Hi prima,

The key is to learn from the experience. When I was a kid
I had a poodle mix, named Muffin that I loved to ends of the
earth. I told her all my secrets and taught her all kinds of
tricks. One day I was out playing with her and she went
bounding up excitedly to the mailman. He panicked and
sprayed her with mace. She was never quite the same after
that as far as her attitude to strangers. My parents were
afraid she was going to bite somebody, so one day while
I was at school, they took her to the pound. I came home
from school and she was gone. I never got to say goodbye.

I couldn't quite get over the experience and finally guilted
my mom into another dog. Unfortunately this time she
went and got a Lhasa Apos from a pet store. He was just
a nitemare dog. Between the grooming requirements and
his aggressive temperament, not to mention peeing on
my mom's side of the bed, he was too much for us to handle.
When my dad got cancer, my mom was under so much
stress, she couldn't deal with the bad behavior. She had
my grandfather take him to the pound.

I loved dogs so much, I knew when I moved out on my own
I was going to try again, but learn from my and my family's
mistakes. I read book after book on breeds and training. And
most importantly I was very honest with myself about my
personality and my lifestyle. I think this is crucial. If you know
you aren't going to enjoy grooming a dog for hours everyday,
then don't get an Old English Sheepdog. If you're a sedentary
person, who loves just sitting around reading and watching TV,
don't get a Border Collie. If you're inexperienced with dogs
and have kind of a passive personality, don't get a breed
with a tendency towards aggressiveness, that needs firm
and consistent handling. Don't make your choice solely based
on looks. Try and get a breed that closest fits your profile
and search out a good breeder to get them from. They can
help you pick out the right pup for you. And finally training
and socialization for whichever breed you get will help ensure
a well behaved family member. It worked for me. Both my
Cairn terriers have bought me immeasurable happiness for
the last 12 years.

So no I don't think you're a bad person. We're all human and
we all make mistakes. Just research really good the next time
and make sure you're really ready to make a lifetime commitment
to a dog.

Par...