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Location: Sometimes Maryland, sometimes NoVA. Depends on the day of the week
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My husband and I have been seriously talking about a dog for about a year. When we were house shopping this spring, a yard for our "hypothetical dog" was very important. Now, we are at about ready to get one and have started visiting shelters. We want to go the adoption/rescue route and want to find the right dog for us. But, as we went through shelters yesterday, we realized there is a lot we don't know about dogs. Our dog experience is fairly limited.
DH grew up with two Basenjis, and has had room mates with an older fluffy lab mix and an older german shepard. He wants a "big dog." Something he can take hiking, boating, maybe running. Someone that would play fetch in our large backyard for hours and that can be trained to behave and maybe some tricks. And, although we live in a very quiet, safe neighborhood. A deep, low bark if something strange goes on would be nice (even if its followed by licking to death )
Me, I'm a cat person. I grew up with cats. I have lived with one dog. We called him a bagel - he was some combo of corgi, beagle, a touch of chow, and who knows what else. But he is a cool dog (too bad my old room mate is too attached to his ). I was there when she got him, from a shelter. It was the 3rd place we had visited, and he just kind of called to us. Thats kind of what I would like to see happy with DH and I. My biggest "problem" is that I was raised by a mother that was afraid of dogs, and deathly afraid of big dogs. As much as logic rules my life, I have some guttural shakiness around big dogs when I first meet them. I have friends with rotties and dobies, and they are great dogs and I love them. But, I still have a very minor "flight or fight" flutter in my stomach when I first meet them or when they jump up. I also cannot stand when dogs lick my face. Clearly, I'm not a dog person, but DH wasn't a cat person and he loves our kitties.
So, after all that - tell me about your dog and why you think it might be a good-type of dog for us (or, why we should avoid it). I'm thinking perhaps a retriever, since they are more likely to lick you to death than anything. But, when young, they are awfully high strung. I'm prefer something mellower than most labs I've known.
Golden Retrievers although a large breed dog might be best for you and your husband. Retrievers are large enough for him to take hiking and by far are the best all around family dog!
One thing you might consider is to volunteer with your local adoption agency to get some hands on experience and hopefully overcome your fear of the larger dogs. You might also meet your new forever friend there
My husband and I have been seriously talking about a dog for about a year. When we were house shopping this spring, a yard for our "hypothetical dog" was very important. Now, we are at about ready to get one and have started visiting shelters. We want to go the adoption/rescue route and want to find the right dog for us. But, as we went through shelters yesterday, we realized there is a lot we don't know about dogs. Our dog experience is fairly limited.
DH grew up with two Basenjis, and has had room mates with an older fluffy lab mix and an older german shepard. He wants a "big dog." Something he can take hiking, boating, maybe running. Someone that would play fetch in our large backyard for hours and that can be trained to behave and maybe some tricks. And, although we live in a very quiet, safe neighborhood. A deep, low bark if something strange goes on would be nice (even if its followed by licking to death )
Me, I'm a cat person. I grew up with cats. I have lived with one dog. We called him a bagel - he was some combo of corgi, beagle, a touch of chow, and who knows what else. But he is a cool dog (too bad my old room mate is too attached to his ). I was there when she got him, from a shelter. It was the 3rd place we had visited, and he just kind of called to us. Thats kind of what I would like to see happy with DH and I. My biggest "problem" is that I was raised by a mother that was afraid of dogs, and deathly afraid of big dogs. As much as logic rules my life, I have some guttural shakiness around big dogs when I first meet them. I have friends with rotties and dobies, and they are great dogs and I love them. But, I still have a very minor "flight or fight" flutter in my stomach when I first meet them or when they jump up. I also cannot stand when dogs lick my face. Clearly, I'm not a dog person, but DH wasn't a cat person and he loves our kitties.
So, after all that - tell me about your dog and why you think it might be a good-type of dog for us (or, why we should avoid it). I'm thinking perhaps a retriever, since they are more likely to lick you to death than anything. But, when young, they are awfully high strung. I'm prefer something mellower than most labs I've known.
Okay, well, I would absolutely love to tell you about the breed that we own, but they aren't a large breed like your husband would like, but they are very active and are wonderful dogs to take boating, hiking, etc. They are also a breed that gets very attacked to their owners very quickly so, they have to be right on top of you, licking you and spending every waking second with you, and they are not good for people that want an outside dog, people that won't be home a lot and people that don't have some serious experience with dogs. From what you have said you want and don't want and you like and dislike, I doubt that our breed would be the breed for you, but I'll tell you about them anyway!
My husband and I own three wonderful American Pit Bull Terriers.. No they are not mean or aggressive, no their jaws don't lock, no they don't have the strongest bit out of any dog, no they don't turn on people, no they are not large breed dogs, they don't attack more than any other breed.. pretty much anything that you hear in the media or from people that have never owned or spent any time around the breed is completely false! APBTs are a medium breed dog and they are terriers so they are very active and need a lot of exercise everyday. They are a dominate breed so, they need a strong "pack leader" to properly raise, train and socialize them, show them who is in charge and keep them in line. As I said before, they get very attached to their owners very quickly and they are not a good breed for someone that wants an outside dog, someone that won't be home a lot or someone that doesn't have much experience with dogs. APBTs are one of the most stable, people-friendly breeds in existence, they are one of the only breeds that have been bred specifically to be amazingly human friendly! In temperament testing they always test above most popular family breeds such as Goldens and Beagles and they are the perfect breed to have around children! Because of their love of people they don't tend to be very good guard dogs, but they are very smart and will do anything to please their owners so, they can be trained to be good guard dogs. They are currently used and suitable for all types of service work including drug detection, emergency rescue, service and therapy work, military service, and much more. The American Pit Bull Terrier is additionally one of the most intelligent and easy to train breed of dogs. The trainer of the show dog Lassie has even remarked on how the APBT is his choice of breed for training. They are unique, smart, easy to train, sweet, loyal, loving, gentle, obedient, devoted, tolerant and funny! They are almost human like in their emotions and expressions! These days alot of people choose to believe all of the crazy myths they have heard about "pit bulls" over the facts! Like any breed of dog, a healthy "pit bull" that is properly raised will remain loving and friendly. In the past 20 years, we have seen some sad examples of poorly bred and badly treated dogs that are by products of irresponsible "backyard breeders" and cruel and abusive homes. These improperly raised, unsocialized creatures can show temperaments far removed from the traditional authentic "pit bulls." Do not confuse these unfortunate misbreds with the HUGE majority of well-loved "pit bulls" in this country that remain solid in temperament, affectionate, trustworthy and friendly to their dying day.
Just some interesting facts...
-"Pit bulls" are known as nanny dogs for their love of children.
-For hundreds of years "pit bulls" have been bred to have a human friendly disposition and an overwhelming sense of need to please their owners.
-The second Petey (Lucenay's Peter) from the Little Rascals was a UKC registered APBT, Lucenay's Peter. In 1936 he was cross registered with the AKC as a AMSTAFF.
-The WWI Poster dog was a pit bull.
-Staffordshire Terrier, Sergeant Stubby was decorated WWII war hero. He sought out wounded soldiers and caught enemy snipers.
-Popcicle, the Number 1 US Customs dog is a rescued pit bull, that was left to die in a freezer.
-During the 40's and 50's the American Pit Bull Terrier was the number 1 family dog.
-"Pit bull" isn't a breed, it's a term used to group three breeds, the American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT), the American Staffordshire Terrier (AmStaff) and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier (Staffie).
I love this site! Diane Jessup is the owner of the dog that hold the most titles (I guess that's what you would call it?) and that dog happens to be a "pit bull".. Official Pit Bull Site of Diane Jessup
Also, here are two short videos on APBTs that I absolutely love!
As I said before, from what you have said, I don't think that an APBT is really what your looking for, but you never know! I never ever thought I would own a "pit bull"! I have owned a chocolate lab, a fox hound, a cocker spaniel, a black lab, 2 mini schnauzers, etc and I was always scared to death of "pit bulls" because of what everyone says about them.. Now I own three of them and I really can't see myself ever owning another breed!
Oh, and I also wanted to add.. My younger sister is deathly afraid of all dogs! It's doesn't matter if they are big or small, calm or hyper, nice or mean, puppies or older dogs.. If it's a dog, she's scared of it! She has just been that way her whole life and we don't really know why. She has never had a bad experience with a dog and no one in our family is scared of dogs! In fact, my younger brother and I have both been attacked by labs and I still went on to own a chocolate lab and a black lab so, it's not that we were scared of dogs and it rubbed off on her or anything like that. Anyway, the ONLY dogs that she isn't scared of is our three APBTS! lol! My husband and I think it's kind of funny because a lot of dog lovers are scared of "pit bulls" because of all of the crazy crap everyones hears about them, but the only dogs my sister isn't scared of are our three "pit bulls"!
Here's a picture of my younger sister with Brooklyn (our male) and Destiny (one of our females). This is shortly after we first got Destiny and before we got Jayda...
Here's Brooklyn with my little sister-in-law and brother-in-law..
And here's a picture of all three of our babies, Brooklyn, Destiny and Jayda!...
Last edited by PitBullMommie1206; 08-19-2007 at 01:10 PM..
I love you pitbullmommie, I am going to CA Sept 7th where my DD and her fiance have a pitbull mix that she showed me on webcam in her lap!! 50 lbs already. She can't wait for me to come and play gramma to their baby. I don't think they have him Camo very trained yet and she says he will jump on me and I say he won't.
My baby was my Rottie named Lady Jane who died in my bed at 6 1/2 years old, don't know what happened. I took her across country in my truck, made the whole front seat hers and pulled a trailer. Left her in the hotel room while I wne to eat and stuff, never made a peep. The emotionality of this breed, to me is beyond compare. The eye contact is great, they wait for you to tell them what to do. They are a working breed and I had a home in Or where I took care of 5 elderly persons in my home 24/7 and Lady was great, never jumped on them. My cargivers taught her to eat from a spoon and painted her toe nails I miss her so and can't wait to get another dog!!!
I love you pitbullmommie, I am going to CA Sept 7th where my DD and her fiance have a pitbull mix that she showed me on webcam in her lap!! 50 lbs already. She can't wait for me to come and play gramma to their baby. I don't think they have him Camo very trained yet and she says he will jump on me and I say he won't.
My baby was my Rottie named Lady Jane who died in my bed at 6 1/2 years old, don't know what happened. I took her across country in my truck, made the whole front seat hers and pulled a trailer. Left her in the hotel room while I wne to eat and stuff, never made a peep. The emotionality of this breed, to me is beyond compare. The eye contact is great, they wait for you to tell them what to do. They are a working breed and I had a home in Or where I took care of 5 elderly persons in my home 24/7 and Lady was great, never jumped on them. My cargivers taught her to eat from a spoon and painted her toe nails I miss her so and can't wait to get another dog!!!
Thanks for the post! Everyone that meets our dogs just loves them! My whole family, including my grandparents who really don't care for dogs, and my husbands whole family (the ones that live in American anyway) absolutely love our babies! They are all just big babies and they just want to curl up in your lap and lick you to death!
I completely agree with PBM'S post.I have to say, when I adopt dog next time, that will be APBT or APBT mix. That can be the only breed for me and my husband that we'll adopt.
I have a beagle/basset mix that has the best personality of any dog I've ever owned.
He's very cuddly, happy, intelligent, and properly submissive with other dogs.
Oh my goodness, what a cutie!
Quote:
Originally Posted by lastra
I completely agree with PBM'S post.I have to say, when I adopt dog next time, that will be APBT or APBT mix. That can be the only breed for me and my husband that we'll adopt.
Love your post! I can't even tell you how happy I am that you and your hubby have decided to save a pitty! I can't wait to see pictures when you finally do find the perfect one for you! I always love to hear about people adopting animals, especially "pit bulls" because there are so many of them that desperately need good homes, but it is awesome when people like yourself and your husband take them time to learn about the breed first so that you make sure you give him or her the best home possible! I love it! As you know, "pit bulls" definitely aren't for everyone, that's why I'm not sure if it would be the right breed for Rubytue, but you know I love any chance to talk about the breed! lol! And if I can help just one person learn the truth about these breeds than I have done a good job!
Rubytue.. I was thinking maybe a Lab or a Golden might work well for you. As I said, APBTs are by far my favorite, but I would never suggest them for someone if the breed really isn't right for them. That's the main reason why there are "aggressive" "pit bulls" out there and so many "pit bulls" living on the street and in shelters. Some people will get these dogs because they think it will make them look cool or tough, so they will abuse the dog, neglect the dog, chain it up outside, trained the dog to be mean and fight, etc. Or people will get "pit bulls" when they know nothing about them, or at least nothing truthful about them and they don't realize that these are not outside dogs, they need a lot of exercise and they need a lot of love and attention, and even if they aren't trying to make the dog mean, they will end up with a unruly dog because they don't do what needs to be done for the breed. These dogs are truly amazing dogs, but they are not for everyone. It isn't uncommon to hear "pit bull" owners utter the words, you just have to own one to know what I mean. "Pit bull" ownership is a truly unique experience. It is difficult to express the level of love, joy and pure magic these dogs bring to their caretakers every single day! Anyway, I was thinking, if an APBT isn't the breed your looking for maybe a Golden or Lab would be better? I have never owned a Golden, but I know they are amazing dogs! I have owned a Chocolate Lab and a Black Lab and they were wonderful! They are actually a lot like APBTs except they are larger and they aren't quite as active. They definitely aren't lazy dogs though.. lol! My Chocolate Lab, Charley (like Charley Brown.. lol! ) was very playful half of the time and then he just slept the other half! He was very smart and very sweet! My Black Lab, Sargent, was a little more active than Charley was, but he knew when to be calm. He was also very smart and very sweet as well! So yeah, I just thought that I would suggest those breeds too because they might be more what your looking for and they are truly wonderful breeds!
This is a short quiz that will tell you what breeds might be good for you, this might be helpful?... Breed Selector, Dog Search, Puppy Survey, Puppy Test, Test to find the right dog, Breed Quiz (http://www3.dogbreedinfo.com/search.htm - broken link) This quiz and one other quiz actually helped us finally decide on an APBT over the other breeds we were considering. APBTs are just the perfect breed for us, they fit our lifestyle, want and needs perfectly! Hope this helps some and good luck with everything!
As you can see by my nick name, i'm in love with GSDs! They are the perfect dog for me. I have two, my male was a rescue at 14 month old, came very dog aggressive. My female came from BYB, poor temperament and very timid, but a big sweetheart. I put a lot of work into these dogs, training, protection work, agility, you name it, to get them where i want them to be. My female is still timid, but is getting better.
Intelligence, loyalty, good looks, can do any work, from herding, to therapy to protection to search and rescue and police work. They're quickly trainable (in the right hands) and very loyal to ones they love. They're aware of strangers, but once they get to know you, they'll be your best friends for life. They must be highly socialized and must be kept active. They are smart enough to find something to do on their own if not kept busy. This is very curious breed and will be constantly at your feet and in your business unless told otherwise. They're highly energetic, and must have daily, preferably 2x a day exercise routine. If you are active person, GSD will be a good match. I can't go to the bathroom without my male following me This breed can be dominant and hard headed, they will challenge you for the rest of their life if you let them. Obedience training is a must!! They're not back-yard breed, they thrive on human companionship and get bored easily, if left alone outside, they will become aggressive.
All in all, the bad part of GSD is, they shed 24/7/365, we don't call them German Shedder for nothing So if you're looking for non-shedding dog, or less shedding dog, GSD is not for you. They have a list of health problems, hips and sensitive stomach are probably on the top of the list. That is why you need to consider a good, reputable breeder if you don't want to deal with big health bill.
To me, all the goods out weight all the bads. I refuse to have another breed. But that's just me.
Good luck in your search and let us know what you picked!!
I'm a Rottie lover, but have you considered the German shorthair pointer? Very, very intelligent, sweet, loyal dogs...not as hyper as many breeds. They need a good-sized yard and love to be with their people, but given those two things, or at least the people and some good exercise, they are just wonderful companions, very people oriented.
Should you decide you could live with a Rottweiler in the home, I would recommend Majesty Rottweiler Rescue in Darlington. And if you have the ability to nurse to health a 6 month old Rottie in Florida who needs surgery but whose family can't afford it, I can help hook you up on that...and believe me, there is a transport railroad of rescuers you wouldn't believe that would help get him to you!
Good luck in your search...and do take the dog quiz above, at least it might help narrow things down for you.
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). I was there when she got him, from a shelter. It was the 3rd place we had visited, and he just kind of called to us. Thats kind of what I would like to see happy with DH and I. My biggest "problem" is that I was raised by a mother that was afraid of dogs, and deathly afraid of big dogs. As much as logic rules my life, I have some guttural shakiness around big dogs when I first meet them. I have friends with rotties and dobies, and they are great dogs and I love them. But, I still have a very minor "flight or fight" flutter in my stomach when I first meet them or when they jump up. I also cannot stand when dogs lick my face. Clearly, I'm not a dog person, but DH wasn't a cat person and he loves our kitties. 
From what you have said you want and don't want and you like and dislike, I doubt that our breed would be the breed for you, but I'll tell you about them anyway! 
APBTs are a medium breed dog and they are terriers so they are very active and need a lot of exercise everyday. They are a dominate breed so, they need a strong "pack leader" to properly raise, train and socialize them, show them who is in charge and keep them in line. As I said before, they get very attached to their owners very quickly and they are not a good breed for someone that wants an outside dog, someone that won't be home a lot or someone that doesn't have much experience with dogs. APBTs are one of the most stable, people-friendly breeds in existence, they are one of the only breeds that have been bred specifically to be amazingly human friendly! 
These dogs are truly amazing dogs, but they are not for everyone. It isn't uncommon to hear "pit bull" owners utter the words, you just have to own one to know what I mean. "Pit bull" ownership is a truly unique experience. It is difficult to express the level of love, joy and pure magic these dogs bring to their caretakers every single day! 
