Dogs (AKA The Qwerter Thread)

I'm an animal lover... but a huge responsibility comes with that, especially if you have a family.

Dogs are higher maintenance than cats (alas, my family is allergic, we found that out when we had Persians).

Different sized dogs mean different things. I've always like medium to large dogs... the Lab being one of my favorites but those guys shed a new dog every week. It's also harder for younger kids to walk or take care of larger dogs.

I don't really like small dogs but now my kids want one and there are many smaller dogs that don't shed as much (the terrier/poodle breeds) so that's good for allergies. It's just hard for me to accept because the Man Rules say a "man's dog" should not be shorter than your knee (*ahem* qwerter).

And I know the categories could have crossovers, like Labrador Retrievers are actually medium dogs on many lists but Golden Retrievers are large dogs.

So what kind of dog do you have/want and what are the pros/cons?

I wanted a boxer so bad... but I only hold a minority vote.

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i have a couple of small dogs. and like you said they are big commitment and expense. we have a dog walker, monthly hair cut, frozen dog food, non-anesthetic dental cleanings twice a year, annual checkups, treats. then on most days i walk them twice a day. on average we probably spend 800-1000 per month. but for us its totally worth it. and its great to see our daughter interact with them, she loves to pet them, she tries to pet one of them when he is sleeping and he will "bite" her hand and then start licking her hand. he puts his mouth around her hand but doesnt actually bite, kind of like a warning.  if your kids are allergic i would stick with poodles or something similar and you dont have to deal with the shedding but you will have to do the grooming every 4-6 weeks. one thing to consider on large vs big dog is if they were to bite someone the damage done by a little dog is much less than a big dog. also the poops are smaller so you dont have this big warm pile of shit to pick that is the size of your hand   then you can get your very own doggy dropcam! 

the one thing that people dont really consider and i think its kind of screwed up. if you are going to have a dog, you need to either have a dog walker, give it some access to the back yard or perhaps leave it in the back yard. there are way too many people who leave for work at 8 in the morning and dont come back till 6 and their poor pup is locked up inside for 10 hours with no access to poo/pee. i feel so bad for those dogs.

A Weimaraner owns me, as you might have guessed from my avatar.
Great companion breed and has been good with our kids.

Dogs are also a good reminder that you are never acting as an island: You may think that you have a "3-second rule" for dropped food, but it does not matter since your dog has a 0.001-second rule for anything that hits the hardwood.

-IR2

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I want a husky. Any husky owners on the board?
Yeah, like Qwerty says, some days the dog might get locked in the house for too long- don't want a depressed dog. Holding off on the dog until we get a 3CWG (yup, gone IHO after looking at a house in Yorba Linda) and backyard.

Cubic Zirconia said:

Holding off on the dog until we get a 3CWG (yup, gone IHO after looking at a house in Yorba Linda) and backyard.

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BOOM GOES THE 3CWGAMITE!

IrvineRealtor said:

You may think that you have a "3-second rule" for dropped food, but it does not matter since your dog has a 0.001-second rule for anything that hits the hardwood.

-IR2

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aint that the truth. last night i had trix for dinner and i overflowed my cup and before i could pick up the cereal that fell on the floor one pup had already cleaned it up. so i gave him an extra trix ball for his help as a tip

Cubic Zirconia said:

I want a husky. Any husky owners on the board?
Yeah, like Qwerty says, some days the dog might get locked in the house for too long- don't want a depressed dog. Holding off on the dog until we get a 3CWG (yup, gone IHO after looking at a house in Yorba Linda) and backyard.

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please dont tell me you will be putting your dog in the garage? they get very cold in the winter and very hot in the summer. im a believer that if you will not be letting your dog live in doors please dont get a dog. dogs are very social pack animals and there is nothing more depressing that seeing/hearing a dog in the back yard at night while the rest of the family is inside hanging out eating dinner or watching TV. nothing wrong with putting your dog in the backyard for a while but it shouldnt be its permanent home.

qwerty said:

Cubic Zirconia said:

I want a husky. Any husky owners on the board?
Yeah, like Qwerty says, some days the dog might get locked in the house for too long- don't want a depressed dog. Holding off on the dog until we get a 3CWG (yup, gone IHO after looking at a house in Yorba Linda) and backyard.

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please dont tell me you will be putting your dog in the garage? they get very cold in the winter and very hot in the summer. im a believer that if you will not be letting your dog live in doors please dont get a dog. dogs are very social pack animals and there is nothing more depressing that seeing/hearing a dog in the back yard at night while the rest of the family is inside hanging out eating dinner or watching TV. nothing wrong with putting your dog in the backyard for a while but it shouldnt be its permanent home.

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No, never in the garage! The bigger backyard is for him, and the third car space for me. Needs and wants combined in that sentence

Tyler Durden said:

That dog was my dad's best friend and great companion for 13 years.  Unfortunately he developed hip displacia and had to be put down. After losing such a great friend, my dad is totally not interested in going through that heartbreak again with another dog.  So he's remained without a dog for the last 4 years.

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im with you there, after this set of pups ill probably wont get any more. mine are 7 so they probably have another 5 good years before they start going downhill and that is so sad to see. i was 25 went i put down my dog i got when i was 14 and cried my eyes out at the vet when i had to put her down (cancer). what ill probably do instead of getting new dogs is donate most of the money i spend on them to animal charities.

Tyler Durden said:

That dog was my dad's best friend and great companion for 13 years.  Unfortunately he developed hip displacia and had to be put down. After losing such a great friend, my dad is totally not interested in going through that heartbreak again with another dog.  So he's remained without a dog for the last 4 years.

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This happened to us. Our dog of 14 years had a stroke. At first I thought he sprained his foot because he walked with a limp but after I took him to our vet, he told us that it was indicative of a stroke and that he probably didn't have much time left (he had stopped eating and because of his limp, he couldn't go on walks).

Very sad day for us... I had thought I was taking him in to get his foot taken care of and came home dogless.

The interesting thing is once we got over the loss, there was a huge sense of freedom because as I've said, owning a pet comes with tons of things many people don't factor in. Vacations cost more because you have to factor in the cost of boarding. You can't stay out late at night because you have to feed the dog. You take lunch at home (which is why working close to home is good) because you want to let the dog out or give it company during the day (or it might be raining, which is seldom in SoCal, and you have to let the dog in). Even if you're sick (or you've had surgery on your knee), you have to walk your dog (I've walked that guy on crutches multiple times during his lifetime).

This was a few years ago and that's why my family wants another dog... but I'm still resistant because it usually ends up my responsibility. We actually had a Lab for the last year or so but we had to give him to another family because it was too much responsibility for us and the shedding was causing nightmares for my family's allergies. My one kid was very upset but I think our dog is in a better home because it's an older couple who have a large yard and have had Labs before and can give him the proper life he needs.

So that's why we are looking at a smaller, more hypoallergenic dog and I have a feeling my second chance at freedom will be short lived. My onc requirement is it HAS to be from an animal shelter or rescue.

irvinehomeowner said:

I wanted a boxer so bad... but I only hold a minority vote.

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Since the responsibility falls primarily on your shoulders, then your vote is the only one that counts. You have to want this. Really, really want this, or it won't work. I fall in the "I-feel-guilty-for-not-getting-my-kids-a-dog-but-not-ready-for-this-big-of-a-commitment" camp. Good sense prevails. We won't get one until I am truly ready - which may be never. It isn't fair to the dog to do it any other way, though. It is a huge responsibility, like having another child.

SoCal said:

irvinehomeowner said:

I wanted a boxer so bad... but I only hold a minority vote.

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Since the responsibility falls primarily on your shoulders, then your vote is the only one that counts. You have to want this. Really, really want this, or it won't work. I fall in the "I-feel-guilty-for-not-getting-my-kids-a-dog-but-not-ready-for-this-big-of-a-commitment" camp. Good sense prevails. We won't get one until I am truly ready - which may be never. It isn't fair to the dog to do it any other way, though. It is a huge responsibility, like having another child.

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Any dog works for me because I like them all.

It's better to get a dog that *they* want so that *they* bear more of the responsibility.

We found this out with the Lab. That was the Mrs' choice (she wanted one before we got our 14-year dog). The kids wanted one of those MaltyPoos or Morkies (basically a toy fur dog) but I said "No" because I knew I would end up walking it... but I was okay with a Lab. The kids and the wife thought they could handle a Lab but he was much stronger than they thought and he wreaked havok on their sinuses. And they wouldn't clean his deuces because like qwerter said, they were HUGE.

So now that they a year older and wiser... I think they all can handle a small dog and I don't have to worry about it. I just won't be seen walking it... heh.

Nope.

I'm just going to do a Tyler and tell them "They better listen to me if they know what's good for them".

bones said:

Havanese!!

We have a Havanese purebred. They are the national royalty dog of Cuba. They range from 10+ lbs to 20+ lbs depending on genetics. We have a runtier one so mine is around 13 lbs.  They are non shedding and are a long haired breed. We keep ours "puppy cut" for ease.  Total lap dogs and crave human companionship. Good with kids. Fiercely loyal and a great alert dog.

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woof! Woof! Woof!  Woof!  Woof!  Woof!  Woof! 


I am cat person.  I am of no use in this thread.  Meow! (I think the only pet I will own will be a Siberian Hamster though)

In terms of looks, I think Huskies are amazing looking dogs! 
They come in colors to make everyone happy.

Huskies look awesome... but they remind me of wolves.

Makes me think that they'll turn into a person during the day.

when l lived in college park in irvine a neighbor had husky, the traditional black coat with white and the blue eyes, beautiful dog. my girl dog would get so excited to see him, that was one of the few dogs she liked.