Wanted: Dog-Related Advice and Wisdom from The Collective

**plugboots** · 06-20-2017, 09:17 AM

Originally Posted by liv2ski

Rescued dogs can have a lot of baggage, as their former humans suck at life and deserve to be put down, however, with a lot of love and patience, you can make them happy and well balanced dogs. It just isn't a job most people can do. So ya, if you don't work from home and are not willing to devote a lot of time to the dog, don't take on a stressed out dog.

I agree with this. Both our dogs are rescues. Puppies are a lot of work as well, of course, but different work.

**iceman** · 06-20-2017, 09:24 AM

Originally Posted by Timberridge

A beagle? What were you thinking?

Right? I love dogs but man do I hate beagles.

**Danno** · 06-20-2017, 10:03 AM

My rescue golden is a perfect dog, very few issues. Just because a dog is a "rescue" doesn't necessarily mean much, every dog (and the reasons for being a rescue) are different.

**Tippster** · 06-20-2017, 10:11 AM

Originally Posted by Danno

My rescue golden is a perfect dog, very few issues. Just because a dog is a "rescue" doesn't necessarily mean much, every dog (and the reasons for being a rescue) are different.

This. Both of my Labs are technically "rescues" but they came from great homes. The older one was a dude's best buddy until he got married and had a baby that was super allergic. The younger one was awarded to a woman in a divorce. She ended up living in a 2BR apt. with her two teenage daughters and realized that wasn't fair to the dog.

Both have been amazing fur kids.

**Viva** · 06-20-2017, 10:25 AM

Originally Posted by digitaldeath

Get a rat

HELL YEAH!!!

Sent from my XT1650 using TGR Forums mobile app

**liv2ski** · 06-20-2017, 11:06 AM

Originally Posted by Danno

My rescue golden is a perfect dog, very few issues. Just because a dog is a "rescue" doesn't necessarily mean much, every dog (and the reasons for being a rescue) are different.

I don't think anyone said all rescues are dogs with issues. All I said is if you don't have the time, patience and love to work with a stressed dog, be patient and wait for an easier friend to show up.
Sadly there are new dogs to rescue every day.

**El Chupacabra** · 06-20-2017, 11:07 AM

Originally Posted by flowing alpy

hairless cat

Shaved pussy?

**Mazderati** · 06-20-2017, 11:17 AM

Originally Posted by El Chupacabra

Shaved pussy?

I think they're grown that way in other countries.

**Gcooker** · 06-20-2017, 11:28 AM

Originally Posted by TBS

BIL& SIL take in retired greyhounds. Do not get one unless your property is hermetically sealed off from the world. Greyhounds get a glimmer of daylight and they are gone forever. They had one bolt when neighbor came through their gate. Knocked neighbor down as he sprinted for freedom. Never saw the dog again.

Retired Greyhounds are so sheltered they have no clue how to survive in the real world. Ya gotta teach them about stairs, and they have no clue about standing water. I was there when they brought one home - he bolted across their yard and tried to run across the swimming pool. The look on its face as it sank was priceless - until we had to mount a rescue

That's funny, I thought it was only the Greyhound that my parents rescued was that dumb. After they got it home they were out showing it around with their other dog, lab/shepard mix. The dog had never run on long grass before or experienced a forest. Fucking thing ran full tilt into a hardwood forest and ripped her side open and needed a whack of stitches. She wouldn't go near trees for month after. Turned out to be one of best tempered dogs they ever had other than it tore the shit out of their grass when running around full speed.

OP - For what its worth, I was crazy allergic to cats but when my college roommate got a kitten I found I wasn't allergic to it for some reason. Maybe being exposed to it constantly for a full year helped with my cat allergy... who knows....

**Timberridge** · 06-20-2017, 12:38 PM

OP should get a greyhound/beagle mix--a greagle.

**El Chupacabra** · 06-20-2017, 12:42 PM

Originally Posted by Timberridge

OP should get a greyhound/beagle mix--a greagle.

And then move here:

http://www.graeagle.com/

**ill-advised strategy** · 06-20-2017, 01:30 PM

Thanks for the thread thus far.

1: Why I want a dog....I like walking with them, screwing around in the house/yard with them, I enjoy watching their weird little dogbrains work on stuff and learn things. I had a form of odd unconditional love for my last dog that I can't particularly explain with words, she made me a better person...that's for sure. The...simplicity maybe...or their inherent innocence of all the toxic bullshit that comprises a lot of human life and interaction is something I find cleansing and restorative.

2) I did not choose a beagle, or this beagle. My wife, whom I love very much, got antsy and went to the shelter to look at another small dog....got heart-melted by this beagle, which, having been heart-melted by her myself (and see item 3), is understandable and forgivable to me...and thought this very small dog (maybe 25 lbs, very small beagle) wouldn't be hard on her allergies.

3) Beagle is fine! Early this morning in chit chat with coworkers I mentioned having had a rough week with this dog deal, turns out beagle is currently at my coworker's house. She has melted their hearts, evidently coworker's wife brought her into work for a bit today and she heart-melted everyone at work, she is a heart-melter, and they have a really good setup time/schedule wise as well as with their property and the whole deal. I saw a bunch of pictures of the happy beagle being comfortable on couches and whatnot. All is well, which is a relief to me beyond words really.

4) Sounds like we'll probably have to save some money to get a very specific type of dog, and that's OK. Wife grew up with a shih tzu, we have a friend with a shih tzu so we're going to try and dog-sit that goofy little bastard for a while and see how the allergies do. Not exactly my kind of dog, my favorites over the years have always been working dogs and retrievers or some muttly combination of that stuff. But lots of people have those little fellas, how bad could they be? I'll be interested to see how it goes.

5) I agree with the caution re: pound dogs, but I also know there are plenty of human reasons good dogs wind up there. People have car accidents and strokes. My awesome shelter dog ended up there because her last owner, who was a nice lady I eventually met later, went to jail for something.

**mtngirl79** · 06-20-2017, 01:36 PM

Originally Posted by Danno

My rescue golden is a perfect dog, very few issues. Just because a dog is a "rescue" doesn't necessarily mean much, every dog (and the reasons for being a rescue) are different.

this. Most dogs are given up to rescues as young, teenage dogs because they need more exercise and training than the first owner realized and as soon as you provide that they completely turn around.

Older dogs are hard to place. Maybe the OP should look for an older dog that would be stoked to lay on the porch most of the day.

**mtngirl79** · 06-20-2017, 01:41 PM

also, its way better to realize you cannot provide what a dog needs and get it into a new home than it is to just leave it in the backyard ignored all the time.

**ill-advised strategy** · 06-20-2017, 01:46 PM

Originally Posted by mtngirl79

Maybe the OP should look for an older dog that would be stoked to lay on the porch most of the day.

Yeah...I agree.

**ill-advised strategy** · 06-20-2017, 01:50 PM

Originally Posted by mtngirl79

also, its way better to realize you cannot provide what a dog needs and get it into a new home than it is to just leave it in the backyard ignored all the time.

That wasn't ever going to be the deal. There are some days where a dog in our household may be in the yard for like 5 or 6 hours, but those are fairly rare. But most days there are going to be times of a few hours. This particular dog was mega-stressed and working hard on finding any possible escape as soon as she was alone and confined. We're not planning on leaving a dog alone in the yard all the time, that's not what this is.

**Timberridge** · 06-20-2017, 02:04 PM

https://www.designermixes.org/breed_...n_greagle.aspx

**mtngirl79** · 06-20-2017, 02:11 PM

Originally Posted by ill-advised strategy

That wasn't ever going to be the deal. There are some days where a dog in our household may be in the yard for like 5 or 6 hours, but those are fairly rare. But most days there are going to be times of a few hours. This particular dog was mega-stressed and working hard on finding any possible escape as soon as she was alone and confined. We're not planning on leaving a dog alone in the yard all the time, that's not what this is.

I didn't think that was the case. I was more getting at the idea put forth that any human that has to give up a dog is a POS.

That's just not the case. The person who gets the dog into the place where it will suffer the least is the better person.

**plugboots** · 06-20-2017, 02:15 PM

^^^ Great link.
Chiweenie, AKA:
Chih-weenie, Doxihuahua

Mispellings: Chaweenie, Chawennie, Chawinnie, Cheweenie, Chihweenie, Chihiweenie, Chiweene, Chiweenee, Chiweinnie, Chiweni, Chiwennie, Chiwene, Chiwienie, Chiweinie, Chiwienne, Chiwinie, Chiwinnie, Chweenie, Chwennie, Dachuahua, Doxiwawa, Doxywawa

**Timberridge** · 06-20-2017, 02:33 PM

The designer dog world is almost as confusing as mtngirl.

**ill-advised strategy** · 06-20-2017, 03:16 PM

man, an animal with the nose of a beagle and the chase instinct and speed of a greyhound would be a goddamn handful here in the northwoods with all our bunnies and squirrels and grouse and whatnot.

**old goat** · 06-20-2017, 03:30 PM

Young friend of ours in Germany is training his dog (can't remember the breed) to hunt truffles. I don't think truffles are much good after you shoot them, though.

**RootSkier** · 06-20-2017, 03:46 PM

First thing to do is get a vasectomy.

**Kevo** · 06-20-2017, 03:55 PM

Hey man, my GF has really serious allergies to most dogs. We used the following strategy for finding a shelter dog-

-Find an interesting dog from a shelter that seems like a lifestyle fit
-Meet the dog, play with the dog, take the dog for a walk and see if she/he is a personality fit.
-If dog passes above test, have GF rub her face on the dog.
-Put the dog on hold, take small fur sample from said dog.
-See if GF has allergic freakout to dog from rubbing face on dog.
-If no, rub fur sample on GF's pillow and see if she has a reaction.
-If no, go back and adopt dog.

We went through various stages of that test with a couple dogs before finding an awesome fit. It was worth it.

Edit to add- our dog had serious separation anxiety when we first got her. We crate trained her, which felt really bad at first. She would bark in her kennel and get really upset when we left, but eventually she would chill out. The kennel became her safe spot and now she chills in there all time but it has been years since we have shut the door for any reason. She is an Australian Kelpie, and despite all the common knowledge to the contrary she is the chillest indoor dog I have ever known. She can go on 8+ mile trail runs one day and chill wihout any excercise other days.

**Danno** · 06-20-2017, 04:03 PM

Originally Posted by Kevo

Hey man, my GF has really serious allergies to most dogs. We used the following strategy for finding a shelter dog-

-Find an interesting dog from a shelter that seems like a lifestyle fit
-Meet the dog, play with the dog, take the dog for a walk and see if she/he is a personality fit.
-If dog passes above test, have GF rub her face on the dog.
-Put the dog on hold, take small fur sample from said dog.
-See if GF has allergic freakout to dog from rubbing face on dog.
-If no, rub fur sample on GF's pillow and see if she has a reaction.
-If no, go back and adopt dog.

We went through various stages of that test with a couple dogs before finding an awesome fit. It was worth it.

and as a side bonus, it will give the OP lots to laugh at.