Dogs

[Deleted User 310]

I have had 1 dog in my life. From 1st grade all the way halfway thru college. The pain and sadness i felt afterwards is a big reason i haven't gotten another one since her.

Now my kids want 1 badly....i guess as they say it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all....so soon i am going to have to suck it up and get over my fear of the end so my kids can experience the joy of a dog.

[shindig]

I have had 1 dog in my life. From 1st grade all the way halfway thru college. The pain and sadness i felt afterwards is a big reason i haven't gotten another one since her.

Now my kids want 1 badly....i guess as they say it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all....so soon i am going to have to suck it up and get over my fear of the end so my kids can experience the joy of a dog.

It's always a tough time. After I lost my first boxer in 2012 (I got him in 2004 at 8 weeks old and he was the first dog that I owned myself), I told myself I wasn't getting another dog. I was depressed for weeks. I hated coming home from work because I knew Bandit wouldn't be there, it was the worse.

After about 2 months, a friend recommended a boxer breeder that she knew well. I grudgingly drove out to their farm in Chilhowee, MO with her and they had 6 boxer puppies, all 4 weeks old. I gravitated toward one that was more shy that his siblings and that was it. I went back and picked him up 4 weeks later and he's been the best companion and friend I have ever had. He's now 8 and I am already dreading "that" day. He's been super healthy with zero issues so I try not to think about it and just enjoy my time with him, but yes, I know, someday, that day will come.

And I'm not advocating getting a dog from a breeder, I just wanted a pure bred boxer that I could raise from a pup. I still talk to his breeder all the time and he's a good guy and raises his pups with his wife and children. But adoption is probably always the best route, depending on your circumstances and what kind of dog you really want.

[jfish26]

I have had 1 dog in my life. From 1st grade all the way halfway thru college. The pain and sadness i felt afterwards is a big reason i haven't gotten another one since her.

Now my kids want 1 badly....i guess as they say it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all....so soon i am going to have to suck it up and get over my fear of the end so my kids can experience the joy of a dog.

We are on the fence. I only want a lab, and obviously that entails quite a lot of work. But, what better time than when we're both working from home full-time?

[jhawks99]

We got a rescue dog from a pet adoption agency here. I didn't want one but gave in for the kid. Kid's moved out and we still have the dog. She's a Jack Russell which I'm told are pretty hyper and bark a lot. She's the opposite of that. Quietest dog we've ever had. Very timid, I'm afraid she was abused at some point. She's probably >10 years old but no way to really tell. She's super loving, if she doesn't get her hugs in, she's very upset. Pretty good dog.

[TDub]

Ive still got my other dog. Ill gwt another one when the kids are a little older and things are easier. But none of them will be my old dog. Theyre all individuals and different, youll never duplicate a dog...but i cant imagine ever not having at least 1.

[ousdahl]

labs are my favorite. I love how they just generally wanna be friends with everybody. Would be a top prospect if I was in the market. Golden, too. Or just any big friendly dog. But a cute dopey looking big friendly dog, like a lab or a golden, rather than something that might be friendly but still look scary.

a close friend growing up had a Jack Russell. cool dog. High energy, athletic, strong for his size. the junior year Sherron of dogs. Had a pretty entertaining standoff with a raccoon on top of the fence one night.

[ousdahl]

to any parents considering a dog for the fam: I was prohibited from having a dog growing up. Mom and dad said they just didn't have the time to raise a dog. (to which angsty adolescent ousdahl replied, then WTF are you doing raising kids? but that's kind of a different story)

but yeah, the point is, if you don't afford your kids the experience of a dog then you run the risk of having your kids end up like me.

by now I imagine you're already headed to the pet store. but for real, I obviously haven't had to experience the hurt of loosing a dog, but that's cuz I never got to experience a dog in the first place. Not my own, at least. and from an outside-in sort of perspective, I think the sadness of loosing a dog is a testament to how great the experience is of having a dog in the first place. Dogs are awesome.

[ousdahl]

I intend to have a dog some day though. Once the housing sitch is more secure, and/or easier to attain. It's hard enough finding a place to live up here any more, let alone a pet friendly place.

I'd wanna get at least two dogs. Big dogs too - at least big enough to hold their own against a coyote, so you can take them outdoors without having to worry.

the third or fourth pets would be when I might start considering something goofy, like a small dog, or even a cat.

[Deleted User 89]

as long as you’re renting, i wouldn’t even think about anything over 50lbs

ours are 35-40lbs, and just about the perfect size. big enough that you can rough-house with them and they can hold their own if necessary, but also small enough to share your couch/bed

of all the dogs i’ve ever had, even all the labs we had when i was a kid, i’ve never gotten as many compliments as i have with these two...size, appearance, demeanor, training

[jfish26]

as long as you’re renting, i wouldn’t even think about anything over 50lbs

ours are 35-40lbs, and just about the perfect size. big enough that you can rough-house with them and they can hold their own if necessary, but also small enough to share your couch/bed

of all the dogs i’ve ever had, even all the labs we had when i was a kid, i’ve never gotten as many compliments as i have with these two...size, appearance, demeanor, training

You can find labs that will end up in the 60 pound range. I think that's about perfect.

[Deleted User 89]

as long as you’re renting, i wouldn’t even think about anything over 50lbs

ours are 35-40lbs, and just about the perfect size. big enough that you can rough-house with them and they can hold their own if necessary, but also small enough to share your couch/bed

of all the dogs i’ve ever had, even all the labs we had when i was a kid, i’ve never gotten as many compliments as i have with these two...size, appearance, demeanor, training

You can find labs that will end up in the 60 pound range. I think that's about perfect.

sure

but landlords, at least that i’ve seen, are quite leery about anything over 50lbs

[ousdahl]

lol remember the time I was roommates with a 120 pound malamute in a little tiny apartment

[jfish26]

Oh, right. No, I would not have a dog like a lab in a rented property. Unless I really didn't like my security deposit (or had already foregone any chance of getting it back).

Also a bad choice if there's a chance you might change lifestyles (i.e., move to an apartment in a city).

[Deleted User 89]

and don’t get me wrong, i generally love labs for all the reasons ousie mentioned

though, they do have a tendency to “run”, particularly intact males, when they’ve got bad parents/owners

[zsn]

Just saw this thread - really sorry for your loss TDub. I am a real sucker for dogs although I have never had one of our own.

My cousins had dogs when I was growing up but when I was in a position to get one, or two, I was in jobs which involved a lot of travel. We didn’t think it was fair to our canine companions. My workplaces have had very liberal bring your pets to work policies. So I never really missed not having one of our own.

However, my twenty-something daughter is in the process of getting a dog and we should have one before the year ends. She is really looking forward to it and so are we.

[shindig]

Where's all the boxer luv?

[Deleted User 89]

Just saw this thread - really sorry for your loss TDub. I am a real sucker for dogs although I have never had one of our own.

My cousins had dogs when I was growing up but when I was in a position to get one, or two, I was in jobs which involved a lot of travel. We didn’t think it was fair to our canine companions. My workplaces have had very liberal bring your pets to work policies. So I never really missed not having one of our own.

However, my twenty-something daughter is in the process of getting a dog and we should have one before the year ends. She is really looking forward to it and so are we.

i will admit to having moments when i wish we didn’t have ours, but only when thinking about travel and vacations. when we lived in Kansas we could easily have family help us out. that’s not the case anymore, and we’re leery about doing the boarding thing for a myriad of reasons

[NewtonHawk11]

Where's all the boxer luv?

Little too slobbery for me. Wife's college roommate had one and he drooled all over the place and left these big ass puddles in his wake.

[Leawood]

I put down my last dog on March 1,2015. Still not over it.

[kubowler99]

Before kids, we had a dog and two cats. The dog (Shelby) passed a few days after my middle son was born (we think Shelby had some type of stroke while we were at the hospital and had lost some motor functions). We decided at that time to not get another dog, and that lasted for about 5 years after. We lost the cats during those 5 years.

Our middle son had an incident with a dog when he was still in a carrier (nothing bad, but a large dog stuck his head into the carry to check him out, and it seemed to traumatize him from that point forward). Fast forward a few years, and all three of our kids are afraid of all dogs. And I just couldn't deal with it. We had to get a dog.

We decide to go with a rescue - a Lab/Pointer mix. Wonderful dog. Very active, but kids are still deathly afraid, to the point that if the dog is running towards them to play, they would scream in terror. We decided to go to group dog training at Pets Mart. We figured a controlled environment with other people would help ease their fear.

We got really lucky, as the time we chose we were the only ones there. So we got 1 on 1 time with the trainer for a full hour every weekend for I think 6 weeks. The kids (even our youngest who was 3 at the time) learned they were in control. After our first session - the fear was gone. I'd never seen them so happy. Best money we ever spent.

We added a 2nd dog about 6 months later. It's been 8 years now. Both dogs are 10+, and yes, I'm dreading that day.

But I wouldn't trade the last 8 years for anything.