Thinking about getting a dog

[GAMEC0CK2002]

Re: Thinking about getting a dog

Our dog is an English Springer Spaniel. She is over 2 years old and a very delight to have around. She's very smart and loves to track down birds and squirrels. She is considered a medium size dog and weighs about 45lbs.

I know breeders usually get a bad rap for the way they treat dogs, but we lucked out. We saw a sign in the neighborhood, "Selling English Springer Spaniel Puppies." I contacted them and had lots of questions being a first time dog owner.

We went over to their house and the puppies were adorable. They would be nipping at your heels at that stage. They had the mother and they went two hours away to find a male pure bread English Springer Spaniel. The breeder had the couple take an xray of their female dog because of the chance of hip disease. The breeder also trained the English Springer Spaniels to hunt, so, it appears this breeder was on the up and up. There were 8 puppies to chose from and the two males were spoken for. We choose one that had a unique design and liked her personality.

The puppies were 6 weeks old at the time and we paid $500.00 for Puzzle. She had all of her shots except 1 and the Vet only charged us $35.00 for the shot. Toys, water and food dish and in Wisconsin, they need to take a pill once per month for 9 months for bugs and mosquitoes. I think that is around $70.00. We had her spayed as she will be our only dog we own. That was around 200.00.

We get the good dog food for her, it's around $50.00 for a 20 or 25 lb bag. I know one ESP down the road, she's 7 yrs old and the owner feeds her the cheap stuff at Wal-Mart. She is twice the size of Puzzle in the stomach area.

Just make sure in the beginning to let them know who is in charge. In the pack, they need to know where they stand and that's at the end of the family line. We took Puzzle to puppy training a few times and it was a good idea to get her used to other dogs. They would let the puppies run around for 5 minutes just to get to know other dogs and play around. The puppy stage was the hardest stage as they are trying to figure out their place in the world and your house. The hardest stage for us was the biting stage, which lasted at least 3 months or more.

She is a very good family dog and a decision we are all happy with.

Co-sign. My family got an English Springer last year. He just turned 1 a few weeks ago. He's very active and can be a handful. We live out in the country, so he has plenty of adventures in the woods on his own. His favorite activity is when I get out the water hose and he tries to chase down the stream of water. If it even looks like I'm going into the backyard he sits beside the hose wagging his tail. Second favorite is retrieving--- toy, stick, doesn't matter.

Before Benji, we always had cocker spaniels. They are a good breed as well.

[bergie56]

Re: Thinking about getting a dog

Awesome idea on the Golden Retriever (see pic below of him doing what he does best). I somehow got a 3 yr old one from the Humane Society last July. He was trained and had all his shots. The really cool thing about this dog is, as others have said, he seems to realize I saved him and is extremely loyal. He is the best of both worlds as he is really playful, but also really chill too. He gets along really well with other dogs and even my cat. He's also been really easy to train/teach stuff too. If you do get one, train it with positive re-inforcement. My dog doesn't take to negative training well at all.

If you decide to go the route of a Golden Retriever (and not adopt), do your research. Given their popularity as a breed, there are a lot of great resources about what is needed for upkeep, what personality to find etc... Unfortunately, that also means there are a lot of breeders who may/may not do what's best for their dogs. Overall, I'm sure most are good, but I'd be careful because I'd hate to get a dog and watch them suffer because some *** didn't treat them right. Enjoy making this decision. It's really fun and you get are finding a great and loyal pet!

[mjb2124]

Re: Thinking about getting a dog

Yes....definitely adopt a dog from a shelter.
I would NEVER.....and I mean EVER pay for a dog.

Adopting a dog from a shelter is something my wife and I discussed, but in the end, we wound up going to a breeder that her family has used on their last 4 Golden Retrievers. We wanted a baby that we knew had been taken care of and was healthy and we couldn't find that at any of the local shelters (more the baby Golden that was cared for part than health).

Speaking of dogs being awesome. Mine is sitting on my feet chewing on a toy as I type this. I've been painting my garage since 10am so I'm dead tired...it's nice to have the little guy relaxing with me while the wife is out.

[Drag66]

Re: Thinking about getting a dog

I have 3 Siberian Huskies, a pit bull mix, and a chihuahua (my wife's, lol). I absolutely adore all of my dogs, but my siberians are incredible. They are extremely intelligent, athletic, and friendly. The only thing with siberians is that they love to run and have a ton of energy (they are working dogs after all). But he good thing is that huskies keep you active. Most siberian huskies weigh between 40-60 lbs. All of my dogs are animal rescues or strays that just showed up on my porch.

I echo the comments about rescuing dogs and not buying from a breeder. My family has been actively involved in our local shelter for many years. Local animal shelters have plenty of pure breed dogs. There are so many outstanding dogs in shelters that need a home. And as others said, the costs associated with shelter animal are significantly smaller than they would be with a breeder (in shelters, it is a low cost to adopt the dog and such cost includes initial necessary shots that are already done and spays/neuters that are already done.

Additionally, there are many rescue organizations that specialize in specific breeds (there are husky rescues, lab rescues, etc.). You can find any local rescues and shelters on the internet. Petfinder.com is a great resource.

Regardless of the breed you get, you will soon learn that there is nothing like the bond between you and your dog.

[duke776]

Re: Thinking about getting a dog

I have 3 Siberian Huskies, a pit bull mix, and a chihuahua (my wife's, lol). I absolutely adore all of my dogs, but my siberians are incredible. They are extremely intelligent, athletic, and friendly. The only thing with siberians is that they love to run and have a ton of energy (they are working dogs after all). But he good thing is that huskies keep you active. Most siberian huskies weigh between 40-60 lbs. All of my dogs are animal rescues or strays that just showed up on my porch.

I echo the comments about rescuing dogs and not buying from a breeder. My family has been actively involved in our local shelter for many years. Local animal shelters have plenty of pure breed dogs. There are so many outstanding dogs in shelters that need a home. And as others said, the costs associated with shelter animal are significantly smaller than they would be with a breeder (in shelters, it is a low cost to adopt the dog and such cost includes initial necessary shots that are already done and spays/neuters that are already done.

Additionally, there are many rescue organizations that specialize in specific breeds (there are husky rescues, lab rescues, etc.). You can find any local rescues and shelters on the internet. Petfinder.com is a great resource.

Regardless of the breed you get, you will soon learn that there is nothing like the bond between you and your dog.

Good post. Our second dog we got, we rescued. She is so friendly, and energetic. I love it, because I can go out and play fetch with her or whatever where as our first dog(a dachshund) doesn't like to play all that much. Only problem with her is she is aggressive towards other dogs, so we have to be careful walking her(we already knew this beforehand though). I wouldn't trade her for anything though, glad we adopted her because she is just great. No doubt when I move out and into somewhere I can have a dog(and afford one), I will rescue one.

[Cusefan]

Re: Thinking about getting a dog

I prefer flat haired retrievers over goldens. Goldens are becoming increasingly aggressive due to their popularity, breeding for calmness in goldens has made them more likely to develop seizure issues, because the fundamental brain chemistry of the dog is messed up. Alot of breeders train goldens to be unafraid of Humans, this is much different that training them to be obedient to humans. These temperament issues are a balancing act. If something gets out of sync, you’ll have a biting golden retriever on your hands.

The CDC in the US does not keep track of dog bites, but Canada does. Since Goldens are bread for family dogs, them being #4 in Canada in dog bites is very alarming.

[roadman]

Re: Thinking about getting a dog

Adopting a dog from a shelter is something my wife and I discussed, but in the end, we wound up going to a breeder that her family has used on their last 4 Golden Retrievers. We wanted a baby that we knew had been taken care of and was healthy and we couldn't find that at any of the local shelters (more the baby Golden that was cared for part than health).

This is something we discussed as well, but we saw the sign in the neighborhood. They took their female dog to match a male pure bread 2 hours away. After the fun for the dogs was over with, the mom came back to the people we bought our dog from and the mom gave birth to 8 puppies. The people we bought our dog from gave all 8 puppies the required shots needed and the mom and the couple took care of 8 puppies for 8 weeks. The husband said with the amount we were paying for our dog, it still didn't cover the vet bills.

I know how hard it was to give up the other 7 puppies.(they kept one male) We still see them with our dogs every so often.

I know breeders receive a bad rap and some deserve it, but this was a very safe environment for our dog to be raised a puppy.

[Knight165]

Re: Thinking about getting a dog

Adopting a dog from a shelter is something my wife and I discussed, but in the end, we wound up going to a breeder that her family has used on their last 4 Golden Retrievers. We wanted a baby that we knew had been taken care of and was healthy and we couldn't find that at any of the local shelters (more the baby Golden that was cared for part than health).

Speaking of dogs being awesome. Mine is sitting on my feet chewing on a toy as I type this. I've been painting my garage since 10am so I'm dead tired...it's nice to have the little guy relaxing with me while the wife is out.

I didn't mean for it to sound like I was knocking anyone who would(except those friggin' disgusting puppy mills)....as finding a certain breed in the shelter(full) might be difficult.
Just for me....when going to shelters and seeing so many dogs needing good homes...I just can't help but want to take the most needy one home.
Heck, I don't know if anyone saw that Honeymooners episode where Ralph gets PO'ed that Alice brought in a stray...and grabs the dog and says he's bringing the mutt to the pound(angrily) only to come home with 30 more that melted his heart while he was there.
That would be me.
I have to avoid the shelters.

M.K.
Knight165

[NDAlum]

Re: Thinking about getting a dog

I'm a "pansy lap dog" owner so I think this is where I exit the thread...

I love my little girl! All 6.5 lbs of her!

[Knight165]

Re: Thinking about getting a dog

I'm a "pansy lap dog" owner so I think this is where I exit the thread...

I love my little girl! All 6.5 lbs of her!

Why exit?...IMO...any dog is a great dog!

M.K.
Knight165

[Dr. Sheldon Cooper]

Re: Thinking about getting a dog

I've been wanting to get a dog for months now. I even have the money saved up to buy one. My house has been getting an extension on it and been going through all the legal crap on rather or not it could be done so I've had to wait for it to get finish cause I don't want a dog around while construction is goin on. House will be complete by end of October and then I will be buying my dog. I want a Siberian Huskie so bad.

[GAMEC0CK2002]

Re: Thinking about getting a dog

I'm a "pansy lap dog" owner so I think this is where I exit the thread...

I love my little girl! All 6.5 lbs of her!

LOL I wasn't a fan of them til my gf got one. A shih tzu. Nice dog and nice breed. It was high maintenance that 1st year though. We never went anywhere without Max.

[trobinson97]

Re: Thinking about getting a dog

I think I am going to adopt this time around. We went to the Humane society and saw some really great dogs. Was going to go back today and pick one but the ones I wanted have been adopted.

[AlanKinNA]

Re: Thinking about getting a dog

I know what you did mean by saying "I'm thinking..." and I'm not trying to sound all poofed up. A dog, though, being a creature, will be more "yours" if you have a need for him/her. So, if in y'r heart you feel some kind of emotional attachment for the critter, that's your sign. The breed, yes, there are characteristics of certain breeds, but most dogs can sit, stay, fetch, and play.

nuff said.

Woof.

bow

bye.

ALan

[TIm]

Re: Thinking about getting a dog

Anyone looking for a dog, Kill two birds with one stone... Get one at your local Humane Society or shelter.. What we did to pick up our dog was fun and at the same helped out the local humane society.. Here's our story and I won't make it long

In 1991 we had a black lab given to us. She was a year old.. Long story short great dog but had to put her down at 13 years due to health problems. About 1 year after our Sadie had passed we wanted to give it another go... So a great site to go to is P-e-t-f-i-n-d-e-r-.-c-o-m. On that site we saw many great dogs. But the best part of the site is you put in your zip code and it will find animals from all the rescue places, human society, and breed specific places. Once we found the local place we wanted to visit, We started to volunteer and get to know the staff, I would go walk dogs, Help take dogs to the adoption days at our local Petsmart, and donate bags of food everytime. One of the best things was to get to know the staff.. They would call us at home when they got a dog that was very nice, Good with other animals, and good with kids.. They looked out for us. So one day we got a call and went down as it was a lab mix.. We really liked the dog. So took off and thought about it.. Well during that time, Someone adopted it.. So we told the workers we would just continue to stop by.. The best advice Sparky " yes the nickname of the woman in Charge" gave us is just come in and you'll know.. Don't just look at the cute ones, or the small ones.. Give all of them a shot...

So one morning we went to the place and the reception desk. We said we will be looking at dogs.. On our way down the hall there was a dog in the cage because she was just so hyper and would get all the other dogs rowled up LOL.. Bet the telling sign is we looked at her and she looked us straight in the eyes and wouldn't stop staring at us... We said this was the one.. Sparky said she is what you are looking for but hyper.. She asked if we wanted to take her out. Of course we did and there she went.. Running around crazy and fast and had all the dogs chasing her.. SHE WOULDN't stop LOL.. Long story short 100.00 later we got Lucy whom is a beagle spaniel mix.. And she was fixed... 8 years later she has been a great dog and loves EVERYONE.. She see's someone walking, She starts her crying and has to stop and say hello.

Go give a shelter a call and volunteer. You will know when you see your future dog. Donate even a bag of food here and their.. Those shelters work hard and are often over populated.. Get to know the staff and they will take care of you.. Since we have moved from Florida to Maine and it's been 3 years. Once a month we will send them a little check to this day and keep in contact with Sparky

PS- Mods, If you can link up that site it would be great.. It would help out any persons looking for a dog/cat or other.. If I can't have the spaced out site, Let me know and I will delete that portion of it