Dogs

Have not bred for a few years ,we still have 3 Irish
Wolfhounds & a Lab ......Jim

I did … I lost my little lapdog after 17 years.

Brian

Forgot to mention the breed - he was a lhasa apso.

We have an eight month old Miniature Wirehaired Daschund. Delightful wee dog - all four kilograms of her.

My mam has a papillion, and one of those chiuhaua things (no idea how to spell either) - small, and they are spoilt more than what I was.

Strange but this has reminded me of being little. I was upstairs playing in my bedroom. I heard my dad shouting at someone outside who had let her dog crap right outside on the grass. He told her if she didnt pick it up she'd be wearing it. She walked away laughing, my dad then shoveled it up onto a spade and flicked the turd around 15 metres and managed to hit her on the back of the head. Priceless.

We'd like a dog to keep the children entertained and something for me to get some exercise. Worried about the dog hair tho as oldest son is allergic to animal hair and I'm not brilliant with it either



This chap seems cute and they reckon dogs look like their owners so he would do fine. Not sure why he is on a trampoline tho.

I tho would have a Weimaraner. I think they are beautiful. My wife tho believes they are stupid dogs.

This is a stupid dog Diccus

If the people behaind my house don't leave their "LOVED" pet out barking in the garden all day,it may just have an accident.

quote:

I tho would have a Weimaraner. I think they are beautiful. My wife tho believes they are stupid dogs.

Stupid there not. Have had them for 12 yrs+, they are protective and very intelligent. They do require constant attention cause they suffer from bordem and thats when they can become destructive with the furniture as I found out when my Archie ate a kitchen cupboard door.

I have had a labrador; a collie/ sheepdog; and a springer spaniel.

The springer is the thickest animal I have come across plus perhaps one of the most insatiable when it comes to exercise and food! Crazy animals! Really pleasant but complete airheads! Though I have heard it said that nothing comes close to a red setter for daftness!

Labs are superb - intelligent, kind and protective. They do tend to suffer from arthritis in later years, presumably due to their slightly heavy build.

The sheep dog we had was the most intelligent dog I've come across - had to be seen to be believed. Pretty high maintenance though - not one to be locked up all day.

That's my tuppence worth!

Peter

A Dog's Life.

Dogs have always played a big part in my life up until 7th of January 1997, when I had my last one put down at the age of 12. He was a proper working Border Collie, and was easily the most intelligent dog I ever knew. His knowing ways could spook people, but never me. He was something of a one-man dog, and was not reliable with adult males, at least as a youngster.

But with children he never stopped being a puppy. I had him on Christmas Eve 1984 as a six-inch long weaner. His mother had three puppies and I did not choose him - he chose me. The other two just cuddled up to the bitch but he was going to find out who this stranger was! He never quite lost the curiosity that would get him into trouble all his life!

As a weaner of only six weeks, he needed attention pretty much 24 hours a day. [The bitch died on Boxing Day]. And I used to carry him about in the poachers pocket when I used to walk the sheep. More than once he left a little sloppy reminder of his presence in that coat, which I had to replace after a month, and he had learned self-control!

Two months later planting early potatoes he was run over by the front wheel of a tractor - the first of three times he was nearly killed that way. He never did learn much road sense but would swagger out in front any vehicle for all the world as if he owned the road!

Within 12 months he was turning into one of the most determined and effective sheepdogs I ever saw work sheep. Most dogs get overwhelmed by a couple of hundred sheep, but he could mesmerise a bunch of 600 teg lambs on roots! He was just ever so slightly too rough to ever be regarded as stylish. He would bring a sheep down by catching it through the nose and this would usually cause the blood to flow, but that was it with discipline from the sheep. After that he had complete mastery. He responded to the conventional calls ..."Away to me," and, "Get by" - [rounding up by clock-wise and anti-clockwise - and the Bring them on [ie. back to me], "Lye down," was not his strong point, He would stop, but I am sure he know that he needed to be on all fours to make an impression on yearling lambs.

I never had to do the usual tough discipline with him. Punishment was simply to shut him in the tractor of Land Rover and make him watch me struggle. Two minutes he would be let out and working effectively again, as he loved it.

Off duty I never saw him even look at a sheep, and he was a dog of two states. On Duty, and Off Duty.

He would let people into the house [never locked in those days] but not back out, and one day I came home for lunch to find him sitting on the back step facing the open back door. Trapped inside was a gypsy. I took his Transit van number and told him that if I ever saw him there again I would call the Police. He was inside my house! The dog scared the living daylights out of him.

After three years I had to have him doctored, because he had that typical sheepdog ability to scent the air in the morning and know if a bitch was on heat even miles away! He certainly had a drive in that direction. Unfortunately the last straw was when I let him out one evening when the Nine o’clock News came on, for the usual pee-break before bedtime. He always lived in the house not a kennel.

My neighbour called round about ten past nine and asked if I knew where the dog was. Which I did not.

"In my living room, with my bitch!"

I immediately though of my dog having taken a wrong turn and selected his Missus as his next armour! Pulling myself together, I asked how he had got in. "Through the open door."

I then explained the basic country facts of dog life, as the guy was a real townie!

I suggested that separating them might kill one or both dogs, and just to be patient. That or throw a bucket of water over them. Not on with the Axminster, so patience was the solution. Next day I had his wife chewing my ear off over it, and I made the frightful non-PC faux pass. I said that it was hardly rape! Oops.

Next evening I had the vet on the phone saying that he had given their pedigree Lab an abortion injection and was requested to send the bill to me. I accepted that part, and then he advised me as a friend to have the doctoring done, as the bloody woman wanted to sue me!

By another year I stopped working on a farm, and so my dog retired from work a rather young and fit four year old, and promptly had a massive heart attack. I took him to the vet and a congestive heart was diagnosed. I was advised that to keep him going he needed a tablet a day for the rest of his life at £1 each. I asked what would happen without medication. Six months, a week, the end could come anytime, but the tablets would quieten him don. I asked if there was any cruelty element in not medicating and the vet said none at all, but don’t expect a long life.

Two things immediately struck me. Firstly I definitely could not have afforded the cost, and was ready to have 5his wonderf8ul character put down rather than suffer, but he lived till the age of 12! He slowed himself down, but his wickedness never changed! But he then became totally reliable with anyone he was introduced to by me. Otherwise he was aggressively defensive to anyone coming near the house or van, who was not known to him.

I went to live for the latter years of his life at a boarding school, where the dog was a total hit with the boys! He was known as Ryan [Giggs] because he was a brilliant and sharing footballer. The thing was he did not care which side got the ball, as he was always the other end to retrieve the kicked ball, whoever else thought that it was coming to them!

One day he did this in an inter school match and produced the remarkable result of 22 boys and a ref chasing a Collie with a football, and me being shouted at to get that bloody dog off the pitch pronto!

He was exuberant to an embarrassing degree even in great old age, and unfortunately could frighten people not used to him, as method of greeting was to gallop flat out to anyone and aim to stop about a foot behind them, requiring the recipient of affectionate tumble to be ready for the inevitable impact! This was alright if the person concerned was facing the dog, but he was just as happy to make the manoeuvre from behind, and once demolished the headmaster in this fashion. Strangely the head was rather fond of the dog pick himself up patted the dog and bollocked me!

The dogs name was Fred. I have two albums of photos of him, and putting him down was horrible.

I knew he was failing and took two weeks holiday from work to look after him continually. I also knew that the end of the fortnight was probably curtains. It was the school Christmas holiday, and the old boy rallied quite a lot, but his circulation had gone, and his system was shutting down inexorably. I drove from Worcester to Bromyard in the van, and paid first. I knew that there was no chance of doing it after .………

I drove nine miles back to Worcester in second gear hardly able to see the road ...

I did not sleep so early that night, but next day I knew it was the right thing. I still miss that dog, and if I can get a house where I can have another I shall not hesitate.

Before that I always had dogs, Fox Terriers, Sheepdogs, Hounds to walk, and all of them were really mine in the home, because even from the age I could walk I used to feed and look after them all!

I have no pictures scanned, so nothing to show of Fred, but he was more than just a canine, he was a friend on a human level almost, and actually a more faithful friend than all but a handful of humans. Dogs are such noble characters if well loved.

ATB from George

PS: He was the only dog I knew who loved music. His favourites where Haydn String Quartets, and he hated Beethoven's Missa Solemnis. He used to sit exactly by the bottom of the speakers [mono arrangement even in those days] and prick his ears as if wide-awake, but with his eyes completely shut. And do that blissful dog smile thing that happens when you fuss them! An amazing sight.

quote:

Originally posted by Lapdog:
I did … I lost my little lapdog after 17 years.

Brian

Forgot to mention the breed - he was a lhasa apso.

Brian.

I am so sorry to hear that.
We lost our 15 year old Lhasa (aka joe ) last year.

It was one of the most trying time as we had to make a decision to put him down.
I hate the notion of playing God.. so we were hoping he'd go in his sleep.

He was a fighter. He kept hanging on for weeks.

Towards the end, he stopped eating and drinking and unconscious most of the day. He goes in and out of coma like status.
After the tough decision was made ( we convinced ourselves that he would not want to live like this ), we decided to hire a vet to come to our house to put him down rather than taking him to a vet.

We got up early in the AM and held him in our arm on the porch.
I recall it rained all through the morning but surprisingly a bright sun came out just the time the vet showed up our front door.

My spouse put on Copland's Fanfare for the common man for the whole procedure.

It was the hardest thing we had to do. We both still have a hard time playing that record.
We want to think that Joe was happy during his life.

Anyways, to my surprise my partner wanted another Lhasa puppy. His name was selected named after art professor in collage.

Sam.

My partner who wanted another boy dog, to my surprise, picked this female puppy. She was the only bitch out of the entire litter.
Well.. Sam can be girl's name. ( Sam-antha )

She will never replace Joe but she has been an absolute joy ever since she came home.

For one thing, she's the smart one in the house. I suspect she can hear better than anyone.

quote:

Originally posted by ColinJ:

quote:

I tho would have a Weimaraner. I think they are beautiful. My wife tho believes they are stupid dogs.

Stupid there not. Have had them for 12 yrs+, they are protective and very intelligent. They do require constant attention cause they suffer from bordem and thats when they can become destructive with the furniture as I found out when my Archie ate a kitchen cupboard door.

I will have an informed discussion with my anti winebanana wife

Here are our two boys :-



Jimmy, the black Lab. on the left, is now three years old and a very placid fella who loves everybody. Although he's a bit daft at times, he's certainly not stupid, and is very good at catching Pheasants and even the occasional Hare out in the fields - not that we encourage him.

He's not the best trained of dogs but he'll come when called (as long as there isn't anything more interesting around!) and like all Labradors is incredibly greedy.

The little brown chap on the right is Archie, a 9-month old Border Terrier/ Patterdale Terrier cross, and a rather different kettle of fish! I think the word "Feisty" was invented just for him.

Full of mischief, totally fearless and disobedient, he likes nothing better than to chase the local Roe deer, which looks pretty ridiculous, this small brown missile in hot pursuit of five or six pretty large creatures.

Like Jim, he loves everybody, but doesn't know when to stop!

Having the dogs makes us do lots of walking - I probably walk for two hours a day. They can be a bit of a tie I suppose, but their friendship and companionship repays the slight inconvenience of caring for them in spades.

We have a 3 year old golden retriever. She's a great family dog, soft as anything with the kids. She's not a working dog, so her "retieval" skills are pretty non-existent. She loves water, rivers,ponds etc. Oh, & she loves rolling in Fox-poo as well Why is that??
Matt.

since i started this

we have a year old dogue de bordeaux called barney hes great

neill

sorry meant to say

we are hoping to breed him or maybe buy a bitch if i can talk her indoors into it

neill

quote:

Originally posted by manicatel:
Oh, & she loves rolling in Fox-poo as well Why is that??
Matt.

It's to do with them trying to disguise their own scent Matt.

Our Lab. prefers to roll in the rotting corpses of animals & birds. He likes to get right down & get the stink round behind his collar.

Not one of our canine friend's more endearing habits I feel...

Hello Kuma, thank you for sharing that.

William didn’t leave this world so gracefully. His last few months must have been tough but he didn’t complain much. I had to put him down at 1h25 AM on a Wednesday morning … I fucking hated that day, but he was in pain and I hated to see him suffer.

I miss the little guy,

Brian

[IMG:left] [/IMG]

Here's Jackson aka "the mad collie" ..totally loveable despite the number of chewed items in our household numbering around 700!!

Here's Luke. I love him to bits, and I think it's mutual...

quote:

Originally posted by Lapdog:

I miss the little guy,

Brian,

So do we.

We could have kept him for another month.. but we thought that would be inhumane.

Living with a dog gives us much of joy but it's always hard when we have to face an inevitable.

I gotta tell you. I want to go as Joey did when my time comes up. What's more cruel when we keep other humans in a vegetable state in a hospital. No thanks )

I came to appreciate Lhasa Apso. ( aka Cousin *It* )
They are really loyal and even though they are lapdog size, they act like a big dog.
Their behavioral traits mirror more of a feline than a canine.

2of our Dogs the other seemed to be camera shy that day!!!

Hi all,

My little lady is a Beagle called Josi. How can I upload an image of her? I tried, but no success.

All the best

Manfred

Hi Manni

If you click on the 'Add Attachment' link (below the text box of the 'Post a Reply' window), you should see two boxes 'File Source' & 'File Description'. If you click on the Browse button between these you should get a 'choose file' pop-up so you can navigate to your photo'. I think there's a 100Kb file size limit, so photobucket is a good alterative.

While I'm here - my puppy Daisy ...

Thanks, 555

Voilà, Josi, my kind Beagle!