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General Forestry => General Board => Topic started by: TN_man on October 25, 2004, 03:42:45 AM

Title: Favorite dog
Post by: TN_man on October 25, 2004, 03:42:45 AM
I have a 7 year old daughter who would love to have a puppy. The problem is we live on a farm with chickens, cattle and a pony. I would like to get her a dog that will be patient with her and not chase/kill our chickens and cattle. We have tried a couple of dogs on a trial basis and they did not work out. ::) A Blue-heeler kept nipping at her face and a border collie chased our chickens and nearly killed the ones it caught. We need a watch dog for the farm, but one that will be good to my daughter and one that is relaxed around the farm animals. ;)
I would appreciate any suggestions and experiences that ya'll have had. Thanks, Jeff
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: Ed on October 25, 2004, 04:26:36 AM
I would try a Labrador Retriever, My family had them for close to 40 years. We always kept them in the house so they were part of the family. Good hunters & excellent companions. They are also good natured with children & put up with alot from a child. While I don't think it's necessary to buy a dog with a championship bloodline, I would get a registered dog from a reputable breeder.
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: GAV64 on October 25, 2004, 04:56:38 AM
I've had 4 dogs over the years, all rescues, black lab/golden, lab/collie or setter, yellow lab/ something wit a curled tail and a husky. If you want to kill your chickens, squirrels, rabbits, cats and small dogs get the husky. The lab crosses i got from the humane society are the best and you would be doing a good thing, all were 3 to 6 months old when i got them, walk through the kennel a take the dog that pays the most attention to your daughter! i wish the first two were still alive, they were the smartest and most loyal dogs. good luck glenn.
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: Fla._Deadheader on October 25, 2004, 04:57:03 AM
  No matter what kind, ya GOTTA train 'em. A Border Collie is one of the smartest dogs I ever saw. They are handy on the farm, great with kids, and can actually understand you.

  Grandad had one we gave him as a pup. The kids would roll on the grass with her.

  One day, the neighbors bull crawled over my fence. I got up to go get the shotgun, and Grandad just said, lulubelle, go put that bull back. That dog tore off through the field and that bull HURDLED the fence, never touchin it.

  Never heard Grandad raise his voice to ANYTHING, all the 14 years we knew him.

  Ya gotta train them dogs, gently.

  Ours was raised rough. She ran with a G-Shepard, and mauled livestock. She just as soon grab a cow in the face as the heels. She would cower when you spoke to her, but, she made up for it with the Dairy cows. One DanG smart dog.
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: sprucebunny on October 25, 2004, 05:13:04 AM
I vote for a lab cross and the rescue dogs. Have gotten 3 female dogs from shelters over the years. All 3-4 yrs old . Female lab that was 1/4 G shepard was extremely smart, patient and had a sense of humor.
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: moosehunter on October 25, 2004, 05:17:25 AM
Aussie blue is a great farm/family dog. Natural hearding instinks.
 My favorite dog is my English Springer Spanial. They love kids and have enough energy to wear out the kids for miles around!
May not be much good around chickens tho... being a bird dog!
 Moosehunter
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: Bruce_A on October 25, 2004, 05:58:18 AM
I am a rottweiller fan if you have time to train them.  however they donot do well with porcupines.  Will eventually kill them with enough quills.  Again, training is the key.
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: TN_man on October 25, 2004, 05:59:40 AM
Deadheader,
 I agree about the training, that is why we would like a puppy so we could start off before any bad habits are formed. The bordercollie we tried, was one that somebody needed to find a new home for and of course, since we have "plenty of room for the dog to run" they thought of us. ::) We agreed on the basis that if it already had some bad habits we could give it back. I don't want to get stuck with someone else's problem-dog.
 Are laborador's good watch dogs? I have not been around enough to know.
Thanks for the input so far! 8)
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: FiremanEd on October 25, 2004, 06:05:29 AM
I have and will most likely always have Chesapeake Bay Retrievers but they require a good deal of work when they're young and it never really ends.

If you're not looking to train them for helping you on the farm, I'd recommend Beagals or Labs if you're just looking for a pet for the kids. Both will make great alarm dogs, not "guard" dogs but no one will get within sight of your house without you knowing it. I also love Golden retrievers if you don't mind the extra work of a longhaired dog. They are very smart and great with kids.

Dad has a border collie as pet and cattle dog. As noted above they are the most intelligent dog I've ever dealt with and they understand english. I think they're rated as the 2nd smarted dog in the world, second to some ankle nipper. Most will only obey one master but dads will listen to my brother and I, just not as good as for dad.

Get a puppy and enjoy, no matter the breed.
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: Jeff on October 25, 2004, 06:38:44 AM
I have to echo what Harold says. You gotta train em!  We got our Sydney dog when he was 10 weeks old from the shelter. He is an Australian Shepherd. He is now 15 years old. In those years he has protected family and children without ever hurting another creature.  I remember years ago the day we were all out in the yard and Syd discovered a mouse. He would herd that mouse around the yard and if it got to far away he would actually pick it up in his teeth without EVER inflicting harm, bring it to the middle of the yard, let it go, and corral it again. When he got tired of this, he picked the mouse up, took it to the edge of the mowed yard, drop it, and let it go on its way.

I have never thought of my dogs being trained but they are. My dogs don't live on a chain. They are part of the Family. They live with us and interact with us, and learn through discipline and love.
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: Corley5 on October 25, 2004, 06:53:33 AM
Pound puppies are my favorite 8)
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: Roxie on October 25, 2004, 07:31:49 AM
You're getting some good suggestions here and almost any dog that is trained correctly will leave livestock alone.  My favorite dog is an Australian Cattle Dog (Blue Heeler), but they require the patience of Job.  :)  From my personal experience, the only dog I've ever encountered that completely ignores any kind of stock is a Burnese Mountain Dog.  I've got an 11 year old fella that even rabbits aren't afraid to cozy up to him.  He is phenominal with all children.  Visitors to my home tell me that they think the dog would protect me if it were necessary, but just the appearance of him is enough to stop most people in their tracks to ask if he's friendly.   :D  I have friends that also have Mountain Dog's and they have identical experiences with their animals and children.   The question really becomes how much time you want to put into the puppy.  The quiet breeds like Bernese Mountain dogs and Collies require less correcting...the very active breeds like Heelers, Border Collies, Labs and Aussies simply require more time and patience to work that energy into the proper direction.  
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: Paschale on October 25, 2004, 07:58:14 AM
I'm a huge fan of Golden Retrievers myself.  My brother has one, and he has seven kids!  There's always been a little tot running around, and those kids can hang all day off of that dog, and she'll just take it all in stride.  She's the friendliest, most even-keeled dog I've ever encountered.  The kids use him as a pillow when the family gets together to watch movies.  She was a rescue from the pound as well--I think you can really find some great ones at the pound (bad ones though too).

The only negative about a Golden that I can see is that they're not really good guard dogs at all--I think their tail would start a waggin' away, even while a burglar was having his way with the place.   But, my vote would still be for a Golden.
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: DanG on October 25, 2004, 08:11:48 AM
Old timer told me of a trick to keep pups from chasing chickens. Just put him in the chicken house for a week, just as soon as he's weened. The hens will teach him some respect! ;D :D  I've never tried it, but I bet it works.
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: Jeff on October 25, 2004, 08:40:38 AM
Goldens are great family dogs, but you should be aware of where you get them. They are prone to hip problems, especially the ones from the puppy farms.  They still make pretty good gaurd dogs of the friendly variety. They will bark when something is different. I know, we live next to 3 of them. :)
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: D._Frederick on October 25, 2004, 11:25:28 AM
I have had a dog most of the 60+ years of my life and the Australian Shepherd gets my vote as the smarted and most friendly animal you could have as a pet. We always get a female and have her spayed, a lot less problems they stay home better. This the second Aussie we have had and is the best watch dog of the 7-8 dogs we have owned.

The road is the worst dog killer for dog owners. When I was young, I could count the cars on the fingers of one hand going by are place, now we have a 1000 a day. We can't leave a dog run loose anymore, if they get on the road people will hit them, they will not give an animal a chance to get out of the way!

Our first Aussie liked to tell us about her day, if she didn't like what was going on, she would spend 5 minutes telling us how she felt. You will never find a better dog for a pet than an Aussie.
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: Patty on October 25, 2004, 12:12:34 PM
We have always had labs of one color or another, and they are great dogs to have around kids. My boys used to play tackle football with the labs, and they just kept coming back for more fun. On the downside, though, labs are hard headed, and it is tough to change their ways once they get something in their head. Our beagle was smart as a whip, but completely untrainable. Right now we have a black lab/beagle/golden retriever mix. He is the smartest dog I've ever owned, easy to train, but loves to kill my chickens. I can't seem to break him from that bad habit.
My son has a Burmese Mountain dog over in Germany. She is a great dog, smart and very well behaved, but like a lot of big dogs that are pure bred types she has trouble with hip dysplesia. One of our labs had the same problem.
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: beetle on October 25, 2004, 01:15:37 PM
I agree with Dan G, expose the dog as a puppy to your other animals. Let them live together as a pup and they will become freinds, when the pup turns into a grown dog he/she will protect the animals.

Of course the breed will make a differance.
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: jgoodhart on October 25, 2004, 01:41:35 PM
Lab mixed make good dogs, had one that just showed up one day and called it home.
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: crtreedude on October 25, 2004, 03:06:48 PM
I had a lab / beagle cross for about 14 years. Wonderful dog, and very easy to train. Never seemed to forget what she was told.  Very good guard dog too.

One time, when she was young. I threw something accidentally toward the street and she started running toward the road. I yelled at her to stop. She stopped, and never would ever fetch anything ever again!  :D

I could teach her anything, except how to fetch a ball, and she was part lab.

Fred
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: stumpy on October 25, 2004, 04:57:40 PM
This is like asking what's the best pickup truck!
I have had many Labs and for my money they are the best dogs in the world. A very close second is a Golden retriever and third would be a pound pup/rescue dog as long as it has lab or golden retriever in it.
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: Larry on October 25, 2004, 05:19:02 PM
Here's a pair to draw to.  Not much intelligence from either one but they would sure fit the bill of being great with kids and animals although the weiner does like to chase birds (no chickens).  They are part of the family.

(https://forestryforum.com/images/03_21_04/dogs145.jpg)

We live in the country.  Some city folk think the proper way to get rid of there dogs are to bring them to the country and let em loose.  Guess the dogs pick us instead of the other way around.
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: bighoss550 on October 25, 2004, 08:29:00 PM
if u are thinkin of a lab, be VERY wary of the background!!!!! they can be nearly untrainable and uncontrollable in the first few years! i have one of this kind. Ruger.

he is a total bullheaded dumb dog.... i tried everything(i have had labs before BTW, and all took very well to training) but he refuses to be good. he is so bad, he is now an outside dog:(
he would pee on everything as soon as u turned ur back, and in 5 minutes one day, as i was just outside talkin to the neighbor, he ransacked my entire house! he tried to CHEW UP MY FLOORS!!!

cage training as a pup, he would just pee out the side, and lay in his poop!!! almost out of spite he will poop on the floor in the house as soon as u arent in sight!
unbelievable!!

so ruger is now banned to the portch, and he really appreciates his time in the house:) a much better dog:) maybe some dogs are just born to be outside, and there's no changin it.

just be cautious with them. also dont get the runt of the litter, as ive been told..... and ruger is one:(

dont get me wrong, labs are wonderful dogs, but they do have their bad points too if ya dont do ur homework
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: dail_h on October 25, 2004, 08:35:37 PM
   We always had collies growing up,smart loyal paitent brave,good with children. I like Irish setters,beautiful friendly,however they do tend to be a little addle-headed. Our current dog is a lab,english bulldog mix. She's a wonderful pup,too smart for her own good sometimes,but I think a little too enthustiastic for chickens and such. Her favorite passtime is scattering cats. She doesn't hurt them,even kittens,but if they will run,she will chase them,and she can make'm run!!!!!!!! ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: J_T on October 25, 2004, 10:20:40 PM
We got a restured lab , black lab mix old now and the wife has a mutt that knowes he is hers .The old lab mix won't hurt anything .The fancey bred critter has more enegery than the enegersier bunney look out chickens when she is out of her pen ;D Now the wife's mutt he was the runt an mistreated by the mama dog .That critter will come up stairs about 1:30 sit  down take his paw and slap the wife's side of the bed till she wakes up .She will go down stairs to the other bed room and he will lay out side the door if me or anything gets near that door he will growl at it , and he meanes it ;D Good luck  :D A buddy of mine has great peremise they good around every thing live with his sheep.
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: CHARLIE on October 25, 2004, 10:51:50 PM
I highly recommend a Labrador Retriever. They are good around children and are very good family dogs. They are natural retrievers and make good duck dogs if trained properly. They won't chase your chickens unless you train them to do so. They are good tempered but territorial. If a stranger walks onto your property, they will be challenged by a low gutteral growl. One other thing, if you plan on spanking your child, put the lab in another room first. The lab is going to protect your child.  We have a chocolate lab and she's part of the family. It's our 2nd lab. Oh......and they absolutely love the water. Take them for a swim.

One thing to remember. If you get a puppy, it is going to have to grow up just like a child would. Labs really like to play a lot when young and are like a two year old child until they hit 2 years old and then they begin to settle down.
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: TN_man on October 26, 2004, 01:17:44 AM
Thanks for all the input. I have already purchased some training videos that include a "how to pick out your puppy" section. There is an old guy that I have seen at the local cattle auction that seels Aussie pups and I have asked him if his dogs chase chickens and his response was that you have to train them not to. I will have to go back over there and ask him how he does it. :) Dang sounds like he has a good idea, although I wonder if the chickens could hurt it like they would hurt a strange chicken dropped in their midst. They can be mercyless, but maybe if I put it in there during low light hours when they are not as active that would help.
Well this has given me some breeds to start researching on and I appreciate your responses and well-wishes, Jeff ;)
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: Roxie on October 26, 2004, 07:24:19 AM
You won't go wrong with an Aussie around children.  I do have one last suggestion when you start training.....make certain that every member of the household uses the same word for "outside" and "sit" and "down" and "off".  "Down" should mean the dog is to lay down....off means the dog leaves the sofa, your lap, and gets his paws off the kitchen counter.   :)  When your pups breeder gives you tips, pay close attention and what the breeder says over-rides what the 'book' tells you.  Enjoy your puppy and keep us posted on his progress!
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: Murf on October 26, 2004, 08:26:58 AM
I'd be a little cautious about that DanG method of training dogs with chickens.

A couple of farms over the people have a Lab that was trained that way, but they didn't know that when it was given to them.

The dog now has such a hatred for chickens that it will run them down, bite the head off and then just leave the body alone. I guess it figures it's getting revenge or something.

My Chesapeake only got into the chickens once, I gave her such a talkin' too she had her tail stuck between her legs for hours, then when it came to dinner time all she fouind in her bowl was the chicken she had killed, feathers and all. She got the hint REAL fast.

The Jack Russell, "Deputy Dawg" over there to the left, is either more clever or something, he just walks up to them and gives a big bark, if they chase him he makes a game of it, if not he walks away.

He really likes the way chicken tastes, but he seems able to wait until it's off the BBQ.  :D

You couldn't ask for a better 'people dog', kids or adults.
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: Furby on October 26, 2004, 06:40:06 PM
One thing to remember......
When training the puppy, also train the children!
Any and all dogs are capable of biting. You must train children to respect the dog. Nothing wrong with rolling around and having a good time with the dog, but the child MUST have a good idea how far to push a dog. If not, eventually the dog may let them know and it may not be pretty.
I've heard way to many stories about how "my dog has never bitten a soul", then the next day that same dog tears the heck out of some one.  ::)

My Aunt and Uncle have a couple of Dobermans. Most people belive them to be very agressive, these two are not. Just big dolls, but you don't push them!!!
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: Quartlow on October 26, 2004, 09:30:46 PM
I've had lor of dogs growing up Currently we have 2 labs, both house dogs. Neither one was hard to train. These 2 make the third and forth one we have had. Kenda, our female had a chewing stint when she was younger but it only lasted about 6 or 8 months, Her son, Flint at 4 years old has never chewed up a thing, One of his brothers though has destroyed a bed, a weed eater, 2 4 wheeler tires and god only knows what else. Fortunatly none of this while we owned him. Of course we only had him the first 12 weeks of his life.

While its not instinctive they can be trained to herd animals, My yellow which passed away last year could herd hogs with the best of them.

All of my labs have been great watchdogs, nothing gets past these two. Keep in mind they are active dogs, and they crave attention, but with a little love you can have dog that will be loyal to the point of being annoying.

And on top of that, there are no mean dogs, only mean owners. any dog can be trained to kill from the littlest poodle to the gentlest lab. When we got married we had a shepard rot mix that wondered in and stayed. kids beat that dog pulled his tail layed on him sat on him stuck their hands in his mouth and pulled out food  poked him prodded him and generally made the poor dog miserable to the point where he would just sit there and stare at us like PLEASE HELP ME!!! and never once so much as growled at a kid.
 On the other hand while living in KS my wife had him out for a walk one evening. I come home to find cop cars every where. seems a guy was walking up the street towards them.  and he pinned the guy to the ground and held him there till the cops showed up. turns out the cops had been looking for the guy for weeks. He jumped bail on rape charges.
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: hillbilly on November 04, 2004, 03:50:50 AM
                 Trianing a puppy is a long road sometimes,but it is a must that every one in your house hold uses the same commands and methods to keep the puppy or dog from being confused.
                 I've had several dogs over the years since we've allways lived in the country ,collies ,german shepards,labs mix breeds of different sorts lots of hounds and begals,but we have replaced them all with southern blackmouth currs,they look somewhat like a yellow lab they are pretty playful most of them that I have seen are interestd in what ever you arethere pretty good tree dogs {coons and squirells} they are usually pretty good around and for kids and ours are snake killing machines .I bushoged  down a food plot of about 3acres in the field this summer,I killed one with the tractor and sadie are oldest dog killed 5 big ones by her self .I have lots of pictures that i could put on here if I could get my wife to show me how ,good luck with your choices of pup.

                       hillbilly
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: TN_man on November 04, 2004, 04:59:33 AM
Thanks hillbilly for the advice. We were given a female black lab pup 2 days ago and I was just telling my daughter yesterday that she and I need to be using the same commands so the dog does not get confused. She seems to be glad to have a new home and follows my daughter around and is excited to see her. They already seem to be forming a bond. She will lay on the front porch and watch in the door for us to go by. My wife said that she started to "play chase" with the chickens yesterday but when my wife scolded her, she stopped and ran up to her to see what was wrong. So far,so good I guess.:)
Furby,
I have been working with my daughter too, not to overwork the dog or push its limits. Thanks for the reminder.
Thanks to everybody for the input, ya'll have been helpful 8)
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: pappy on November 04, 2004, 05:52:50 AM
A lot of good sound advice in this thread  8)

This is our fifth Lab B. W. stands fer Bow Weight (weight in the bow of me canoe ;))and answers to B, they have all been very good dogs.  This one we rescued from a broken home and was very wild to say the least.  Our vet showed us the Dominant Down technique, a method of restraining the dog until he submits to you, you must be alpha to your dog if you're going to train him right.  A very effective maneuver, as BW turned from a uncontrollable animal into a well mannered companion. It's not a technique every dog needs but if you got a wild puppy have your vet show you how.

(https://forestryforum.com/images/03_21_04/termite%20yellow%20lab%20BW.jpg)

He doesn't usually get up on the table, I coaxed him  ;D
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: hillbilly on November 04, 2004, 06:34:18 PM
                           Termite werehave you been hiding I havent seen any new pics of the cabin latley they sure look nice.
                      TN man there is  alot of bonding between a family and a good dog have fun and be patient.
                      hillbilly
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: Faron on November 07, 2004, 03:48:56 AM
I gave one batch of grandkids (4years and 2 years old) a female blue heeler.  The dog is not a year old yet.  In playing with the kids out in the yard, if I (or their dad) make an aggressive move toward the kids, I get a good nip on the heels.  Do it again, and I get a little harder nip.  She seems to be saying "These are my kids, and I am watching you!"  They live on a church campground as overseers,  and the dog gets around the kids and nudges them a little to keep them in the vicinity of the adults out around the buildings. I suspect when the dog gets a little older, discipline may have to occur indoors because of the dog.  When my grandson figures that out, he'll likely head outside when he gets in trouble.
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: Jeff on November 07, 2004, 06:53:45 AM
Yep, thats a breed trait I gotta think. Our Sydney dog does not allow raising a hand to someone else. If you do, he is between you with teeth bared, although he has never ever bit anyone. Tammy has to thump me on the sly. :)
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: Ron Wenrich on November 07, 2004, 07:35:37 AM
I've always liked the labs.  The problem with the black ones are that they are hard to see at night.  The other problem is they shed quite a bit.

The only problem I've had with a lab and kids is when the kids come after the lab.  I had one that was here before the kids and was a mama's dog.  After the kids, he didn't want to allow them to close to my wife.  But, he was the best groundhog killer of the bunch.

I did buy a dog that was 2 years old.  He was the most loyal of the bunch and was good with kids, cats and anything else that came into his domain.  It seems that after the age of 2, almost any dog settles down and becomes civil.

The new one is only a year old.  He was housebroke in 3 days and still has too much energy.  He has settled in as being my daughters dog.  I've noticed that dogs that have women as primary care givers as pups generally favor women over men.  If they have men as primary care givers, then its men.

Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: Tom on November 07, 2004, 11:22:11 AM
My favorite dog died in 1970 and I haven't had a dog since.  I've wanted one but just couldn't stand the loss again.  Every dog I see, I compare with that old dog.  

He was a mutt that must have had some Lab in him because of the facial features and some Setter because of the feathery tail.  He was a non-discript, brown-colored, good-natured, playful, medium to long haired,medium-sized dog that loved the water.  His name was Moses.

Moses was acquired when I was at school in Athens Georgia. He was a little pup whose eyes hadn't opened yet. We cared for him like a child and he had the run of the house.  He slept on his special blanket in the corner of the living room or where-ever the blanket was put. He knew his yard and seldom left it.  He even seemed to know not to go very far from us when we were in a strange environment.

Moses loved to chase butterflies.  He would run with his tongue dangling out and give off little high pitched, excited barks while he jumped in the air trying to catch them.  He also went banana's when we went to the beach and the gulls would fly close.  In a  moment he would be a  mile down the beach with his tail strung out and his head stuck out and just-a gittin' it after a pelican that was soaring about 6 inches over the water.  He was racing them, I guess.

We used to take him to the Park in Athens where there was a bunch of ducks and some geese.  He wouldn't mess with them while they were on shore but would swim out into the lake with his eyes as big as saucers and try to swim with them.  He would just follow them around till he got too tired to stay there any longer.  His favorite pass-time was to jump into the lake and swim around until he found a stick floating.  He would put it in his mouth and swim back to shore and begin making a pile of sticks.   After an afternoon at the Park the lake would be cleaned of sticks and there would be 3 or 4 piles of sticks at varying spots on the shoreline.  

Moses loved blackberries.  When we would go to pick blackberries, he would pick them too.  His lips and tongue would be plumb purple by the time we got done. He sure liked them and mulberries too if he could reach them.

Children were safe around Moses.  Anybody's children.  He would watch them  in the yard and if they got too close to the road or to something in the yard that might hurt them, he would get in the way, put his shoulder against them and guide them in a different direction.  They would pull his hair and ears and try to climb on his back and he just stood there with his tongue hanging out and a twinkle in his eye.

If he wanted attention he would nuzzle your hand with his nose until you petted him.  If you were sitting in a chair, and didn't pet him, he would nuzzle and put his hind foot on your shoe.  Then he would put his front foot on your knee and then his back foot would be on your knee and before long.....you had a 50 pound dog in your lap doing his imitation of hugging you.   I know that makes some folks mad but I loved it.

One morning, about 2am, I was trying to sleep after a hard day at the Newspaper and he came to the bedroom and woke me up whining.  He was nuzzling my hand.  I told him to leave me alone.  He did but would come back and do it again.  Finally I got mad and scolded him, telling him to leave me alone, I was trying to sleep.  

When I woke up in the morning, he was laying on rug next to my side of the bed within arms reach and he had died.  There was a puddle of blood on the rug by his mouth.

The Vet said that it looked as if someone had fed him glass.  I was angry for months and have never gotten over the loss.

I love everybody else's dog but just can't seem to get close enough to have one of my own again.  It makes me sad just telling the story.
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: etat on November 07, 2004, 12:09:30 PM
For me there was only one dog.  He was my friend and much more than just a dog.  I told about him just a while back and won't go into the whole story again.  I, We've , always had a dog of one kind or another, both before and after, and have one now who my wife and kids truly love.  I  like the dog we have now but it just ain't the same for me.  I too feel sad when I think about him and the way he died.  His name was Midnight.
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: TN_man on November 08, 2004, 01:23:38 AM
I am sorry to hear of the sadness that comes from the loss.
I can only hope though that my daughter can know and enjoy the companionship and closeness that only a dog can fill. I think that God made a special places in our hearts that can only be filled by the love that we have for others and for pets, not to mention Himself. The fond memories we have can serve to remind us that life was designed to enjoy.
I believe though that this bonding has started. That pup will run next to my daughter and look up at her as if she is trying to garner as much attention from her as possible. I think it is going to work out good. ;)
Title: Re: Favorite dog
Post by: gizmo on November 08, 2004, 07:17:12 PM
I have a Rott named Gizmo. He is a very loyal companion and is a legend with the kids up at our cabins. When he sees the kids coming he has a unique howl and his little stub wags like crazy. I used to have Black and tan coon hounds, Blue ticks, Beagles but this dog is super intelligent. The sad part is he weighs 182 and big dogs don't last long. He's not fat because he's 30 inches to the shoulders.........
(https://forestryforum.com/images/03_21_04/dog.jpg)