kendalyn

[quote]Even the Amish have over produced breeds just to make a buck. They could care less about what happens to the dogs once they're sold. Cha-ching[/quote] It's wrong no matter who is doing it. Just because someone is Amish doesn't exempt them from the ability to be unethical. :roll:

Well, at least you know the kid didn't mean any harm. I hope it goes well when you and Laurel meet him. For both he and Laurel's sake! It was very good of Petco to get back with you and try and make the situation right. Not a lot of companies would have gone to the trouble. :) You are right, it sounds like the kid may be a little mentally challenged. I have a neighbor who is legally blind and deaf (she reads lips!) and she has learned to speak. Her volume control is just fine. Of course she has been doing it for a while so maybe she is better at it. I think that generally deaf people who have learned to speak also learn volume control though.

[quote]"some people take it in to be made into sweaters and hats and stuff....."[/quote] I had a friend in high school whose mom actually kept the hair from their pomeranian and made socks out of it. It was really weird. :o

That sucks. It's terrible that he tried to blame you. The kids that work there usually know next to nothing about animals anyway. I would follow up your call with a letter, especially if you remember the kids name. Someone needs to educate him about how to approach a strange dog.

way to go Jesse! :D

Here is a method I found once before when I was looking up something about barking. I've never used it as Buck doesn't really bark much, but maybe it's worth a try. Here is the paragraph and I'll post the link below: In order to help your dog know your rules, teach him what they are. Here is a good rule to start with: Barking is OK until the dog is told to "Stop Barking." Think of "Stop Barking" as an obedience command rather that simply an unpredictable reprimand. Each time your dog barks, after two or three woofs, praise her for sounding the alarm. Then tell her, "Stop Barking." Simultaneously, waggle an especially tasty food treat in front of her nose. Most dogs instantly stop barking because they can't sniff and lick the treat while barking. During this quiet time praise her continuously - - "Good girl, stop barking, what a good quiet dog you are, good dog . . ." After 3 seconds of no barking, let her have the treat. The next time she barks, require her to stop barking for 5 seconds before she gets the treat. Each time she is told to stop barking and succeeds, she will be rewarded. If she barks even one little wooflet after you've given the command, scold her immediately. Timing is everything. As training proceeds, the required period of silence is increased gradually; at first "Stop Barking" means: No barking for the next 3 seconds, then 5 seconds, then 10 seconds and so on. Within a single training session, you can teach your dog to stop barking for up to 1 or 2 minutes. This is major progress, because whatever set off her barking in the first place is history, and she is likely to be quiet until the next disturbance. The Consequences of Barking When your dog stays quiet for the required period of time after you've asked her to please, "Stop Barking," she is rewarded. When she makes a mistake, your unsuspecting poochie's very next wooflet should be met with a cataclysmic, earthshaking 120 decibel "STOP BARKING!!!" Most dogs are so totally shocked and amazed by this horrendous outburst that they will stare at you in disbelief (and silence). If this outburst makes your dog more excited, then you might try an ice-cold I-mean-business tone of voice. Sometimes a splash of water in the face will do the trick. You must find something that will instantly make your dog stop barking. As soon as your dog stops barking, even for just a tenth of a second, you must immediately and instantly reward her. After enough repetitions your dog will learn the meaning of the command, "Stop Barking," and you will no longer need your training props (water, treats, etc.) Substituting the Barking Habit If your dog's excessive barking has already become a habit, don't expect the barking to get under control overnight. It takes weeks of repetition to replace an old habit with a new one. If you keep up with these procedures, you will see a new pattern of barking develop. Instead of barking relentlessly at the insignificant, your dog will be barking appropriately and for a reasonable length of time. It is important that you maintain this new good habit through practice and praise or your dog may revive his old annoying barking habits again. [url]http://www.perfectpaws.com/bark.html[/url]

Glad you had a great time! Welcome back :-)

I'm actually amazed at how many people here have been approached about breeding their dogs. Who goes up to a complete stranger and asks something like that??? People are nuts! :roll:

What a good guy to try and entertain himself :-)

nope, it doesn't bother me at all. I only have one dog though. Maybe if it were multiplied a bunch of times it might get on my nerves :-)

what a moron. :evil: 0000000000000

People will argue with me that Buck is a purebred lab all the time! I have no idea why they are so sure he is a purebred. He has a big white splotch on his chest and a little white mark on his bottom lip. Plus he's not really big enough to be a lab. He weighs about 50 pounds. They seem to want to make me think that I really hit the jackpot by finding a purebred lab. :roll: I always tell him that he is definately a mutt.

[quote]As pointed out, Poodles were originally bred as water retrievers, working dogs, are no/low shedding and as "allergy friendly" as is possible, and do come in a wide array of colors and sizes[/quote] I totally agree! I can't think of a breed that better embodies what a lot of people are looking for in a dog. If people would just get over their stupid poodle misconceptions they would realize that the standard (and other sizes) are just what they are looking for. I do think that the poodle's bad rap has sort of saved it in a way. It hasn't been over exploited by BYBs nearly as much as breeds such as golden retrievers and labs. At least this seems to be true for the Standard Poodle, I don't know about the toys. They seem to be favorites of puppy mills. :-?

[quote]two purebred dogs of different breeds being bred together does not make another purebred dog. It makes a mutt. And you cannot tell me that they arent in shelters.[/quote] You also can't tell me that there aren't purebreds in shelters either. So it's not ok for someone to buy a "new breed" of dog even though there are probably some in shelters, but it is ok for someone to buy a purebred when you can find them in shelters as well? That doesn't make sense to me. I'm not a fan of people creating new breeds either. But I don't understand why people who bought a purebred dog because they wanted something specific get upset when somebody else does the same thing, only settles on a "new breed" instead of an established one.

I'm glad to hear that Felix is in good shape :-)

My aunt and uncle taught their dogs the command "carpet". That means they have to go out of the kitchen and stay on the carpet. If Buck is annoying while I'm trying to eat I just tell him to laydown. I let him get up when I'm done eating. It works fine. :-)

[quote]they wanted us to disect frogs, while they were still alive. We were to put a needle through their neck, so that they would feel nothing, and disect them alive[/quote] We did this in my physiology class in college. I thought it was pretty cool. We dropped all kinds of medications on the frog's heart and watched the effects. The frog's heart practically jumped right out of it's chest when we dropped caffeine on it. I really didn't enjoy pithing the frog but I did enjoy the experiment in general. I would not make anybody pith a frog though. It's a lot different than dissecting something that is already dead and if you do it wrong you're going to hurt the frog. I volunteered because no one else in the group would do it. It's not something I want to do again though. I would not let high school students do it either. They are way too immature.

good luck! Hopefully he is just fine :-)

[quote]The cats were roadkill that our science teacher would find that weren't TOO bad off and he would send them to the local deer processing plant to have the skin/hair removed and cleaned up a little bit (none were smushed or crunched or anything). [/quote] :lol: This made me laugh! Your science teacher sounds very dedicated to go to such lengths to provide a learning experience for his students! I can't think of many teachers that would do that.

[quote]The arguemnt was brought up that you cannot autoclave a rubber dog toy(and even then you CAN cleanse them..and if not them replace them..atleast give them some reward for being your test subject)...[/quote] Cleansing isn't good enough unfortunately. There are lots of bacteria that can survive antiseptic substances. Autoclaving is the best method to be sure that something is totally sterile. Even autoclaving is not foolproof though. There are some prions that can survive autoclaving. :o I suppose they might be able to give the dogs rawhides or something edible like that though. It would depend on the study probably. I would hope that the scientists would try and give the dogs whatever is possible and still maintain the integrity of the research. I would think that dogs are chosen as subjects for testing dog food (or other dog related products) for obvious reasons...

I don't know exactly what they're testing. I haven't looked into it at all. But I do agree with Science_doc when she says that animal testing is so expensive that they would not be doing it for no reason. I just don't believe that these people are monsters who enjoy torturing animals for the fun of it.

[quote]Alot of people are just not comfortable with adopting an older animal[/quote] This is a cop out. There are tons and tons of puppies in animal shelters. People who want a puppy can still have one. The argument that purebreds are mixed breeds anyway doesn't hold water with me either. It's not about whether the dog is a mutt or purebred. The point is that everytime someone buys a dog from a breeder, it is one less home for a dog in s shelter or rescue. As I stated above though, people who are going out looking for a purebred are usually not the type to change their mind and go to a shelter. I don't understand it, but there it is. Elle Wrote: [quote]WHY did you PURCHASE a purebred?[/quote] I would love for people to answer this question. I'm really interested to know.

[quote]good grief. dogs kept in tiny cages for metabolic study, and not even a rubber chew toy or what. like a study under those circumstances is even remotely going to reflect a "real life" situation of an animal that is supposed to eat the food later on. [/quote] The scientists don't want a "real life" environment when they are testing. That comes in a whole different phase. I participate in experimental drug studies for Pfizer and they do NOT want a real life situation while I am taking their drug. I have taken drugs intended for people with cancer, but before they give it to the people with cancer they give to to the most healthy people they can find. And usually I am required to stay in the Pfizer testing unit and everything I do is regulated. It's sort of the same thing with animal testing. The scientists need to control every variable possible, otherwise what's the point? I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this issue. I do know that I wouldn't believe everything on those animal right's websites, but I wouldn't discount all of it either.

I just have to add, have you ever thought of getting a dog from a rescue group? You might be pleasantly surprised... :)

I would say most dogs would be fine being alone that amount of time. If you get a young puppy it would be too long so if that's what you are doing maybe wait until you are out of school and can stay home with the little guy. A well adjusted adult dog should have no problem staying home 3 hours by himself though.