OT: I like dogs. Do you? What kind?
Hey everyone. I’m bored on this Sunday and missing my dear Weimaraner that I had to have put down last year. This board could use a good discussion about something that is so important to so many of our lives on a daily basis. I would like to get another dog and my top choices are an Irish Setter or a Doberman (gotta have the floppy ears though). Anyone have either? If so I’d love to here about them and how they fit in your family. I love all dogs, as they are better than many humans I know. I prefer to get a bigger type dog because it fits my lifestyle a little better. I guess let’s just talk about dogs for the next 8 hours as I piss this day away without my good boy.
Sorry if the thread title is dumb. I didn’t really know what to say.
It serves its purpose. There are others that would have started this thread with a title "Dogs" and left it at that. I knew exactly what this thread was about from your title.
Or “Woof”
Funny. I read dogs as drugs. Do you like drugs? What is your favorite drug? Dude, they're alllllllllllll good!
Fuck that.
This is the kind of content I like to see! I'm here for anything related to dogs. I LOVE dogs.
If I was wealthy, I'd have a huge resort for homeless, abused and neglected dogs.
I'm only kind of kidding, as someone who struggles with some mental health issues...they are amazing. Pure happiness. Even if I didn't, I'd still love them like crazy.
With all the craziness going on in the world, all of the hate, all of the opinions, etc. - dogs are my happy place.
I'd cosign this comment a million times.
Two million. Dogs are the best. Way better than most people. There's like five people I like better than the worst dog.
Sounds like a good first step would be a trip to Costa Rica to visit the Land of the Strays!
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/proof/2017/11/land-of-strays/
That’s the Mgowife and my plan if we ever hit the big one.
Thread title is probably better than 80% of OT thread titles.
I hear you Eli. My wife and have two dogs that are "ours": a 5 year old golden retriever and a 3.5 year old lab retriever mix. Those dogs are basically our (spoiled) children for now until real kids come along. However, I was visiting my folks this weekend and our 14 year old family dog (a true "mut", lovable but no one knows exactly what he is) will probably need to be put down before the end of summer - maybe this week depending on his latest health episode. Still seems like it was not long ago he was a puppy, so it made the weekend bittersweet.
Man's best friend, indeed.
Thanks man, I feel for you, give your family dog a great last day when the time comes and don’t let him suffer.
We've had to do that twice. As sad as anything we've ever had to do. Best wishes.
Spend the money and buy from a reputable breeder.
I had a male Doberman bought as a puppy from a good breeder with lots of bloodline paperwork. Great dog, but if I could do it over, I'd have gotten a female as he was very dominant. Not aggressive, but I couldn't go to dog parks with the possibility that another alpha dog would be there because it'd eventually escalate to a fight. Always sweet with other animals like cats and with people, my kids especially. Very smart breed and needs to interact a lot or they'll get bored and frustrated.
I'd recommend buying from a reputable breeder that gets the ears cropped professionally. If for whatever reason you have to get rid of the dog or can't take care of it in the future, you do the dog a favor by having it conform to it's standard. A good breeder will take the dog back and find it another home.
And then do your research on your reputable breeder. Turns out where I got my Irish setter, the bitch was used back to back and by 5 years old 25% of her pups have seizures, including deaths, and another handful have cancer.
Was this here in Michigan? I hope I don’t use this breeder if that’s what I go with. Let me know area or breeder if possible. Thanks.
Rose Valley Kennel in Missouri.
I'm in Denver but they were only an 8 hour drive away. Since then, I've become aware of Irish rescues in the area and will go that route next time. There's also a IS breeder in Nebraska which has good reviews/reputation that I became aware of recently.
Specifically, my pup had a soft tissue sarcoma on his head at 3 (surgery went well and prognosis is good). One of his littermates just died from seizures last month at 5.
They are lying, thieving bastards.
I posted copies of the emails on Facebook on their page where before I got a pup, I specifically asked if they had any record of such health issues in their lines. They answered "no".
Then people came out of the woodwork to say their pups had epilepsy and cancers too -- before those lying, thieving bastards deleted the threads. That's also when we deductively reasoned that two of their dogs specifically, Kelly and Pierre have been overbred.
That’s messed up. Thanks for the reply.
I’ve got a husky out of a sled dog kennel. Drove 2900+ miles through Canada from Alaska just so I wouldn’t have to put her on a plane. Dogs are the best.
The season can’t start soon enough
With you. Need something to occupy my mind besides poisonous bs politics.
Dude's cat hacked his MGoBlog account and posted this.
I like dogs - their loyalty and forgiving nature is something we can all learn from. I prefer smaller dogs only due to the "cleanup" factor. Right now we have a medium sized dog. She was a rescue dog - part boxer and some other things. She is a really good dog. Timid and afraid of everything (especially the vacuum cleaner) but also protective of the home.
Haha! My dog was 80 pounds and terrified of the vacuum lol.
my 80 lb malamix hates our roomba. As soon as he hears the beeps of it turning on he runs for the door to the backyard or upstairs to our room if we are not home.
My friend has always had English Setters and I am a fan of those. They have the floppy ears, too. Just a wonderfully statuesque dog with a silky coat and a good disposition.
We are on our second golden doodle and while I fully acknowledge that it's a "designer dog" these have been wonderful companion dogs. The first thing is that they don't shed and are supposedly hypoallergenic. Our dogs are allowed up on the couch and in our bed so the no-shed is really nice. I like poodles but I have known some to be assholes, but the Golden Retriever really brings a sweet disposition to these dogs, plus they have the elegant gait and innate intelligence of the poodle. This is a low impact dog that is light on its feet and a good watchdog.
I'm thinking of getting my first dog in the next year or two. Does anyone have experience with blue heelers?
I have had two Blue Heelers aka Cattle Dog. They are beautiful dogs but need space. They are very active and very protective. Love to play fetch. Both of mine lived to 15 years. The world record holder for a dog's age is this breed. Lived to be 29 I do believe.
I think my favorite breed is my German Shepherd. I named her Blue and then we had a pot belly pig named Maizey. Unfortunately my shepherd got cancer at 2 and we had to put her down. Was such a loyal dog and was my best friend.
I love dogs!! Great thread. Enjoying reading everyone's comments.
Go Blue!!
I would not get a herding or hunting dog as a first time dog owner unless you are extremely active. They need to work. They can't just sit around the house all day and get a 20 minute walk and be happy. They need to be outside off leash to run every day to not be destructive and be well balanced.
Had an AKC registered Brittany that lived 17 years. Wonderful dog. If I were to get another dog, it would be a large husky/malamute.
Have two brittanies right now. Most loyal and attentive dogs I have ever seen. It doesn’t hurt that we have 5 acres covered with rabbits and squirrels.
We had a relative of the Brittany, a welsh Springer Spaniel. Beautiful dog. Smaller than an English Springer.
Might get another dog someday. Need something on the medium size that is a bit of a couch potato - thinking of a Whippet or maybe a doodle of some sort.
Love all dogs. Had a Pomeranian pass almost one year ago, she was an old little girl. Right now I have a yellow lab who is awesome. I can’t say I have much experience with setters or Doberman. My favorite dog was a street mutt from Tijuana. You could see the shepherd and hound were very prominent. If I get a choice I always go with a mutt.
Possibly the cutest pup ever, this Pomeranian Husky:
Love Pomsky!
Beyond cute!
Mutts can be great, I’ve had a few. I have recently got into pure breeds. I just really like the experience of learning about each I guess.
I can absolutely understand that. My mutt didn’t experience water until she was over 2 years old. Even after she got used to it she wasn’t the strongest swimmer. At 11 months old the first time I took my lab swimming she sped through the water like a speed boat.
It is is really fun to see breed do it’s job.
English Mastiff. For me, there is no more loyal and loving breed.
I have a Mastiff/Great Dane mix. She's a sweetheart.
This thread is a dog that I don’t like.
I do like friendly dogs.
I don’t like dogs that aren’t friendly and that bark too much.
Hope this Thai Ridgeback doesn't give you nightmares:
Beautiful Pup!
Wow. Looks like a statue carved out of solid granite.
We have a 9 year old Golden Retriever. Was not my first choice, but it was the only "large" dog my wife would agree to. Now, outside of a rescue, I don't know that I would choose a different breed to own. She's needy but she's been so wonderful for our family.
I love Golden’s. They shed a lot is the only downfall.
I’m on my fifth golden. I won’t get another breed
Goldens are absolutely awesome dogs. You made the right choice my friend. We are on our 3rd Golden right now - a 3 1/2 year old female that we got as a puppy. Our first two were rescued males. They are totally people dogs and aren't happy when they're not around us. They are NOT watchdogs however and will greet everyone who comes into the house. Eventually, you tend to run into joint problems with them, especially hip dysplasia. It would be very hard to find a better family dog though.
I once said the same thing about Goldens not being good watchdogs, to a coworker who had two.
She thought the same...until one day she was alone in the house, in the basement doing laundry. Heard an awful ruckus upstairs, went up to see her two Goldens had an intruder pinned against the front door. They were ready to rip him to pieces. Apparently they do know when someone is not supposed to be there.
She said her doggies at steak that night