I love dogs. I, especially, love Cocker Spaniels. Although, I don't own one myself, my parents have a 5 year old that is black and white, or "parti", that is one pretty damn smart dog. This is the 3rd Cocker that they have had in my lifetime with the other 2 being blondes. I plan on getting a Cocker myself, some day, when I can devote time to it. Right now would not be a good time to have a pet. Being retired like my father has proven to be an excellent time to have a companion like that. I wouldn't mind having a Collie or maybe a Miniature Schnauzer, but I believe the key of having a successful relationship with a dog or any pet is how much time as an owner you put into it. So, what other breeds of dogs do people here like? I am not a cat lover, but are there any cat lovers here?
Hey Manny, I have both. The only cat I would stay away from are Siamese. You just can really get some nutty ones. The most important thing with a cat is that it was well socialized as a kitten, but I have seen some really nice cats that once were unapproachable. As far as dogs, Schnauzer's (especially Miniature) are one of my least favorites. My experience is the little runts are far less tough than they think they are, plus they tend to be obnoxios to anyone other than perhaps their owner (leader) and maybe 1 more family member. In general I think big dogs tend to have better temperments. Maybe it is becuase if they are big they have less to worry about, or perhaps it is because if they are big they probably had big anceters, and if they had been mean and uncontrollable they never would have been allowed to bread. I have met some nice well behaved small dogs too, so I don't want to generalize too much however. You really can't go wrong with a mutt, but if you want to go with a pure breed I would be more thorough in thinking about what you want (activity level you are looking for, climate--I assume Houston--thus Nordics thus not ideal, degree it will interact with other dogs/people, size/type of yard, potential for being a wanderer, tolerance of being alone, etc.). In my area (Tucson) you want a dog that is going to be outside a lot to be tough enough to handle a coyote or 2 as well. If you provide a few more specifics I'll take a shot at some potential breeds.
We have a Toy Chihuahua named Cookie, two jet-black half Siamese brother cats named Zeke (for the old Oiler cornerback Zeke Moore) and Manny (for the old ABA player Manny Leaks), and a calico cat named Callie. We also had an orange tabby named Jackson that ran away or was kidnapped or was killed about two years ago. I can't particularly recommend Chihuahuas although ours is relatively quiet. You have to want a dog that will be in your lap every freakin' time you sit down to love a Chihuahua. The kids picked her out, of course. Our cats are great. Most cats run away when company comes, but our cats come around and want to have their ears and backs rubbed or may even want to climb into your lap. They are unusual in that way.
http://epets.tripod.com my dog's page needs to be updated...... but she hasn't changed much she looks the same! she's the coolest dog, very smart, loving and protective! We also have a cocker that we rescued from a local cocker rescue, Bert. He was abused and he's missing some teeth... it's sad. I mean who would hit a dog so cute? It's terrible, we knew he was abused when we adopted him, but the thing that proved it was the night I got my golf clubs... I took a club and went into the living room, Bert followed and layed down and watched... I didn't think anything of it and when I drew back to practice a swing, he freaked out and yelped and scooted away... I mean, someone had struck this dog in the past with an object... so sad.... my cats have a page on that site too... they're awesome. our b/w cat was saved from the SPCA and our calico moved in with us when we purchased our first house... she's been around ever since... she's my cat! enjoy rH
good topic manny. Dogs rule, and my fav breed is Springer Spaniel. It was so easy to train and I just loved her mannerism's. She always wanted attention, but if you didn't feel like giving it at the time, she wouldn't pester you. She would come up to you, sit down, stick out her paw and reach out like she wanted to shake hands. She was a good hunter too. I when I was smaller, I lived in a colonias, had electricity and water and stuff, but it was really trashy cuz there was a lot of rats all over the place. I slept on the couch and slept soundly every night, and when I would wake up in the morning, she'd have a couple of dead rats littered about that had tried to come out and raid the trash or whatever. And no thieves EVER tried to rob from our house, despite plenty of them about. Everyone in the neighborhood was deathly scared of our dogs, so when the fence went up around our property the mooching stopped. Unfortunately, I lost all my dogs including my Springer Spaniel(named Pepsi, she was always so energetic) around the same time my Dad died. But whenever I move into a house(or an apartment that allows dogs) I am going to get a Springer Spaniel. I also had a Cocker Spaniel once, but he just didn't strike my fancy. It was fun playing with them when other people owned them, but it was a pain when I owned one. I ended up giving mine to some relatives who sadly had their's killed by some a-hole trying to steal it. Golden Retriever's are cool too.
My last one was actually an English Springer Spaniel. Smartest dog I've ever known, cancer got him. I now have a gigantic Miniature Schnauser. He's literally twice the size and weight he's supposed to be, which makes him about as big as a Schnauser. Very smart as well, vocabulary about 80-90 words - most obsessive damn dog I've ever seen. The squirrel is his arch enemy. He will sit by the window staring at the back porch all day long waiting for that little rat to come by looking for food (they both appear to follow a schedule/routine)...
Rhodesian Ridgebacks rule. I've got two female sisters. They take care of the squirrels and the cats. Although they would devour them, they can never catch them. But, the chase is the best part. Plus, the ridge...man. How many dogs you know got a ridge of reverse flow hair going down the spine of their back? This is the sign of the badass and the lion hunter. Deep down...even with all that hunting instinct...they are very friendly and loyal dogs. Good, aggressive guard dogs as well. Dogs can be a handful...which is why some choose the way of the cat. My dogs tend to give the neighbors hell, though. Don't come near my chain link fence or they will growl, threaten to hop the fence, and chew you a new bumhole...but it never goes any farther than the fence. They just get excited to see the neighbor and bark/growl giving the neighbor(s) hell. They also got a big thing against weed eaters and lawnmowers when their running. They growl and lunge at them when your using them. I end up chasing them around the yard with the lawnmower or like a madman with the weedeater on full blast. Stupid dogs....hehe. I like all dogs in general. I like cats as well. I had a 15 year old Siamese that I accidentally ran over so...out of respect...I decided it would be my only and last cat. Poor little guy...I miss him . I had to watch him die and I never got over it. Surf
He isn't really a squirrel. He just looks like one. If he really was a squirrel I would fancy eating him.
I love animals especially dogs.... Doberman Pinscer (male six years) friendly, obidient, trusted. A fine canine Boxer (male, eight months) a nut, stubborn, gets in the trash too much 2 Senegal chamelions - they eat crickets like popcorn. Their changing colors to camoflage is amazing. Alien dinosaurs.
My dog needs to kill a squirrel, or else his short life will be incomplete. He can't catch one on his own as his legs are short (I can outrun him) and he can't climb trees. Someone is going to have to let me borrow a squirrel, or something that my dog will mistake for one, in order for his little life to be complete. OK, not borrow, have... OK, where can I buy a squirel for my dog to kill? This dog is very obsessed. I find it amusing, but to him it's a life & death matter. When the deer run through our backyard every night he wakes me up, barking for a squirrel that isn't there...
Man, that's sad treeman..... ...I wish I could help, but all I could give is the carcass of a tree squirrel....You see my pet, squirrel is named squirrel, but actually is a freshwater Oscar (he really does look like a squirrel and his name is really squirrel!)
You named your Oscar 'squirrel'? Man, that's just mean... I can't be blamed for my dog's obsession. All I can do is give him a lab rat or something, I guess, because I'm not going to catch the squirrel. He's never going to catch it. Maybe I won't even give him a lab rat... poor dog.
ON TOPIC: The best dog I ever owned was a German Shephard/Hound mix (At least that's what she looked like), named Snoopy. She was the most loyal dog in the world. She was a little mean, even chasing our neighbor into her house trying to bite her, but we never had any problems with her getting rough with any of our family members. I was only about 6 or so when we got her. She just walked up our street one day. Sorta, slow and deliberate. I was a little scared of her at first, but I gave her some of my Doritos, and she ate them. From that day on, we were the best of friends. My little brothers were 3 and 1.5 when she came along, and she never acted aggressively with them, me, or my parents. I would come home after Kindergarden and take a nap with her in her doghouse in our backyard. She would often kill rats and stuff and bring them to me as a trophy or as a gift. We had to give her up when my parents decided to move. What kills me, well two things kill me. 1. The house we moved into had a bigger backyard than our old house, and had a 7' wooden fence. 2. My mom made me go with her (I think b/c she was scared the dog might bite her) to drop Snoopy off. She drove up to Conroe (I think), and just went up some cul-de-sac and let her out...... I cried for hours. The second best dog I ever had was a Weimeraner, named Annie. If you go to a dog show, the breed that will be making the least noise will be the Weimers. These dogs only bark in an emergency. Of course, "emergency" is defined by the dog and not by us people. I think I've told stories about her before here on the BBS. She was poisoned twice by our next door neighbor. But, she survived both times. The first time, the lab technition sent her blood test back with a note saying that he thought the vet was joking with him because the sample contained 10 times the amount of poison needed to kill a dog her size. We have no idea how she lived. Like I said, she rarely barked. In the 7 or so years we had her she probably barked no more than a dozen times. Mostly, it was due to Possums in our trees. My sister got a minature Daschund, named Pug. Annie loved that dog more than anything. They loved to play together. One day, my mom (a weird person) let them both out. They were gone for days. Finally, a neighbor came by the house and asked if we were the ones with the "gray" dog. He had seen her a few miles away and told us where. We didn't think she'd still be there, but it was something. I didn't get to go, but my Dad said when he drove up, Annie was sitting in the exact place the guy had said. The bad thing was, she was sitting next to Pug, who had been hit by a car. She probably had been sitting there for a few days at least. Whew, those two stories in a row, get to me a little.... OFF TOPIC: Jeff, How many ferrets do you own? I had one (a LONG time ago) for a few days. An albino, named "Onion". But, he smelled too bad and we had to take him back to the pet store. Do they get along well with cats? Do the cats get along well with them? I'd like to have a ferret or two to go along with four or so cats when I get a house. What other stuff can you tell me about ferrets?
Without question, Basset Hounds! How could you not love those faces? We also have a 20-lb, fluffy cat (mancoon, possibly) that thinks he's a dog.
