The Dog Lover Thread

[mUUser]

They make me pretty nervous. After I saw those two kill a smaller dog in the street in front of our house I don't want to be around any of them.

Because a dog can't tell the difference between another dog and a person?....I saw a black lab kill a yorkie at the top of our street a couple of years ago. So what does that say about black labs as a breed in relation to its behavior toward humans?....absolutely nothin'.

[LA Ute]

Because a dog can't tell the difference between another dog and a person?....I saw a black lab kill a yorkie at the top of our street a couple of years ago. So what does that say about black labs as a breed in relation to its behavior toward humans?....absolutely nothin'.

Well...in my case the two PBs were long-time pets and had never caused any trouble. Somehow they both got out of their yard -- that had never happened either -- and some other poor little dog got out at the wrong time, they all met up, and it was a pretty horrible experience. The police had both dogs removed that night. It all made an impression on me about that breed.

So when I see a black lab coming my way without an owner who has him on leash, I will be very cautious. When I see a pit bull doing the same, I am reaching for my pepper spray and looking for an escape route. This probably means I am a breedist. But I think it is very rational.

In any case I am keeping my eyes on both dogs, and my distance, until I am far away from them. But if you like the breed and are a careful, responsible owner, good for you. Just not my cup of tea.

[ERCougar]

Pit Bulls are by far the most common source of dogbite business for us, accounting for over half. Next would be German Shepherds, followed by Rottweilers and Dobermans. Maybe 10% are other dogs.

I can think of one owner who wasn't completely shocked and surprised that it happened.

[hostile]

Getting ready for the duck hunt.

[Drunk Tank]

For those of you with Labradoodles...did you buy them from a Breeder? I have been looking for one because my wife and son both have dog allergies, but damn they are expensive...

[Non Sequitur]

For those of you with Labradoodles...did you buy them from a Breeder? I have been looking for one because my wife and son both have dog allergies, but damn they are expensive...

Buying from a breeder significantly reduces the odds that the dog will later develop hip dysplasia, very common in labs.

[bluegoose]

For those of you with Labradoodles...did you buy them from a Breeder? I have been looking for one because my wife and son both have dog allergies, but damn they are expensive...

No, we scoured a number of internet aggregate websites that reported which dogs were available within a certain radius of us.

One Sunday night 2 rescue labradoodles showed up at the local shelter. My wife called first thing in the morning. One was already gone, and she went and picked ours up 2 hours later.

We paid only pennies for him (I think it was about $25). We still had to do all of the shots ourselves, but compared to the price of a dog with papers it was a steal.

2 1/2 years later and he has been a great family dog.

[Portland Ute]

Well, our Golden Retriever, Tucker, finally succumbed to cancer over the weekend.

The steroids kept him comfortable and active for a few weeks, but he went downhill quick.

We put him to sleep on Friday night.

[UtahDan]

Saw this on Yahoo today:

http://www.theatlantic.com/technolog...rthals/257145/

Basically some theorizing about dogs may have been the key to us putting neanderthals out of business. But this part was particularly interesting:

There's another intriguing -- if conjecture-filled -- theory here, too. It could be, Shipman suggests, that dogs represented even more than companionate technologies to Paleolithic man. It could be that their cooperative proximity brought about its own effects on human evolution -- in the same way that the domestication of cattle led to humans developing the ability to digest milk. Shipman points to the "cooperative eye hypothesis," which builds on the observation that, compared to other primates, humans have highly visible sclerae (whites of the eyes). For purposes of lone hunting, sclerae represent a clear disadvantage: not only will your pesky eye-whites tend to stand out against a dark backdrop of a forest or rock, giving away your location, but they also reveal the direction of your gaze. It's hard to be a stealthy hunter when your eyes are constantly taking away your stealth.

Expressive eyes, however, for all their competitive disadvantage, have one big thing going for them: They're great at communicating. With early humans hunting in groups, "cooperative eyes" may have allowed them to "talk" with each other, silently and therefore effectively: windows to the soul that are also evolutionarily advantageous. And that, in turn, might have led to a more ingrained impulse toward cooperation. Human babies, studies have shown, will automatically follow a gaze once a connection is made. Eye contact is second nature to us; but it's a trait that makes us unique among our fellow primates.

Sorry about your dog PU.

[LA Ute]

Well, our Golden Retriever, Tucker, finally succumbed to cancer over the weekend.

The steroids kept him comfortable and active for a few weeks, but he went downhill quick.

We put him to sleep on Friday night.

Sorry, PU. We're just 6 weeks out from saying good-bye to our own old girl. I feel for you. We still have her photo up; that helps.

[LA Ute]

For those who are into purebreds:

The 10 most expensive dog breeds

[Drunk Tank]

Here is our new little bundle of fur.





I was all set to get my daughter this dog for her birthday, but she was sold before we could come to an agreement on the price.



My daughter was pretty upset. I set up an auto alert on my Craigslist app and the black labradoodle popped up about 4 hours later. I called and found out that the family that bought her just had a baby and decided they couldn't give the puppy the time it needed. The puppy was born July 4th and her name is Liberty.

[FN Phat]

That no one would read? What's the point in that?

I guess things didn't work out for you? I haven't seen any updates?

[San Juan Sun]

Time for an update:

Due to some family circumstances, we've adopted three large chickens and a chicken coop. (The kids have named the "fattest one" Margaret, the other two are unnamed. I can't explain this.) As I type this:

- my 18 month old boy is playing inside the chicken coop
- the dog is trying to play with/chase the chickens
- perched on the fence Margaret and Company seem totally uninterested in everything
- and my 7 year old daughter is frantic worrying about it all
- my 3 year old boy, overcome with excitement, is running around the chicken yard yelling incomprehensively

I should get a picture of this.

Edit: 4 minutes after posting, the three year old has stripped down to his underwear, which he prefers to wear backwards. (What up, Chris? I'm about to.) Babs is right, I should be blogging this.

[LA Ute]

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