dog thread

[Boarder]

Fisher in 2005 when he was found hanging around at my sis's workplace:

 

 

Fisher 14 years later with my cat GrayZ in bed with me:

 

 

 

[Ravendarat]

I have two, an English Mastiff named Mufasa who is 7 and about 240 lbs and my new addition Gizmo who is. 9 week old 2.3 lb chihuahua. Forgive the last two photos, both are cell phone and its not easy getting Gizmo to sit still

[MEC-777]

10 hours ago, Ravendarat said:

I have two, an English Mastiff named Mufasa who is 7 and about 240 lbs and my new addition Gizmo who is. 9 week old 2.3 lb chihuahua. Forgive the last two photos, both are cell phone and its not easy getting Gizmo to sit still

 

Lol, one extreme to the other. 

 

You went from a massive breed to a tiny breed. Meanwhile we went from a tiny breed (chihuahuas) to a large breed (pit bull, american bull mixes).  

[cluelessgenius]

since we got all the dog people in one place here...

 

how do you guys handle having a job and a dog at the same time. i always assume people either work from home or got family members that are at home while they work. i would love to get a dog but since i live alone and work full time i feel like thats gonna be cruel to any animal to be left alone all that time especially when getting a puppy or something. 

[LukeSavenije]

Just now, cluelessgenius said:

since we got all the dog people in one place here...

 

how do you guys handle having a job and a dog at the same time. i always assume people either work from home or got family members that are at home while they work. i would love to get a dog but since i live alone and work full time i feel like thats gonna be cruel to any animal to be left alone all that time especially when getting a puppy or something. 

I still live at home, so I, my little brother, my mother or my father does it

 

normally it's me...

[cluelessgenius]

Just now, LukeSavenije said:

I still live at home, so I, my little brother, my mother or my father does it

 

normally it's me...

so basicall ywhat i thought. with a bigger family living together theres always somebody around for the dog. 

 

the thing is i see alot of my neighbours also living alone but having dogs and im just astonished by it. they must be just the most well behaved dogs ever. theres no unwanted barking or noise of any kind. i only notice it when i hear the little tippy tap of their feet in the hallway when they go for a walk. so somehow i guess its possible but i just cant imagine.

[MEC-777]

1 minute ago, cluelessgenius said:

since we got all the dog people in one place here...

 

how do you guys handle having a job and a dog at the same time. i always assume people either work from home or got family members that are at home while they work. i would love to get a dog but since i live alone and work full time i feel like thats gonna be cruel to any animal to be left alone all that time especially when getting a puppy or something. 

Dogs are companion/pack animals. They need the company of another (person or dog) most of the time. IMO, getting a dog when you live on your own and work full-time (+/- 8 hours/day) is not ideal for dog ownership. Unless you can go home at lunch everyday and walk them. 

 

A cat might be better suited for you as they don't need the constant companionship that dogs do. Just a suggestion.

 

But if you're dead-set on a dog, another option would be to get 2 dogs, so they can keep each other company while you're away. That's one of the reason we got siblings (brother and sister). We crate our dogs (and I HIGHLY recommend doing so, even if you have 1), but they're side by side and don' get lonely when we're all out of the house for long periods of time. Fortunately, my wife works from home so we don't have to leave them alone too often. If you're in an apartment, 2 dogs could be tricky though. 

[MEC-777]

Fun in the sun.  

 

[cluelessgenius]

3 minutes ago, MEC-777 said:

Dogs are companion/pack animals. They need the company of another (person or dog) most of the time. IMO, getting a dog when you live on your own and work full-time (+/- 8 hours/day) is not ideal for dog ownership. Unless you can go home at lunch everyday and walk them. 

 

A cat might be better suited for you as they don't need the constant companionship that dogs do. Just a suggestion.

 

But if you're dead-set on a dog, another option would be to get 2 dogs, so they can keep each other company while you're away. That's one of the reason we got siblings (brother and sister). We crate our dogs (and I HIGHLY recommend doing so, even if you have 1), but they're side by side and don' get lonely when we're all out of the house for long periods of time. Fortunately, my wife works from home so we don't have to leave them alone too often. If you're in an apartment, 2 dogs could be tricky though. 

yeah sadly i agree dogs just dont fit my life right now.

i had a cat in  the past when i lived with my parents in the country but they do need to run free (i live in an apartment) and i dont feel comfortable letting them run around in a busy city street with alot of traffic. with a dog at least im right there with them on a walk.

2 dogs sound logical but again you are right in my apartment theres no way unless i get like tiniest dogs possible.

 

[LinusOnLine]

19 minutes ago, cluelessgenius said:

since we got all the dog people in one place here...

 

how do you guys handle having a job and a dog at the same time. i always assume people either work from home or got family members that are at home while they work. i would love to get a dog but since i live alone and work full time i feel like thats gonna be cruel to any animal to be left alone all that time especially when getting a puppy or something. 

I am retired so my dog is with me all the time  There is always doggy school if you work

[MEC-777]

4 minutes ago, cluelessgenius said:

yeah sadly i agree dogs just dont fit my life right now.

i had a cat in  the past when i lived with my parents in the country but they do need to run free (i live in an apartment) and i dont feel comfortable letting them run around in a busy city street with alot of traffic. with a dog at least im right there with them on a walk.

2 dogs sound logical but again you are right in my apartment theres no way unless i get like tiniest dogs possible.

 

 

2 minutes ago, LinusOnLine said:

I am retired so my dog is with me all the time  There is always doggy school if you work

^That's true. I didn't think of that. There are "doggy daycare" places where you can drop your dog off for the day to get exercise and socialization. But they do have a cost and there is some risk involved. 

 

We stopped taking our dogs to the dog park because it was too much of a free-for-all where people would brings dogs that were aggressive and/or not well-behaved. Dog daycares are typically much more controlled and regulated (as to not allow aggressive dogs in) though.

[LinusOnLine]

1 minute ago, MEC-777 said:

 

^That's true. I didn't think of that. There are "doggy daycare" places where you can drop your dog off for the day to get exercise and socialization. But they do have a cost and there is some risk involved. 

 

We stopped taking our dogs to the dog park because it was too much of a free-for-all where people would brings dogs that were aggressive and/or not well-behaved. Dog daycares are typically much more controlled and regulated (as to not allow aggressive dogs in) though.

Best thing with doggy daycare is to put them in it as puppies. That way they learn to socialize with other dogs. Some even train your dog while they are there. Have a friend in the UK that did that to her Bedlington puppy and that dog is almost like a circus dog now  Cost can be high though.

[Peskanova]

My family owns a dog hotel, we never let dogs interact with eachother (We do if both dogs know, ie: family / neightbours , and they specify say to do so) .

Like 3 months ago, a close friend called me asking advice because a relative went to a dog hotel( I said wtf you just could come here, but his relative didnt knew) and they losted the dog.... long story short, they use to walk all dogs together without leash, and they assumed that the dog would return (I think they killed the dog just letting on a field with another dogs on some fight).

My(family) dog hotel has 4 parks with grass and trees but we made 4 not 1 because of that... We use to let the dog run free on the park(fenced) like 40min or so... 3 times per day. You can say that its easy to join male-female without any risk (of bite), but male-male, female-female it needs time and each dog is different, you cant just say my dog wont bite, it depends on the other side too  

So for me its easy(working + dog owning) , when me and my gf have a busy week (like 2 hours of free time) I go to the dog hotel (for me its free, but its 15euros/day).

 

Last a recent sneaky photo that my gf did yesterday.
 

[Ravendarat]

4 hours ago, cluelessgenius said:

since we got all the dog people in one place here...

 

how do you guys handle having a job and a dog at the same time. i always assume people either work from home or got family members that are at home while they work. i would love to get a dog but since i live alone and work full time i feel like thats gonna be cruel to any animal to be left alone all that time especially when getting a puppy or something. 

So Im a single guy living alone. My Mastiff has no problems being at home alone all day while Im at work as he is a lazy breed that is perfectly happy to be sleeping. The puppy comes to work with me right now as I have a job where I can do that. If you are in a situation like you are suggesting than you would be better off finding a rescue thats a year or two old, find one thats low energy, and take a week off work when you get the dog so you can take some time after day one to train the dog to be home alone. It CERTAINLY possible to do, its done all the time but it takes time and training and the use of a few vacation days at the start lol

[PlayStation 2]

Cody, a beagle mixed with... something. I'm not really sure what else he's mixed with, to be honest, but I do believe he's mixed. Don't ask about the name.

scratch

Chilling while I'm listening to Sound of da Police by KRS-One.

 

He absolutely loves being lazy and getting as much attention and/or rubs that he can get. He's getting a bit old so I try to give him some attention when I'm not bugging Luna.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

3 hours ago, cluelessgenius said:

yeah sadly i agree dogs just dont fit my life right now.

i had a cat in  the past when i lived with my parents in the country but they do need to run free (i live in an apartment) and i dont feel comfortable letting them run around in a busy city street with alot of traffic. with a dog at least im right there with them on a walk.

2 dogs sound logical but again you are right in my apartment theres no way unless i get like tiniest dogs possible.

 

Cats do NOT need to run free. As long as they have enough food and water and a clean litterbox, they will do just fine staying indoors. It's actually irresponsible to let a cat run free unless you live in the country with neighbors being far and few between. Free roaming cats are nuisance and owners who let them run loose should NOT be allowed to have pets! BTW, the same is true of dogs and dog owners.

 

Cats are better suited for solitary, indoor existance in small quarters than most dogs. However, certain breeds can do just fine in those situations as long as they get some yard time or get to go on walks. These are usually smaller and/or less active breeds. More active and/or larger breeds do not do well indoors for long periods, such as Dalmations. For example, a basset hound will do better in that situation than a Jack Russel terrier (those are bright, ankle biters on crack).

 

I have some friends who had a black lab mixed who was basically an indoor dog despite them having a large back yard. Both worked all day and the dog did just fine. He did have the benefit of company for much of his life in the form of a little Siamese (who, despite being the sweetest little thing, was the alpha animal in the house). That dog did love his walkies, though (I have yet to meet the dog that didn't enjoy at least a short walk).

 

I used to dogsit an adorable little Dachshund who was as sweet as can be but did not do well indoors by himself. I had to start crating him when I went to work because he would pee on things and be otherwise destructive while I was gone. His owner had similar problems until she moved into a house with a fenced yard she could turn him loose in while she was at work.

 

I had another freind who had a Golden, Rhodesian Ridgeback mix who also was an indoor dog despite her having a large backyard. She did just fine when left home alone for long periods while her sone was in school/work and she was at work.

 

Most dogs can be trained to not bark or otherwise disturb the neighbors. 

[MEC-777]

A day late, but happy St. Pat's day!  

 

 

 

Olivia refused to wear the glasses, lol. 

[TVwazhere]

Apollo wasn't as thrilled about yesterday as most of us were

[LukeSavenije]

time for action!

[soldier_ph]

2 hours ago, MEC-777 said:

-snip-

How do you always get your dogs to wear such silly outfits ? My dogs sometimes even refuse to put on the leash.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

3 hours ago, LukeSavenije said:

time for action!

The pooch looks like it spent too much time with you on that turntable.

 

1 hour ago, Pascal... said:

How do you always get your dogs to wear such silly outfits ? My dogs sometimes even refuse to put on the leash.

It depends on the dog and the dog's training. Sometime it's the person dressing up the dog that makes a difference. I've seen dogs who would let the child in their life get away with murder but heaven forbid an adult should try it.

[LukeSavenije]

29 minutes ago, Lady Fitzgerald said:

The pooch looks like it spent too much time with you on that turntable.

yeah... it's dry in that corner

[MEC-777]

2 hours ago, Pascal... said:

How do you always get your dogs to wear such silly outfits ? My dogs sometimes even refuse to put on the leash.

We've been putting in a lot of time with extensive training since day one and they've become used to us putting things on them like this. They don't normally wear anything, just only for the photos.  

 

Moses loves wearing hats & glasses. Olivia "tolerates" it. lol  Though for Valentine's day, they both rocked the glasses without much fuss. 

 

And last August on their 1 year birthday, they were both pretty happy to wear their b-day hats for a couple hours and didn't seem to care.  

[LukeSavenije]

10 hours ago, MEC-777 said:

 

congratulations! this was number 200!

[TVwazhere]

18 hours ago, MEC-777 said:

We've been putting in a lot of time with extensive training since day one and they've become used to us putting things on them like this. They don't normally wear anything, just only for the photos.  

 

Moses loves wearing hats & glasses. Olivia "tolerates" it. lol  Though for Valentine's day, they both rocked the glasses without much fuss. 

Apollo HATES hats but love or doesnt mind scarves at all. Typical dog