courtnek

they become less aggressive because they dont have the innate neccisity to mate - they are not people, which is a common msitake. Testosterone in men is also tied to ego....you take it away, and they become more aggressive because the feel out of place, and less "manly"...dogs dont have this problem. Being neutered just lowers their ranks in the pack, which is what you want anyway, and lessens their desire to roam and to mate, which can make them aggressive. You cannto associate a humans reaction to a dog - A dogs pack society rules are what takes place in a neutering - men are more prone to become aggressive because they feel that they are less of a man - and in people, being Alpha amongst ourselves is foremost in men. dogs can deal with not being alpha, so long as someone is there who IS....Men dont handle it quite that nicely.... Please dont compare your dogs reaction to man's reaction - it's a completely different set of circumstances - dogs dont get razzed, teased, and assaulted by other male dogs for not being "whole"; if they accept their place, all is well. It's a lot harder on men....

You cant say "walk" or "walkies" or even "W" around Freebee; she goes ballistic and grabs her leash and comes running - same with "ride" or "ridies"........She'll try to push open the back screen and let herself out, and then stand there and bark until you come..... :lol: :lol:

[quote]Interestingly, the issue is very much like gun control laws, expect that: a) A just because they CAN doesn't mean a dog is designed to attack people. It would be more like a law banning pipes because they could be used as gun barrels. Granted, this is a BIG difference. b) Hopefully, the gun owner would never become emotionally attached to his gun, meaning that the laws would be easier on the owners. A gun owner isn't going to become extremely sad and depressed because someone took his gun away. Unfortunately, the law doesn't care about this kind of thing.[/quote] exactly my point, thanks. Gun laws and dog laws (and I own both, I target shoot for sport) are very similar - bottom line - if your dog bites someone (because you let it run loose, because you knew it was aggressive and didnt control it, etc) then YOU are responsible for the damages to the person that got bitten. In the same thread, if you leave your gun lying around loaded where a child or another adult can get it and shoot someone, YOU are responsible. The only difference is that in 99% of the gun cases, the owner is prosecuted and heavily fined, or put on trial. In the case of dog bites, it's the dog who gets punished, and not the irresponsible owner. I agree with the earlier thread that if the govt would enforce the already-in-existence multitudes of laws, the macho idiots and criminals would be harder put to own and mistreat dogs. and I agree that an interview should be done with anyone attempting to own a "dangerous" breed dog, and if the new owner is obviously not aware of the problems he could have with the dog, or the dogs natural characterstics, then training should be required, not optional. While that may seem intrusive to some people, it would keep the majority of the unknowing either from getting the dog, or from not training and socializing it correctly. Just my take....

congrats shannon!! [size=7][/size]AND DEFINITELY!! NOOOOO LITTER BOX!!!![size=3][/size] gotta look out for that babe of yours.... :D :D :D :D

Freebee loves to swim, and play in the sprnkler - it's a lab thing I think.... [size=6][/size]AND JAKE IS JUST ADORABLE!! i WANT HIM!! :D :D :D

You MUST take Brinnie to meet them of course, but personally I am all for the GSD/Rottie - Shelter pups need homes badly - if you can save one and really connect with the puppy, and Brinnie does do, then I say GO FOR IT! :D

Hollywood and Guest.... Goo and K are not badmouthing you OR your dogs. They all have bully dogs, remember? If Rott were here he would agree with them. They are merely trying to point out the facts - that there IS always a possibility with a Pit that it will turn dog aggressive at some point - maybe not a probablility, but a strong possibility. Not all of them do...and they are used for rescue and do make excellent family pets when well raised and trained...but that possibility is always there. I think what Goo was trying to say is that if you refuse to acknowledge the possibility, and your dog attacks another dog, he/she becomes one of the "statistics" ....."vicious Pit Bull attacks dog at Dog Park...." I think she was trying to make you understand that, not condenming you or your dogs..... The last thing any of us want is for BSL to take hold, and Pits and GSD's and Rotties and Dobies to get banned, because the general public doesnt understand....It us, who own these dogs and raise and train them, who have to make sure that they are always under control. That's the only way to turn the public outcry to where it belongs. The criminals and the bad owners. Please dont think that Goo, or K or myself are "condemning" you, or "turning" on you. The facts are the facts...because it hasnt happened yet doesnt mean it never will...it's just one of those things you need to accept with a bully breed. Fair? no.....Necessary? yes. For the breed itself.

[quote]I do try to make sure that my dogs are well recieved by everyone we see, be it someone that we know or just the curious passer-by. the boys are total pet-me-a-holics. i tell people the most dangerous part of a pitbull isnt the end with the teeth. The funny thing is I dont do anything special to make my dogs nice other than praise them when they are. So that tells you what people who have those mean dogs are doing. _________________ [/quote] that's our whole point - everyone here -a dog that is raised, trained and treated properly is NOT a threat to society...if your Pit appears dog aggressive, you keep it away from other dogs. If your Rott is not people friendly, you restrain it. All it takes is a little research and learning. It's the STUPID people who cant be bothered to learn about their dog and it's inherent characteristics that got Pit Bulls on the "bad dog" list...do the people pay for that? NO, the poor dog does....grrrrrrr... OK. I'll stop ranting now..... :D I know your dogs will end up being good, because you take the time to make sure of that....

I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOO jealous Rott!! I cant have a puppy, since I work full time and cant be here to take care of it..... Have FUN with your new additions!! (baby AND Puppy!!) :D :D :D :D

I cannot imagine a siberian husky and rice paper walls....the walls couldnt handle it.... Let me explain my question - I was not being hostile, or trying to offend, but the Japanese people have, for many years, miniaturized things. Plants, trees. bushes...They took a fairly large tree and bred it to be a miniature tree....miniature bushes...etc. there is not a lot of "free space" in their country - they are very compacted together, in a small landmass. I had read somewhere that the trees and bushes were miniaturized to make gardens, because they really love to have gardens and plants, but didnt have the room for big ones.... So I thought perhaps they had started to miniaturize dogs, for the same reason. A small dog in a small living space would make perfect sense. I was not trying to be mean or anything. I have an honest curiosity about the reasoning behnd miniature dogs....since I agree with K that I dont believe that dogs were ever really intended to be that small.

POSITIVE THOUGHTS HEADING YOUR WAY!!!! call the police, and the local animal shelters and vets. If you have pictures of him, distribute them to all of the above. If he is brought in, they can then contact you. Have his owner put food out on the porch, when he gets hungry he may just come home. He may just be wandering around - hopefully, someone will find him and turn him in. Does he have a collar on with tags? I hope he comes back very soon. He may actually be heading back towards you....keep an eye out for him. Good Luck!! poor pup.... :(

They're gorgeous Rott - and I KNOW you will take very good care and raise her correctly.... I wish there were more people like you, taking good care of the Rott's and Pit's in the world.... :D

Oh I never said they started it, I just know it's very prevalent there and was wondering why.....

OES's are big silly fluffballs - even when all grown up their facial expressions still make them look like puppies He's a real cutie!! :D

I dont really understand it, but for some reason the Japanese people like to "miniaturize" everything - trees, bushes, now dogs..... do we have any Japanese members that could explain this? Is it because of the lack of living space, or some other reason? I'm very curious to know.....

Go Daisymom!! LOL you and me both! No manicures, no pedicures, (practically no nails, I keep them very short) shorts and sweats for everyone!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Altho the crate is the most touted way of housebreaking, it doesnt work for every dog. Freebee would NOT be crated, and peed in the crate and eventually destroyed it entirely. With her, I put her in the bathroom with a baby gate in the doorway. Put her bed on one side of the room and puppy pads on the other, next to the toilet. Far enough apart that she could use the pads but not soil her bed. Then when I would come home at lunch I would take her & the pads (if she had used them) outside to the yard and put the pads on the ground and let her sniff them, then encourage her to go. My keyword was "outside stuff" It took longer to housebreak her than the crate usually does, but the mission was accomplished. It's easier by far to clean a tiled bathroom floor than a crate and the dog.....one kind of dog is it by the way? and how old?

and as far as the law goes - it runs somethng like this" If your dog has NO bite history, and someone breaks into your house, if you can prove that the criminal had intentions to hurt you (carrying a gun or a knife for instance) or attempted to physically assault you (attempted or proven rape) and the dog bites him, the insurance will cover you. If he just came in to rob you, no intention of physical harm, and the dog stops him, they could decide to not cover you. WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE???? Dogs have been defending people since they were wolves for God's sake.... :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

I was watching JAG, and the Admiral "inherited" a stray dog and was taking care of it. Throughout the whole show he was saying "Get off my Chair, DAMNIT" and "DAMNIT get outta there" and "Get over here DAMNIT"!! By the end of the show, he had named the dog Damnit and they had bonded...It was SOOO funny.... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

OK, my take (rant, that is) ANY dog can bite - the little chihauhau next door could remove a finger - and tries to whenever he gets the chance. He cant seriously hurt anybody, so he's not a "dangerous" dog. These dog problems happen in stages. In the 70's the GSD was popular - guess what? more bite incidences. The I-Dont-Care breeders cross and inbred them, to make more dogs to make more money. The dogs were then unstable, misbred and usually mistreated. in the 80's it was the Rottwieler - same story in the 90's it was the Doberman - same story today it is the Pit Bull...the dog is animal aggressive but people friendly - however, any dog can be trained or mistreated into people hostility. Banning the dog wont stop the problem, the criminals and macho morons will just choose another breed to pump up their egos... and on that note - we have a Golden Retriever in town (likes everybody - excellent with kids) who bit off half of a childs face. He is permanently scarred....it's NOT THE DOG.... the owners need to take responsibility for what their dogs do, for training them, for treating them decently..... There are gun laws that say that you are responsible for any damage your gun causes....I believe the same thing should be applied to dogs. Responsible owners wont have issues. The idiots will... If your dog is trained, socialized. respected and treated decently, unless he has a breeding or neurological disorder, he is NOT going to be a problem. Make the OWNERS RESPONSIBLE, NOT THE DOG. He is just a victim of circumstances. :o

Behles poem says it all - sometimes we have to make the hard decisions for them, because they cant make them themselves. I have had to put a few dogs down, so I know how your hubby feels. In the end, the quality of life is more important than the quantity or length. Keeping him alive when he is in pain, not happy, and not really functional does him no service at all. It is better, as his best friend and companion, to let him go, even tho it hurts down to the bone. He will not hold it against your hubby....he will not feel betrayed. He will be free and happy, and out of pain....that's the best thing you can both do for him now. If it helps, tell your hubby that they will inject him with an overdose of pain killers, basically, and he will drift off to sleep and then go to the Rainbow Bridge. He wont feel a thing. And they will let you stay with him throughout the whole procedure, to hold him till the end. If they wont, find another vet!!! I am so sorry for you and your hubby. This is one of those hard spots in life....and having been there I understand. :(

[quote]There are many breeds of dogs that can have blue eyes, but I don't think there is any breed that is exclusively blue eyed[/quote] I thought Huskies were all blue-eyed - is that wrong? or just a breed standard? I've never seen one that didnt have blue eyes...

sounds like you've been adopted... :D cats are great....and they do get along with dogs. The rubbing could be, as K said, that she's in heat, but some cats are just rubbers...when they're in heat they usually will rub their back end on things, when rubbing with the head it's usually an attention-getting device. She sounds like she was a house cat at one time. A wild cat usually isnt anxious to get into a house. Get her a scratching post, put catnip on it (and watch her freak out, it's really funny) and try the tape or the booties. Make sure you give her standard cat food and not people food, because Taurine is also required for their eyes. Without enough of it they will go blind. They need fresh water every day, and if you intend to keep her in the house than a litter box. Some cats do not like scented litter (mine hates it). All you usually have to do is put the cat in the box once, and they will use it from that point on. Do not be surprised if it seems she's not drinking a lot - cats need very little water to survive, but they do need fresh water every day. A few other tips: If you are pregnant - find someone else to change the litter box. There are bacteria in cat feces that are harmful to unborn children play with her! one of the best cat toys I have ever seen is called a "cat dancer" - it's basically a wire on a wooden stand that the cat can chase - when she bats it, it changes to all these weird directions and it's hours of fun for the cat. My old cat used to chase and retrieve aluminum foil balls...they love that game. talk to her - some cats (especially if part siamese) are very vocal, and will answer back. The cat that chased the foil balls never shut up - he would talk to me constantly. He also purred like a diesel engine..... if you treat them like dogs, they end up acting like dogs. Include them in what you're doing, and they become very social to be around. Good luck!! :D

The only truly blue-eyed dogs I am aware of are Siberian Huskies.... could it be a husky/lab mix? There are some chocolate labs with blue eyes, but that's a fluke....

[quote]The exception is Kyra who will likely never be an outgoing, accepting type of dog [/quote] iT'S HER NAME!!! I have a client named Kyra - she is intolerant, impatient, rude, sometimes downright nasty..... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: I like the vest...very fetching....