Dogs

[hoghead]

If you want the dog to retrieve back to you, you need to attach a check cord ,let the dog retrieve, and then call it back to you pulling , if neccesary, the dog back with the check cord to you as you call it..That way the dog has to come back to you.He will eventually come to you if you keep up the practice.That is the way you teach the "come here" command and the "fetch" command

Hoghead

 

[looch]

That's great. There's something about these beasts - powerful play machines. You have a specific kennel you deal with?

 

[Wal]

This is our dog, Missy. She is half German Shepard and half
Australian Shepard. She is seven years old now, and weighs in at about 70lbs. Great dog. Got her from a local shelter. Everybody that first sees her swears she's all German Shepard.
Tough, fearless, smart, great watch dog. Then we took her to see Santa at our local Petsmart store last Xmas. She was
SCARED TO DEATH of Santa! Normally her ears are quite erect and she has a happy "smile" on her face. As we stood behind the photographer taking her picture, we could just FEEL her pleading silently to SAVE HER! Finally, the ordeal was over and she was her happy self again. We promised her she could just send letters to Santa in the future /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I own a full blood German Shepherd named Elsie. My last shepherd, Annie, died last fall after keeping me company for 12 years, she is greatly missed.

We also have a lab / chinese pug mix named Sammy (the pug was the sire!) He looks like a lab but runs and pants like a pug, quite commical.

 

[toddler]

Half Aussie, half German Sheppard. Probably a smart one! We've got a 6 year old border collie. Brilliant for a dog. Knows about 15 different words beyond the normal sit, stay, come, lie down etc. Knows 3 people by name, 3 toys by name, several others, and most importantly, the "get busy" command. You don't get to choose number 1 or 2, but if you give the command on a couple of walks by a bad neighbors house, she'll eventually get the job done. There are down sides to having a dog this smart, in the amount of attention and entertaining they require, but we never worry about here around our 17m old daughter.

Todd

 

[TerryinMD]

We have a two year old Red (sable and white instead of black and white) Border Collie and his name is Tip. He's about 60 lbs and is a bundle of energy. He typically is my snooze alarm. Comes up and "gently" nudges me or my wife with his big paws. Just like toddler mentioned, they need a lot of attention and entertaining. It's just the way they are. They love to work and to please.

When we put him out in the morning, he finds his frisbee, searches out his 8lb bowling ball and guides it around our property. It is a sight to see this dog push the ball around with the frisbee and guide it up and down the yard. Now, mind you, guide is a relative term. Pity the tree, plant, bush, car, or anything else in the way. The ball sometimes hits our garden shed and it sounds like a cannon going off. This dog runs with that bowling ball at full speed. A sight to see!!

Inside the house, he usually has to play with two or more toys. If he brings more than one toy, he will not fetch until you've thrown at least two of them. He knows!!

He's like an 8 yr old boy who didn't get his Retalin for the day. Sometimes, he gets on our nerves, but we love him none the less.

 

[pdxman]

We have Ruby, our 5 year old floppy ear boxer. She is the most perceptive animal I or anyone thats seen her has known. She get's along with any animal we welcome (visitors with their dogs) and puts up the warning for any stranger or unfamiliar animal. Cats have always got along with her and vice-versa. She has the most special bond with my wifes horse Magic. She spends parts of her day hanging out with the horses and playing games with Magic. She even starts eating grass when we give the horses their hay. She has aged a lot in her short five years already starting to gray face and poor hind knee joints. This has limited her from being able to go on trail rides which she LOVES the most. Recent food additive containing Creatine is helping her regain her joint fluid though. I reccomend this for others. Boxers are alos excellent family dogs.

 

[Rowski]

I have an Airedale terrier. Persee is great! She has come a long ways. Owned by a breeder who kept her as a kennel dog, then a hosue dog, then tried to show her in the ring, and back into the kennel. All this with in a year and a half. That's when her life changed, our life changed a bit too! After we had gotten her I felt she wasn't felling well. So brought her to the vet for blood work. To make a LONG story shorter she has a liver problem (filtering out toxins) but the good news is we can control it with diet. She great with kids, very protective of my wife, a clown at heart and loves doing what Airedale's did/do best, "hunting". If its got a scent or she can see it and its a wild animal she on it!!

Nice to see all the different dog pictures.

Some neat dog phrases:

"If you get to thinkin' you'er a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody esles dog around." -Cowboy wisdom

"Every boy should have two things: a dog, and a mother willing to let him have one." -Anonymous

"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals." -Immanuel Kant

"To err is human, to for give canine." -Anonymous

"A dog has the soul of a philosopher." -Plato

"You do not own a dog, the dog owns you." -Anonymous


Derek

 

[TheBigO]

I have a six year old male doberman named Roscoe. He is the sheriff of my 40 acres. I`ve had 3 dobes and they are the biggest babies i`ve ever seen. The reputation they have is very unwarrented. Allthough, any would be scoundrel would take one look at him and go the other way. He`s got more personallity than alot of people I know. I wouldn`t trade him for the world.

steve

 

[mwagoner]

This is my "Lap" dog, Jake, He is a black lab mix that we got from the Animal shelter. He now weighs about 60 pounds. I wouldn't trade him for anything. Our other dog Ellie is Jake's sister, I don't have a picture of her I will have to take one, is a Golden Retriver mix. The came from the same litter and out of seven pups Jake was the only black one. I agree with Plower about going to the pound.

Matt

 

[toddler]

Dogs sure are tough compared to us. Keegan has been chasing sticks for years, and finally over ran one too fast. Given she sprints at 30mph, I'm surprised it took so long to happen, but this stick impaled the inside of her mouth under the tongue. 1/2" around, and better than an inch deep stab. Blood was just pouring out. Took her to the Animal hospital where they stitched her up under sedation. Apparantly they were going to wait a little while to do it, but after 10 minutes her crate had a huge puddle of blood in it (kinda like our porch, garage, and car) so they took her to the OR immediately and put in a couple of deep, and a couple of superficial sutures. Picked her up 3hrs later. She was better, but still had blood dripping out 7hours later!

Well, this morning after having a big melena poop in the living room, she wants to go play fetch again. I'm still recovering from cleaning up the carpet.

Todd

 

[ERNIEB]

I tried to stay off this topic but I just can't. My years without a dog have for the most part, been happy ones. But, my wife wants a dog. I list as many reasons as I can think of against this idea. She listens, nods her head and one day comes home with a mongrel puppy.
As firmly as I can, I tell her I'll have nothing to do with the mutt. She takes him to the Vet for his shots and exam. And here I will tell everyone that Front Line works. The Puppy no longer has fleas. They are all on me./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif
About this time I realize that I am the only person in this house that understands that puppys must be housebroken/w3tcompact/icons/mad.gif
My wife also lets me know that when she goes to work early, I will have to give puppy his breakfast. When she leaves it's too early. Also, the three evenings a week she plays tennis I will have to feed him. So now I'm giving the potlicker most of his meals/w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif
And, someone has to take him out, and make sure the varmits don't get him, even if he wishes they would/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif
Then there is the usual puppy stuff, chewing on shoes, draging them and other things thru the house. His favorite pastime is finding a piece of paper, and chewing it into confetti/w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif. Interesting, that he totally ignores the chew toys and other stuff my wife bought for him.
The dog figures I am the one he needs to get attached to, so he tries to follow me outdoors. Mostly what he does is to get under my feet./w3tcompact/icons/mad.gif He has discovered that the cows will charge him, but he has found a way to turn this into sport. He will go up and bark at them until they give chase, then he runs and hides. Behind me./w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif
So, this is mans best friend. who needs enemies.Well. I have a quotation too.

"Anyone who hates kids and dogs can't be all bad"
W. C. Fields


Ernie

 

[TWINKLE_TOES]

Ernie,

Too Funny/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif I have a quote also:

Outside of a dog, a book is mans best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's to dark to read.

Mark Twain (I think)

Al

 

[Bird]

Ernie, I suspect you and I have much in common. I grew up with dogs and cats, but they were never allowed inside the house. In fact, Dad wouldn't even allow one on the porch. But for a number of years when we lived in town, our daughters had a miniature poodle, but when it was finally gone, I told them they could not have another dog until they were grown and out of my house. And I told my wife she couldn't have another one until she got a divorce. That was the end of that for several months, but then I was sent to Quantico for 10 weeks. When I got home, my wife showed me this tiny ball of fur that you could almost hold in the palm of your hand (don't know what kind it was) and said, "Isn't he cute?" I said, "Yes, have you talked to a lawyer yet?" It was never mentioned again, and I don't know where it went but it wasn't there when I came home from the work the next day./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif However, in my old age and senility and with my wife wanting a dog, and two grown daughters and a grandson saying we "ought to have a dog" out here in the country, so I got her a dog. And as you might guess, he lays at my feet when I'm here on the computer, has to be in the recliner with me when I'm in the living room, follows me everywhere outside (except when the tractor motor starts or the air compressor), will do his best to beat me through the door anytime I open a door; house, car, or pickup, goes to his bed when he sees me going to bed, and is up and ready to go no matter what time I get up in the morning./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Bird

 

[TheBigO]

Toddler

glad to hear your dog is doing well. I had the same thing happen about 2 months ago. Playing fetch with a rock, I threw it into the woods. Roscoe went full steam in and I heard him yelp. He kept searching for the rock continuing to yell. He finally came to me and there was a 1" dia. stick drove into his chest 3" deep. Vet said if it woulda got him in the center of the chest that it would have killed him. He was down and out for a week or so but he`s back to his antics again. The vet said that sort of injury is not that uncommon. You`re right, dogs are alot tougher than we are.

steve

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by TheBigO on 08/13/01 09:09 PM (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[ERNIEB]

<font color=blue>I suspect you and I have much in common</font color=blue>
Besides being under a transformer when it was struck by lighning?/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif There just seems to be something about me that when someone looks at me they somehow conclude that I need a dog. So they try very hard to give me one. And strange as it may seem every one of them ends up having a physical or a behavioral problem.
I'm not really anti dog. But, I do think that too many people get a dog when they really have no buisness with one. Also, many get a breed that is totally wrong for them.
I have know people who bought an Irish Setter, because they thought the idea of one laying in front of a fireplace was "quaint'. These are hunting dogs, the only time they are going to lay anywhere is after they have been run all day, and are too pooped to do anything else.
Not long ago I read that every time Disney releases a Dalmation movie, the sale of Dalmations goes thru the roof. Of course, these dogs are all being bought for children. It's not a good breed for children, it was bred to work horses.
The dog ends up tied up in the backyard, develops all sorts of bad habits, and in many cases ends up down at the pound.
Well, on this site I know I'm preaching to the choir, so I'll leave the pulpit.


Ernie

 

[Bird]

<font color=blue>Disney releases a Dalmation movie, the sale of Dalmations goes thru the roof</font color=blue>

Ernie, things like that never cease to amaze me, but it's a fact. Did you know that Clint Eastwood's first "Dirty Harry" movie sold more S&W .44 magnums than any advertising S&W could have done./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif And the really amazing thing to me was that so many of them were sold to cops who should have known better./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

Bird

 

[RichZ]

I'm glad to see so many people are getting their dogs from shelters. I've always gotten my dogs from shelters. They always seem to understand that you saved them. My two best friends are a female St. Bernard, Patti, who is almost 3, and a male mastiff mix (172 lbs), Mulder, who is almost 2. They are my best friends and constant companions. Mulder is recovering from knee surgery, and as soon as he heals he will have to go through it all over again, because both his knees were bad, probably from an injury as a very young puppy before we got him (we got him at 9 weeks). The poor little guy has gone through alot of pain (even with pain killers), and alot of expense (over $1700, just for the first surgery), but without the sugery he'd be crippled, so it had to be done. His big sister, Patti, tries to help him through his recovery! I wouldn't live a day without my dogs, nothing compares to the unconditional love of a dog. You never argue, you're just pals for life!!

Rich