Dog-blogging
I know I’ve been REALLY thin on content lately…I blame THIS. I’ve spent way too much time on it lately!
Speaking of “THIS“, the Carnival of the Dogs is up at Mickey’s Musings!
And also speaking of THIS, you MUST vote for Luke (my mother’s Golden Retriever–the best animal ever) and for Bama Bear!
I just watched the Crufts 2005 Dog Show (again) on Animal Planet. Note to dog show judges: It’s time to pick another dog, don’t you think?
Yes, I am obsessed with getting a dog. I NEED a fence and maybe a couple more years for my daughter before I get one, though. (Plus I can’t make up my mind, anyway!)
I’ve got things to do, stuff to work on for Tuesday, an interview to do (who’s the wiseass who asked me “cuffs or rope,” anyway?) AND I’m dog-tired, so go check out the Carnival of the Dogs and then go vote!
Housewife says:
Might I suggest a Boxer when you do decide to get a dog. They are the BEST with children. We got one when I was pregnant with my first child and when we first brought him home he was crazy, jumping and bouncing all over the place. Needless to say I was worried about what would happen when we brought our baby home from the hospital. But let me tell you, the first day we brought our dear daughter home, the dog became quite calm and never ever jumped on the bed ever again.
And when glorious girlchild started to crawl and would crawl over to the dog, the dog would tuck his paws up underneath of himself so not to accidentally scratch the baby.
The kids could bounce all over him and he would NEVER raise a ruckus over it.
He was the BEST dog ever. We had to put him down a few months ago because he as so old and eaten up with cancer. We miss him. They are very good with children.
Merri says:
Beth - I’d say if you were in Omaha, go to a breeder, any breeder - just don’t go the Humane Society. Here in Omaha, they do a psycho-analysis on you to determine if you are “worthy” or “capable” of getting a pet from them. I’ve heard of more people being turned away because they aren’t “fit” than people able to adopt! Then they brag that they are a “no kill” facility and then the pet population goes up and they demand more funding/money because there is such a “problem” (mind you, they forget to mention that the problem is driven by themselves). I’ve heard boxers are good “kid” dogs, but we’ve had great luck with our Brittany as well as the Weimaraner we had, especially where our kids are concerned.
cranky says:
Luke and Bama Bear both got votes. I almost wish I didn’t know about that site — I’ve spent way too much time on it by now. Golden Retrievers are great dogs — very friendly. Some are a little headstrong like my Samantha. Her ’sister’ Nala, is very protective of me.
Boxers are great. My grandparents had a Boxer named Chatty. When I was a toddler (jump on the way back machine) Chatty picked me up out of the street I had wandered into with her mouth and carried me back to the house. Not a mark on me I was told.
Right Wing Nut House says:
SUNDAY SLUMMIN’
We’re slouching toward Memorial Day here at the House and yardwork has occupied most of my weekend. Sue is a radical green - gardner that is. By radical, I mean she’s the Ward Churchill of cucumbers, the Nancy Pelosi of Tomatos, and the Barbara Boxer…
Anonymous says:
Well…I don’t think my opinion will be very popular, and I’ll apologize ahead of time, but I couldn’t bite my tongue on this one….as someone who runs a rescue I can tell you that yes, we do have strict rules. These dogs have suffered enough and we’ve sadly seen enough idiots and enough so called “great families” come along and want dogs for pit bait and other reasons that aren’t very nice. I wish that the people who are so quick to criticize the rescue community would have to spend an afternnon reading through some of the idiotic applications that we receive or meet some of the people, like the selfish parents that want a dog and claim that their child does too, meanwhile the poor child is terrified and screaming. Do they really expect a bond to be created? No, the dog will be terrified of the screaming child and terrified everytime the child jumps in fear when the dog enters the room. Most people in rescue, even the ones in the shelters are volunteers and trust me, I do have better things to do with my time, I just made a 5 hour round trip to pick up a dog that somebody else didn’t even have the decency to find a home for, no they just tossed it on the street. It’s taken 6 months to get the one abandoned dog we have to even go out the front door without being dragged, because he’d been abandoned in a ditch. You can be damn sure anyone who applies for him is going to be scrutinized. So sure, if you’re got something to hide or you’re a loon, avoid the rescues and the shelters because we don’t need to waste our time on those people anyway. But, almost every day I also meet the nicest people and they adopt from us and many of them have thanked us for the process, they know we weren’t just looking to unload a puppy or make a buck.
Regarding picking out a dog - I don’t know how old your daughter is, but before you decide which dog, may I suggest reading what people have to say about the breed, not what the AKC says. Primarily a dog’s temperment is all about how it’s raised, but there are some things that can’t be changed, like a herding instinct. Or the strength of a pit’s jaw. Please consider whether or not you can handle the dog alone too, not with a significant other or friend, but whether or not you can control a dog who weighs possibly more than you do! :) Should anything go wrong, you want to know that you can oull that dog off, or keep it from getting away from you. Labs are great, but I had one that was from a shelter, best dog in the whole world, but he hated other dogs and would attack them, very unlike a Lab, but I don’t know what was done to him in his past.
Merri says:
Hi there - just want to clarify. I would love to adopt a dog - we’ve done it in the past. It’s rather disappointing to see our Humane Society the way it is. I have seen families, kids or no kids, attempt to take in a dog or cat, only to be denied for being “unfit” (I know them personally and there is no reason for this). It is a shame that it has come to this, because I think more animals would be in favorable home environments, versus behind a cage door. It’s too bad for the animals that the people in charge cannot see the harm they are doing in the long run. There are many very capable people/families here wanting dogs/cats that are denied for little to no reason other than some kind of power trip. I applaud shelters who work hard to find animals a good home - unfortunately ours is not one of them.