Dogs Thread That Isn't Sad

[Longhorned]

Great story! You're the best! And Happy Gotcha Day!

[dovecanyoncat]

Dogs ....... because people suck.

[Merkin]

One of my nieces in Tucson rescued this dog which they believed was in a vehicle accident.

[Longhorned]

It's a Spring Break Monday and I'm cooking for my dog:

Brown rice
Roasted sweet potatoes
Chuck beef stew with carrots

Smells so good it's making me hungry. It's all just a minor addition to each meal centered on a cup of dry kibble.

He's doing great on his training regimen, too. We do one-on-one and group training with Rebecca at Central Pet in Tucson.

[azgreg]

Great thread.

[wyo-cat]

I thought about taking Laci, black lab, but my kid couldn’t go.

[Longhorned]

How do we walk our dogs in Tucson/Phoenix in summer? I asked my dog trainer about dog shoes and she said they're bad because dogs cool themselves through their paw pads, like their tongues. She didn't know the solution because she's newly from Portland.

I guess I also don't know how you walk your dog in Minnesota in winter.

[UAEebs86]

Walk them in the morning or later in the evening or somewhere with grass. They'll be just fine. My wife is always pestering me about putting booties on our Westie but he hates them and I don't walk him until after 8 PM at the earliest.

[Longhorned]

I was amazed to learn that 52% of people don't have a dog. That isn't right.

By now I really have a sense of the importance of having a dog in your life. You're not going to be a complete human being until you've connected your world with the world of a dog. Like with no other animal, it's so plainly clear how attached we are with one another's condition. There was a time when our respective ancestors roamed the earth side-by-side as apex predators, when they respected each other, and every other animal respected them. We're both so soft and stupid now, we don't even respect each other. And we've both seen the way coyotes and wolves and gorillas look at us.

Fifteen thousand years or so ago, it was together we decided, "You know what? Let's stop living at one with nature. Let's just let it all come to us. We'll grow and raise and hoard our food, you'll bark loudly when anyone sneaks up to try to steal it, and you can eat our trash!" Our bodies morphed into equivalent sacks of flesh, with these little fingers and toes and teeth. And we just loll around on couches enveloped in each other's stinks. This is the only way it could be. This is who we are.

If you don't get a dog, you'll never really understand.

[UAEebs86]

[Merkin]

[Merkin]

[Longhorned]

Should I feel bad about getting a crate and crating my dog during meals? I don't know if the previous owners fed him at the table or what, but he jumps all over us and the table and the counters and basically goes for anything he can possibly get.

Also, he eats our socks and shits them out in their complete form. You could almost consider throwing them in the wash and just carrying on. He gets to them no matter any barriers.

[MrMeow]

Should I feel bad about getting a crate and crating my dog during meals? I don't know if the previous owners fed him at the table or what, but he jumps all over us and the table and the counters and basically goes for anything he can possibly get.

Also, he eats our socks and shits them out in their complete form. You could almost consider throwing them in the wash and just carrying on. He gets to them no matter any barriers.

Do not feel bad about crating your dog. Nothing wrong with crating him when necessary, including your mealtime. He may complain at first, but eventually he'll accept it as routine and normal, and can even see his crate as a sanctuary. Just get a crate that's of adequate size and offer him a little treat (bribe) to get him in there. I speak as an ethical breeder of over 30 years. We currently have 4 dogs, and yes, 4 large crates.

[Longhorned]

Thank you, MrMeow! I feel better. We'll order the crate.

What kind of dogs do you breed?

[EastCoastCat]

Agree, crating your dog might appear by human standards as cruel but like Meow said he/she will eventually get used to it. It also becomes a bit of a sanctuary for them if they get nervous or upset. Almost like a mini safe house.

Best of luck!

[MrMeow]

Longhorned, glad I was of some help. We breed and show Rhodesian Ridgebacks

[EastCoastCat]

Longhorned, glad I was of some help. We breed and show Rhodesian Ridgebacks

Do you have those large collapsible metal crates? I have bruised my hand so many times putting those dang things together or breaking them down.

[MrMeow]

Longhorned, glad I was of some help. We breed and show Rhodesian Ridgebacks

Do you have those large collapsible metal crates? I have bruised my hand so many times putting those dang things together or breaking them down.

Yes, we do. We have them for both the house and for the car (we won't take dogs in the car unless they are secured). Yeah, erecting and collapsing them is an acquired art.

[Alieberman]

Crating is fine. Just don’t make the crate a punishment spot. Make it a positive spot… sanctuary like Meow says.

[Longhorned]

Crating is fine. Just don’t make the crate a punishment spot. Make it a positive spot… sanctuary like Meow says.

Is there such a thing as a punishment spot? Or even punishment? The biggest punishment our dog has ever gotten was a "eh eh!" as he lunges toward our kid's tightly clutched stuffed animal. When he does something like eat a door (not an uncommon event with this dog), we just spray the door with bitter apple spray and carry on.

[EastCoastCat]

Longhorned, glad I was of some help. We breed and show Rhodesian Ridgebacks

Do you have those large collapsible metal crates? I have bruised my hand so many times putting those dang things together or breaking them down.

Yes, we do. We have them for both the house and for the car (we won't take dogs in the car unless they are secured). Yeah, erecting and collapsing them is an acquired art.

My dog just loves car rides. especially night rides. Something about sticking her head out and feeling the wind against her face is pure joy.

But I know car rides can be dangerous, just like not wearing a seat belt. We were considering getting those harness contraptions. Do you recommend?

[Alieberman]

Longhorned, glad I was of some help. We breed and show Rhodesian Ridgebacks

My first dog I ever rescued was a Rhodesian mix… I have loved all my dogs…. But she was the best dog I ever knew

She was amazing in every way

[MrMeow]

Longhorned, glad I was of some help. We breed and show Rhodesian Ridgebacks

Do you have those large collapsible metal crates? I have bruised my hand so many times putting those dang things together or breaking them down.

Yes, we do. We have them for both the house and for the car (we won't take dogs in the car unless they are secured). Yeah, erecting and collapsing them is an acquired art.

My dog just loves car rides. especially night rides. Something about sticking her head out and feeling the wind against her face is pure joy.

But I know car rides can be dangerous, just like not wearing a seat belt. We were considering getting those harness contraptions. Do you recommend?

I'm aware of the harnesses but have never used one. We generally just transport the dogs to dog events and shows, and the crates prevent the dogs from flying around in the car in case of an accident or abrupt stop. Remember, they don't have hands. Not sure the harness would do that but maybe. I realize the crate would take the fun out the car ride for your dog (and maybe you too).

[Longhorned]

My dog is completely unfazed by fireworks. Moreover, he enjoys them. I walked him during prime firework display time last night, with big booms in multiple directions, and the neighborhood streets filled with all kinds of fancy firecracker displays popping off. He just wanted to play with those.

[Merkin]

[dovecanyoncat]

I don't know how to post a reddit vid.

https://www.reddit.com/r/FunnyAnimals/c ... ud_to_ask/

[Longhorned]

Hey all! Sorry for missing so much time. I took on new responsibilities at work and got knocked off the rails, but I think I've adjusted and can start integrating the parts of my old life again, including here.

Does anybody want to adopt my amazing dog? Here's a link:

https://post.rescueme.org/22-11-07-00233

He's a 60 pound black lab/pit bull mix.

He really is a great dog but the vet said we have to surrender him because he can't be in a house with a child. He's a pandemic dog who missed his window to be socialized. He bites, usually at the air, but sometimes gets you (doesn't hurt and has never broken skin). We did professional training with him and he has a certificate for basic training, but the trainer told us he isn't a candidate for intermediate training. He needs an owner who really knows how to work with and train an unsocialized dog.

He's just turning 3 right now. We adopted him from PACC this past January as a 2 years + 1 month old pup. The people who surrendered him were clearly unfit owners who didn't socialize or train him. And they lied on the form when they said he doesn't bite and is good with children.

He really does get along really well with other dogs and with our kitten, who slaps him back and forth across his face repeatedly while he patiently endures it. But unpredictably, he'll suddenly snipe at the air near you, your child, or his dog or cat friend, which is called a "level-1 bite" (no contact). And when you're walking him, he's set off by untrained dogs on their walk who provoke him, requiring you to use your strength with the leash.

I'm happy to answer any questions. There's a $250 adoption fee but I have no interest in collecting any money from anyone. It's just a standard way of indicating commitment, but if you don't have small children and you know how to work with dogs, that would be enough for me. We have a deluxe crate to give you as well, and all his toys and stuff like that.

The clock runs out on December 12, when I have an appointment to surrender him back to PACC if he isn't adopted by then, and it kills me to have to do this. He's my first dog ever.

PM me if you're interested.

[Merkin]

[Chicat]

[dovecanyoncat]

[Irish27]

First time reading this thread. I adopted a rescue dog (husky) in Phoenix at Almost There. I definitely recommend adopting at a rescue place. Dogs at PACC are being euthanized every week. I was speaking to someone who works there and she told me a major problem they have is people adopt puppies and when they get bigger, they decide they don't want them anymore. She said during Covid, they had so many dogs being adopted, but unfortunately, many were returned after Covid. It's very sad and PACC has an overcrowding problem that keeps getting worse.

[UAEebs86]

Thought about resurrecting this thread yesterday with the news about how Kristi Noem treats her animals.

This is Gordon, our Westie. He was found wandering near the desert in Vail, AZ 11 years ago. The finders asked us if we wanted him.
We eventually found his owners (the mom was a friend of my wife's) but they said we could keep him.