


Scottie Sandy

[Spinner]

That's what I tell him every day. I also tell Bristol that I tell everyone that he is the Best Dog In The Whole World. So there!

Bristol is a 16-pound minature schnauzer. He is great for his current domestic duties. No big feed bill either.

I have had Great Pyrnees, Border Collies, English Sheppards and some Heinz 57s, all wonderful in their own right.

[Jeff N.]

Theres friggin dogs all over my neighborhood. Barking day and night. If I had my way about it there'd be only one dog in the world, and everyone could just take turns looking at it. Jeff N.

[Jollymon]

Beagles...though they are a handful. We have had two and I look forward to the day that we get another one...in a year or so...

[M_A_Martin]

I like Springer Spaniels and Dalmations, Standard Poodles...and all big dogs... oh heck...all dogs really and they usually all like me. Dad always had a flock of springers around for pheasant hunting. I get along with most of the hunting breeds. My most favorite dog was a mutt springer cross. Wonderful, smart, loyal.

Before everyone tells me what a horrid dog a dalmation is, they're right. Dalmations get exactly the bad rap they deserve. Most aren't trained or expected to do anything and they're a snarky breed. Most are originally smarter than their owners, but like smart kids who aren't given direction, they go bad. I raised a beautiful, large (85lb without a spot of fat), male dalmation who had an extensive vocabulary of verbal and non verbal commands that he knew that worked on and off leash. Social and smart as a whip, but he was given jobs and direction. It was like raising an overly bright child, taxing but worth it. True he ate half a wingback chair once but Dalmations have the softest ears in the universe. I miss my puppy.

I haven't had a dog for several years now. I adopted a cocker from rescue, but she needed to find a new home, I was a bit too allergic to her. (I love Akitas, but can't be in the same room with one without loosing an air way) I keep looking for an older dog who would like a nice home for its last years. Haven't found the right one yet. It makes me sad to look. I want to bring them all home.
so no dogs now...unless you count my two horses...

[Dr. Doofus]

Golden.

Our current baby is five months -- against my wishes, she was a Christmas present from the father-in-law, bought from a greedy idiot "breeder"...she has taken a bit more work than the two others I've had in the past, but she's going to be a good dog :)

[Smiley]

easily trained and smarter than that spotted breed you like :banana:


What you got no love for Chinese dogs ? You got my Avitar Shar-pei upset Ginger

[Kevin]

I vote for my mutt. Extremely loyal and after two knee replacements will still allow "her" girls to do anything to her without any fear of retribution.

Kevin

[Sandy]

Please adopt me soon. Let me know and I will start to paint my little black dots. I will bring my little red fire engine too. You will have to go on long moonlight walks with me. I can hardly wait. Can you?

Sandy

[Sandy]

If I were a dog, I'd like to live at Smiley's or Kevin's or Germanboxer's or Too Tall's or.......

I think a lot of Serotta folks REALLY love their dogs. :)


Schipperke Sandy

[Kevin]

I am blind again. Sandy on a leash!

Kevin

[M_A_Martin]

I like ALL Dogs! I even met a pei that I liked a lot, but I was on a waiting list for him and he found a home elsewhere.

Sandy. I liked MY dalmation...Most Dals are dumber than a box of rox. My pup even liked to point birds...odd trick for a Dal.

And yeah...I can wait. :)

[Sandy]

I am off leash certified. I like the smilies. :) They make me :)

Samoyed Sandy

[Sandy]

If you adopt me, I promise I won't snap.

You can wait? How long? I am already 63 and I'm not sure whether that is in dog or human years.


Sheltie Sandy

[dbrk]

Our dog is an as yet unrecognized breed. They are called Silken Windhounds and they are made, as it were, from whippets, long-haired whippets, and borzois. Some people think that they are long-haired whippets but that's really not so. They are sort of a fancy mutt, I suppose, by AKC standards, meaning that breeders of them tell us that sooner or later they will be recognized as their own thing.

We didn't go after a designer pup on purpose. We had certain wants. Smallish but not toy, very, very, very gentle (no nipping and nothing like the notion of being mean, not one bit), basically no barking, and a dog that is incredibly obedient and doesn't walk _you_. I suppose the latter is training mostly but it's also in the dog, at least as I see it. Smart and submissive are hard to put together. When you plug these criteria into one of those dog finder things on the Internet (which are actually quite good in their own way), you get whippets on top. But we also wanted a dog who didn't need a darn Patagucci fleece on for a stroll in winter. Hence, regular whippets got ixnayed. This is how we found out about Silkens.

Mira is really everything I've ever hoped a dog would be. She plays catch perfectly, dropping the whatever when you tell her, she comes when you call her, you can walk with her without any leash and she walks either right beside you or comes when called, she never bolts, never ever disobeys. She goes right into her crate at night to sleep, never makes a sound, comes out in the morning when you open the door, whenever you do. She is playful and as gentle as gentle could possibly be. She wanders around our property but never strays far, no matter how long she sits outside. She wants company but seems not to be too freaked out when we are gone.

I wonder how many dogs are like this. I get chased by dogs nearly every time I am out on my bike. I simply hate this. The dogs are just being dogs but some are acting pretty mean. I would not hesitate to act in my own defence or perceived defence. If the dog chases with a growl then I believe I have the moral authority to act however I damn well please. I'm not a mean fella but I won't be intimidated. Interestingly, Mira will not chase cyclists. The UPS man loves her as does Ed the Postman. I feel really, really lucky to have this designer mutt and I can only wish such joy on others. Anyway, go look up silken windhounds if you love dogs. These are beautiful and sweet creatures, to the last.

dbrk

[gasman]

Black Labs are just the best !!! Our dog was rescued from the pound and the kids named him the highly original "Lucky". Housebroken, but didn't know a single command. In six months he knew more verbal and non-verbal commands than most people. After many years he always will go on a run or hike with me, I just have to pull on my shoes. If I pull on my bike shorts he goes back to what he was doing, usually sleeping or chasing squirrels Just like our other Lab, all he wants to know is "What do you want me to do next ?" :)
But really there are so many great dogs of all breeds, it is really just the owners that are screwed up and don't take the time needed to have a great pet and companion. Like the title says of the Barbara Woodhouse book "No Bad Dogs" it is not the dogs fault if they are aggressive or annoying or have bad habits. The owners should be put on a leash and told to sit. Maybe have a water bottle squirted on them.

[Birddog]

I'm surprised someone else hasn't mentioned one of my favorites, the Springer Spaniel. I've had two of 'em, and they are great. When I was a little kid, we had a cocker/ golden mix, that my dad said was the finest hunting dog he ever owned. Unfortunately, he was very protective, and nipped two different people that ventured off the sidewalk and onto the grass while I was out playing. That earned him a trip to a farm where the new owner was eternally grateful. Of course all my favorites just happen to be bird dogs.


Birddog

[Climb01742]

many of the finest people i've known in life were dogs. we're always trying to teach dogs stuff. my dogs have taught me lots of stuff too.

[Sandy]

I never heard of a Silken, but I think that a combination of a Borzoi and a Whippet would make a great dog. I imagine she must be very fast, with a great ability in jumping, sort of like Superman. I would think that she would be quite beautiful if she decided to give a deer or two a chase. I picture her as streamlined, with a very deep chest, well muscled, especially in the rear, and with an overall look of speed and power.

I always considered Whippets and Borzoi to be sight hounds, with a propensity to chase smaller animals. Does she chase some of them? Since a Whippet is much smaller than a Borzoi, I am curious as to what weight she is. I would love to see a picture of her.

What is the plural for Berzoi? Borzois or simply Russian Wolfhounds?

So Smoooooth So Silken So Silken Sandy :)

[froze]

Too many to chose from, I had a Golden Lab who got old and died; now I have a German Shepherd whos now old but seems very healthy; my next dog will be a Irish Wolfhound! I love all 3 breeds so there is no real one favorite.

[pale scotsman]

We rescued Taffy, a retriever, collie, and german shepard mix, from the pound. She was maybe 4 months old when we got her. Could not for the life of us potty train her so she spent the first year outside with a dog condo.

A couple years ago she started scratching and whining at the back door a few nights in a row and wasn't acting quite right. Took her to vet and she had very serious ear infections. We had to dope her up for a week and I felt so bad we kept her inside. Turned out she was potty trained now and she's got at least a 14 hour bladder.

Taffy has turned out to be the smartest, most loving, and faithfull dog I've/ we've ever had.

Not much of a watchdog during the day though. Heck she'd open the door and let you in if she could, but once it gets dark she's got a different attitude.

[soulspinner]

I miss my Newfoundland Rufus, who passed July 4 2003. Lord Byron said it best, these great beasts are never vain or self serving. They just love everybody. aka Jolly Rogers Life of Riley, RIP....

[Sandy]

I am not trying to be disparanging to anyone, but I simply do not think that a dog should, in most instances, live outside. A dog is a pack animal and wants to be with his pack, which normally is his or her human "owners". It often sadddens me to see a dog tied up outside in all types of weather to live its life outside, away from the pack. An individual who allows that to happen simply should not have a dog.

I understand that some dogs are working dogs, and do a splendid job. These dogs do often spend a great deal of time outside, but they often have a pack, either other dogs or animals that they guard or herd etc.

Too many people are simply void of understanding what life is from the perspective of a non-human, say a dog. Often the human makes the animal's life miserable and simply either does not care about or is ignorant of how pathetic the existence is of the animal because of its human "owners". Too many people who have dogs shouldn't. It is a great responsibility, but very rewarding.


Sealyham Sandy

[rnhood]

Maybe not too popular since they have not been mentioned yet but, the black and tan coonhound is certainly a contender for one of man's best friends. It is one fine dog. When hot on a trail their yelping bark is music to the ears. It's a dog with a purpose.

For more homely pets, especially with children, the Blue Tick hound bridges the gap between a hunting dog and a pet to play and snuggle up with. Very friendly and docile, yet can still run with the best of 'em.

[Sandy]

Froze,
Up until a few weeks ago, I had only seen pictures of an Irish Wolfhound. I was at a dog park and saw 3 of those critters, owned by the same couple. The closer I got, the larger they seemed to get. Now those are big awesome looking dogs. Wowee Wow!! Wowee Wow!!


Skye Sandy

[jerk]

the jerk likes dogs....the jerk is dogless now but his last pal was a springer spaniel.....the jerk also likes bouviers which are big belgian dogs that look like bears....

[Sandy]

Springer Spaniels and Bouviers are great choices.

Springer Spaniel Sandy

[Climb01742]

i'm not sure what my idea of a "higher being" is, but whatever intelligence created what seems like a pefect breed of dog for each of us, well, job well done. companionship seems like a very basic human need. dogs give each and every one of us a shot at it.

[Dr. Doofus]

Hey jerk --

A Bouvier des Flandres is a wonderful pooch, but isn't a Leonberger more the MX Leader of Belgian mutts? When Iris (our five-month Golden) is about a year and a half, we want to get a Leonberger...250 pounds of collective dog is a *good* thing....


Random knowledge time...from skeletal evidence, scholars conclude that the ancient mastiffs used by the teutonic tribes as fighting dogs weighed between 250 and 300 pounds...imagine *that* dressed up in doggie armor and in a bad mood...at one battle, two Roman legions spent one day kicking some kraut barbarian tail, that ran away, but then spent the next *two* settling the score with the dogs, who didn't. Just goes to show you....

[Ozz]

Maybe not too popular since they have not been mentioned yet but, the black and tan coonhound is certainly a contender for one of man's best friends. It is one fine dog. When hot on a trail their yelping bark is music to the ears. It's a dog with a purpose.

For more homely pets, especially with children, the Blue Tick hound bridges the gap between a hunting dog and a pet to play and snuggle up with. Very friendly and docile, yet can still run with the best of 'em.

Probably my favorite book when I was about 10 years old.

Regarding Irish Wolfhounds (and other larger breeds), these are gorgoeous dogs, but typically have very short lifespans (< 7 years for most). I just couldn't stand that. We'd just be getting to know each other. :(

[Too Tall]

HaHa, I love Beagles for one reason...if there ever was a dog with more will for war I'd like to see it...they are on their own for sure...an army of one.

Bouviers are awesome, my bro' has one. All it lacks is a saddle and he could beat LA traffic.

Sandy, all this time I assumed your house was crawling with dogs....what gives? Yeah, it is amazing what the atkins diet has done for my waistline. Not to mention.

[Sandy]

Unfortunately very large breeds normally have short lives. There are some really great large breeds, such as Great Danes, assorted Mastiffs, Great Pyrenees, assorted Mountain Dogs, Newfoundlands, and even the massive Chihuahua.

A lot of these really large breeds often are genuine gentle giants.

Genuine gentle giant,

Super Slim Sandy

[Sandy]

[OldDog]

I'm with birddog, jerk and sandy, Springer Spaniels. My last best friend was a female black and white Springer. "Babe" lived to the ripe old age of 13. I really miss her. I'd love to get another one, but now that the kids are grown and gone and my wife and I both work, I don't think it fair to the dog to be home alone all day.

[Sandy]

Spinner, Sandy, Springer Spaniels

[Legend_1970]

Basset Hound baby!!! Just because!!!!

[Serotta PETE]

Sandy the Lab

[Climb01742]

spinner, someone could come once or twice a day to walk a dog while you were out. dogs sleep so much, being home alone during the day isn't as hard on them as it might be on a human. just a thought. woof, woof.

[Ozz]

Either me or my wife goes home at lunch every day to visit our girls - not so much for their sanity, but that they cannot "hold it" all day long. It makes a nice break from the office.

Occasionally when there are schedule conflicts, we have a dog-walker over and play with them for about an hour.

I figure this what you sign up for when you adopt a dog.

[dbrk]

Some here might recall (I am sure, btw, that Climb remembers this) but Meriweather Lewis brought his Newfoundland with him on the Journey of Discovery. This fine fellow (both dog and man, you pick...) made it home after those more than two years of wandering in the wilderness and Lewis often remarked that his dog was a great companion for him on the long forays he made to gather plants, rocks, and animal specimens. An incredibly handsom Newfie won best of show at Westminster this year but I've always thought these to be wonderful dogs. So my question is: who among us has experience with Newfies? What are they like? Gentle? Loud? Barkers? I'm not really in the market, my wife would love another Silken Windhound. But someone tell me about Newfies if only because I love Lewis too, he being one of my genuine heroes.

In reply to Sandy: The Silken is indeed a sight hound and Mira, our girl, loves to chase the deer. To see her run is a thing of beauty, I tell you. She is prodigious swift and her ears pin back and her long strides make her something lovely to behold. Lord knows, she is gentle and something of a real chicken, so we have no idea what she would do if a critter actually turned on her. This morning, while composing a note, I looked out at the barn only 50 or so yards away and so a large, healthy looking fox come out of the wood. He strolled across the field, maybe 10 acres of hay just coming up, and looked to be in no hurry. One can only imagine what Mira Silken would have done, surely scared the fox though I am sure she would get the worse of any encounter. I made sure she did not see him.
I'll post a Mira shot if I can find one about. She really is the best of both whippet and borzoi: larger than a whippet but smaller than most borzoi; more borzoi face and long haired whippet body. Sweet as pie, fast as the wind: I aspire to be as good and as fast (on a bike).

Gosh, I love this thread. Soothing and good for reflection on our human condition.

dbrk

[Climb01742]

douglas, mira will help make the IF situation, at least momentarily, smaller. my dogs are my true heart rate monitors.

[Sandy]

Dogs genuinely have a soothing and calming effect.

Sharplaninatz Sandy

[csb]

if you have kids that like to swim a newfie WILL be a life
guard, truely. dig yourself a pond, the dog will paddle
around in it all day (labs were bred out of newfies _
the beautiful black coat, love of all things water, and
their amazingly calm demeanor can be admired in a
good lab).

they do NOT like heat, love what winter brings _ you live
in appropriate newfie habitat.

bark? not much at all, and when they do its a deep, lush
woof.

very short life span, as with most outsized dogs.
stairs are not great for large dogs. large floppy down ears
are also prone to infections _ swimmers ear?

great dogs for snow ball fights!

[dbrk]

Just thinking about such a giant, gentle, low woofer makes me smile. And we have not one but two ponds in which to take a plunge. Boy, would that be fun to have such a companion here in the woods. I hope my day comes. For now it is dear Mira the Silken who I hope lives a long and happy life (so far, so good).

Further Newfie reference: in one of the Aubery-Maturin books of O'Brian (can't remember which but it is in the first ten somewhere...), the young Lt. Babbington (remember him?), I believe, brings a Newfie on board for a long voyage. The poor dog meets, as I recall, a sad end as do most of the creatures on such ships. I wish I had a better memory and a Newfie!

csb: your description was the night's delight!

dbrk

[Onno]

We have one greyhound and two mutts, rescued from the race track, a shelter and the gritty streets of New Haven respectively (the New Haven street punk is now 16!) Like DBRK's Mira, our greyhound Jack is a joy to watch run. We have a field behind our house, and pretty much every day he runs a few laps, at around 35mph. We imagine he remembers his racing days with some fondness. Our other dogs gave up racing him after about 30 seconds on the day he arrived.

It's amazing to me how each of these dogs, abandoned and to some degree abused as youngsters, is utterly loving and friendly. They've forgiven humans. Big lesson there. And on how to go fast and live long.... (Drinking your own urine seems key. :eek: )

Onno

[Sandy]

Try eating one of Kevan's home baked cakes! I did!

Still Sick Stomach Serotta Sandy

[Ozz]

Newfies are wonderful dogs. Very gentle temperment...I had a girlfriend that had two Newfie / St. Bernard mixed breeds.

Two caveats are, as with other very large dogs, pee is measured in pints, and poop is measured in pounds. ;)

[Kevan]

we approached a couple walking their two greyhounds. All I could say to them was, "Fast? Do you wanna see fast?!"


Way... way... back in my air conditioning and heating learning days a bunch of us were approaching the library and there aside the door was this huge furry black bear taking a nap. As we got closer the bear's long thick tail began to lazily thump the ground in greeting, relieving our fears.

Deems Newf's are wonderful, but there's no way I'm policing the yard, owning one.

[Sandy]

I have walked a large number of dogs at a local shelter,sometimes off leash, but always in a small walking area. I have been really impressed by the athleticism of some of these dogs, some with their eye-feet-body-mouth- coordination in chasing balls. One pit bull mix could have played shortstop for the NY Yankees, certainly being paid (in biscuits of course ) a lot less than what they pay now. He was absolutely amazing in getting the ball off the back of the fence in the yard. A young boxer once played me like a fool (careful Kevan). I could see the gleam in his eye, as he would approach me and at the very last minute, he would dash to one side of me, almost seemingly taunting me with his quick moves. Some dogs were remarkably fast in grabbing a biscuit from your hand, without severing one of your fingers. One pit bull (or pit mixed) would grab the biscuit and then get in a sitting position, waiting for the next one, in an absolutely astonishingly short time.

I once, many years ago, saw my first whippet, running on a beach and I was simply amazed at their speed and grace. Some say that a whippet can reach almost 40 mph.They are suppose to have some fancy dancy rear, sort of like a double wishbone something.

This past year, my daughter adopted a really wonderful dog, Darby. I have gone with her and Darby to the dog park. I had never gone to one before. I was amazed at how really quick, fast, and utterly controlled some of these dogs are. But what impressed me the most was the absolute beauty of motion, speed, and grace in which I saw, much too briefly, a greyhound run. When I go to the dog park now, I am always looking for a greyhound to see it run.

Perhaps a greyhound is an indicator that there is a g-d in the heaven, since one can simply look at a greyhound or one of the sight hounds and realize that, if one was designing an animal for speed, it would be a greyhound or whippet or saluki, or maybe even dbrk's silken (I want a picture dbrk).

Do you ever worry about your dog, being a former race dog, and being a sight hound, simply chasing some animal and getting lost?

A lot of people don't realize how absolutely wonderful a greyhound is as a house pet- very sweet, and does not need a large home to live in. Many rescued greyhounds, as you undoubtedly know, often get another greyhound to live with, since people simply love them, and they seem to get along with other dogs quite well, I believe.

It wouldn't take me 30 seconds to give up the chase. I am a human. So I would have looked at Jack, and simply gone back to sleep. I would have been smart enough to not even try.

I don't think Jack or most greyhounds would ever look back favorably at their racing days. The conditions in which they live are certainly improved, but hardly adequate for most. They are used to race and win and that is the significance to too many.

I am actually not really afraid to race Jack. Name the place and the time. No short course and nor one with a lot of curves. Jack on his 4 legs and Supersonic Serotta Sandy on his 4 wheels, sitting comfortably in his BMW M3, putting a real hurting on slowpoke Jack (unless my engine gives way).

Greyhounds- Great bow wows!!

Onno, I like your name. Spelled the same way,forward or backwards. I don't know what that is called, but I know that dbrk, Flydhest, Dr. Doofus, Oracle, Keno, and so many other of the Serotta gals and guys do.

Best thread, for me, ever on the forum.

Hannah Bob

[oracle]

i like mutts above all other dogs, especially those from the animal shelter; purebreds are genetically mutilated, inbred nightmares of nature, remnants of the human obsession with the master race. adopt a mutt and make the world a better place.

oracle

[Doc Austin]

I've had nothing but Poodles, and maybe they just have me trained to their way of doing things. Merlin is a little old now, but in his youth he was a frisbee dog of the first magnitude. He still brings it to me and wants it thrown out, but not nearly as often and he doesn't catch it quite as much as before. Before he would never miss, even on a bad throw the length of the yard.

Surely he is a special dog, but I also think I am getting better at communicating with them as the years go on. I think he understands every single word I say to him.

He knows the program around here too. It's pretty funny to turn the computer off and when he hears the windows sign off music he knows I'm going to get up and he will run up to me wanting attention. And every time too.

It's amazing the little things he picks up on. When I put my sunglasses on, he runs for his frisbee because he knows we are going out. There are a hundred examples of why I just do what I do and the dog goes along with it because he has observed me so well and is so eager to please me.

You know, all dogs are great, but I think a Poodle is best for me. The next one will be a poodle and I'm sure he will be a great dog too.

[jeffg]

I had one that came into my life as a package deal with my wife. That dog was the most gentle, beautiful creature. In no time she became "my" Bouvier (much to my wife's chagrin) and we all spent some wonderful years together. There isn't a day that goes by where I don't think of her and miss her smiling face. I think my wife wants another dog (and I suppose my son might one day); however, I just don't have the heart for it.

BTW, there used to be a picture of her next to my Legend on the old Image gallery. I 'll try to post it again.

[bulliedawg]

I own three mutts, all snatched from the jaws of death. I have three words for you: hybrid breed vigor.

[Onno]

Greyhounds are indeed beautiful dogs, and as you say, gentle and friendly. Ours is also really playful, which surprised me a bit, and endlessly happy. Other greyhounds I've met clearly suffered more at the racetrack; our Jack loves everybody. He must have had a kind trainer who doted on him, also rare I expect.

Jack does run off leash in our fenced yard, where he has almost got several squirrels, a cat, several deer and, the other day, a turkey. He caught a rat once, which was eating under our birdfeeder and pretty much ran straight into Jack's mouth. Jack doesn't seem to want to catch and kill, only to chase. I've seen him back off a chase of a squirrel several times when he got close.

We don't let him off leash when we walk him in the woods because he would chase deer, and perhaps get lost, or cross a road. I've let him off leash a few times when I've been x-c skiing in the woods, when it's clear that he won't and can't go off trail because the snow's too deep. He heels like he's glued to my pant leg, which makes skiing awkward.

I'm afraid you'll have to race Jack on foot, since we don't allow cars, even BMWs, onto our lawn. We'll give you a head-start.

Onno


(My name is a palindrome; it's Dutch. It's also the same upside down, if spelled in capital letters. I like to think it's symbolic.)

[oracle]

that's great, bullie. it warms my heart every time i hear of people taking in strays or pound captives rather than spending 1k on a purebred puppy.

oracle

[Climb01742]

oracle--i think there's a place in our lives for all sorts of dogs. we have three. one is a rescue from a new york city pound. beaten and chained for the first year of his life. now, very sweet but, well, he has a few issues. as would any creature who began life as he did. and we have a four month old purebred chocolate lab pup. she is as sweet as a creature can be, and she will be shortish, stocky, and a great squarish lab head. she is smart as a whip, and is proving to be a training whiz. and yes, she cost $900. we love each of them equally. and they love each other, they are now inseparable. rescuing a dog is great. working with a reputable, honest and loving breeder is great. just like adopting a child is great. having a baby is great. i think there's love enuf to go 'round.

[Ahneida Ride]

My favorite Breed is the one that does not chase me.

[Smiley]

Thats a Chinese Shar-Pei Ride man , too smart to waste the energy on a speeding cyclist like U .

[Climb01742]

how about a basset hound? has anyone ever seen a basset hound even run, much less chase anyone?

[H.Frank Beshear]

one of the side roads we ride on has a Basset on it. The first time he came around the garage at us I almost fell off the bike I was laughing so hard. We sprinted hard :D and he fell off the chase. Ears were flopping and he was baying and his little legs were scrambling, we usually stop and pet him now. His owner will let us fill bottles when we need to, but it was a sight the first time. Frank

[bulliedawg]

that's great, bullie. it warms my heart every time i hear of people taking in strays or pound captives rather than spending 1k on a purebred puppy.

oracle


Thanks for the kind words, Oracle. I agree with other posters that there's a place in the world for pure bred dogs. I cast no moral judgements on people who own them. The advantage to most pure breds is that you get what you want. Fewer surprises for people, especially those who don't "know" dogs. Also, when you drop $1K in a puppy, you're more likely to care for it. Though I would ask them to check a breed rescue before buying from a breeder and creating an un-needed market.

I come to this subject through my wife who's a large animal vet, and has thought and read deeply about our relationship to all animals. I am not a BIG GOVERNMENT person, but I do firmly believe that it is way too easy to get a dog in this country. I think the revolving-door shelter activity would decrease dramatically if people had to prove that they wanted a dog, and the best way to make them prove it is with the almighty dollar. Make them pay through the nose, and they will either not own a dog, or they will take better care of the dogs that they do own.

I know this would make it tough for poor people to own dogs. But living in the rural south, I know first hand that poor people don't take very good care of their dogs. They can't afford to. So, maybe they should be prevented from owning them.

Fire away! But there's no doubt that we kill way too many dogs. I know Sandy can tell you, and I can too, what it sounds like just before the gas is released. A high-pitched fearful yelping, the scratching from the inside, then total silence. It will make you cry to hear it. And these are animals that have an ancient bond to us. That implicitly trust us to do them no harm.

[oracle]

bulliedawg,

i could not agree more with you about making it more difficult to own pets. having volunteered off and on at several animal shelters, i am ceaslessly shocked by the number of people who bring pets in and say that it just didn't work out, that they really did not like having to care for the animal all of the time.

i also do not, for the record, judge those who choose to own purebreds; i do however have reservations personally about that choice, even as the once owner of an exceptional german shepard who i greatly miss to this day.

oracle

[cycler48]

We have a 10 year old collie we've had since she was a puppy. This is the second collie we've had over the past 22 years. I guess it's a "Lassie" thing as I grew up watching the show way back when. We discovered that collies are wonderful pets ... very intelligent, layed back, playful without being hyper, and very good with kids. All in all, a wonderful family pet ... and absolutely nothing beats having that long collie hair everywhere in the house. :) It's really a treat when you find some in your morning bowl of Cheerios or a strand or two at the bottom of your coffee.

[csb]

[Sandy]

Most informative, interesting, and articulate post you ever contributed. Keep up the great work. :)

Bow Wow Sandy

[BigMac]

Sandy, Sandy, Sandy:
No dogs? I figured you for 2 or 3 as a bare minimum. We gotta get you a dog or two...sorry Kevan does not count as a pet...heck I'm not sure he's house trained.

A word of caution to those considering Animal Shelter pooches. We picked up a great dog several years ago from animal shelter, my wife and kids picked him out because he looked so desperate shivering in his cage at the shelter. He looked like the old RCA Gramophone dog, white with large black markings. The kids named him Teddy because he was like a teddy bear to them. Well after we had him for a bout 4 months without a single incident, Eddy, my youngest who was 3 at the time, was bitten by Teddy. He missed his right eye by 1/4 inch, there remains a barely visible scar below his eye and just forward of his right ear lobe. I still do not know what or if Eddy did to provoke the strike but obviously Teddy had to go. He now happily resides with one of my partner's widowed mother, she adores him and he has never repeated this behavior. Was this a product of the breed (Heinz 57 mutt), his Animal Shelter backgorund which could have included past abuse or something Eddy did? Likely the truth is a combination of all 3. I have had labs and lab-retreivers for the last 30 years, all with children in the house and never have had a similar incident. I think these breeds are the best you can have with small children, at least if you prefer larger breed dogs. Their disposition is just so exceptional. Retrievers do require a bit more maintainence with their longer fur and you need to seek reputable breeders to avoid genetic maladies, particularly hip issues although this is true of many large breed dogs.

Cats on the other hand are a different matter, at least ime. We've had 3 cats the last 20 years, all Animal Shelter sourced, all kept indoors only and everyone has been the proverbial lap cat. If small children pull their tail or whiskers, the may hiss but always run and hide. I don't know that I'd get an adult cat or dog, too much abusive history could have occurred which can produce an aggressive animal but most kittens or puppies are a great family addition. Sandy, you NEED a kitten and a Lab puppy. I may just have to contact Flydhest and Sir Captain and arrange a little "gift" for you and the Mrs. :D

Woof on! :banana: :banana: :banana:

[Climb01742]

to follow up on what bigmac said...our rescue dog from NYC shelter has one very challenging issue...men wearing hats...when 'sota sees a man in a hat, he goes insane...impossible to handle...now that we know this, most times we can either deal with it or mitigate the situation...but the first few times it happened, children were around, and it was almost a very bad scene...rescue dogs are a very great thing to do...but you just have to be careful...and aware...

[Sandy]

I don't own a dog and have never trained one, but here is a suggestion for your dog and men with hats.

Have a male friend, wearing a hat, assist you as follows: Take your dog for a walk, but be sure to take some favorite food along, but in small pieces. Have your male friend walk slowly towards you, wearing his hat (you could be sitting with the dog). At the point at which the dog looks like he is soon to start to react negatively to the man in the hat, give him the treat and praise him for the lack of hostility. But stop the man from coming too close to the dog to initiate the bad reaction. Try to do the approaching again, with the man and the dog possibly a little closer. Again reward the dog for good behavior. Do not punish the dog for the unwanted behavior. Try this over a period of days, and even weeks, trying to associate something positive with the closeness of the dog and the man with the hat. You could even start the process by giving him a treat initially without the man even around at all. The goal might be to have the man with the hat actually give him the treat, but that would be way down the line in the training.

The method uses positive reinforcement for a desired goal, but never uses a punishment for the wrong actions (wanting and/or trying to eat the man). I would assume that you become tense and apprehensive and pull on the leash when the situation occurs and that helps perpetuates the situation and not eliminate the undesired behavior. Dogs are remarkably good at reading body language of other dogs and of humans. Your actions are communicated to the dog and you probably are not aware of the significance of it. The dog is not learning to replace the bad behavoir. The goal is to associate the man with the hat with something good (a treat) and not something bad, like a punshishment. If you get stressed and tense, the dog will too.

If Kevan happens to be the man with the hat, I have another solution- Don't feed the dog for a couple of days, and when the dog sees Kevan in his hat, simply gently tell the dog that din din is being served, kick the dog in the rear, and let him go...... :) :)

Actually it might be a good idea to not feed the dog too much the day you might try this, so that he will really want the treats. A dog behaviorist could surely assist you with the problem. Be sure the behaviorist has some certification and ask for references to help ascertain the quality of his work.

Please give your dog a biscuit for Bow Wow Sandy

[Sandy]

You want to replace the unwanted behavior by a desired behavior. You want to praise and reward the desired behavior. You do not want to punish the bad behavior.

Sandman

[Climb01742]

sandy, thank you for a very good suggestion. we are training our new lab pup with just such a positive re-enforecement technique and it's working wonderfully. i had honestly not thought of trying it with our rescue dog. boy, am i dumb. would someone please roll up a newspaper and smack my nose? :p thank you again, sandy.

[weisan]

Hi Folks,

After two years of deliberations, we finally got a dog last Friday. Her name is Troika. She's a German Shepherd, and she's five years old. Here's a picture:
http://www.alicehui.com/troika/Troika.jpg

It's amazing to see how God answered our prayers but matching up EVERY single one of our checklist.

We pray for:
1. A German Shepherd
2. Good with young kids, with exceptional temperament; gentle, calm, and protective
3. House-broken
4. Fully trained
5. Obedient
6. An older dog, not puppy.
7. Of excellent breed and notable lineage.
8. A faithful servant
9. Affordable

We just had her since last Friday evening but so far everything has been great. I had no prior experience with dogs but she responded really well to my commands and acknowledged my authority. It's like she adopted our family almost immediately. We took her out to the park Sunday and someone came and talked to us. This gentleman had German Shepherds growing up and he observed how calm and responsive Troika was. Using his words, he said "we got lucky!" :D

We thanked God for sending this dog to our family, pray that she will serve us well and we will be good steward, to love and take care of her. Yeah! Now, back to bikes and cycling. :p

weisan

[Johnnyg]

The Samoyd of which I have two, a female and a male, 6 and 5 years old. They pull me on skies and I have a dog sled. They are friendly, Harty, travel well, not real popular(not inbread), and they love Serottas!

[Kevan]

Sandy and make sure he's okay, maybe bring him an extra box of kleenex or something.

Weisan,

In the future, please don't sugar coat these dog relationships, Sans' gonna be weeping for joy for the next two weeks on account of your story. Have you ever ridden with someone cry out loud and wanting a hug at each and every stop?! I mean... we're weekend warriors for pete's sake!

Otherwise, enjoy the new family member. Sounds to me like you're both lucky.

[pbbob]

our number 1 dog mr. tip is a res. dog. commonly found running loose on any indian reservation. ours was picked up in new mexico from navajo or acoma pueblo, can't remember for sure. he is a loyal and faithful friend. number 2 dog, phil is 50/50 lab and german shepherd.

[weisan]

Kevan, I have to thank you, Sandy and many other folks here in the forum for offering your valuable counsel and encouragement earlier when we were still deciding for a dog. Now, I can find everything I am looking for about bikes AND dogs all in one place, here at the Serotta forum. Wow! That's better than sliced bread. :p

[Smiley]

Hey Weisan , that dog is better than an ADT system. You got to be nuts to mess with your family now. You forgot to tell us how you got such a find of a dog , please don't tell me Ebay !

[molly22]

i have at least had one since '78. don't care about the hair. i have two now, one is 12 one will be 13. the older one was just diagnosed with "Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome" (www.anipryl.com). I think it's doggy dementia. he's being medicated, sort of like paxil (spelling?) for dogs. bummed about the disorder, love the dogs. goldens are wonderful, smart, smart and smart.

[weisan]

Dear Smiley,

For once in my life, I honestly did not get the dog from eBay. Besides, it's covered under eBay's policy of prohibited items - Animals and Wildlife Products. I just looked it up in case you wonder, I don't have this in my memory. :D

Okay, now that you ask, I am going to bore you with the full details.

My wife saw an ad on the local newspaper last Thursday. She went down with the kids to look at the dog. It turned out that the breeder had just moved down from Minnesota a few weeks ago. She is staying temporarily with her cousin. She's got four dogs with her right now and Troika was kept in the crate 98% of the time since she moved down here. She felt bad for the dog and she wanted to find her a good home. She sold Troika to us for $150, much lower than our budget. The sale is contingent on one condition, that she reserves the right to breed Troika later in October with a champion stud in California. She will take care of all the expenses and care. Troika already had one litter and the puppies all turned out to be "exceptional", that's why she really wanted to do it again, she explained to us. At first, we were not very keen about the whole idea. But seeing how good Troika is and she seems to really care more about the "genes" than the "money", we relented, not that we are unaware of the huge number of perfectly good dogs already being locked out in the shelter waiting to go to a loving home.

Anyway, I still have reservations about that. But what to do, that's life. Nothing is perfect. According to the breeder, that's pretty standard practice.

The breeder also said she would have trained Troika for narcotics if she is one or two years younger. She found Troika with an older woman who had bought for her daughter as a puppy. But the dog stayed with her ever since the daughter went to college and she kept Troika in the backyard all the time. The breeder kept Troika for two years and is very impressed with her temperaments and all.

Again, like I said, I have no prior experience with dogs. I don't know how much of these are believeable or desireable. Now that we got her, we just want to cherish and love her as our own. :p

weisan

[Smiley]

our Chinese Shar Pei Joy was what I'd call a breeder rescue , my breeder sold her to us cause she was not producing puppies , only one puppy in three breeding attemps. Like your dog she stayed kenneled most of her life with little people interaction . So now my dog is in heaven and it has worked out great for us but this is our third Pei and all from the same breeder. Best of luck to you and wishing you many long years with this dog.

ps: I would tell your breeder that your only going to have her bred once and thats all. It takes a real toll on the bitch .

[Carlo]

Our family is owned by a Basset Hound named FLASH. Since we live in a big Victorian just off the very "touristy" St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans, Flash gets to meet lots of new people. He sits at the gate and howls a greeting at folks passing by, drawing them to the fence, whereupon he clearly invites them to scratch his head. After a few minutes of that he rolls over on his back to get the inevitable 'belly rub'.

Flash can pull them in from across the street and has repeat business from folks who make side trips at JazzFest just to visit him -- I'm talking about tourists I've only met at the gate because of the racket this crazy dog makes when HIS friends come to visit. I've had lots of great dogs over the years, but this guy has more personality than any two combined!

We also have a rescued English Setter, and our Dachsund just passed away. I'd never liked Dachsunds as a breed but this little one was a real sweetheart, my wife is heartbroken over the loss.

Finally, we've got three cats, and a hedgehog whom the kids named Einstein (I wanted to name him eRitchie, but nobody got the joke).

Warmest Regards, on a nice off topic thread

Charles 'Carlo' Carr
NOLA

[weisan]

Smiley, yes the breeder is commited to just this one time. If she misses it for whatever reasons, then we are free and clear.

Carlo, it's interesting to see that you wrote: "Our family is owned by a Basset Hound named FLASH..."

I have no previous experience with dogs, but we were told that there are dog owners who let their dogs run their lives, and so in a sense like you said, "the dog owned the household". The breeder told us our lives become easier and the dog actually enhances our quality of life if we did it the other way round.

But yesterday, it certainly felt like we were led by the dog at the park. We encountered some challenges. We are training Troika not to walk ahead of us by using the "heel" command. Sometimes, she did very well but other times, she is just so eager to get ahead and pull us along. Boy, she is one strong dog, and often time after all that pulling along, my left hand actually aches! I blame it on cycling, lack of upper-body toning ;)

When we arrived at the park, Troika was asked to lay down while we pretend to walk away. She is not supposed to get up until we ask her to. But when another dog came by, she just jumped up and headed straight for the dog and actually knocking the dog over. We were caught totally by surprise and in shock. Fortunately, the owner is very gracious and she just asked a question: "Is she friendly?" I looked at her apologetic and nodded. I "scolded" Troika for first getting up without us asking her to, and also knocking the dog over. Well, for a moment, I released the leash and she just took off. I tried to call her back but she won't respond. And she just kept walking and then turning back, and do that again...until we finally caught up with her.

Boy, this is our first encounter with her not responding to our command to come back. Of course, we only had her for three days!!! Are we being impatient or asking too much too early? :p She also did not respond well to my wife's commands at the park but keep coming back to me for attention.

Other than those "early challenges", Troika is doing really well in the family. She felt right at home lying down or sitting up in our living room, always close to where we are.

Our main takeaway yesterday was that my wife and I really need to take some lessons on basic dog-handling skills. The dog is trained, but WE are NOT! :D

weisan

[Smiley]

Please Weisan , don't let your dogs leash down for one second unless you can afford to lose your dog. Three days of training aint enough to have that good of control over any dog period. If you are intending on doing this type of training go to classes and as the final test try what you did in a park with distractions for the dog. I know my Shar Pei is really low on the dog intelligence scale and I could not do what you did. A German Shepard is one of the brightest if not the brightest dog in the world but you need many more hours of training before you put the lease down.

[weisan]

Thanks Smiley. Those are good advice. We will be more careful from now on.

[M_A_Martin]

I had my dalmation trained to all his commands off lead to the point he would not break the command under any circumstance...however I never dropped the lead in public. When practicing off-the leash commands we would work with two leads. The short one that I made a show of disconnecting, and a long one with one end tucked in my back pocket that remained inconspicuous so the dog was never ever "loose".

Dropping the lead in public isn't safe for you, for the dog, or for the people around you no matter how sweet and loveable your dog is. Teaching your dog to work off lead is the best thing you can do, it makes your home life/yard life/emergency situations much safer for everyone. But working off lead isn't a good idea just because you can... especially not with a dog who came into your life part way through her life because you don't know all her triggers.

Right now you've taught your dog a lesson that you need to unteach. And it wasn't a lesson in your favor.

Take the classes, learn how to teach your dog, and have a wonderful time!

Good luck!

[folsom_rider]

Has to be my favorite. They are loyal beyond belief, tough as nails, and can tackle a bull that is 25x their weight. Sounds like a great bike too ;-)

We have had a Queensland for 7 years, great dog, and she loves our son.

Cheers,
-Q

[Sandy]

Folsom,

Most people have never heard of the Queensland Heeler. It has various other names including the Australian Cattle Dog, which is a name more often applied here in the states. You are absolutely correct about the breed. It is a herding dog that is extremely bright and alert and is "tough as nails" and is quite loyal to its owners, as you stated.

The Australian Cattle Dog is remarkably alert, as stated, and always seems to be totally aware of what is happening around it. You can look into his or her eyes and you think that the cogs in the brain are always moving as the dog is always thinking. It is a breed that takes no sass from the cattle it herds. I saw a short film showing one of the dogs herding some cattle. If an animal did not move quick enough for the dog, it would jump up into the face of the steer and nip it in the nose. The steer then would move on quite readily.

It is a robust, strong, always thinking dog, with a lot of energy and ability to handle the task at hand.

The Australian Cattle Dog has my respect. Neat dog, thinking all the time.


Saluki Sandy


Sandy

[Sandy]

My wife let me adopt a dog recently and, most unfortunately, I chose a very rare breed (fortunately), a Kevanshire Terrier. He was somewhat cute, when he was a puppy, in a sort of very ugly way.

What a disappointment he has turned out to be.

He is not housebroken, knows no commands, is a very finicky eater, retrieves nothing, knows nothing, learns nothing, bites and growls at everyone, and has the most annoying habit of always licking me behind my left ear.

He has some amazingly annoying traits. When he stops at a fire hydrant, he lifts his right front leg, and then urinates on my shoes, as I try to figure out what he is doing. He sometimes wags one of his tails clockwise and the other counter-clockwise (yes, he has two tails, one in front and one in the rear). He is constantly barking to himself and always mutters under his breath when I ask him what he is barking about.

I think I might have to get rid of him as he is now starting to chew on the carbon tubes of my Ottrott, and he seems to be relieving himself both on my saddle and in my saddle bag.

What should I do? He is driving me MAD!! I am suppose to love dogs and treat them kindly, but I am starting to get happy images of shooting him over and over and over and over and over........


Shotgun Serotta Sandy

[Kevin]

Sandy,

It sounds like the problem with your Kevanshire Terrier is genetics. The problem with that breed is the Calfee Gene. If you want to the dog to behave you have to remove the Gene. Perhaps you can bring the dog to Owner's Weekend and we can get Ben's help in fixing your dog.

Kevin

[folsom_rider]

Folsom,

Most people have never heard of the Queensland Heeler. It has various other names including the Australian Cattle Dog, which is a name more often applied here in the states. You are absolutely correct about the breed. It is a herding dog that is extremely bright and alert and is "tough as nails" and is quite loyal to its owners, as you stated.

The Australian Cattle Dog is remarkably alert, as stated, and always seems to be totally aware of what is happening around it. You can look into his or her eyes and you think that the cogs in the brain are always moving as the dog is always thinking. It is a breed that takes no sass from the cattle it herds. I saw a short film showing one of the dogs herding some cattle. If an animal did not move quick enough for the dog, it would jump up into the face of the steer and nip it in the nose. The steer then would move on quite readily.

It is a robust, strong, always thinking dog, with a lot of energy and ability to handle the task at hand.

The Australian Cattle Dog has my respect. Neat dog, thinking all the time.


Saluki Sandy

We love our dog. I even have her trained to ride along side me on my road/mtb in areas where there are no cars. She can get up to 16mph, not too bad for a dog. We do a couple miles and then she has her exercise for the day. Also, she loves our son, a 7 month old boy.

Take care and thanks for the nice note.

-Folsom


Sandy

[Smiley]

My wife let me adopt a dog recently and, most unfortunately, I chose a very rare breed (fortunately), a Kevanshire Terrier. He was somewhat cute, when he was a puppy, in a sort of very ugly way.

What a disappointment he has turned out to be.

He is not housebroken, knows no commands, is a very finicky eater, retrieves nothing, knows nothing, learns nothing, bites and growls at everyone, and has the most annoying habit of always licking me behind my left ear.

He has some amazingly annoying traits. When he stops at a fire hydrant, he lifts his right front leg, and then urinates on my shoes, as I try to figure out what he is doing. He sometimes wags one of his tails clockwise and the other counter-clockwise (yes, he has two tails, one in front and one in the rear). He is constantly barking to himself and always mutters under his breath when I ask him what he is barking about.

I think I might have to get rid of him as he is now starting to chew on the carbon tubes of my Ottrott, and he seems to be relieving himself both on my saddle and in my saddle bag.

What should I do? He is driving me MAD!! I am suppose to love dogs and treat them kindly, but I am starting to get happy images of shooting him over and over and over and over and over........


Shotgun Serotta Sandy

Laugh out loud FUNNY mr Sandy , this is your best work in awhile and I thank you for this masterpiece. Now where is Kevan when you need him . The Captain :banana:

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . to those voices in your head, Sandy! LISTEN!

BWA-HA-HA-HA . . . Kill! KILL!

BBDave

[Kevan]

damn fleas! Also, I have to confess, there are certain pleasures we dogs have over you humans in terms of licking ourselves, if you take my drift. :D . Excuse me for a moment…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……. I’ve been a little too preoccupied with this activity. My mother…the bitch… tried to warn me away from such activities, but you can imagine how it is. Umm… later I’ll post a thread on which chamois cream tastes better….used!

I’ll tell you now, Assos… tastes terrible and I’ve had to resort to licking San’s face in hopes of wearing off the taste from my tongue.

Well, I’ve settled in nicely in the Master’s house (Master….HAA! What a joke!) and am now catching up on some sorely missed napping. The nice thing is I can just run into the dining room whenever I want and use their oriental to relieve myself. What with the busy print pattern of the rug and all the food spills and smells coming from under the table, they never notice my additions.

The master’s walks are a bit of an annoyance, but I get in my digs, like pissing on his shoes. Ha! What a laugh!

I hate bikes. Especially silver shiny ones! I’ve tried chewing on the master’s but that metal tastes awful, but the CF tubes are so soft and smooth, they feel good on my gums.

Yes, it’s true I’ve taken up barking and boy…do I enjoy it. I climb up on the back of one of the master’s chairs and look out the front window and begin barking furiously just so everyone int the house stops doing what they are doing and comes running to see what’s the matter. NOTH….ING!!!

Sure I get yelled at regularly, but it’s all yada…yada… to me. The Mrs. however cooks up some fine grub and hey… I’m now eating kosher!

Meanwhile, I’ll continue to do what I do, while away the hours sleeping until the day when that Kevin character darkens the doorway. I'll show him a thing or two. I’m gonna rip past his genes on into his ankle for just suggesting I get fixed. What’s he thinking anyhow?! There’s a super fine poodle next-door who I’m in the process of charming, if you get my meaning. :D That’s another project of mine… digging a big hole under the fence in the backyard. It's my "Big Dig". I call it the "Love canal". :D

[Sandy]

I've been too wonderful of a master for that ungrateful dog! It's time to neuter that non-appreciative mutt. I'm not going to take him to the vet and spend any more money on that hound. I'm going to do it myself.

Gloria, dear, where is the hacksaw?--- Forget the hacksaw. Where are the old pliers?--- Forget the pliers.---Where is the bowl of my treasured piranha fish?---- Forget the piranha. Where is the nearest National Forest? Let's go dear. Bring the Kevanshire Terrier and the crate of my C4 plastic explosives. :) :)

Spreading joy through out a National Forest, piece by piece, to finally give me some peace,

Smiling Satisfied Serotta Sandy

[Buddha]

A little late but here she goes.

The Austrailian Shepherd gets my vote. Loyal, protective, smart, and great athletes. I have 2. The first one spent his first years at my shop and loves everything the other was a rescue and can out sprint Chipo. I take both of them anywhere I can.

[Sandy]

It is never too late for an Australian Shepherd. A wonderful breed- Extremely bright (smarter even than Flydhest and dbrk), beautiful (a LOT better looking than Flydhest), focused,amazingly athletic, loyal, friendly to those it knows, and very loving and even protective to those it loves.

They excel at everything they do, be it herding, agility,therapy work,flyball, search and rescue, or simply being a great family dog.

I will always remember one at the shelter at which I volunteeer. He had a beautiful merle (spelling?) coat, and gorgeous blue eyes. He had a bad history. Supposedly he had attacked a couple of horses and riders and had bitten someone who got too close to his owner, to whom he was quite attached. He didn't like men. At least that is what I was told.

The forst time I saw him, he barked at me as I walked past his cage, and not in what I would describe as a very friendly way. The next time I saw him, he was in a different cage and in another part of the kennel. I decided to take him for a walk. As I approached him, his gorgeous eyes focused intently on my eyes and I felt that his body language certainly did not indicate any hostile thoughts, to me as a male, or to me for any reason. He appeared quite friendly. I get down quite low, unlike most, when I unlock the cage, and get set to place the leash around the dog's neck (use the leash as a collar) as the dog starts to exit the cage. This supposedly tough dog simply walked over to me, with his eyes still intently focused on me, and crawled into my lap, and snuggled up close to me, while I was still low to the floor. When i took him outside and let him off the leash, he immediately climbed up on my lap again and started snuggling and licking me. We bonded very quickly indeed.

Unfortunately, I can't have any dogs at home. If I could, I think he might have been the one. Australian Shepherd Rescue was suppose to take a look at the dog. I believe they did and I believe they would not accept him. I don't think he was adopted either. I don't know how he would have interacted with others at my house, but I am sure that he and I would have been a close pair. I think of him often. A real example of a dog that did not make it, and one that I really liked, in the short time that I knew him.


Bow Wow Sandy

PS- Continue to post. I see that you are new at posting here.

[Buddha]

The first picture is of my blue merle. He is the most laid back dog you will ever meet. We are going to get him a job at Walmart as a greeter. He almost never walks on a leash and will never get more that 10 feet away. The little black one is another story. She was the weak one in the litter with a heart problem. She lived in the kennel with her littermates for 7 months. She can be the sweetest dog with us but is very reserved with strangers. She wants to get to know others on her terms. She is little, fast, and can wave Hi.

[Sandy]

I don't know if you are familiar with Calfee Kevan, who posts here quite often, since Calfee riders won't let him post on their site. Anyway, he is not very much like your female dog. He is actually reasonably large, is very, very slow, and not only can't he say Hi, he can't even spell it!! :) :)


Shepherd Sandy

[ericmurphy]

Weiner dog.

I live in a small studio in downtown San Francisco. We're not allowed to have dogs. But I could always swear up and down that my weiner dog has actually a cat.

"So what if he's got a long nose?"

Also, weiner dogs are small dogs, but they don't realize they're small dogs (other than their propensity to nip at ankles; it's as high as they can reach). They don't have that anxious small-dog neurotic energy.

[weisan]

Over the years, there are some threads here that just warm my heart when I go back and read them again...I LOVE this one. :p

[bluesea]

My dog is .75 Australian Cattle Dog, and the rest Kelpie. She pulls more to the Blue Heeler side, but a little slimmer.

[Sandy]

So who is smarter, you or your dog? Just as I thought- your dog. :)

Bet that is one amazingly alert dog. Bet she misses absolutely nothing that is going on around her.


Sandy

[dbrk]

Silken Windhounds are a "new" breed, which might be a euphemism for an expensive mutt. Anyway, Mira could not be sweeter nor is there much canine that is swifter afoot. Laying on top of her, however, is the new little fella' and he could not be much slower afoot, being a mini dox, my wife Aimee's substitute for a baby. Rocco is currently getting away with minor violations because he's a whelp. My overriding feeling is that I now have to watch where I walk because he may be underfoot. The really good news is that this little monster is not a yapper nor much of a nipper. I don't think I could handle either given my strong propensity for peace and quiet. Daughter Madeleine may lend me her new camera for pictures of Tournesols. There's a new one here...

dbrk

[Kevan]

is gonna be a boxer. I love boxers.

Even though I'm a brief kinda guy.

[bluesea]

So who is smarter, you or your dog? Just as I thought- your dog. :)

Bet that is one amazingly alert dog. Bet she misses absolutely nothing that is going on around her.


Sandy

Right-o. Strong, tough, intelligent, lightening quick, super alert. I take her to play with a German Short Hair Pointer and in the short run, the Heeler will out accelerate and pass the Short Hair everytime. Of course she cheats by cutting a tighter arc in the turns, but its its funny to hear the Pointer wimper when she gets passed. The Pointer always wants to race.

[YO!!!]

Tough little guys, very obedient{well...when it's convenient for them to be},
& very loyal.


Bobby is our latest addition. He is a 2 year old rescue, who has envigorated
Katie, our 15 year old. We lost Katie's brother, Augie Doggie, about two years ago.

Look in the Bobby album for pixs.

http://community.webshots.com/user/ebayauctions

[Sandy]

Tough little guys, very obedient{well...when it's convenient for them to be},
& very loyal.


Bobby is our latest addition. He is a 2 year old rescue, who has envigorated
Katie, our 15 year old. We lost Katie's brother, Augie Doggie, about two years ago.

Look in the Bobby album for pixs.

http://community.webshots.com/user/ebayauctions

Great pictures of Bobby. I don't know why you don't see more of the breed. Neat dogs.

Yo Yo Sandy

[93legendti]

Portugese Water Dog or Bergamasco Sheep Dog. Generally low maintenance, friendly, playful, great with children and territorial/protective of children without being overly aggressive. And easy on the allergies! :)

[OldDog]

The only "pedigree" I have owned is an English Springer Spanial, black and white female. She was the best. Had the attitiude of a good mut.

[Ginger]

I was wondering who mined up this gem. When does your family get home Weisan?

Douglas, if you're new pup gets to be too much, I'll take him off your hands, he's SO cute!

[Sandy]

I was wondering who mined up this gem. When does your family get home Weisan?

Douglas, if you're new pup gets to be too much, I'll take him off your hands, he's SO cute!

I'm sort of cute. How about taking me?? :) :)


Cutey Sandy

[Ginger]

Sandy,
Aimee's pup has soaked up all the cute in the state of New York. I think he may have soaked up all the cute between Atlanta and his new home too...

[YO!!!]

Had the attitiude of a good mut.

Mutts often times make the best pets. Too much uncontrolled
breeding of popular pure-breds can be a bad thang.

[Chad Engle]

Had one of each, great dogs. Honestly, haven't had a dog I didn't like.

[rphetteplace]

No questions hands down golden retrievers. Mine is 5 the gf's is 8. We're lucky we've got two of the nicest cuddliest boys in the world. Only problem not much smells worse than golden retriever

[scienceguy08]

but I'm partial to Beagles, English Springer Spaniels and American Water Spaniels.

[Sandy]

Had the attitiude of a good mut.

Mutts often times make the best pets. Too much uncontrolled
breeding of popular pure-breds can be a bad thang.

Unfortunately there are many too many people simply producing litters of dogs with little or no concern for maintaining the best of a breed. In fact, in some breeding, there are those that often want to breed for certain unwanted characteristics, such as aggression.

To me, there will always be many too many dogs if we don't work on the supply side. Too many are produced. So too many are killed. Dogs are often bred simply for the money, especially puppy mills.

Genuine caring breeders really don't want their breed to become too popular. That normally leads to breeding and producing bad representations of the breed.


Sandy

[L84dinr]

My vote would be for Min Schnauzers, Blue Heelers, Australian Shepards or Border collies. I have owned each type of dog and they have all been intelligent, loving and loyal animals.

My wife and I have owned Miniature Schnauzers as long as we've been together. I bought her Gigdet, (a salt and pepper Min Schnauser way back in 1987) for her B'day; from a little lady in Norman who was from Chechoslovakia(sp). The little lady wouldn't talk to me cause I had an Accent! I had an accent!?! Gidget has passed on, A great little dog.

Anyway, Now both my daughters have Min Schnausers, A salt and Pepper for Emily and a Blackie for Alison... We also have a drop off mix blue heeler named Annie who adopted us. She's getting on in years and doesn't really want to chase the cows... But will if you ask her real nice. And all the dogs get along real well with Miss Kitty, a strictly outside cat who used to love too bring in squirrels and rabbits and birds... Although she is getting along in years and is not so interested in hunting as much as waiting for her cat food.

rtp

[PeterW]

It's his tenth year, and our tenth together. He is a Lowcountry Junkyard Mutt. Think German Shepard, but more handsome, longer legs, and thinner.

He is a terror. He minds me, but no one else. He barks, digs, and will attack all other dogs, the bigger the better.

I've trained him okay. He does what I say as long as I say it loud enough. But he dominates my wife and is tolerates the kids because they feed him under the table.

He's a PITA.

[Sandy]

But you still love him!

Your wife doesn't feel the same.

True??



Sandy

[weisan]

When does your family get home Weisan?
Thank you for your concern, sweet ginger. I am going over to join em' at the end of the month. Can't wait!

[sirroada]

I absolutely love all dogs but my little beagle has been my favorite type of dog. I agree with Jollymon and TooTall that they are a handful and they are certainly stubborn. On the positive side, my dog Lily is an excellent family dog. She will let my 11 month old daughter climb all over her, pull her ears and take her toys and she won't let anyone else get away with it. I love my dog.

[jerk]

Portugese Water Dog or Bergamasco Sheep Dog. Generally low maintenance, friendly, playful, great with children and territorial/protective of children without being overly aggressive. And easy on the allergies! :)

the stars have alligned.....bergamasco sheep dogs are the best....and portugese water dogs are great too. mrs. jerk and the jerk are going to get a bergamasco pup from italy next fall....

(signor ferreti's favorite dog by the way. the jerk's pal frank has one and she is the best.)

jerk

[slowgoing]

They look like dogs with dreadlocks.

I have a couple of bernese mountain dogs. Love kids, always try to help, and not a mean bone in their bodies. But they also have no fear, especially of other dogs.

[93legendti]

the stars have alligned.....bergamasco sheep dogs are the best....and portugese water dogs are great too. mrs. jerk and the jerk are going to get a bergamasco pup from italy next fall....

(signor ferreti's favorite dog by the way. the jerk's pal frank has one and she is the best.)

jerk

I think this is a Kodak moment! :) We're waiting to get a Bergamasco or a Portugese Water Dog until after our 2nd child is born (late March) and gets a little bigger. We're just about the last family on the block who doesn't have a dog, but with my alleregies and with small kids, these 2 dogs seem to be the best choice. I can't wait to see pics of your pup next fall.

[93legendti]

They look like dogs with dreadlocks.

I have a couple of bernese mountain dogs. Love kids, always try to help, and not a mean bone in their bodies. But they also have no fear, especially of other dogs.


A neighbor just got a bernese...the dog takes the neighbor for a run every day. A very friendly dog. Next door to the bernese lives a Pyrenian Mastiff, which is the biggest, slowest dog I have ever seen...but I won't go near him. His growl is warning enough for me!

[Slave2Gus]

I'm just a slave for my German Wirehaired Pointer, Gus. He hunts like a machine, learns in a snap, and thinks what I am thinking before I'm thinking it. He's got enough personality for eight dogs (not always a good thing!!).

[CSi guy]

Pembroke Welsh Corgi ..own 2 of these monsters.... small dog with a big dog attitude.

[Sandy]

Talk about sleeping on the job. He is suppose to be a herding dog. What is he herding, flies?? :)

I don't know that I have ever seen a dog sleeping like that, completlely flat on its back, including its ears and legs. Did you staple him down that way? :)


Staple Sandy

[CSi guy]

This picture I actually got from a friend of mine.... his corgi... which is why I got 2 of my own. When my dogs were puppies they used to sleep like this also and would sleep on their belly with their back feet straight out. No animals were harmed in this picture!!!!!! I always describe them as looking like a daschund and a fox had a pup. no tail. the Cardigan corgis do have tails. I have a red/white and a tricolor red/white and black.

[cpg]

Pembroke Welsh Corgi ..own 2 of these monsters.... small dog with a big dog attitude.


A pup tent!

Curt

[CNY rider]

A neighbor just got a bernese...the dog takes the neighbor for a run every day. A very friendly dog. Next door to the bernese lives a Pyrenian Mastiff, which is the biggest, slowest dog I have ever seen...but I won't go near him. His growl is warning enough for me!

As the owner of a spoiled, pampered but deserving Golden Retriever, I'd have to rank them first.

Clear second though would be a Bernese Mountain Dog. There are several in our obedience class. Wonderful dogs. So good natured and cute too!

[TimB]

We had one when I was in high school and college. This dog was amazing. When I'd come home from college, she'd follow me around the house all day, wait outside the bathroom door for me to take her outside to play; go nuts when I put on my hiking boots to take her to the woods to play. On Sundays (and _only_ on Sundays) after dinner my dad would tell her to go get his walking shoes. She'd go to my parents' room and bring him (one at a time) his sneakers so they could go walk. She'd 'stay' with a plate placed on top of her head; or a treat on her snout could be snatched mid-air with the cue 'Okay.' She'd bark furiously whenever she heard the phrase "Meter man!"

One of the funniest things I've ever seen - she was a puppy of about 8 months, and my nephew was maybe 2 years old - she'd herd him around the house. He'd be running and screaming in delight with this little puppy barking and chasing his heels. (This strong urge to herd gets many of this breed into trouble!)

My parents gave her to an aged friend whose wife had recently died...she NEVER liked strangers, but she went willingly with this man the first time they met and she hopped up into his car like she knew she was going home. She stayed with him about 2 years until he passed away, she had a stroke and died shortly after.

I love dogs big and small, and they seem and to know it. Strange dogs 'who don't like anybody' come up to me to say hello. But never do I expect to meet another dog like Heidi.

[Spinsistah]

bulliedawg,

i could not agree more with you about making it more difficult to own pets. having volunteered off and on at several animal shelters, i am ceaslessly shocked by the number of people who bring pets in and say that it just didn't work out, that they really did not like having to care for the animal all of the time.

i also do not, for the record, judge those who choose to own purebreds; i do however have reservations personally about that choice, even as the once owner of an exceptional german shepard who i greatly miss to this day.

oracle

I have 3 purebred Shih Tzus and a 4th boy that has AKC "papers" and came out of a puppy mill. He has more Maltese in him than Tzu. I love them all dearly, much more than most people I know. They love me unconditionally.

I do Shih Tzu Rescue and am very familiar with the horrors of the kill shelters, puppy mills and nightmare owners. There are some people that definitely should not be allowed to have a dog, cat or any animal. It requires a certain amount of capital to properly provide for your canine family member - veternarians are expensive, but necessary. Vaccines, heartworm preventative, annual checkups, dentals. My oldest dog is 15 - she is on several medications, the most expensive being Optimmune for dry eye syndrome. A 3.5gm tube, which lasts 6-8 weeks tops, is $43. I've found it for $22 at Bullwrinklerx.com and my vet writes me scripts so I can buy it at the discount.

Big, big thanks to everyone for sharing and especially to Smiley for starting this thread. Smiley, I will call soon. William, thanks for the post about the dog bowls. :)

BTW, Happy New Year to all!

Spin

[Spinsistah]

our Chinese Shar Pei Joy was what I'd call a breeder rescue , my breeder sold her to us cause she was not producing puppies , only one puppy in three breeding attemps. Like your dog she stayed kenneled most of her life with little people interaction . So now my dog is in heaven and it has worked out great for us but this is our third Pei and all from the same breeder. Best of luck to you and wishing you many long years with this dog.

ps: I would tell your breeder that your only going to have her bred once and thats all. It takes a real toll on the ***** .
Absolutely. And if the breeder can't decide to do it in 10/06, tell her no way going forward. Troika is already five, and in a larger dog like the German Shepherd, she's getting too old to breed. It is very hard on them. Be sure to get her spayed afterwards. BTW, she's just gorgeous. :)

[weisan]

Captain and...Sistah-pal (hey, you'been kinda quiet these days, hope everything is ok :) ): Here's the latest update. About a year ago, the breeder decided not to proceed with the original plan and once we got news of that, right the very next day we brought Troika to the vet and she got her "ticket to freedom". It all worked out great for everyone.

[William]

I have 3 purebred Shih Tzus and a 4th boy that has AKC "papers" and came out of a puppy mill. He has more Maltese in him than Tzu. I love them all dearly, much more than most people I know. They love me unconditionally.

I do Shih Tzu Rescue and am very familiar with the horrors of the kill shelters, puppy mills and nightmare owners. There are some people that definitely should not be allowed to have a dog, cat or any animal. It requires a certain amount of capital to properly provide for your canine family member - veternarians are expensive, but necessary. Vaccines, heartworm preventative, annual checkups, dentals. My oldest dog is 15 - she is on several medications, the most expensive being Optimmune for dry eye syndrome. A 3.5gm tube, which lasts 6-8 weeks tops, is $43. I've found it for $22 at Bullwrinklerx.com and my vet writes me scripts so I can buy it at the discount.

Big, big thanks to everyone for sharing and especially to Smiley for starting this thread. Smiley, I will call soon. William, thanks for the post about the dog bowls. :)

BTW, Happy New Year to all!

Spin

Hey Spin, no problem. FYI, my mom and I are suckers, we've been known to donate our wares to help raise $$$ for different rescue groups.

All of our dogs have come from rescue groups except Eli the Old English Mastiff given to us by my sister in-law. She's a reputable breeder who requires that for any reason if one of her dogs doesn't work out in an adoptees home, the dogs come back to her.

Rhea Basset came to us from the Basset Hound Rescue of Alabama.
http://www.bhra.org/

BTW, read about a special rescue of some of Rhea Bassets friends:
Heart warming (http://www.bhra.org/Malibu_page.htm)

William

[Tom Kellogg]

June and I agree that Colby is the best dog we have ever had (out of a dozen or so over our lives). BUT, the most amazing dog we had from a physical standpoint was Bean. He was a Plott hound, the blue version. Those of you who have known a Plott hound know what they are capable of. I clocked Bean at 38 miles an hour down our road, and he could lope along at 23 pretty much all day. His hunting abilities were lauded by the local farmers. Within a year of Bean moving in with us, there simply were no more ground hogs within a mile of our house. My guess is that within a mile of our house now there are a couple of hundred ground hogs.

Of course, Bean brought many of his kills home to show us. The worst was a very large female that he left for us ... on our bed ... shreded. Bean passed on almost 20 years ago and we still miss him.

[TriJim]

Intelligent and Loyal.

We call small dogs "squeaky toys." :)

[Too Tall]

Standard Poodles. Is it a dog or a small person?

Smiley's new "herd" of skin dogs is a MUST SEE experience. The older dog knows me really well finally and the little one is a s!ut!!! I drop by during my cool down for some Shar Pei Love. We sit on the front hall and play until my allergies go insane...oh well. You haven't lived until you've been thoroughly mauled by a pack of Shar Pei's :)

Colby, seems to have trained Tom and the UPS guy really well. Tom sets out a fresh kids wading pool of water anytime Colby asks and the UPS guy always has cookies for Colby...smart dog.

Dogs are cool.

[Tom Kellogg]

She is worse than that:

- The UPS man shows up TWICE a day to give her treats. She is on the truck before it stops.

- The mail man (and woman) always stays extra long at our mail box to give her treats.

- The DHL guy as finally gotten the idea as of about a month ago and is ready for her.

- The FedEX guy has been on Colby's program for over a year now.

- The Church secretary does limit Colby to three treats when she comes into Church to play (pray?).

Now, June and I have had to cut back on her actual meals ...

[manet]

that explains the fur + cookie crumbs in my spectrums paint.She is worse than that:

- The UPS man shows up TWICE a day to give her treats. She is on the truck before it stops.

- The mail man (and woman) always stays extra long at our mail box to give her treats.

- The DHL guy as finally gotten the idea as of about a month ago and is ready for her.

- The FedEX guy has been on Colby's program for over a year now.

- The Church secretary does limit Colby to three treats when she comes into Church to play (pray?).

Now, June and I have had to cut back on her actual meals ...

[slowgoing]

New bernese puppy incoming tomorrow. This makes three.

[pete]

We just got a dog before Christmas. He is a golden retreiver minature poodle mix. Pretty smart dog but is extremely mouthy. Likes to chew everything particularly skin. Anyone had any luck in breaking a dog of this habit? If so how did you do it and how long did it take? The chew factor has been issue particularly with my kids.

Pete

[Kevan]

are busy exploring a new world, establishing their order in the pack and dealing with their own physical changes. Their mouth is how they explore; it's their fingers as it were. Young pups are growing, cutting teeth and are recently transferring from a liquid to solid diet. With all this in mind, I would suggest that you remove all chewy toys temporarily and start conditioning your pet with positive reinforcement. He might not be distinguishing the difference between his toy and your hand as yet. When he snaps he should be firmly told that's a "No!". Also, you might have to alter how you play with him as his mouth is the only way for him to interact. I appreciate all this is difficult to perform, particularly where kids are involved, but the dog has to be taught the blacks and whites before you can introduce the grays. You will need to establish with the pet what is an acceptable soft bite and that likely will come with time. With patience and love... and lots of belly rubs.. he'll come around. Once the dog has established the behavior you want then you can bring back the toys and horseplay.

[JohnS]

are busy exploring a new world, establishing their order in the pack and dealing with their own physical changes. Their mouth is how they explore; it's their fingers as it were. Young pups are growing, cutting teeth and are recently transferring from a liquid to solid diet. With all this in mind, I would suggest that you remove all chewy toys temporarily and start conditioning your pet with positive reinforcement. He might not be distinguishing the difference between his toy and your hand as yet. When he snaps he should be firmly told that's a "No!". Also, you might have to alter how you play with him as his mouth is the only way for him to interact. I appreciate all this is difficult to perform, particularly where kids are involved, but the dog has to be taught the blacks and whites before you can introduce the grays. You will need to establish with the pet what is an acceptable soft bite and that likely will come with time. With patience and love... and lots of belly rubs.. he'll come around. Once the dog has established the behavior you want then you can bring back the toys and horseplay.
Did it work with Sandy? :D

[Sandy]

Did it work with Sandy? :D

It worked very well for me, but not for Kevan at all. Everytime I see him, he sits on my lap, and starts to nibble on my ears. :crap: :crap:



Sandy

[Dekonick]

A rescued dog is the best kind of dog. They somehow know they have a second lease on life...

As far as the best dog goes...

Obviously it is Truckie, my rescued mutt. All you need to do to understand why is meet him once! He will sit by your feet and be happy. He will play rough and be happy. He will play alone and be happy. He loves children, but is gentle with them.

He turns into Cujo when a stranger appears at the door...

What more could anyone want in a companion? :beer:

We have one greyhound and two mutts, rescued from the race track, a shelter and the gritty streets of New Haven respectively (the New Haven street punk is now 16!) Like DBRK's Mira, our greyhound Jack is a joy to watch run. We have a field behind our house, and pretty much every day he runs a few laps, at around 35mph. We imagine he remembers his racing days with some fondness. Our other dogs gave up racing him after about 30 seconds on the day he arrived.

It's amazing to me how each of these dogs, abandoned and to some degree abused as youngsters, is utterly loving and friendly. They've forgiven humans. Big lesson there. And on how to go fast and live long.... (Drinking your own urine seems key. :eek: )

Onno

[Sandy]

New bernese puppy incoming tomorrow. This makes three.

Absolutely gorgeous and adorable, in a beautiful package. Big feet, big legs, big dog..

You have three Bernese mountain dogs simultaneously? A splendid breed, as you know.


Splendid Shiloh Shepherd Sandy

[MichaelC]

Used to breed and show Whippets. This is my last big show dog.