Dog

[SuzySunshine]

I have to throw my beagle in the mix. Great size and now that she has outgrown the puppy-ness (age 2) she is VERY mellow. Great with kids, sheds VERY little and while she can run all day if you have time for that she's fine with a short walk everyday too.

We looked at getting a BC when we got Molly and most respectable breeders wouldn't even talk to us because we lived in town and both worked, they need A LOT of exercise to be good, happy dogs.

[Flynn]

Yeah I will have to chime in that we have a very mellow Labrador as well. He did need regular exercise when he was younger but that just meant he would chill when we were home and not be restless. Now he's 7 and he's even more mellow than before.

I have met hyper labs but I think what you do with your dog when they are young really sets the tone for later years. I think Labs can go either way and a Lab bred for "field training" is more the "on the go" type.

We went with a breeder that focused on "companion" dogs.

Our lab is AWESOME. He is fantastic with kids and other dogs -- just great. He does shed though and at 85 pounds we don't feel comfortable with him outside of a crate in the car. It's too dangerous for everyone involved. So that means we need a larger vehicle -- something to think about when considering breeds.

Anyone know anything about the King Charles Caviler Spaniel? I've fallen in love with these guys at the dog park but all I know is that they are smallish, cute, great with kids, and pretty athletic for their size. I also think they are expensive but I'm no expert.

I vote mutt. I've never been a big fan of shelling out the cash for purebreds, and we all know there are plenty of mutts out there that need good homes.

Our pup is a lab / shepard mix or a lab / retriver mix, depending on who you ask. He is kind, PATIENT, and very loving ... even at 11 months. He's pretty smart, and has picked up on the training ... still working on the jumping, but even that has improved greatly.

I do agree about the lab shedding / hair thing though ... it sticks in EVERYTHING - and he's black!!! Grrrr. I will note that his wiry hair has not affected dh's allergies at all, though.

as a puppy .... (wow, I'm glad that green is gone from my kitchen!)

He's cute!

All the puppy talk made me think of this. I hope the link works:
http://www.ucomics.com/nonsequitur/2006/04/25/

Lil miss Pula @ ~4w. The lion is a little smaller than my hand. Now she's a 40# pit bull cutie.

Try to resist her charm, I dare ya!

[Sheherezade]

Late to the party here, but I had to comment on border collies. Our dear departed dog was a BC. I have to second the Best. Dog. Ever. quote! I still miss her. She was incredibly high energy and didn't "settle down" from that puppy hyper phase until she was 8 years old.....so if you are familiar with the puppy hyper phase, that's pretty much a BC all the time. She was great with people, other dogs and kids. She was a little OCD about fetch and tennis balls. Clearly, that was her "job". Ours was also from a rescue, and she had been returned TWICE before we got her. After our first two years with her in a NYC apartment I could see why. She needed lots and lots of activity to avoid making her own fun inside when you were out. She actually ate our entire couch in one 3 hour period. Luckily, it was something we had pulled off a street corner and not something we purchased. (Sometimes it is good to be poor. ) Anyway, even with all the trouble, she was smart as a whip and incredibly loyal. She lived 18 years with minimal health issues until the end. If you have the time, patience and inclination to take on a BC, I highly recommend them. We've got a shephard/BC mix puppy now, and he's great as well. But I still miss my girl.

Puppy pictures are my kryptonite! :thud: Thanks for sharing, they're soooo cute!

I amost forgot about beagles, my cousin has one who is an absolute love. They're also a good size for my little house. I think a 60-pounder would be the biggest I could get. Even though I LOVE Mastifs, Bernese Mountain Dogs, Chows and St Bernards. I think that goes back to my childhood facination with Barkley, from Sesame Street.

I like the muscular short hair breeds too (esp bull terriers), but the pitt bull reputation is a deterrent for me. I know I'll be vigilent when it comes to training, but I don't want to have to explain away the stereotype or train a pound pit who was mistreated by its former owners. My neighbor has 3 pitt bulls in his back yard. It's a mom, dad and puppy - and mom is SUPER protective. She jumps up so that her head and front paws are on the 7-foot-tall wall that separates my back yard from theirs. She really doesn't like it when I garden...

I'm chomping at the bit, been wating for years to get a dog. My dad was allergic growing up, then various landlords said no (so I got a cat), then I bought a house, but had to fix it up, now I'm training for the tri... but once that's over, I'm getting a puppy. Last week of June! I am not good at this whole delayed gratification thing.

[Flynn]

Just did a quick check online and the KCCSpaniels here are about 2000.00 and higher.



We are NOT in the market for another dog and may never be. I just thought these guys have a lot of the characteristics people desire without the large size/more shedding/wear and tear on house must be less.

Our lab plays with a KCCSpaniel at the park and she is very agile. He couldn't hurt her if he tried -- she's too fast!

I vote for a Mastiff....that way you can sell the car and ride him/her to work, beat that Hybrid car owners

[Gwendolyn]

I vote for a Mastiff....that way you can sell the car and ride him/her to work, beat that Hybrid car owners

Maybe you jest, but it is on DH's to do list...as soon as we are homeowners, an English Mastiff or Great Dane will join the family. That's how we ended up with pugs...they are mastiffs

Maybe you jest....

Only a little, I *had* an English mastiff mixed breed, he was about 170 lbs. The most intimidating dog to look at, but was a total puppy in a huge dog body!

[Flynn]

I LOVE dogs but I have to say that adding a dog to the mix (going from one dog to two) is a lot like adding a child. One is one -- two is more than twice the work!

I'll stick with one dog and two kids for now.

[planet]

Ok, a bit of a tangent...

...but if I could I would have dogs, cats, goats, (sorry, no chickens) ducks, horses, llamas and a big pig. Of course this is when we have that big PA ranch (though lately I have been thinking about central WA or even HI/ can you say escapism??).

Dogs: BC, Berner, and a bunch of rescued mutts
Cats: one Bengal that owns the house
Goats: Nubians for milk, Meat goats (I think they originate in NZ, not sure)
Ducks: on a pond for eating (Yum!)
Horses: A TN Walker or Standardbred (2)
Llamas: 3 or 4 for pack trips and company
and I have just always thought it would be fun to have a Big Pig ( one of DH's friends had one, a house pig the size of 3 labs)


Back to reality... we have a small tank of fish and that's all we'll have for many, many years.

[planet]

Clearly I need to get OFF the computer now and actually clean something.

Congratulations on your new pup Krystal! :dog