Author Topic: Dogs (Read 4784 times)

Jacob III · « **on:** December 09, 2012, 09:48:50 AM »

Do you have dogs? Other pets?

I have two sweetheart miniature dachshunds (ages 3 and 1) and they are a great part of my life. Anyone else find such joy in a dog's companionship? Any good stories?

Alex117 · « **Reply #1 on:** December 09, 2012, 03:42:05 PM »

My family and I have a poodle, golden retriever, labradoodle, some mutt I found by my mailbox, and two cats.

I used to really like animals when I was a child, but now that I'm older, I can't stop thinking about how much less of the house I would have to clean if I didn't have any animals at all. I'm sure there's not much maintenance involved with your dachshunds (they don't shed, right?), but my golden retriever and labradoodle shed everywhere and all the time. I'm always sweeping and vacuuming!

I think once I have my own place to live, I might get a small dog or two like your dachshunds. I like dogs with big 'ole jowls and ridiculous faces, like puggles. Here's one as an example:

Look at that face! Adorable!

songbird · « **Reply #2 on:** December 09, 2012, 03:44:43 PM »

We have a 10+ year old pekingneses(sp). We had lost our dachshund to death and we were looking for a small toy dog 2 years later. We had many people to offer us a dog. None of the dogs appealed to us. We thought, what will stir us to say, "this is the one". So, we finally went to a no kill shelter and we told the staff there, what we were looking for: dog, toy size, male, potty trained and I thought, well maybe I should not be so specific in this shelter. We were told that they had such a dog. So, we followed the young volunteer lady and there was "Teddy Bear". Teddy Bear was blind since birth. Well, he certainly was pretty in colors and sweet looking. We drove home and picked up our daughter Katie age 18 and when she saw him, she cried, oh, you are so precious,she said,. We qualified to bring him home and we have had him since 2001 2 weeks before Christmas. He is very playful. My husband gets down on the floor and they play chase the hand. Teddy is a very smart dog. He knows when it is time for a walk and he can smell another dog afar. I see Teddy get excited and i say, where, I don't see a do-g and there is a dog off in the distance. My husband sleeps during the day and Teddy doesn't bark much and so, he was the perfect dog for us. He travels with us when we go fishing. Teddy's eyes is his nose. Teddy's favorite place is Lowe's. He gets more lovings there and they give out dog yummies. Teddy was with us through 2 deaths in the family, Grandpa and Grandma(my in-laws.) it took 2 days for Teddy to know that Grandpa was not with us. Grandma came to stay with us and Teddy sat with her at her feet. He visited her at the nursing home before her death. He always gave her alot of licking. I would take Teddy to other residents of the nursing home and he got lots of lovings. I was asked one time if Teddy was a therapy dog. I said, no, but Teddy comes here to get his therapy/lovings. One day he licked one of the residents who was lying with closed eyes. A week later that person died. The nursing home staff said that they have a cat that comes by and that cat did the same thing. Teddy licked Grandma a week before she died. God was very Good! Grandma had a Traditional Priest of our church to visit her every 6 weeks with sacraments.

Jacob III · « **Reply #3 on:** December 09, 2012, 04:47:01 PM »

Alex117,

Puggles are cute! If you're looking for a low maintenance dog, dachshunds are pretty good. They do shed, but if you keep them on a good diet and exercise regiment as well as a good grooming program they will be fine. They are smart dogs and have a lot of curiosity. They have a reputation as "toy" dogs, like the toy group dogs. They are actually very useful as badger dogs, which is what they were bred for. They make wonderful companions to families with children!

By the way, Goldens are the ultimate dog. Loyal, smart and skillful. I want to get one when we move to the country (hopefully soon!).

Sigismund · « **Reply #4 on:** December 09, 2012, 05:23:19 PM »

I have a great pyrenees, who is as loyal and loving as a dog can be but really stupid, and a German shepherd who is really smart but very old and will most likely not live much longer. I am very fond of them both. My family has always had at least one dog, usually two, and a couple of cats.

CathMomof7 · « **Reply #5 on:** December 09, 2012, 05:57:45 PM »

My husband says that he always knows when we are soon to adopt another stray--it usually happens after I have been really stressed for awhile. :smile: I just can't help myself!

Right now we have 1 dog that we adopted--a basset hound/shar pei mix. He's not that smart really, but he's awfully wonderful and loves the children to pieces. This is very important when one has many children!

We've also seemed to acquire a number of cats that I can't help but feed. I just found one that I felt really sorry for because someone had her claws removed. I worry that she can't defend herself, poor thing.

ServusSpiritusSancti · « **Reply #6 on:** December 09, 2012, 08:27:06 PM »

I owned a cat for nearly 8 years, it had a great personality. I prefer cats over dogs.

jen51 · « **Reply #7 on:** December 09, 2012, 08:59:04 PM »

I had my dog, Snickers, a blue healer/smooth collie mix, from age 12 to 26. She died a few months ago. It was so hard to see her go.
She was a true companion if I ever knew one, and ridiculously smart. I remember when she was a year old I taught her how to play hide and seek. I would hide and she would find me, then she would hide (but she didn't hide well... I don't think she completely understood the hiding part).
I showed her in 4-H all the way through junior high and highschool and we won a lot of trophies.
I remember one instance that really set in stone our bond. I was jogging down a very rough, uneven dirt road one evening, and she was running beside me. I tripped and hit the ground really hard. It knocked the air out of me so I was on the ground, clearly having a hard time breathing, and she could tell. Poor snickers started whimpering, and lightly pawing at me, nudging my face with her nose. After about a minute of me laying on the ground she sat down by my side and started howling the most pitiful, mournful howl I have ever heard. Lol. It was adorable. She jumped up and down, waged her tail and barked excitedly when I finally came to my feet. She wouldn't leave my side the rest of the evening.

I miss her.

Now I have my cat, Carl, and I love him dearly. He acts more like a dog than a cat. He meets me at the door, fetches, and actually comes running when I call his name, unlike most cats.

Seraphia · « **Reply #8 on:** December 09, 2012, 09:03:28 PM »

I took in stray cats in the trailer park where I used to live years ago. It was a big drop off point for people who no longer wanted them. I had an even dozen (mostly outdoor cats) at one time. A regular cat-lady, I guess. Sometimes people would drop off a pregnant female, I then called the cat adoption agency to take her and foster her soon to be kittens.

Before I moved, I took several months to find homes (a large farm took the feral ones) for all but one black and white male cat with one eye. Nobody wanted him because he has only the one eye, but oddly enough he was the most affectionate and appreciative of the bunch. I took him with me.

He is the only cat I have now, thank goodness. I prefer cats. I've had a lot of bad experiences with dogs. Also, both of my children have been attacked by dogs and they downright hate them.

1st Mansion Tenant · « **Reply #9 on:** December 10, 2012, 01:32:22 PM »

I've had 3 Chinese Crested hairless dogs. No shedding. No fleas. No wet dog smell. Easy on the asthma and allergies. Only need a bath if they get really dirty, mostly you can just wipe them off like a kid. Hard to housebreak, and you have to watch where you sit because they like to burrow beneath blankets and pillows, and you can't tell they are there till they move or yelp. And they have identity problems. All of them thought that they were huge and ferocious as lions. One of mine once got loose and chased a pitbull down the street- and it ran! If it had stopped to see what was actually chasing it, the pitbull would have had a quick snack.

Incredulous · « **Reply #10 on:** December 10, 2012, 01:42:36 PM »

Quote from: SpiritusSanctus

I owned a cat for nearly 8 years, it had a great personality. I prefer cats over dogs.

Jeepers... and I like dogs who eat cats for sport.

No wonder we don't get along...

Matthew · « **Reply #11 on:** December 10, 2012, 04:17:55 PM »

I have too many small kids to take care of animals right now :)

But I will say this --

If you want a large dog (defined as one whose back comes up to your knees or higher) but you

A) don't have acreage
and
B) aren't willing to do some serious "dog walks" every single day

then for the love of God's creation, DENY YOUR EMOTIONAL and/or SELF-CENTERED DESIRE for such a dog, for the dog's sake!

To such people, I would say: Too bad about what you want. You can't always have what you want. You have to think about someone other than yourself.

It's sad to see large dogs cooped up like chickens in a suburban or city backyard -- dogs that need AT LEAST 1 or 2 acres to run around in.

If God meant for large dogs to be treated like chickens, He would have designed them to lay eggs.

I guess it's all part of the "who says you can't have it all" society we live in.

Neil Obstat · « **Reply #12 on:** December 10, 2012, 06:44:53 PM »

Sorry, I didn't mean to blow this page out of the water.

This is the 5th post so now you can have a fresh start, okay?

:cool:

Neil Obstat · « **Reply #13 on:** December 10, 2012, 06:46:39 PM »

We-e-e-e-e-ell ......... I THOUGHT that was the 5th post!

Snuggums is doing his rug immitation. It's a hit at the parties.

And, BTW my Snuggums photo is half scale...

He's a big guy. 174 pounds of pure terror at the kennels!

Incredulous · « **Reply #14 on:** December 10, 2012, 07:04:59 PM »

Quote from: Neil Obstat

We-e-e-e-e-ell ......... I THOUGHT that was the 5th post!

Snuggums is doing his rug immitation. It's a hit at the parties.

And, BTW my Snuggums photo is half scale...

He's a big guy. 174 pounds of pure terror at the kennels!

Well, for the big kittys we have to switch to hounds.

Even the big kittys be scared of a roaring pack of hound doggies.