Help me Pick a doggy… Please!!!!!!
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This message is to Diane Blackman: Diane, I just wanted to let you know that your post to the 11 year old girl who started this subject was absolutely the best post I have ever seen. You covered it all and I don’t think that anyone could have done it better. Thanks for caring. Cya, Joyce and the Boxer Brigade
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sounds to me like an Astralian Cattle dog might be just right for her and would help with the stock
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: sounds to me like an Astralian Cattle dog might be just right for her and : would help with the stock This breed needs a very experienced owner. A new, timid, uncertain, or lazy owner can take what could have been a wonderful dog, and turn it into a dog whose only destiny is death. — Diane Blackman _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Failure is when you quit trying.
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As a dog breeder, I can tell you that you should NOT get a dog. The weather extremes outdoors can only harm any dog that you get. Plus, how could you spend a lot of time with the animal if it were kept outside? Al Gibson Royal Kennels St. Paul, MN
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Hello, My name is Lindsay… I am 11 years old and I would like to ask your help… I was wondering if you could recommend a dog that has the following characteristics (or point me to a place that I could get this information): 1. Not a Big dog! 2. Friendly 3. Easy to train 4. Outdoor dog… we live in New Mexico, and my grandmother won’t let the dog in the house. 5. We live in the country, so the dog will have lots of room… but we have cattle and we don’t want the dog to bother the cows… 6. do not want a dog that howls lot… making alot of noise will bother my grandparents That is basically it… I would give him/her lots of love and companionship and we would play together all the time. Would you give me a list of breeds that I could look at on the internet… or possibly an www address that I could scan. Any help you could give me I would appreciate a bunch! Thank You Lindsay
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: Hello, My name is Lindsay… I am 11 years old and I would like to ask your : help… I was wondering if you could recommend a dog that has the following : characteristics (or point me to a place that I could get this information): : 1. Not a Big dog! : 2. Friendly : 3. Easy to train : 4. Outdoor dog… we live in New Mexico, and my grandmother won’t let the dog : in the house. : 5. We live in the country, so the dog will have lots of room… but we have : cattle and we don’t want the dog to bother the cows… : 6. do not want a dog that howls lot… making alot of noise will bother my : grandparents : : That is basically it… I would give him/her lots of love and companionship : and we would play together all the time. Would you give me a list of breeds : that I could look at on the internet… or possibly an www address that I : could scan. Any help you could give me I would appreciate a bunch! Lindsay, Good for you for thinking about some important questions. Lots of adults aren’t that careful about selecting a dog. That can end up very sadly. A good match between dog and owner is a joy, a bad one is trouble. If you want a dog that really matches your family well I’m going to recommmend a couple books to you. It will be more work, but it will be worth it in the end. You see there are a lot of things to think about in deciding on the right dog. Sometimes it isn’t very obvious what those things are. So one book helps you figure out the questions you need to think about, and the other two do a pretty good job of helping you decide what will work out for you. And there is something else to think about. Yes, I know that lots of dogs do live outside and are never allowed in the house. That works for some dogs. The dogs it works best for are the ones where there are people and/or other dogs outside with the dog pretty much all day. Like a ranch dog where people are working livestock then the dog gets to hang around the people and it doesn’t get lonely. Being with a companion is very very important to most dogs. So the questions isn’t whether the dog will live inside or outside, but how much time will it spend with people. And make sure that when you leave to go to college that someone will still want to take care of the dog. It will only be eight or so many more years to live. Its very very hard to take a dog with you to college. If no one will take care of the dog when you go away then don’t get one now. Its hard to find new homes for dogs as old as 8 and they get very upset about being given away. Think about what goes on around your house, who likes dogs, who doesn’t, who will be comfortable if the dog follows them around and who won’t like it. Now, is there going to be someone around the dog every day at least four hours a day? If yes, then it might work. If no, then you are taking a big risk that the dog will get so lonely it will do naughty things. And I bet in your area a dog that does naughty things doesn’t live very long. I’m always very sad for a dog that isn’t allowed in the house. Most dogs are much happier when they are a part of the family. If you really love dogs think hard and make sure you can keep an outside dog happy, OK? Oh and if you can make the dog happy living outside you will still need a dog run to put the dog in when no one is around. A lonely dog goes looking for company. That means there is a big chance he might wander off and chase someone else’s cows! Bad news, right? Take a look at http://www.dog-play.com/freedogs.html do be sure you understand that it is very important you can make sure your dog stays at home. Some people use chains instead of dog runs, but that’s scary for a dog because another dog, or coyote or some animal can attack it and it couldn’t get away. So a dog run keeps the dog safe, and makes it feel safe. The books are (1) "The Right Dog For You" by Daniel Tortora. It does a wonderful job of helping you explore what it is that you want (and don’t want) in a dog. It asks you questions you never even thought of, and provides good insight into developing your own answers. The most valuable part of the book is these questions. Take the time to work through it, it’s well worth the effort. But that book is a bit out of date, and some people (who would know better than I) say the breed descriptions are not as accurate as two more recent books: (2) "Your Purebred Puppy" by Michele Lowell and (3) "A Perfect Match" by Chris Walkowicz. So start with the Tortora book, get an idea of the qualities that will suit your family, then look to the other books to discover which dogs have those qualities. A shelter or rescue dog might be just the perfect answer. Many of these are fine dogs that got to the shelter or rescue because their previous owner did not do their homework. Adult dogs, in particular, are often a good choice because their needs are not so time intensive as puppies. Moreover, the adult dog offers a degree of predictablility. A GOOD shelter or rescue evaluation can really do a good job of matching dog to owner. Here are some books to read to learn more about shelter and rescue dogs. "Second Hand Dog" by Carol Benjamin "Choosing a Shelter Dog" by Christiansen When you decide to get your dog don’t just take the first cute furry face that comes along. It may be hard but it is well worth it to apply temperament tests, carefully evaluate the dog, and wait for the one that is truly right for your family. You CAN’T save them all, but you CAN save the one that has the best chance of having a happy life with you, and that is the one that matches your family. And if you do decide to go for a purebred, don’t waste your money on a petstore dog, or one from a casual breeder (one who may love their dog, but doesn’t know, for example, what genetic health checks to do before deciding to breed). Most dogs have potential for genetic disease, often not showing up until you have become completely attached to the dog – older than two, sometimes much older. If you are paying big money for a dog (over $100) then part of what you should be paying for is a reduced risk of genetic disease and attention to sound physcial and mental health. That doesn’t happen with the casual breeder and especially not with the pet-store dog. Here are a couple of sites on the web to look at http://www.duke.edu/~hendrix/choosing.html http://www.zmall.com/pet_talk/dog-faqs/ http://www.canismajor.com/dog/clasfied.html http://www.canismajor.com/dog/responbr.html http://avery.med.virginia.edu/~rmm7e/classified.html http://www.dog-play.com/choosing.html Good Luck — Diane Blackman _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ One good thing about being wrong is the joy it brings to others. the lion.
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