looks like a lab mix of some sort. Fixed Boy. Reported as 10 months old. Very friendly. Knows how to fetch, sit. Our other dog is not so happy with the addition. Making sure that the old dog get attention too. We lost our beloved black lab a few years ago. Finally time for a new family member.
We'll probably be getting a dog sometime in the next year. Lost all 3 dogs over the span of the last 18 months or so (all dogs were 15+yes old). I'll probably get a lab or another golden. The two young kids need a dog to pal around with and stir up trouble, lol.
My wife is up my, umm, busting my chops to get another dog. Says I: "I am NOT going out in the cold and snow to train a puppy! Period!" Says she: "Good, it won't be born until February, and we can't pick it up until April." I think I got played.
We had that conversation this time last year. I love dogs, but they really tie you down. So now, in addition to vet bills, food bills, and damaged stuff around the house from a puppy, we also have expensive dog sitting bills when we're away for more than a few hours or when we travel. And I get to take the mutt out first thing in the morning and last thing in the evening... every day... because SWMBO is a sleep monster. The dog is cool, but having owned dogs before, I was not inclined to add all of that back to my "to do" list.
We got VERY lucky. Our dog is a small Maltese\Poodle mix. She is smart, we trained her very well, and (mostly) she obeys instantly when we tell her to do something. She hasn't damaged anything since she got over the chewing phase. She goes in the crate at 9:30 PM, after her last tour of the yard. At 6:30ish AM I let her out and she hops on the bed and will sleep until 10:00 AM if we let her. Only then will she ask to go out. I'm positive the next one will be a nightmare. No way will I get this lucky again.
Congrats on the new addition. All but 1 dog in my life have been rescues. They’ve all been great friends. This guy may be the best. He’s definitely part of the family, so the inconveniences don’t seem inconvenient. Life is better with a dog.
You did. It happens. We lost our Budweiser a couple years ago. He was with us for over 12 years. I still sometimes come in the house from the garage and expect to see him there at the door. It was heartbreaking, and we were crushed. I swear he was more like one of our kids than a couple of our kids were. That said, we've agreed - never again. Neither of us is wild about training a puppy and having shoes and everything else chewed to shreds, and we like being able to take off for a day or two or three and not have to worry about taking a dog along or finding a sitter. Maybe when we're old enough that we've stopped traveling as much as we plan to over the next ten years or so.
Exactly. This is where I was. I had a Border Collie - Charlie. Most amazing dog I've ever been around. Obedient, smart, liked to interact with his people - retrieving a tennis ball, catching a frisbee, etc. Even as a puppy, he understood what was "his" and didn't mess with other stuff. He was easy to leave alone (inside or outside) for hours at a time and was a very easy dog for neighbors to check in on if we were away. The new dog (English Setter) isn't nearly as obedient, and can't be trusted alone for long... anywhere. She's not a dog a neighbor can check in on 3 times a day with no worries.
Yeah, I wanted to hold off on the dogs for a while because it gets hard when we have 2 kids in sports and are away from home so much. The Golden we had was fine and could be let out in the morning before work and would hold it until 8pm if we couldn't make it home. No chewed up stuff, no accidents in the house. Perfect family dog and obedient (although always underfoot whether you wanted him there or not, lol). The wife's weimaraners were the complete opposite. Didn't listen, stayed in a crate when we were away because they'd destroy everything, had to be on a cable run in the unfenced back yard or they'd run off. They were even trained. Terrible family dogs. I'm not in a hurry to look after/train a puppy and have to be tied to being at home at certain times, but I do miss the good ones.
I’m glad my bride and I aren’t the only ones taking on a puppy. We miss our Ziva so much and this house wasn’t the same without her so we took the plunge. We adopted a lab mix and knock on wood so far she’s been very good. Lucy just turned three months old and the only downside is she sometimes treats the cats like interactive chew toys.
I got played as well, about two years ago. We'd lost our 13-year-old Sheltie a year or so before that, and my wife swore we wouldn't get another dog--she couldn't take losing another one. I'd notice after a time that she was checking out the adoption sites. At one point she showed me a picture of a dog that had really caught her eye. She must have mentioned his name, but it didn't register at the time. Then early one Saturday she woke me up and asked: "Do you want to get Frisky today?" I apparently mistook her meaning when I answered. Next thing I know, I'm at the shelter picking up this guy, a Sheltie/Corgie cross with a fondness for paper towel tubes.
When walking my dog on the beach recently, a lady spent several minutes loving up on him only to then tell me she will never have another dog as their passing is too painful. I will be devastated when Milo leaves me, but, I can't imagine never having known him. Not starting a relationship for fear of it ending, to me, denies reality and, if practiced, makes for a less enriched life.
Nice looking pup! Our lab pup is 7.5 months. Last dog was a rescue, great family dog but over the top territorial at home and after 15 years of stressing out every time someone came to the door it is a welcome relief to have a dog that doesn't even bark when a door bell rings. Other than the fact that labs eat everything and I mean everything (keep the hydrogen peroxide handy). I completely understand why they are the most popular dog in America. Loves every person and every dog she meets. She loves the water and for a dog of unknown hunting pedigree she was flushing and retrieving placed birds at 15 weeks.
I think I've said this here before. My philosophy on pets not living long enough for our liking is that they want to be able to share us with more of their friends. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy every minute with this fun girl.
I always say dogs are the better humans. I grew up with a dog. She was like a sister to me. Then in early adulthood always wanted a dog but wasn’t possible because living space too small and busy building a career. Two years ago we finally bought a house with a large backyard and the first thing we did was to get a puppy. He is family. Absolutely don’t mind him chewing things up, cleaning after him, late night or early morning walks. He has a free pass for pretty much anything and everything. Lucky for us, he doesn’t often make use of his free passes. We plane trained him from the moment we got him so he goes on trips with us. Congrats on your new addition to the family.
Oh my, I do so miss my Westie. Where we now live, no fenced yard. That plus the new pup would outlive us.
Yeah, that's where we're at right now also. Would love to have dogs again, but it's definitely not the right time for us. Glad to have friends with dogs right now.
@pmanton ever considered adopting a senior dog? Let them enjoy their final years in a warm loving home? Fewer people want them . . . I love animals but didn't want another one after our first marital dog passed. Too much hassle. But . . . We've had COVID Bubbles almost 3 years now. I'm a "big dog" person, too. But I'm in love with this chihuahua mix.
