Dog Breeds

[petpal]

Although I love all breeds, my favorite is the German Shepherd. I've had 2 over the past 18yrs. They are very intelligent and always willing to please. About 5yrs ago I had to have my 14yr old female put down because of kidney failure. She had been my best friend since I had graduated high school. Everyone said when we had our daughter that she'd be jealous. They were all so wrong. She loved the baby from the first day they met. When our daughter was old enough to walk, Shaina never left her side. We decided 2 1/2yrs ago to adopt another Shepherd. We bought another female we call Dakota. She's just as smart and loving as Shaina was. She's a joy to have around. Niether of My Shepherds were/are aggressive. I know they also have bad reputations. So many people have overbred wonderful dogs such as the Shepherd, rotties, and dobermans and sold them to irresponsible owners. All these breeds need socialization to truly make them the wonderful dogs they are.

[tedjax]

I've never had anything but Boxers. They're the sweetest, funniest babies in the world. They're very expressive in their eyes and tilt of the head. My friends have a rott and I adore her. Her name is Clio and she is the most precious thing. She loves attention and loves being petted.

[EmiB]

I am so glad to see that everyone here sees what great dogs Rottys are!!!!! I have always loved them, but so many people think that they are mean:-(
I have a dalmation, and he is THE sweetest thing. I got him in first grade and he's been my friend ever since. He's a wonderful guard dog!!!!!!
DALMATIONS ROCK!!!!!!

[ferret22]

My mom has German Shepards. She had one when I was growing up that would walk us to the bus stop every morning. Then she would follow my dad down the road to his work and stay with him untill it was time for the bus to bring us back home. Then she would meet us and walk us home. I have very fond memories of her. We had to have her put down some years ago due to kidney failure (The bane of German Shepards) my mother got the heart to get her another female German Shepard two years ago and she protects my son just like Gypsy did us. They are a remarkable breed.

Has anyone else had a probem with a wolf hybred? When i was younger I had one and all she would do was snap and growl so much at me I finally had to give her to a rescue centre for them. She wasn't put down, thankfully! But my husband is looking for a new dawgie in a few months and this time wants a 'real' dog (we have Bassets now) and he mentioned a wolf hybred. I'm open for any ideas, Thanks!

[RattieBliss]

Hi all!

I'm the proud owner of a shih tzu named CC. I prefer shih tzu's to any other dog out there. I just love them all to peices.

I also love chinese cresteds. We are planning to get one of those someday


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~Cara aka the rat woman

[teena]

I have 3 mixed breeds, all shelter dogs. Decided to go with mixed breeds after seeing the horrible conditions at puppy mills, which is where most pet store puppies come from (check out www.hua.org for an eye opener). My doggies are all healthy, smart, and, of course, spoiled rotten. My oldest dog, Sweetpea, is 14 and has doggie alzheimers and we are struggling with the decision of whether to put her down or not. It is never an easy decision.

[Dixieland Dancer]

I like all breeds but am a Golden Retriever Diehard. They are the gentlest, most beautiful dogs on God's green earth. I have been the lucky owner of 3 Goldens over the years and find each one to be so precious. There is only one thing that bugs me about people who do not know about goldens. That's when they call them Golden Labs! They are Golden Retrievers. They are not part of the Lab line. They are part of the Retriever line. Yellow, Black, and Chocolate are the Labs. A Golden Retriever will never produce a Yellow, Black, or Chocolate Lab. Just as a lab will never produce a Golden Retriever. That is as long as they remain pure bred.

[maxsmom]

Teena, thanks so much for providing that link regarding the puppy mills. It was hard to handle, but a real eye opener! I intend to show it to every pet lover I know.

I love all breeds of dogs and think they're all beautiful and special in their own way, but I've always been partial to Giant Schnauzers, Bouviers, Great Danes, and Irish Wolfhounds. However, my husband would never agree to such great beasts!

What do I have, you may ask? I have a German Short Hair/Wire Hair Pointer cross I rescued from the local shelter. He had been raised in a small appartment, muzzled for chewing, and had his water restricted so he could last unattended for longer. He was quite a handful at a rebelious 7 month old, but after a couple of years of hard work and patience, he's now our best friend. Max is true to his breeds, and does everything with great gusto - not one for the faint of heart!

I like the idea of saving lives....in fact, we also have two shelter cats who live in harmony with Mad Max :-)

[Dinny]

I'm of the opinion that there are no bad dog breeds, just bad owner/trainers! Our Buster was born to a pure breed water spaniel with a german shepherd (maybe mixed) father. The mother's owner was going to shoot the "unpure" puppies unless his wife found homes for them! Idiot! Buster is incredibly smart to the point that he understands a lot of what we're saying. He's sweet, playful and bold. My daughter did a lot of his early training with huge amounts of love and patience. We never trained him by hitting, just positive reinforcement. He does get the bad rap due to his looks as he's got Rottie coloring so people think he's vicious. I agree with the comment that the up side is that it keeps the salesmen at bay!

[yiayiaanita]

We have had MANY dogs; but our most recent;
is a 125lb Golden Retriever we "rescued" two
years ago. "THEO" has been the greatest
pet challenge we have ever owned. He's
BIG, beautiful, bright and still a puppy at
four years of age. His former owners gave
him a poor start for the first two years. It
has taken us two years to attempt to train
him properly. GOLDEN'S reign!

Originally posted by Dixieland Dancer:
I like all breeds but am a Golden Retriever Diehard. They are the gentlest, most beautiful dogs on God's green earth. I have been the lucky owner of 3 Goldens over the years and find each one to be so precious. There is only one thing that bugs me about people who do not know about goldens. That's when they call them Golden Labs! They are Golden Retrievers. They are not part of the Lab line. They are part of the Retriever line. Yellow, Black, and Chocolate are the Labs. A Golden Retriever will never produce a Yellow, Black, or Chocolate Lab. Just as a lab will never produce a Golden Retriever. That is as long as they remain pure bred.

[tsmom]

I'm the mom to six dogs-an old GSD-an airdale mix-a rotty/blood hound mix-a who knows what mix and two bassets. The rotty mix Tucker is the mellowest, sweetest guy imagionable-but for pure entertainment value I love bassets and and see myself eventually with a whole pack of them despite all their bad press( lazy dumb slobbery) tsmom

[Bunty Boo]

I used to breed Goldens before I had to work full time. They are the best!!

I just have the one old lady now. She is 13 and only just realised she has to slow down!!
She has the most wonderful nature (and so pretty!) I count each day I have her as a real blessing and dread the time coming when I will be without her.

[teena]

Maxmom:
I have 1 border collie/bernese mountain dog mix and 1 aussie mixed with ????. I just had to put my terrier cross down Friday night. It has been a rough weekend. Think I have talked to you before in petchat in Yahoo. Sound familiar?

Teena

[Dixieland Dancer]

Originally posted by Bunty Boo:
I used to breed Goldens before I had to work full time. They are the best!!

I just have the one old lady now. She is 13 and only just realised she has to slow down!!
She has the most wonderful nature (and so pretty!) I count each day I have her as a real blessing and dread the time coming when I will be without her.

I am in the process of getting ready to breed my Golden. She has such a wonderful personality and excellent bloodline. This will be the first time I ever did this. She has gotten all her OFA and CERF clearances. Her hips came back excellent which is good news for the Golden problem of hip displasia. Not to many Goldens get a excellent OFA rating. She has a obedience title (CD) and is working on her second (CDX). She is also being trained for field work. We are hoping to breed her to a field dog. Her dad was a Show Champion and her mom a working field dog with JH, WC, and WCX. She also had her CDX.

The pups should be ready in the early spring of 2001 if all goes well. If you can provide any helpful advice on planning and getting ready since you have been through this already, I would appreciate it. I am especially interested now in the selection process of a stud dog.