Dogs ....a blessing .

[MaryB]

I don't have the energy to chase a puppy around anymore... been keeping an eye open for a 4-5 year old lab but so far just problem dogs...

[Boaz]

I don't have the energy to chase a puppy around anymore... been keeping an eye open for a 4-5 year old lab but so far just problem dogs...

Mary I understand . I have 3 dogs . Oldest I have probably around 16 by vet's guess . A full size Rat terrier I know is 12 years old , A Minipen that came from the humane society about 6 years old . I don't want to die and leave one to be put down or not be taken care of . At an age of with health problems giving an older dog a chance for a good life is right . Hope you find that dog .

[smokeywolf]

I don't have the energy to chase a puppy around anymore... been keeping an eye open for a 4-5 year old lab but so far just problem dogs...

Mary, I've encountered few herding dogs or retrievers that were tolerable to live with unless you work them for at least an hour or two each day. In your climate a Malamute might be a good choice for you. They'll go out and play when you want to do that or be a couch potato when you're too stove up to go out and play. Down side with Mals is, they're kissin' cousins to the grey wolf and therefore suffer acute separation anxiety if you leave them alone. Also, if you're contemplating a dog, be sure to get a male. A female dog, horse or whatever will often be predisposed to compete with a human female for alpha female of the pack.

Aside from Malamutes, I might suggest guarding dogs: Belgian Tervuren, Greater Swiss Mountain Dog or maybe a Newfoundland. No mater which breed you choose, as pure breeds are more susceptible to health problems, I would be looking for a mix or mutt, not a pure breed.

Yeah, I've a soft spot for the big ones.

[Cleatus]

My golden doodle retriever must be broken All he wants to do is sleep and chase the cats when the "vaccuummm" is in use

[Mr_Sheesh]

Had a Leonberger/GSD mix, 150# of leaning love dog Lovely breed, Leos are mellow (most all the big dogs are.)

Only big dog I was ever injured by was a friends' St. Bernard puppy, he kept bruising the heck out of me with that mace-like tail-club of his LOL! Wagtailed silly dog, just overly friendly. And huge

For those others wanting a beastie, if you aren't in a high energy situation then pick a breed that's mellower and a dog that's mellow for that breed and you should do well. LOTS of rescue groups out there to work with, and most of them work together to help dogs any way they can - for lower energy I'd avoid the usual suspects i.e. Greyhounds, Dalmations, those high energy dogs.

Met an Irish Water Spaniel that was a gal's service dog, that breed is interesting (Been years so I'm afraid I don't recall her energy level) - That breed has a heck of a good sense of humor, she had about 74 dogs' worth of ball drive, and that breed has curly hair, not fur, so someone allergic to dog fur might find the breed interesting. I liked that dog's personality a LOT, but then I'm easy on liking dogs Especially ones with humor.

[10-x]

Greyhounds ARE NOT high maint., high energy unless you get a puppy. Puppies can cost $7,000 .oo, so retired rescues are ones best bet. Once retired they just want to lay around, eat, sleep and go out to do their business. Some like long walks, others seem lazy. Neighbor had one that had its own sofa, no one could sit on it. Pretty funny. Once Greys get to a home, get some love, petting, rubbing and scratching they are the best dogs for any age. Size of where one lives may have a bearing as they are large and need room. Many rescue kennels require one to have a fenced yard , at least 4' high fence, keep them on leash when out of house/ yard and keep them in the house. Greys have thin skin and very little fur/ hair which vacuums right up. Most do not have the" dog" smell, bathe once a month and they are good to go. Problem is they have kind of short life, 7-8 years and they have teeth issues wich lead to heart problems. Cancer and kidney failure get the others. A few live to an old age. Friend had one that was 14! Sadly ours is over 11 but has kidney failure, have to put him down soon. Check on line for a rescue group or kennel near you if interested. Agan, they make wonderful pets.

[Herb in Pa]

After I lost my Sheltie/Terrier female mix I moped around for 6 weeks and decided to check out the local shelter. I was adopted by a Vizsla/Terrier mix about 7 months old. This little guy is a handful even after 2 years, but he keeps me young at heart and semi exercised.

[MaryB]

Oh an hour of play s fine, good for both of us! But puppies need way more than an hour a day! Been there, done that. Where I am not a lot of dogs go to rescue, population density here is really low and mostly rural... thought about a husky type mix, need a breed that can handle MN cold!

[GhostHawk]

Old friend of mine used to keep 2-3 grayhounds. He lived out on the farm where he could let them run jackrabbits and fox.

Nothing better on a cold day than a grayhound to curl up next you and thump his tail while you worked him over nice and slow. Good mellow dogs the ones I met. Go like a bat out of heck on a frosty morning.

[nagantguy]

Always have had and will have dogs around; God gave them to us cause we can't be our own best friend. Having and selling that litter of 9 pups this last spring we all agree was the best most rewarding thing we've done as a family!

[MaryB]

Wow checked the local rescue, $250+++ for adoption fees on a dog... will keep checking the local trader that comes out once a week...

[Parson]

I often say that God made dogs for people, the only animal I that know that prefers human company to it own

[6bg6ga]

Quote:
there was a big argument in another fourm about whether God lets animals into heaven when they die. My reponse was that if mine weren't there its not heaven. One thing that would keep me from fearing death in the last moments of life would be that I will be able to see those dogs again and we all would spend eternity together. It would mean as much to me as seeing family again because that's just what they are! I had a very special attachment to my last one. Hes the pup in my avatar. His name was elmer after elmer keith and that dog was more like God intended humans to be then most humans are.


Lloyd, I couldn't have said it any better. I have lost a few good German Shepherds and I hope God sees fit to let them into Heaven too.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

Two things single out the dog, among animals. One is how much his shape, size and even instinct can be modified by selective breeding. I don't think anybody could breed a tiger twenty times the size of another, or one to live among sheep and guard them unsupervised for days, or think jumping a car seat with an unbroken egg in his mouth was what raised him above the beasts of the field. The other is his loyalty to family members, and to accept the most unlikely non-canines as family members or friends. He'll protect a cat against other dogs, because it is his cat.

I suppose a rescue kennel has to be funded somehow, and £250 could be 40 cents a week for the time you'll have the dog. But chasing or being chased by a well-chosen puppy could be better than undesirable behavioural traits in a dog that is set in his ways. They can't all be picked up on in a rescue kennel.

It is certainly true that mongrel vigour can be an improvement on some pedigree breeds, especially those that are show-bred for looks, occasionally bizarre looks, to the exclusion of all else. Or so fashionable that price encourages unreasonably prolific breeding. But some pedigree breeds are very sound, and the breed associations often do valuable work on screening. Also, the balance has changed. Much information is coming in about hereditary diseases which result from carrier and carrier, neither manifesting the condition, and some associations have made valuable rules which are well on the way to eliminating them - within that breed. "I think it was next door's beagle" doesn't measure up to that.

Greyhounds are lightning-fast when there is a need, but have none of the collie's need to be doing something... anything. You get a lot of relaxation time with a greyhound. A greyhound forced into fighting, given open space, is fearsome, but force is about what it takes. Racing greyhounds have to be handled by strangers, so they are docile with strange humans. They become uncompetitive after about three, and racing kennels can't keep most of their inmates as pensioners, so a lot get put down. Retired racing greyhounds deserve to be rescued - by the right person, in the right place. But you can't fairly expect them not to chase small running animals.

Unfortunately they aren't intellectual giants of the dog world. Even Lanty Hanlon the Irish terrier, who loves whippets and isn't worried about size, sees something missing in many of them. It isn't invariable. Yesterday I heard of a kennel owner who couldn't work out who was letting his dogs loose at night. Eventually he found that one greyhound had learned to get his paw out of the door of his cage, and work the catch. He was going to the food store, breakfasting well, and then going back to spring the other inmates.

The difference isn't just in intelligence, but in eagerness to please. Lanty has both, but also so high an opinion of humans, even strangers, that he knows it doesn't take all that obedience training pantomime to make them love him.

I think the dog has an awareness many think limited to the higher apes. He has an idea of who and what he is. I recall a friend's two lurchers (greyhound-collie cross, mostly) looking in horror when his mother's whippet visited, and stole from the table. "We don't do that here!" Or my cairn terrier refusing to walk within six feet of my old collie all the way home, when she caught up with rabbits, but found they didn't want to play. Somebody might have thought they were together. Here Lanty has taught his friend Truffle to leap onto his rock when she thought she couldn't. For anyone used to interpreting expression through his whiskers, "Told you you could!" is plain on his face.

[Herb in Pa]

Wow checked the local rescue, $250+++ for adoption fees on a dog... will keep checking the local trader that comes out once a week...

That's about the price when I adopted Hondo, vet bills, microchipping, food and utility costs add up quickly..............

[dave 45-90]

5 Standards

[bdicki]

This says it all.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...-The-dog-first

[Elkins45]

My dad spent the last two years of his life in Tompson Hood Veteran’s Center in Wilmore, KY by his own choice. It’s a state owned facility that provides care for veterans who need it. Several times when I was there when I walked through the common area there was a dog of some sort surrounded by a crowd of old vets who were obviously happy to see it.

In the last school where I taught we housed the unit for the most severely handicapped students in the district. Our attendance clerk had a GIANT mastiff that she brought in as a therapy dog. It was more like a therapy pony It would almost make you cry to see how happy those kids were when they were with her. She would lay on her side and let those kids wool her around and never even raise her head.

Dogs make people happy.

[GhostHawk]

Casey and I were back at our local nursing home today. Lots of smiles, some chaos and confusion.

One of our regulars spent most of the week in Hospital with Pneumonia, got moved to a different room. But another of my regulars Doris knew all about it and told me where to find her.

Casey was overjoyed when a young boy and a girl came around the corner.
They spent a while with lots of smiles and a few puppy dog kisses.

In the end it was an hour and a half, lots of smiles, some new friends, some old friends, and bumped into a guy I used to know. You know one of those big guys, 6 foot with a full beard.

He's older now, shrinking, but he recognized me. Gave me a hint till I figured it out.
That one alone would have made my week.

And all because one little dog needed more people in his life.

Thank you Casey! He's sleeping in the chair across from me, eyes fixed on my face.
I think we do not give them enough credit.

Attachment 209741

[Mr_Sheesh]

I'm not sure it's possible to give them enough credit.

I am sure looking forwards to moving to a house so I can have a dog again