Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2013 8:35:30 GMT -5
Farm dogs are different than city dogs.
Our black lab comes in at night. She doesn't have the run of the house, just the laundry room/entry way and she can go in the lower level, she just chooses not to. Anyhow, she MUCH prefers to be outside, and she's always whining at the door to go out. If she had it her way she'd be out at night too sleeping on her dog bed on the steps by the front door. She likes to patrol the property, visit with the barn cats, swim in the cattle pond... We have no fences, but she never leaves our property. Even when we all head out for a walk she stops at the edge of our lawn and doesn't follow. She's big (95 pounds) and even though she's turning 12 this year she's still rambunctious and loves to run. Being an "inside dog" would be torture for her. I would be cautious about letting the dog swim unattended. There have been several missing dogs posted on facebook that turned out to have drowned in a pond on their owner's property.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2013 8:37:21 GMT -5
YDS is 15.
You do realize that your probably getting yourself a dog....Right?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2013 8:44:23 GMT -5
Singlemom, I had never heard of heartworms until one of the dogs contracted it. The vet never mentioned heartworm preventatives. I just did some research, and heartworm preventatives weren't around until the 1980s and were expensive and required 2 days of hospitalization. It wasn't until 1987 that monthly pills were allowed. How's that for the "different era" that I was describing? You obviously don't live on a farm in a rural area, or you wouldn't be claiming all dogs are indoor dogs. That's your personal bias, nothing more. I personally think crates are just cages with better PR, but that doesn't make them grounds for animal abuse charges. Like I said, try not to judge so much. People have a different lifestyle from you.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2013 8:49:57 GMT -5
Now you're just being difficult...
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sheilaincali
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Post by sheilaincali on Jul 26, 2013 8:52:00 GMT -5
Given that your entire family wants a dog than a dog as a gift is fine. Although, typically I wouldn't recommend giving pets as gifts. I get a little sensitive about that. Our Holly was a Dalmatian. They may look all cute and polka-dotty in the movies but in real life they are not good with kids. Every time they put out that movie or re-release it there is a big swing in people wanting Dalmatians and sadly a large number of them surrender or return the dogs.
We got our Dalmatian in 1996 (and lost her in 2010). She had a few personality quirks and would get very upset if we boarded her while we were out of town. As in got kicked out of a few different kennels for her constant crying. The Vet recommended we get her a dog. Yes our dog got a dog. Zoe was adopted to be Holly's constant companion. They took to each other instantly and we could not separate them for anything. Holly was not kept in a kennel but Zoe was (as a lab puppy she was a chewer). We found Holly would lay next to Zoe's kennel anytime Z was in it. So we got them matching Kennels and called them their "bedrooms". They were like Felix and Oscar. Holly's was always clean and tidy, Zoe's was full of babies, stuffing from said babies, tennis balls, etc.
Zoe was pretty depressed after we put Holly down and we contemplated getting a second dog for her but decided against it. She loved her sister but her sister was the alpha dog and Zoe bounced back and is enjoying having everything to herself.
She no longer sleeps in her kennel (lab hips hurt her too much). She sleeps outside our bedroom door on a blanket. She can't sleep in our room because she snores like a freaking freight train.
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sheilaincali
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Post by sheilaincali on Jul 26, 2013 8:56:17 GMT -5
I personally think crates are just cages with better PR, but that doesn't make them grounds for animal abuse charges
Our Zoe loved her crate. It was extra large because she is a lab but it was her "room" and she loved it. If the door to the room that her kennel was in was closed she would sit outside of it and wait until someone let her in. Her kennel was her safe place- thunder storm? She'd run to her kennel, DS had loud friends over- she'd run to her kennel. Small kids that pulled her tail?- she'd go to her kennel. If we said "Alright baby- it's bed time" she'd run to kennel and wait for us to shut the door and then she'd curl up and go to sleep.
I don't think it's cruel but then again- she wasn't in her kennel all day and night. And now because her hips bother her so much that she likes to move around she isn't in the kennel.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2013 8:57:15 GMT -5
Farm dogs are different than city dogs.
Our black lab comes in at night. She doesn't have the run of the house, just the laundry room/entry way and she can go in the lower level, she just chooses not to. Anyhow, she MUCH prefers to be outside, and she's always whining at the door to go out. If she had it her way she'd be out at night too sleeping on her dog bed on the steps by the front door. She likes to patrol the property, visit with the barn cats, swim in the cattle pond... We have no fences, but she never leaves our property. Even when we all head out for a walk she stops at the edge of our lawn and doesn't follow. She's big (95 pounds) and even though she's turning 12 this year she's still rambunctious and loves to run. Being an "inside dog" would be torture for her. I would be cautious about letting the dog swim unattended. There have been several missing dogs posted on facebook that turned out to have drowned in a pond on their owner's property. She's a lab. They were bred to be superior swimmers and to love the water. I think the risk of her drowning is pretty low. Certainly not enough to pen her up all the time we're not outside watching her.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2013 8:57:37 GMT -5
Singlemom, I had never heard of heartworms until one of the dogs contracted it. The vet never mentioned heartworm preventatives. I just did some research, and heartworm preventatives weren't around until the 1980s and were expensive and required 2 days of hospitalization. It wasn't until 1987 that monthly pills were allowed. How's that for the "different era" that I was describing? You obviously don't live on a farm in a rural area, or you wouldn't be claiming all dogs are indoor dogs. That's your personal bias, nothing more. I personally think crates are just cages with better PR, but that doesn't make them grounds for animal abuse charges. Like I said, try not to judge so much. People have a different lifestyle from you. not sure I understand the bolded comment. no I don't live on a farm or in a rural area, however, I see the dogs in the shelters in GA, NC, AL, SC, etc.....they aren't spayed/neutered, are usually heartworm positive, are picked up by animal control because they are running free. So, yes, I will judge someone that allows a dog to have that lifestyle. I also don't believe breeders should be allowed but to each their own. and you said you didn't give heartworm preventative, not that it wasn't available. with all that said, to the OP, I think getting your son a dog would be great. He clearly wants one and is more than old enough to be responsible. Enjoy!
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alabamagal
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Post by alabamagal on Jul 26, 2013 9:07:27 GMT -5
Well I'm a little groggy this morning because our 5 month old pupply peed in our bed, which DH found at about 1 am. So I had to get up start laundry and find alternate sleeping arrangements for DH and I.....but we love our puppy.
My middle son wanted a dog for his 12th birthday, and we got him one. He wanted a beagle and we paid $50 from a non-registered breeder. Then DD (13 at the time) got a rescue beagle 6 months later. I am glad we did. When DD went away to college, she left the dog with us, but did have her for one year when she lived in a place that allowed dogs. DS left his dog with us when he went away to college, and the dog just recently passed away at age 9.
Even though they are my kids dogs, the plan is that we keep them until the kids are established in a living situation that allows them to take care of the dogs.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2013 9:32:03 GMT -5
Singlemom, I had never heard of heartworms until one of the dogs contracted it. The vet never mentioned heartworm preventatives. I just did some research, and heartworm preventatives weren't around until the 1980s and were expensive and required 2 days of hospitalization. It wasn't until 1987 that monthly pills were allowed. How's that for the "different era" that I was describing? You obviously don't live on a farm in a rural area, or you wouldn't be claiming all dogs are indoor dogs. That's your personal bias, nothing more. I personally think crates are just cages with better PR, but that doesn't make them grounds for animal abuse charges. Like I said, try not to judge so much. People have a different lifestyle from you. not sure I understand the bolded comment. no I don't live on a farm or in a rural area, however, I see the dogs in the shelters in GA, NC, AL, SC, etc.....they aren't spayed/neutered, are usually heartworm positive, are picked up by animal control because they are running free. So, yes, I will judge someone that allows a dog to have that lifestyle. I also don't believe breeders should be allowed but to each their own. and you said you didn't give heartworm preventative, not that it wasn't available. with all that said, to the OP, I think getting your son a dog would be great. He clearly wants one and is more than old enough to be responsible. Enjoy! The bolded statement is an example of my personal bias. I was making the point that your comment was nothing more than that. We all have biases, but that doesn't make the other person "wrong." OP, have you thought about a slightly older dog for your son? So many people get puppies and then discover they don't have the energy. We got our dog from a rescue when she was two-years-old. She's perfect, and we got to skip some of the trials of puppyhood.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Jul 26, 2013 9:48:37 GMT -5
So, if you have a dog, is there ANY reason you wish you didn't
I'll start off by saying I love our dogs but if we'd actually researched things no way on God's green earth would I have picked these breeds. DH impulse bought Midnight, our lab. Sabah, our Aussie, showed up in our driveway one day and after searching long/hard for her owner we kept her. They are BIG dogs and we don't live in an area with lots of acerage. They require A LOT of work since we don't have that. They've also required a lot of training. They just aren't super compatible breeds with our lifestyle. Since they're here we make it work, but it wouldn't have been my top choice if we'd been actively looking to get a dog/s. They are both great with Gwen though, that's a huge plus. I did do my homework after obtaining both of them, but wish we'd done more pre-dog. My advice is research the crap out of various breeds you are interested it. You might like a breed but that doesn't mean it's a good fit for you. Research their activity level, training needs, grooming needs, how they behave with children, other animals etc. Our dogs are both mixed breeds and while I know people think that's "better" than a pure-bred do your homework if you can on what your mixed breed is. They can have problems that come from both breeds and entirely new problems. Midnight is a lab/german shorthair mix so we're really going to have to watch her hips/joints as she gets older since those are very common problems to both breeds. We're not entirely sure what Sabah is, she may be 100% Aussie. So her history is a complete crapshoot. We've also had a purebred basset hound that died from liver/stomach cancer. I did some research and found out it's a lot more common than I thought. IF we ever own another dog we plan on it being a basset. The breed really fits our lifestyle and they are awesome with kids. Now we know to make sure to get a basset screened every so often so hopefully we can catch the tumor faster than we did Leonard's.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2013 9:55:20 GMT -5
Midnight is a lab/german shorthair mix so we're really going to have to watch her hips/joints as she gets older since those are very common problems to both breeds. We're not entirely sure what Sabah is, she may be 100% Aussie. So her history is a complete crapshoot.You can get a doggie DNA test at PetSmart if you want to know for sure. <--- guess what she got for Christmas this year?
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Jul 26, 2013 10:01:25 GMT -5
You can get a doggie DNA test at PetSmart if you want to know for sure
I would have considered it when she was a puppy but she's seven years old now and in "perfect health" according to the vet so I'm not too worried about it. If we'd been actively seeking to purchase/adopt her I would have been more dilegent. We definetly know Aussie is the majority. Vet guessed maybe some red heeler is mixed in there. Sheltie is what the PetSmart groomer guessed based on how Sabah's coat behaves when wet. I know A LOT about Labs and German short hairs since DH purchased Midnight. I joke DH got himself a "clearance dog" because her price was reduced. I told him he got what he paid for.
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Jul 26, 2013 10:25:21 GMT -5
Update: We are still looking for a dog, but won't go with this particular pup. The owner and the pup are awesome. The immediate timing is bad for us. DH had back surgery on July 5th. His recovery is slower than he experienced after his first surgery 3 years ago. If all of this developed another month or two down the road, we'd be dog owners now. So, we'll have to pass on *this* dog, but will likely become dog owners in the next couple of months. The breed we want is a Wire Haired Pointing Griffon. I tried to copy and paste a pick from Google but I am technologically pathetic -- you'll have to Google one on your own. It is a very intelligent, social, affectionate, eager-to-please, trainable, hunting dog. We aren't hunters, but we ARE active. My sister and her family (also non-hunters) own a WHPG and he is a fun, loving, valued member of the extended family. He even has occasional sleepovers at our house. YDS is stuck to his side like glue and vice versa when they are together. We are ready to take the plunge into becoming a "pack". We don't want a pup with the best hunting potential nor do we need one with championship show characteristics. We'll take the fun, loving, affectionate runt. And, Old Tex, I KNOW that I will likely end up doing the yeoman's share of the dog care. I'm okay with that for THIS breed. Finally, I want to add that I have tried for 3 years to find a rescue dog on Petfinder. I really wanted to rescue a dog. But, this breed is rare as it is, and so a rescue will be a one in a billion shot. We WILL have it neutered. We don't want to add to the long, long, long list of rescue dogs.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2013 10:27:57 GMT -5
Here ya go GRG: Awww.....
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aliciar6
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Post by aliciar6 on Jul 26, 2013 11:37:39 GMT -5
We have a dog, there is not one thing about having the dog that I enjoy. But I am not a dog person. She constantly wakes me up, has to be up our butts non-stop, knocked me over numerous times once resulting in a concussion, almost sent me and the kitten tumbling down the stairs. We can't go anywhere over night with out either brining her (fun*note serious sarcasm) or paying someone to watch her to come back and find she chewed something up. She is super hyper and needy. and i HATE having poop in random places all over the yard. She smells bad...she gets bath and a few days later smells nasty again. She barks at anything that moves. so if a car goes by, I hear crazy barking, God forbid someone knock on the door. Her hair is disgusting, it gets on the tile and is so gross, I have to vacuum the tile every day. Even the cat hair isn't as bad and gross as her short hairs, they get int he weave of my clothes and are hard to get out.
I would happily not have the dog, but DH loves her and I refuse to give up the cat, so after this we are pet free since he is not a cat person and oh by the way is allergic to cats. so I take valium to deal with the dog and he takes allergy pills to deal with the cat.
But since you all want a dog, then I don't see a reason to not get one since the whole family will enjoy it, and you aren't doggy curmudgeons like I am.
And I can't even recall right now if I think birds were more annoying...as a kid we had zebra finches...they were kinda cool, but woke you up pretty early...they had lots of baby birds, we'd let them fly around, we'd sell them to the pet store for extra money...the cats ate one that managed to escape from his cage though...we found his little skull in a cat food can.
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HoneyBBQ
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Post by HoneyBBQ on Jul 26, 2013 11:38:30 GMT -5
GRG - you might expand your search area and/or rescue groups - shipping a dog is really not that expensive. I assume you have done a lot of research on this particular breed, because they are high energy/highly intelligent and need a lot of "work" and things to do. A trail to run on is a great asset as I imagine they will need a run every other day if not every day. I have a pointer mix myself - we have a running joke in my household that is based on reality: My spouse got up one morning and went for a 3 mile run with her. My brother (who was visiting from out of state) got up about an hour later and decided to go for a run and took her for another 3 mile run. He didn't find out til he got back that she had Already HAD a run until he talked to my spouse and mentioned how HARD she was pulling but she should be tired now... LOL. NOT! So she could easily run 6+ miles a day without even acting tired. So just be prepared for that. I used to take her running -- except I'd be roller blading! That was the only way I could go fast enough for her.
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Abby Normal
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Post by Abby Normal on Jul 26, 2013 12:32:05 GMT -5
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on Jul 26, 2013 12:32:17 GMT -5
I believe all dogs are indoor dogs and do not agree with anyone who gets a dog and keeps it outside. Did you not give your dogs heartworm preventative? And I believe that anyone who claims this has just never owned an outdoor dog Some dogs truly prefer to be outside most of the time. One of my dogs I literally have to go out and drag inside when (I think) it is too cold for him. Except for wind on a really cold day or hail, literally nothing bothers him and he would rather be outside. If I bring him in when it is raining or snowing he will just stand at the door and whine until I let him out so he can go lay down under the house. Although, he does also hates it when it is really, really hot out, which isn't an issue here, but he spent most of the summers indoors when we lived in texas. I think he just always prefers to be where it is cooler and doesn't care if it is inside or outside. Now my other dog is defnitely an indoor baby and will sit at the door and beg to come in. If I would let him, he would never go outside excpet to pee.
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wvugurl26
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Post by wvugurl26 on Jul 26, 2013 12:35:13 GMT -5
My family had a Beagle/Australian Shepherd mix that was high energy like that. One set of people could walk/run him till the humans were ready to drop and if someone else came along and picked up the leash he'd be flipping out like he hadn't been exercised in days.
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on Jul 26, 2013 12:47:12 GMT -5
My kids want a dog too. But they're 5 and 3.75 and we're still working on poop training the younger one... My stated timeline is "no dogs until everyone in the house is potty trained and sleeping the nights though" And I admit, I have no desire to deal with a puppy. My plan is to contact the breeders around here and see if they've got an older dog that needs a home. I'm not breeding, I'm not showing. I just want a mostly lab mix or pure lab that's already house trained. A former roommate of mine used to breed golden retrievers. Her parents had a couple of dogs that they'd gotten a couple of litters from and were done breeding them. A couple of them lived with her/us and they were great dogs. Look a local, regional (or even national!) groups that train dogs as service animals. Many, many organizations use labs and labs mixes. And not every dog that goes into the program ends up as a service dog for whatever reason, and the ones who do not make the cut need homes! My neighbor got such a dog. She's very well trained and a total sweetheart, but loud noises (fireworks) scare her - so she "flunked" as a service dog. But she's a fabulous pet.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jul 26, 2013 13:00:33 GMT -5
Good thought. We're at least a year away from starting to consider a dog. I'm pretty sure DH isn't going to want to do much of anything with a dog. He's not a dog person. Based on previous dogs we had, he'll feed, water and let it outside. And occasionally pet it/play with it. And I think I want to do WDW before we get a dog. Priorites.
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Abby Normal
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Post by Abby Normal on Jul 26, 2013 13:05:12 GMT -5
My kids want a dog too. But they're 5 and 3.75 and we're still working on poop training the younger one... My stated timeline is "no dogs until everyone in the house is potty trained and sleeping the nights though" And I admit, I have no desire to deal with a puppy. My plan is to contact the breeders around here and see if they've got an older dog that needs a home. I'm not breeding, I'm not showing. I just want a mostly lab mix or pure lab that's already house trained. A former roommate of mine used to breed golden retrievers. Her parents had a couple of dogs that they'd gotten a couple of litters from and were done breeding them. A couple of them lived with her/us and they were great dogs. Look a local, regional (or even national!) groups that train dogs as service animals. Many, many organizations use labs and labs mixes. And not every dog that goes into the program ends up as a service dog for whatever reason, and the ones who do not make the cut need homes! My neighbor got such a dog. She's very well trained and a total sweetheart, but loud noises (fireworks) scare her - so she "flunked" as a service dog. But she's a fabulous pet. Very true- dogs can "flunk out" because of allergies or even toy fixations. I know someone who just got a German Shepard puppy from someone who breeds and trains police dogs. The pup is only 10 weeks old and flunked out because didn't have enough aggressiveness, but will make an awesome pet.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2013 13:07:33 GMT -5
Some dogs truly prefer to be outside most of the time. One of my dogs I literally have to go out and drag inside when (I think) it is too cold for him. Except for wind on a really cold day or hail, literally nothing bothers him and he would rather be outside. If I bring him in when it is raining or snowing he will just stand at the door and whine until I let him out so he can go lay down under the house. This is my dog as well. I'll open the door for her to come in and she'll look at me like "What? Are you FINALLY coming outside to play??", then I'll call her in and I can just see her thinking "Awww man! Is it that time all ready?" She will literally drag her feet and walk with her head hanging down. It's pretty pathetic. Then, anytime anyone goes through the entry way to the basement or the laundry room she jumps up and tries to get them to let her back out.
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on Jul 26, 2013 13:17:22 GMT -5
Some dogs truly prefer to be outside most of the time. One of my dogs I literally have to go out and drag inside when (I think) it is too cold for him. Except for wind on a really cold day or hail, literally nothing bothers him and he would rather be outside. If I bring him in when it is raining or snowing he will just stand at the door and whine until I let him out so he can go lay down under the house. This is my dog as well. I'll open the door for her to come in and she'll look at me like "What? Are you FINALLY coming outside to play??", then I'll call her in and I can just see her thinking "Awww man! Is it that time all ready?" She will literally drag her feet and walk with her head hanging down. It's pretty pathetic. Then, anytime anyone goes through the entry way to the basement or the laundry room she jumps up and tries to get them to let her back out. That is exactly like my dog! If he is standing at the door, it isn't because he wants in, it is because he wants someone to come outside and play. If you open the door he will just back up and wait for you to come out. He sleeps outside most of the time. If I try to make him sleep inside he will just keep waking me up to be let out. I had the fence replaced a few months back, so he couldn't sleep outside a few nights and it was miserable for everyone because he would just whine and pace all night long.
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trytofindbalance
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Post by trytofindbalance on Jul 26, 2013 13:45:09 GMT -5
Dog owner here. We currently have 2. We have a Blue Healer and a Pitbull. I love, love, love animals and I can't imagine my house without them underfoot. One of our beloved dogs had to put to sleep in January and we had a new rescue by the next weekend. We have the perfect property/set up for dogs, so I felt like it was super important to "save" a life and give an unwanted dog a good home. We chose well and ended up with an awesome new member of the family. Some advice/thoughts. I'm an animal person and wouldn't trade the love I get from them for anything in the world, but be forewarned that they can be very expensive to take care of and they need a lot of time and care. We can't just go away on a whim or stay out late. I always need to be aware that the dogs need to go out every 8-10 hours (max). My Healer is a handful. I got her as a puppy. She was very difficult to housebreak. It nearly drove me and DH crazy. We would let her out, she would go potty and then we would let her back in and she would pee on the floor again. She was 6 months old by the time she was completely housebroken. She also chewed a few walls and destroyed plenty of towels, bedding, etc. She is two years old and very hyper and active. She needs to work and get her energy out. Oh and the whining and barking...could drive me up a wall sometimes. But she's smart and cute and sweet and I think I'll keep her around We got the Pit from the pound when he was about 16 months old. Because we knew we wanted a Pitbull, we purposely looked for a dog that had been in a foster care situation for a little while. I wanted to make sure that the dog was going to be socialized and used to living in a home with people and other pets. He is adorable, sweet, housebroken and well mannered. He has become best friends with our other dog and he's learning that the cat will kick his ass if he messes with her. We do have to make sure to lock up shoes, because apparently he finds them irresistible as chew toys. He's also ruined 6 or 7 dog beds, by chewing holes in them. I love him to pieces and I am so thankful that we chose him.
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trytofindbalance
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Post by trytofindbalance on Jul 26, 2013 14:50:03 GMT -5
Oh yeah and just remember that you're going to end up cleaning the house more. Dog hair has a way of sticking to everything and my dogs always have to go out during or after a rain storm, so it's not easy keeping the floors clean. I lay a towel on the floor by the back door and make them sit when they come in and get their paws wiped. It helps a little, but I still spend a lot of time cleaning up dog related dirt/messes.
In the end, they are worth it to me.
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motherto2
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Post by motherto2 on Jul 27, 2013 10:26:34 GMT -5
I am a dog person, but I like small lap dogs. Don't judge . Not too small, but small like my little guy. He's a Bichon and he's 15 pounds. Big enough for the kids to play with him, but small enough to lay in my lap most of the time. Literally, he has to be touching or sitting on me. But I like the attachment part. I did a lot of research, because I didn't want a one person dog, since DD was already away in college, and DS was a senior in HS, headed to college. And yes, he's my dog. I also wanted a non shedder due to allergies and such. I had a beagle before him, and she was an absolute sweetheart, but I swear I felt like there was a second one tucked away that shed just as much as she did. I don't have nearly the allergy issues any more. I know people say it has nothing to do with the hair, but I can only tell you what it's like for me. I had him trained on puppy pads and keep one down constantly. He's good about using it if he needs. Being single and older, I find it VERY useful when it's late at night, or even raining or snowing cats and dogs and I don't have to go outside. I used to crate him, but when I found out my job was likely moving to a 1.5 hour commute one way, I started leaving him out during the day to see how he did. He's good unless I leave my bedroom door open, then he'll go in and play with stuff. he doesn't tear anything up, doesn't eat shoes, etc. But he can go to the bathroom when he needs to. He hangs out on the stair landing most of the day while I'm gone. DD wants a dog when she gets back from deployment. She has already told me she wants me to pick it out, because I seem to have "the gift" of getting good ones. She wants a medium sized dog that she can take running, but also can be in a small area like an apartment. I told her 50-60 pounds would be ideal. She loves the light colored labs (like white, not the yellow), so I was thinking maybe one that is a runt or has a little something else in it. I even thought about having it here as a surprise for her when she gets back, but a lot will depend on what she will be doing after deployment. I also have to take into consideration that I will be the one with custody if she deploys again. I think the best thing to do is research dogs based on your lifestyle and wants/needs. Good luck!
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Deleted
Joined: Oct 6, 2024 20:25:22 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2013 12:27:04 GMT -5
Motherto2, are you sure a 50-60 pound dog is considered "medium"? I thought that described something like my cocker spaniel, who is a slightly plump 31 pounds? How big is a big dog?
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swamp
Community Leader
THEY’RE EATING THE DOGS!!!!!!!
Joined: Dec 19, 2010 16:03:22 GMT -5
Posts: 45,617
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Post by swamp on Jul 27, 2013 13:09:59 GMT -5
I thought "big dog" started at about 70 pounds.
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