Tell me about your dogs!

MsEmmy

I have three dogs, all sighthounds. My boys are Roscoe and Grover, whippet brothers who are 3 years old. I had wanted a dog for 10 years but my husband always said no. I finally looked him straight in the eyes and told him that I could not face a life without dogs and something must have made him realise I could no longer compromise on it. I had always wanted a whippet and thought it was fate that a litter had been born in our town just as I was looking. My husband had never had dogs growing up so I thought a pup would be best at that point.

My first mistake was taking my two teenage sons to go and see the litter with me....my son with Asperger's totally fell for a little black pup and I had my heart set on a blue. We ended up reserving two, and visited them a couple of times a week until we could bring them home. We still meet up with their Mum and brother from another litter and I am in touch with two other people with a brother and sister.

Roscoe, our black dog, is the most lovely, laid back and noble dog. He is great at reading other dogs' body language and interacting with them and has a real special quality to him, almost like an old soul. His brother Grover is an equally loving dog, less independent (but more easy to train) and unfortunately has a problem with fear aggression towards bigger dogs after being chased by two nasty GSDs a couple of years ago. He is a loyal fellow, although always seems younger than his brother even though they are the same age. It's hard work as I have to walk Grover separately to keep up his training - he is worse around big dogs if the other two are with me, but I love them to bits and firmly believe that a dog is for life no matter what hurdles you face.

In 2010 we fostered a lovely whippet but we knew we couldn't keep him (he wanted to eat our cat) and he went to a fantastic family on a farm where he hunts rabbits all day and sleeps on the owner's bed at night. He also does agility and has two other dogs for company. Whippet heaven.

In August 2010 I was doing some volunteer dog walking at our local Greyhound Rescue when someone told me that the dog warden had brought in 'a whippet.' I contacted the whippet rescue that I volunteer for and they agreed to take her on. I said I would foster her until her '7 days' were up (in England the owners have 7 days to claim a stray dog then they are passed to a pound or rescue.) On the way home I was worried because I hadn't even told my husband. Just had to send him a quick 'don't panic' massage!! I really thought someone would claim her but they didn't and by that time she was well and truly one of the family. Our best guess is that she's probably a saluki x whippet. She had been found running on a busy road, had horrible bruising underneath her, looked like she had had puppies, cowered if we tried to reach over her and wasn't house trained so we can only guess at the kind of place she had been in before. She was also very underweight. We took her to the vet and it turns out she is exactly the same age as the boys. We've now had her for 18 months, she's put weight on, knows we won't hurt her and she is the most affectionate and lovely girl. She's fabulous with our old cat and I couldn't imagine life without her. I was just in the right place at the right time, as she was to be taken to another town an hour after I saw her the first time

Ayreiya

I have a Black Lab. She is 12 years old and her name is Grace. She is a retired therapy dog but still a good girl. Other than us spoiling her she spoils us in return. She has never really been a trouble maker but she is a money pit. She has thrown out her knee twice. Now she is not usually allowed to go outside off leash. but she is my baby and i love her.

lexgem

My dog is 10 month old lhasa apso! He is very cuddly and extremely loyal to the point of possessiveness. His best friend is our neighbor's labrador and whenever they are both playing in a dog park, he growls at and chases away any dog who tries to play with her! It's kind of annoying but also really funny. When he's not being possessive he is very friendly to all dogs though
He is also possessive of us, and doesn't like it when we pet other dogs or speak to them with a soft voice. This is more of a problem because I don't know how well he would take to a second dog.

30yearssincebikini

Hi. I think it's cool that you train dogs. I have an Australian Shepard that I got from the pound. She is about three years old, the shelter didn't know for sure though. (how old she was). She had a litter of puppies at the shelter and they were all adopted but one so we took him too. Now I regret the puppy. He is crazy. He needs another puppy to play with, because he is always jumping on his mother and biting/playing with her and she gets really fed up with him and growls but he doesn't listen.

Anyway, we know this will pass, hopefully. She (the mom) is a very smart, sweet dog. So is the puppy. We are glad we got them.

Blodnie

I have two dogs. Winnie (shown in my profile pic) is a 10 year old Chow Chow. Don't ever believe what people tell you about Chow's being vicious. It's all about who raises them and how. Winnie is my little girl; my constant companion and (next to my husband) the love of my life. She was my very first dog and has never given me one minute of trouble. She's smart as a whip, still thinks she's a puppy, and is the most loyal creature I've ever known. She looks after her brother (below) as if she was his mother, and even herds the cat on those rare occasions when she manages to slip out the door. She has the most expressive face; most times you can tell what she's thinking just be looking at her.

We also have a 9 year old Great Pryrenees Mountain dog, Buddy. He's about twice Winnie's size at around 120, but he definitely lets her rule the roost. He's big and a big goofy, not the smartest dog in the world but that seems to make his personality all the sweeter. He loves to cuddle and needs daily hands-on affection. Now that he's older his jumping up days are behind him, but as a younger dog his favorite thing was to jump right up onto your lap and sit in the chair with you. That's a lot of dog to have in your lap, let me tell you!! His second favourite place was on the bed and sleeping between my husband and I. Today he comes to the chair, climbs half way up and lays his upper body on your lap for a cudde. He doesn't even attempt the bed anymore. He's aging and slowing down (as 9 is getting pretty old for a large breed) but gracefully. He's my husband's very best friend.

tiggertail

Yay, greetings fellow dog lovers!

I have always owned dogs, my first ever memory being when I was 4 years old & on our way to collect Monty, my first ever pointer. I've had 2 more pointers since he passed on, both rescued & both male....after my last boy died I said I could never have another one because of the pain of losing them & just enjoyed working with other peoples dogs (I used to be a dog groomer though I'm now a nurse).

Then 5 years ago I got a call from a friend of my mums who was looking for loving homes for her dogs puppies....she had just given birth to 9 'accidents'. I dutifully turned up to 'have a look' & 3 weeks later Esme had decided that I was GOING to take her home! She's a rottie/vizla/lab mix, is as daft as a brush & has even travelled to the other side of the world with us (we moved from UK to NZ 2 years ago). She's pretty chilled for the main part although we have a very firm set of ground rules......during the day she stays in her compound outside whilst we're at work & when we're home she has the run of the house & grounds but she knows that she is only allowed on the one sofa (no other furniture), she eats after we do & she sleeps downstairs (at 95lbs I'm not sure she'd fit on the bed with us even if she were allowed to). Since we've been here she's had none of the allergies & eating problems she had in the UK (saved us a fortune in vets bills) & loves coming with us to the beach....she's a real water baby, will chase anything & even comes kayaking with me....I have several photos of her on my profile page if anyone's interested.

Thanks for listening....:blushing:

DQMD

I have a soon to be 8 year old Fawn Boxer. My dog is my baby...and he knows it. When hubby and I wrote up our separation agreement it was stated who got the dog. He does get visitation.

I picked Tug's out the day he was born.

He is a little clingy, ok a lot clingy. He is getting better about not being up my butt all the time. When I take him to SO's house, he will play with his kids. I went to bed the other night and he stayed down with the youngest. The youngest rides him like a horse and the goofy dog tolerates it. Mind you he wasn't raised with kids so he is a doggie saint in my eyes.

He is very protective of me. He will stand between me and another person until I tell him with a pet that it is ok. He gets jealous when SO and I hug. We were dancing the other night at his house practicing two step..the dog kept trying to help.

ginnylee74

I have two dogs. My profile picture is of Tola. In Polish her name means Priceless and she is to me. She is a German Shepherd, Norweigan Elkhound Cross. I got her at a No Kill shelter in California. She was given to the shelter by the "dog catcher" because she was so sweet and no one claimed her in the town where they picked her up.

I happened to see the the lady dog catcher at DOG DAZES that summer and she asked me where I got her as she recognized her. She told me that when she picked her up she had been running the streets in the town and when the dog catcher asked around she was told that the people that owned her didn't deserve dogs and wouldn't tell her where she lived. After posting her picture etc. and no one claimed her she was taken to the no kill shelter. She is 6 years old now and at the time I got her she was 6 months. She had a lot of training and was an angel. I think she was being trained for search and rescue. She knew the word search and does it quite well. But her focus waines quickly. She will get the ball outside but will not bring it back. You have to get it. She knows the words leave it, as well as other obediance and in the house will bring toys to you and give them to you but not outside. There is a hill where we have a garden and she will take her ball there and drop it down the hill so we can throw the ball again. Anyway she is a sweetie. We found out a 1 year of age that she had hip dysplaisa (sp) and also Pannas in her eyes. I think that's why no one claimed her. Their loss. I think the good Lord knew we would take care of her and that's why we have her. I had been looking at a Golden Retreiver. I know that with the problem with her hips that the Vet tells us to keep her weight down, which we do. and to keep her active with walks. With ten acres to roam and going out to the desert she has developed awesome muscles in her legs to support her hips. I let her be a dog. Both of my dogs eat really good food and have their enzymes and glucosimine (sp) each day. My husband and I take care of them and they give us so much love.

We also have another rescue dog from the H/S. She is a Carin Terrior. Or should I say Terror. She came to live with us about 6 months ago. She is about 2 yrs now. I took her to dogie school but she knew all the correct things already. Just needed brushing up on a few. My husband named her Scrappy. Boy is she. We live in the desert on 10 acres and she keeps the squirrls and jack rabbits out of our garden and flowers.

Both dogs love to run. When we go for walks Tola gets to go free out in the desert. She always comes when called. But Scrappy? Well that's another story. So she has to stay on leash for awhile. When she does get free and I finally get her to come she is wiggling all over and looks as if to say. I'm sorry I just got carried away and aren"t I cute. I don't know how people can be without dogs. They are so loving. Also they both are sort of spoiled. Well, really very spoiled. Sorry this is so long. I get carried away when talking about them. They are like my grandkids.:flowerforyou:

Good luck on your journey with law enforcement and the training of your wonderful friends.:drinker:

mrmanmeat

Hi everybody!

I'm a dog trainer in northern Canada and I just ADORE dogs!!! They truly are my passion in life. When I join the police force next year, I'm hoping to eventually make it onto the k-9 unit in order to mix my two favorite passions: the law and dogs, lol.

Tell me about your dogs and your most memorable moments with them/what you love about their personalities/anything you want to tell me! I LOVE hearing about dogs! (it's almost a sickness really)

I have 3 dogs!

My eldest (I call her my step-furbaby) came with my fiance when we moved in together. Her name is tugs and she is a 6 year old terrier/poodle. I have never met a dog so smart, but with such an attitude! We didn't start out well - she bit me in the first few months. Drew blood too. Two years later, she's a calm, gentle dog and we tolerate each other. I'm totally kidding - I love that dog to death, attitude and all. She grew on me. She's still a daddy's girl, but we get along.

My second came from the humane society in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Her name is Kira and she is a 4 year old border collie cross. She is my wizz kid - wicked smart. Picks up on any trick within five minutes. We nicknamed her the 'Darling' because she is just so gentle, but she is little miss manners - in the dog park, if a dog is being rude, she is the first one in there correcting that dog and teaching that dog how to properly act.

My youngest furbaby is my 100lb german shepherd, Bear. I've been told that he must be a cross with a wolf, but I don't really know. We lived in a horrible area for a while, and he was the only silver lining from living there. He randomly showed up on my doorstep one day and refused to leave. We almost lost him to worms (we were so far north that the nearest vet was 4 hours away), but after we got him the proper meds and got him strong and healthy, he wouldn't stop growing!!!! We were hoping for him to be MAYBE 30lbs (about Kira's size) but he blew past her at just 4 months! After that, we wondered what we had gotten ourselves into. But, I am proud to say that Bear is my little show-off dog. I always meet people who are terrified of large breeds, especially the bully breeds (shepherds, Pittys, rotties) and I love them. Bear always breaks their expectations with his gentle nature. He is wonderful with children, as my nieces can, quite literally, ride him around the house and he doesn't care. They can pull on his tail and he'll just lick them, and he's only 2 years old! Still a baby! An absolute gentle giant.

My goal in life is to own a rescue specifically for the bully breeds and dogs who are deemed 'untrainable.' That's about ten or fifteen years in the future (I'm only 23 years old), but that's the plan!

So there's my long-winded rant about my doggies. =D Tell me about your dogs! PLEASE!!!

Tell me what kind of dog food you feed, and I'll tell you if you're passing or failing.

sc1572

I am a hugeeeeeeeeeeeeee animal lover and my dogs mean the world to me!

Daisy-
Dachshund, brown and black, about 9 1/2 years old. We got her from my mom's boss when she was about 6 weeks old. I got her in elementary school and now am in college!

Baby-
Pit bull mix, black and white, about 4/5 years old (estimated). I found her on the side of the road and nursed her back to health my sophomore year of high school, and am now a sophomore in college.

p0stdramatic

<<<--- Ranger Bob is 6 and 98 pounds (huge for a boxer). Moka will be 1 on March 5th and is 46 pounds (normal for her age). They are both reverse brindle boxers. I stay entertained 24/7. Best dogs ever!

digitalmayhap

Between my home in Indiana and the one in New Orleans, I have five dogs.

Violet is a red smooth hair dachshund, and she is probably the most adorable thing I have ever seen. She loves to lay on her back for you to pet her stomach, which is weird to see her do but it is adorable.

Vinnie is a maltese/yorkie mix. He's energetic as hell and is constantly running and/or barking at whatever he can. He also has asthma which makes sets him off from time to time.

Angel is a mini dapple dachshund. She is a rescue. When they found her, she was so bruised and beat up the vet didn't think she would walk again. She's made a full recovery and is doing better than ever!

Cubby is a queensland blue heeler. He's quite big for his breed but we love him none the less. His attention span focuses on food. If someone were to break into the house and try to steal something, they could get by him by giving him something to eat. Swear.

Grace is a mix between a bassett hound and a sheltie. She was also abused and her previous owners knocked out her front teeth. She has a nickname around the house as "Nibbler" because she nibbles on you to get your attention. She also is the only dog I know who sleeps on her back with her paws up in the air.

robertmcalaster

My wife and I only have one dog. She's a "classic" basset hound. Her name is Clover and she's almost three years old now. Unlike a lot of other bassets, she's very lean (not skinny), and it kind of makes her look like a large wiener dog. She's so loving and adorable.

cessnaholly

i rescued a GSD from a city shelter 8 years ago. She was adult and not spayed. We took her home. She was afraid of her shadow inside the house but outside she was just afraid of cars and loud noises. In time she got over all that. I took her to a place that trained using an agility course and trained police dogs. Training was great. Lots of people and dogs. Took 2 years to get her "normal". She never played games or ball or anything and she was afraid of water. Prissy dog. We took her everywhere - several trips across the USA. She scared a thief away from our stuff on one trip. She scared a man out of our house one day. She helped retrain dogs who had agressive issues b/c she wasn't reactive. She followed me around - i couldn't walk across the room without her following me. She was incredible. She just passed away this Christmas in the backyard in my arms and I miss her every day. She was about 15 and it was her time but I sure miss my baby.

We will be looking to get another dog this spring and I can't wait. I want to do S&R or therapy with my next dog.

ryno0618

I have 3 dogs

- Baylie
Yellow Lab. 4 years old. So smart (too smart sometimes)

-Chloe
Black Lab. 3 years old. Best friend and farm companion. Good hunter too.

-Ellianna
Great Pyrenees / Hound Mix. 1 year old. Already outgrowing the other two dogs. Very playful and affectionate.

All 3 my dogs were rescued from shelter at young age. They have the run of my 15 acres. Such a joy they are.

wildcard29

I have a 4 year old boxer mix named Daphne and a 7 month old golden retriever named Teddy. The are just like kids lol. Daphne is my baby but both are totally all bout Mom when I'm home. They sleep in our bed with us and are in the house more than out lol. I couldn't imagine our lives without them. Teddy being a puppy destroys everything and grabs the kids pant legs or bottom of their shirts as they walk by...cracks me up.

nadiakoo

Now your'e talking!!! I LOVE dogs and have 2. Louie is a Basset Fauvre de Bretag:happy: ne and Dusty is a Petite Bassett Griffon Vendeen.
They are our lives, and make us laugh every moment of the day. Louie was given to us by a lady who split up from her hubby and couldn't afford to look after him anymore. Dusty used to be a show girl and we rescued her from the breeders. They are both 7 years old. Louie is Wheaten in colour and Dusty is white and grey with a bit of ginger.

Trail_Addict

Fellow dog trainer from Arizona. Here are my girls.

My working dogs- Kimber, Dascha, & Mischa (Narcotics, HR Detections, and SAR)








My newest member - Dizzie, the trail dog!

Tropical_Turtle

I adopted a rat terrier mix. I have pics of him on my profile. He was born in a shelter, never knew life on the outside. His birthday is November 10, 2010 - Named him Gunny since he was born on the Marine Corps birthday. He is the LOVE of my life.

He loves to eat cables, and anything that is not put up - he once ate my computer cable while it was plugged into the wall charging my lap top!

joakool

I have a 9-1/2 year old Shepard/Lab mix. Her name is Misty. She is adorable and SO smart! I take her with me wherever I can as she is very well behaved (I took her to "puppy kindergarten" and read A LOT of books and trained her myself after I got her at 9 weeks old). She is trained to stay in the perimeters of our yard (without a fence) and also rings a bell when she wants to go outside (I didn't want her scratching my new patio doors). I know I couldn't possibly love her any more than I do -- she means so much to me. She is definitely a part of my family -- not "just" a pet.
We also have two horses, a ball python, a tortoise, geckos, and some fish.