Any Dog lovers out there

We narrowed it down to 2 breeds.


~ Miniature Dachshund (smooth)
~ Border Terrier (wiry)

digressing is good, I think talking about dogs cheered us all up

quiet-loner wrote:

legacy wrote:This morning I had such a migrane I couldn't lift my head, If I opened my eyes it was all just bright colours, my baby boy came and jumped on my bed and laid on to p of the quilt but so close. I couldn't see and I felt so sick and scared, like my brain was going to explode, but he nestled his face under my chin and I relaxed and went to sleep and woke up tons better.

He's a rescue dog and was ill treated and very nervous, but really I didn't rescue him he rescued me, he gave me the need to g out, the confidence to try and the support to be able too.

To think they were once wild animals and now there is such a bond between humans and animals it's truely awesome.

With all my praise of greyhounds I kept forgetting the original point of this discussion.
There is an excellent book called "Creature Comforts: Animals That Heal" by Bernie Graham which goes into great detail about the healing benefits that come from spending time with animals of all kinds. It is worth reading if you are interested in learning more on this subject.

Sadgurl; If you have any small independant animal shelters near you it might be worth going there and asking the staff for help finding the perfect dog for you. Unlike the big government run animal shelters the staff at smaller establishments often have the time to get to know the personalities of the dogs they have.
When I used to work at such a place I knew everything about every single dog I had in. I even got to know those that I only looked after for a few days.

It was fairly common for someone to come in looking for a dog with particular traits and I could usually show them a couple of dogs that fitted the bill perfectly. If I couldn't find them a dog they liked I was happy to take their details just in case a dog came in that might be more suitable for them.

Sometimes people would come in looking for a specific breed with all the traits common to that breed, ie a German shepard to act as a guard dog and they would leave with a mongrel that I knew had a very over-protective streak to them.
We would do a home visit after one month and it was amazing how often a dog the owner would never have considered had become an integral part of the family.

One of my happiest memories from working there was the day a couple brought their little girl of about 3 or 4 y.o. to get a puppy. They were incredibly disapointed when I explained that we would not place a puppy in a home with such a young child as it would be unfair to puppy, not to mention all the chaos a puppy brings with it.
Instead I suggested a slightly older dog which had settled down a little might be more suitable.
Anyway they didn't look convinced but the little girl looked like she was getting upset so I went to get the dog I had in mind for them.
The dog in question was a 4 y.o. border collie with a shaggy coat, a little overweight perhaps but othewise in perfect health.
I brought the dog out and said "sit" . She sat down and the little girl ran do the dog, which was as tall as she was, threw her arms around it's neck and burried her face in it's coat.
Needless to say they took the dog home with them, and when I saw them a month or so later they told me that the little girl and the "big" dog were now almost inseperable and they were glad they didn't go home with the puppy they originally wanted.

what a lovely story


One of my happiest memories from working there was the day a couple brought their little girl of about 3 or 4 y.o. to get a puppy. They were incredibly disapointed when I explained that we would not place a puppy in a home with such a young child as it would be unfair to puppy, not to mention all the chaos a puppy brings with it.
Instead I suggested a slightly older dog which had settled down a little might be more suitable.
Anyway they didn't look convinced but the little girl looked like she was getting upset so I went to get the dog I had in mind for them.
The dog in question was a 4 y.o. border collie with a shaggy coat, a little overweight perhaps but othewise in perfect health.
I brought the dog out and said "sit" . She sat down and the little girl ran do the dog, which was as tall as she was, threw her arms around it's neck and burried her face in it's coat.
Needless to say they took the dog home with them, and when I saw them a month or so later they told me that the little girl and the "big" dog were now almost inseperable and they were glad they didn't go home with the puppy they originally wanted.[/quote]

Thank you Quiet Loner.

We have four of them, all rescues, and I love them all so much. My shepherd jumps on the bed in the AM and nuzzles his head under my arm and collapses next to my body so I can hug him. The only drawback to four dogs is it can get expensive so we have pet insurace for multiple dogs. I have two cats too. Animals are so loving and they are honest - no ulteror motives there. Honestly they have enriched my life so much. In 2006 another cat will be joining our family then that it is or the place will turn into Noah's Ark. lol

I have a Bichon Frise. She is 5 years old. I love dogs.. and cats too!

Would run a rescue centre with a friend who feels likewise if I won the lotto, but right now just have the one, I was considering puupy training a guide dog though, I'm pretty good at animal training and I like the idea of making a difference to someones life who has had the misfortune to be born blind.

Anonymous wrote:We have four of them, all rescues, and I love them all so much. My shepherd jumps on the bed in the AM and nuzzles his head under my arm and collapses next to my body so I can hug him. The only drawback to four dogs is it can get expensive so we have pet insurace for multiple dogs. I have two cats too. Animals are so loving and they are honest - no ulteror motives there. Honestly they have enriched my life so much. In 2006 another cat will be joining our family then that it is or the place will turn into Noah's Ark. lol

putting the doggie purchasing on hold.
Hopefully by spring.

Sadgurl, it's not really a good idea to get a new dog just before the holiday season anyway so it's probably for the best if you delay things until spring.

While I think about it have you ever considered a Staffordshire bull terrier? They are small to medium sized dogs with very short coats and they make great family pets. They love people but they do need to be well socialised as puppies if you don't want them to get into fights with other dogs as they get older.
I've dealt with quite a lot of them and they've all been really nice dogs; always very friendly and intelligent.