Since we're on the dog theme

I didn't get a dog until my first real job. Have had them ever since. Dogs make life better, even if they do eat their own poo.

OK, funny story time. During our first decade or two married I had iguanas. A leftover from when I lived along, I really liked the things. Exotic 6 foot long green lizard that eats vegetables, what's not to like? During summer the beast would soil its water bowl daily, and the smell was foul, so I'd chuck the contents into the yard. One day our little Moogie dog came in with the most vile smell on her breath. It took me a couple hours to realize she'd been eating the Iguana scat.

I love dogs and never want to be without one. But they are foul beasties.
 
Tantalum said:
Awe she's awesome!!
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Thanks. She really is. She's really increased the "fun" in our family. Her only bad habit is getting too excited/aggressive around other dogs. Working on it, but it's slow process.
 
Dogs are awesome.
I accidentally have 3 which is a bit much but they are the best.
 
GRG55 said:
Looks like he's resting up, waiting for you to deal with the bear...
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Don't let the calm façade fool you! He's a German shepherd / Lab mix, and 100% guard dog. He's very protective of his pack, if anyone he doesn't know gets near us, he's all business. For better or worse, everyone in the neighborhood knows and respects The Bear.
 
Jeff Oslick said:
Thanks. She really is. She's really increased the "fun" in our family. Her only bad habit is getting too excited/aggressive around other dogs. Working on it, but it's slow process.
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Lots of socialization is the best remedy for that.. Oscar now knows which dogs he can and can't play with but it took some time. He still gravitates towards huskies and German shepherds which can tolerate some rougher play
 
Tantalum said:
Lots of socialization is the best remedy for that.. Oscar now knows which dogs he can and can't play with but it took some time. He still gravitates towards huskies and German shepherds which can tolerate some rougher play
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Yeah, unfortunately this whole COVID thing hasn't been terribly conducive to getting her time with other dogs we know. Most larger breeds she is ok with, she knows she isn't in control. Little dogs trigger her every time.

Yesterday she saw a flock of about 100 wild parrots circling around (yes, we have these in some areas of SoCal). She was terribly confused on what to do. Herding instinct was at 100%, but flight ability is at 0%. It was hilarious to watch for a few minutes.
 
Jeff Oslick said:
Little dogs trigger her every time.
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Our dog was great with little dogs until one of the little neighborhood yappers, Sammie, nipped him on the leg. It took almost all of my strength to drag him away and keep Sammie from becoming a Scooby snack. Now, Bear pretty must goes into destroyer mode when little dogs come up, we have to keep him away.
 
We have a pretty good size stream/creek running through our backyard...maybe 30 feet wide, about six feet deep. Our most recent German Shepherd (lost him 2 1/2 years ago..finally almost ready to adopt our fourth in as many decades..) was well trained, but had the strongest shepherding instinct of all the Shepherds we've had. We were playing in the yard (about an acre of open area bordered by trees in opposite sides, our house, and the creek) when he spied a huge flock of Canadian geese by the river. He took off like he was shot out of a cannon, almost reaching the geese at a dead run before they took off over the river. He took off too, trying to fly after them. Didn't quite make the other bank....but close. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.
 
Y’all are making me reminisce this morning.

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One of the last pictures I took of my dog. Here he is laying with his favorite ‘pinky’.

We got him when he was six weeks old and was with us for 14 short years. Gosh, I’m getting choked up writing this. I sure miss him...:sad:
 
Anyone else see the movie "A Dog's Life"? The best dog I ever knew passed in January after spending every day of 13 years with me. This one hurt. Then 9 months pass and this new pup needed a home. It's uncanny how he has so many similar behaviors as Kinley did. Life is better with a dog. 73BED14E-8A47-4913-A75A-E6801750F335.jpeg
 
Dogs are simply walking, running, panting, breathing reminders of love that knows no boundaries, questions, or end. We lost our first Shepherd almost thirty years ago, and I can still "feel" him around us sometimes. Here's the one we lost in August, 2018... to a hidden burst pancreatic tumor out of nowhere at the age of 9 1/2. Sadly, that's EXACTLY how we lost the one before him, at 10 1/2. Both were full-blown, healthy, unstoppable forces of nature up until their last day. We've lost other dogs to extreme old age. Not sure which is worse. At least those two shepherds lived lives of joy and no suffering up until the end. The lengthy geriatric suffering endured by our coydog (who made it to 17 1/2) and another setter/retriever mix (14 1/2) we had was really tough on them, but we kept them and cared for them as long as they showed ANY signs of happiness.

Here's our guy...

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Jeff Oslick said:
...Yesterday she saw a flock of about 100 wild parrots circling around (yes, we have these in some areas of SoCal). She was terribly confused on what to do. Herding instinct was at 100%, but flight ability is at 0%. It was hilarious to watch for a few minutes.
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You're a pilot. You should know the answer is to sign her up for flying lessons. :cool: ;)
 
This is Piper. Yeah, I did that. 14 weeks old now. This puppy stage thing sucks. All this "dogs are the best thing" doesn't have me convinced yet. This better be worth it.

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NealRomeoGolf said:
This is Piper. Yeah, I did that. 14 weeks old now. This puppy stage thing sucks. All this "dogs are the best thing" doesn't have me convinced yet. This better be worth it.

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Patience. Kindness. Consistency. Consistency. Did I say "consistency?" It'll be MORE than worth it. Approach training as something fun to share with your dog, rather than a task that neither one of you wants to do. Yes, puppies are a lot of work. That's why they're so cute. If they weren't cute, you couldn't stand the stuff they do. They don't do that stuff to make you mad... they do it because they don't know any better. The Shepherd in the picture above was just about the hardest, worst puppy we've ever had, and I almost gave up on him after two months, but I didn't. He turned out to be about the most stalwart, unflappable, give-it-his-all-all-the-time-and-then-some best dog we've ever had, but I had to keep him, literally, on a six foot leash by my side for almost six months unless we were on a longer tether outside training. Once he bonded with me, we were a unit, and he felt the same way about our whole family. Took a while with that one... he was tough. But, he turned out just as joyful, enthusiastic, and wonderful as he looks in that pic.
 
MuseChaser said:
That is one gorgeous creature. I'm a German Shepherd guy, and have been for almost forty years, but that pup would have a home here any time.
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German shepherds are great dogs, two of our friends have them and our pups play really well together

He's an Alaska and malamute, his ears should eventually come up but I love him either way even if they don't.. he's actually super affectionate, which is really cool
 
NealRomeoGolf said:
This is Piper. Yeah, I did that. 14 weeks old now. This puppy stage thing sucks. All this "dogs are the best thing" doesn't have me convinced yet. This better be worth it.

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Awe he's pretty cute..

... And yes, patience, kindness, and consistency. Dogs unlike humans only have innocence.. consistency and positive reinforcement work much better than negative reinforcement

Plus, even though we've domesticated them, remember that ultimately you've brought an animal into your home. He's not in his native environment.. out in the woods with your pack nobody cares how rambunctious you are or where you go to the bathroom..
 
Not mine but my fiancé’s family dogs. The beggars, AKA Levi and Shelby

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