courtnek

:D :D :D by the time I get home everyone else is off "having a life...." LOL

I may be wrong, but I dont believe a copyright is necessary in the case of personal photo's...copyrights are used to protect inventions from being stolen from the inventor and such....If this person cannot prove the photo was given to him willingly, then it's theft... there are ways to change a photo to look "different" from the original, but since it was recognized those ways were not used. I would slam them. They are trying to make money from yur photo - make them pay YOU....

Rowie, I am going to HATE myself for saying this, because I deplore breed standards and the expectations it sets with people, but, Goldens, AS A GENERAL RULE (capitalized on purpose) like people. It's how they got the breed standard of "good with children"...it's not that they like children better than any other dog, but they want to PLEASE. In a household where they are well cared for, trained, dominated properly, they will tolerate children and love them. It's what their owner expects, and they want to please. My Golden would let kids pull his ears, tug his tail, sit on his back...when he got tired of their company he would escape to the basement and hide under the pool table. But he was also socialized by the breeder early on. He was breeding specific pups for use at the Seeing Eye, and they started socializing as soon as their eyes opened. They make lousy "guard dogs" - these are the dogs that you hear all the jokes about giving away the silverware in return for a kiss.... Everytime Rowie shows the "kid instinct", praise her. Make her feel comfortable that being around children is ok and NEVER let a child tease or torment her. Yell at the kid if you have to (I yell at my kids friends all the time when they jack with my dog - she's a lab mix) Her breeding for tolerance will take hold if she is not abused or harshly treated, and after time, you will be able to let some neighborhood kid (strong enough) walk her without worrying about it. They are GREAT dogs, when trained and treated properly. and YOU treat her VERY well, I might add... :D Love to both of you!!

It depends on your lifestyle, of course, but for a first dog, I would highly recommend a Golden Retriever. Thye are not as hyper as labs, they are fluffy, intelligent, eager to please. like to run. If you are willing to put in the work associated with the long hair (which helps bonding with the dog, by the way) and willing to go with him/her for training, they make excellent first time dogs. They are usually very gentle. A golden mix is good, depending on wht it's mixed with. Although I dont advocate breed standards, because people rely way too heavily on them, if you want a purebred just make sure the breeder has excellent references and that he has followed thru on the bloodlines properly. And realize, that no matter what breed, all dogs are, well, dogs....they are animals. If trained and treated properly they are our best friends (to hell with diamonds, I say...lol) My Golden was a first dog, and he got along with cats until he died. Dont expect the dog to just like the cat, dogs will chase anything that runs. But once they get used to each other, it's usually ok. I would also definitely check Angels website, it has good info. My pick is just a personal choice, you might choose differently. And welcome to Dogo, by the way... :D

unless you actively plan to breed her (and I hope you have a breeders license and training if you do) you should get her spayed. There are so many bad things that can happen with an unspayed dog that isnt bred properly, things worse than an unwanted pregnancy. They are far more likely to develop uterine cancers, they want to roam when in heat, and will try every avenue of escape to mate. This could get them hit by a car, thrashed by another dog or shot by an unruly owner who doesnt want your dog in his yard. As mentioned, it will also attract every unneutered male in the neighborhood to your house, and if there is more than one a dogfight, literally, could break out. Aside from all of that, it is cruel, plain and simple, to leave a dog with sexual urges who is not allowed to mate. Nature is telling her to go find someone to father puppies, and there isnt anyone. How frustrating!! She is not a person, she cannot actively decide to ignore her mating instinct. All she can do is try to escape to find a dog to father her pups. Or hope one comes to her. She could also suffer false pregnancies, which means she will tear, destroy and shred things in your house to build herself a whelping den....please!! for the sake of the dog, please get her spayed......

te powdered kind is only very dangerous when wet....although it will cause some skin irritation, as it says on the box. Alot of detergents come with chlorine bleach already mixed in, or bleach substitues (color safe) which are also detrimental tot he skin..... dogs are like kids. They'll get into anythng and everthing they can. I wish these people had realized that. How many dogs/cats die each year from drinking antifreeze? It tastes like Koolaid!! People need to be more careful.... :evil:

I agree, they didnt. It really has pissed me off, becaus I love dogs, and would never hurt one, no matter what...I would give them all homes if I could....I need to find a dog that gets along with my current, female, VERY DOMINANT dog....she is who she is.....I cant change that....but i would think that the chance to give ANY shelter dog a home would be foremost...apparently not... :evil:

theres one missing... "if it was yours, and you left it anywhere where I can get it, it's MINE now..." Alex to a tee... LOL :roll:

the really sad part is - there are so many dogs that need adoption, but so few that will get along with a dominant female dog - and they always seem to be gone before I can get to them.... I'm feeling very misplaced... :(

y'know, I'm starting to think the shelters are against me...Pirate was adopted by somebody else - first come first served, I guess, but I can only get there on the weekends... SO..I am now hoping for this guy... [img]http://www.animalhouseshelter.com/images/thumbs/8863466.jpg[/img] he's a 6 mnth old Shepherd Mix, his name is Bear, and I just think Freebee would like him...I have been emailing the lady and begging that she not adopt him out til this weekend when I can come see him... She still has to approve my application... this shouldnt be so difficult.... wish me luck!! :D

after re-reading my post, I think it requires some clarification.... It's not cold in Behrain, true...so the oil is not necessary for protection per say, however, the dog was bred as a water dog and those oils are a natural part of that breeding. Even tho the protectin may not be needed where you are, nature has provided them with an oily skin/coat for protection. If you remove those oils, whether they re protecting him now or not, his skin will dry out and he will flake...and itch...and not be very happy at all. Even tho he may not be in his bred "water environment", he still needs the oils to be comfortable within his own coat. My sister was raised in Illinois (very humid int he summer, very wet) and she moved to Arizona...the first thing she discovered was that her skin, accustomed to humidity, started to dry out and flake. She had to moisturize it constantly. People raised in Arizona didnt have the problem - their skin was accustomed to "keeping" its moisture inside....taking the dog out of its natural environment wont help it to adapt. He needs his oils Rowie. :D

are you talking German Shepherds, Border Collies and the like? then yes, I would agree that a working home is sometimes better for these dogs. They want and NEED to work, it is bred into their very being....And I dont understand why the shelters and rescues would not place them in these homes, if the homes are proven to be caring and loving atmospheres.... Do you know, I was turned down by a shelter for a dog I wanted to adopt because I work full time? They wanted someone here constantly to be with the dog. Both impossible, and counter-productive. Here in the states, most homes are two-people working homes. I am a single working home. I also have another dog which could have kept the adoptee company all day, but that wasnt good enough. I am beginning to feel, with all the trouble I am having adopting a dog from a shelter, that they are shooting themselves in the foot. I have had dogs since I was 13...none of them ever had anything bad happen to them, none were neglected, starved or left outside to freeze....but my home was not good enough to adopt this dog....I can see the point in making sure that the new owners wil be GOOD owners, and I'm all for that, but you have to be realistic as well.... I understand how you feel, believe me.... oh, and I'm 46 now....but 33 years of raising and training dogs isnt enough, I guess....

I'm feeling ignored - every time I go there no one is there!! I cant do dogo or HH at work - the IP police get after me..... :D

could just be metabolic - she may have a fast metabolism - but did the vet check for worms? Gross, I know, but check her stools and make sure there are no worms...if they do have worms the worms consume the food the dog should be getting.... good luck!! :D

Rowie - I am here for you If it makes you feel any better - you are ABSOLUTELY CORRECT!! Goldens and Labs are "water dogs"...they require the natural skin and hair oils for protection from the water - without it, their skin and coats would dry out and they would freeze in the water. Those oils protect their skin from dehydration and cold....They dont need the oils alot when they're not in the water alot, but they still require them for protection from the cold. While it may not be real cold in Behrain, if you remove the oils that nature gave them their skin will dry out and they can end up with eczyma... As long as you keep him brushed, the oils will be evenly distributed and it shouldnt be an issue - and you're right - the vet is an idiot...Hosing the dog down to keep him cool is not the same as bathing him. Hosing down will not remove the natural oils....shampoo will.... Hang in there! Hope it all works out for you :)

I know this is a point of contention for a lot of people, but there are some good uses to crossbreeding certain dogs. I will use mine as an example. He was a golden retriever/yellow lab mix. Had the short hair of the lab (and yes, he did shed alot less than my purebred golden did, and did not require the continual brushing necessary to keep the coat unmangled), he had the calm, laid back personality of the golden, with the intelligence of both breeds and the stamina of the lab. I know that the Seeing Eye, and the Assistance Dog societies have been actively trying to breed these dogs, for help with disabled people. They are not trying to create a new breed, per say, but rather trying to create a dog that the disabled can live easily with. A blind person might not have a problem brushing their golden every night, but someone confined to a wheelchair might. And if you dont brush a golden, the hair gets matted and messed up. Also, the goldens tend to be calmer, less hyper and less prone to wandering off. They are usually more gentle than labs. However, in a situation where the dog is leading someone around in a wheelchair, basically having to pull the chair, the strength and stamina of the lab is desired. Goldens are strong, but dont have the broad and stronger chests of the lab, for harnessing. I can see their logic in this (dont hate me) because I have known people who rely soley on their dogs to get them around. There is a lady here in a wheelchair who has a Golden Lab, she wouldnt want any other dog because this one is so easy to take care of, and so capable of taking care of her....He comes to the grocery store with her and pulls her chair. She is a paraplegic....I have actually seen this dog remove things from high shelves that she asked for by pointing....she told me she had once had a purebred golden, but couldnt brush him effectively and he shed something terrible (my golden did too, foot long tail and flank hairs everywhere...)...so while I am against mixed breeding for profit, I can see the uses of a dog like this......Alex's hair was extremely short, and so extremely easy to sweep or vacuum up - my Golden's hair ruined two vacuum cleaners - if you didnt vacuum every day, the motor would burn out trying to contend with the long hair.... I am not advocating creating new breeds by any means, but creating a dog specifically to help the disabled I can be ok with....

how odd! hopefully his lab body will catch up with his head as he grows.... :o

depends on the dog. how much difference is there in the sizes? medium covers everything from 40-60 lbs. If the puppies take after the bigger dog, then, yes, there could be major distress requiring a c-section, and it could kill the mother dog. May I ask, why isnt she spayed? Since you are on disability pension, there are lots of places covered by the spca and shelters that would do the spaying at a reduced rate - in some places, for free. I dont mean to sound harsh, but there are already plenty of unwanted puppies in the world. The way to prevent that is to neuter and spay. Since she is not a purebred, and the puppies are not monetarily "valuable" you should have her spayed. She now needs to see a vet to determine whether this pregnancy could kill her or not. Call the ASPCA and see what they can do. Please!! For the sake of the mother dog!!

LABRADOODLES???? JC, if she insists on doing it (against my better judgement) at least give the poor animal a DECENT name..... and I cant even think of a decent name....Poodlador? labapoo? it's just ridiculous.... At least most people called golden/lab mixes Golden Labs....there was some dignity to it.... :evil:

I have always trained with praise and play, EXCEPT for recall, which is too important. And she still wont recall consistently, so maybe I did it wrong..... :oops:

I signed your guestbook, I hope - I'm hoping those two tabs at the bottom meant "submit" - but since they're not in English.... LOL how many languages do you speak anyway?

GOOD JOB STARFOX!!! YOU GO GIRL!! :D I cant believe the reasoning power of some people - we wont spay her because it's too expensive, but we will as soon as mom finds out she is going to "make a mess...." Mom has children - she knows that dogs have puppies - did it never occur to her that the dog would have to menstruate to do that? Maybe we should make a point when trying to convince people that the dog is "going to start having periods" instead of "going into heat".... :evilbat:

I'M SORRY, BUT BOTH POISON CONTROL AND THE VET WERE IDIOTS ABOUT THIS. It's already been proven, with the deaths of people, that large quantities of aspartame can cause seizures, liver damage, strokes... 28 pieces of gum could easily be considered a large quantity for a dog, depending on the size of the dog. Also, because their hearts beat faster, they metabolize faster than humans do, which gives less time for the liver and kidneys to clean out the poison. This was very poor judgement on their part. Also, it would not have hurt them to have the dog vomit it up. Chewing gum is not like gas, it doesnt burn coming up. Also, the majority of products containing aspartame also contain phenylalanine, which is always printed on the label in red because to some people it can cause seizures. I drink diet pop all the time, (diabetic) and I know how serious an overdose of these two chemicals can be....A little syrup of Ipecac could very well have saved that poor dog, if either the vet or the poison control center had suggeseted it on time..... :evil:

again, you have to be very careful with aspirin in dogs. A kidney analysis should be done first - aspirin has been known to cause kidney failure in dogs. this is the same post by two different people with the exact same dogs and friends? :-?

be VERY VERY careful with aspirin for arthritus....in some dogs, it can cause kidney failure...you'd need to have the vet do a complete kidney analysis before making that decision.