Any other dog fans on here?

Rusvul · August 03, 2012, 01:53:03 PM

Quote from: Rainshadow on July 30, 2012, 06:25:08 PM
*Gasp* I used to watch Lady and the Tramp all the time when I was little! Then I lost it. And I have a black Labrador named Abby.

This is what Abby looks like:

I love Abby, but I've always wanted a border collie.

border collie? we had a shelty named kali (or khali? not sure of spelling, but named after the goddess of creation and destrucion). she died of old age and the sicknessess that come from it.

Redwallfan7 · August 03, 2012, 05:09:46 PM

I used to have a miniature sheltie named Romeo. He was black and white

Lily · August 07, 2012, 09:16:41 AM

My family used to have an ex-customs Labrador called Vyken. He used to patrol ships coming into Australia for illegal substances but he developed hearing problems so we were able to buy him. He was a wonderful dog, he used to be able to jump from the floor on to our top bunk bed. Like many labs, he got fat in his old age.

I love dogs, but I prefer the bigger breeds.

Flandor · August 07, 2012, 04:28:45 PM

It upsets me when people get dogs like Labradors and don't get them enough exercise... they're big hunting dogs, they need to get out and run and play. A lot of people near me like to get big dogs because they see them as "manly" or "a real dog" but for most of them a toy or utility breed would be a lot more appropriate. It's not fair, in my opinion, to keep big, intelligent dogs who need to work and play hard cooped in the house with only a short walk around the block every so often. I just see that trend too much where I live, and I find it sad. They're living things, not trophies. My pet rats probably get more exercise than some of the dogs I know.

Redwallfan7 · August 07, 2012, 04:29:42 PM

I agree. Dogs need to be fit and healthy just like people.

Rainshadow · August 07, 2012, 05:00:17 PM

My dog Abby isn't fat, but then again I have a large back yard that she loves to run around in. But it sucks because she has hip dysplasia. It isn't extremely bad in her case, but it keeps her from running for long periods of time. For someone that loves to run, it's hard for me to walk her because she loves to speed walk but I can't run her for a long time.

Flandor · August 07, 2012, 05:03:05 PM

Quote from: Rainshadow on August 07, 2012, 05:00:17 PM
My dog Abby isn't fat, but then again I have a large back yard that she loves to run around in. But it sucks because she has hip dysplasia. It isn't extremely bad in her case, but it keeps her from running for long periods of time. For someone that loves to run, it's hard for me to walk her because she loves to speed walk but I can't run her for a long time.

Hip dysplasia sucks, I'm sorry. It's a shame it's so common in purebred dogs. The problem in my neighborhood is that next to nobody has a fenced-in backyard big enough for a dog to really run in. So people will have German Shepherds, Labs and other similarly big dogs, don't walk them hardly ever, and don't have a yard for them to run in, so you have to wonder when the poor dog even gets outside.

Rainshadow · August 07, 2012, 05:07:01 PM

Ouch. That must be a very sad life for the dogs. My dog is actually the first I've ever had and I was I think the 4th or 5th owner of her. The one before me owned Abby for a week before their dad went, "Uh, no. You have a job and you can't take care of a dog." It was sad though because she was six months old when I got her and she had no name. She was Baby, Puppy and Girl. So it was my brother that came up with Abigail or Abby for short. Abby sounded like Baby and Puppy, so he thought that she would get used to that name faster. And now that I think about it, Abby is a pretty nice name.

Redwallfan7 · August 07, 2012, 05:09:24 PM

My mom and I like to say: If you can't/won't have the time to exercise a dog, you shouldn't get one in the first place. Taking care of a dog takes commitment.

Rainshadow · August 07, 2012, 05:14:25 PM

It's funny. When I got my dog, I was so excited about it. Then a few weeks after getting her, I was like "I want a cat! This is too much!" Now after having her for 2 or 3 years I couldn't bear to get rid of her. I call Abby dumb because she tends to run into walls when she's so excited, but she's really smart! She knows at least 10 different commands, so I think that could be sort of smart. She's still an idiot when it comes to walks though. I have an 'idiot collar' (gentle leader) that I put on her whenever I walk her because she freaks out whenever a dog, cat or person comes in front of her.

Redwallfan7 · August 07, 2012, 08:19:41 PM

I learned responsibility about taking care of a dog over the years. I got my first dog, Romeo, for my seventh birthday, when we first moved from Wyoming. I asked my parents for a dog, because I saw how my older siblings had their pets in the area (I grew up in a small Wyoming neighborhood). I wasn't very mature back then as I am now, I wanted the dog, but not the commitment that comes with caring for one. My parents, and my siblings walked him, fed him, and cleaned up after him more than I did! Now that I'm a lot older, I understand that caring for my yorkie Max is not only a treat and a privilege, it's a job to be taken seriously.

Rainshadow · August 07, 2012, 10:20:42 PM

I still hate cleaning up after Abby, but who wouldn't? But yeah, I'm more committed to her than I was when I first got her. I was used to owning cats, seeing as before Abby I had owned three cats. Abby was much more responsibility than cats. But I love her and would never think of giving her up.

Lily · August 08, 2012, 12:37:35 AM

Vyken wasn't fat because we didn't take care of him; he had problems with both of his cruciate ligaments, plus he was 15 years old and couldn't move very well.

You should see some of the dogs where I live. Even in country Japan there isn't a lot of space, so most of the big dogs are kept chained up in the driveway. Houses here don't really have fences. Most people have small dogs better suited for inside the house, and they dress them up in little jackets and take them for walks in prams. I kid you not. Most of them are also not very well trained, so they tend to relieve themselves in the house.

Rainshadow · August 08, 2012, 03:01:11 AM

Ew. and I thought it was gross when my dog got sick and purged herself in the house. But doing that? She hasn't done that in years! I'm so glad my dog is trained lol.

Redwallfan7 · August 08, 2012, 03:20:07 AM

Quote from: Rainshadow on August 08, 2012, 03:01:11 AM
Ew. and I thought it was gross when my dog got sick and purged herself in the house. But doing that? She hasn't done that in years! I'm so glad my dog is trained lol.

ugh! Lol

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Any other dog fans on here?