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I'm going through a dog mid-life crisis.


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Last night I saw on TV, a dog who looked *exactly* like my childhood dog who lasted 17 years. A German Shepard. I'll save you the retelling of her life story, but man, she was awesome.

 

So, I'm standing in the kitchen, sniffling & awe-ing. Then I said, "I want one!"

 

Darling says, "Then go get one."

 

Dead serious.

 

For about ten seconds there, I imagined my life with a dog (the good parts of it) and my heart was just caving in, then my logical mind took over with the laundry list of the sound reasons why I should not have a dog.

 

*We travel. Kennel fees would be outrageous.

*Time

*Cost

*Vet bills

on and on....

 

But still.

 

So, you guys, if you could do me a favor, can I live vicariously though your dogs for a few posts? Can you introduce me to your pets and talk about the neato stuff.

 

Both dogs past and present are welcome.

 

It'll get me through my little fit here. :D

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Last night I saw on TV, a dog who looked *exactly* like my childhood dog who lasted 17 years. A German Shepard. I'll save you the retelling of her life story, but man, she was awesome.

 

So, I'm standing in the kitchen, sniffling & awe-ing. Then I said, "I want one!"

 

Darling says, "Then go get one."

 

Dead serious.

 

For about ten seconds there, I imagined my life with a dog (the good parts of it) and my heart was just caving in, then my logical mind took over with the laundry list of the sound reasons why I should not have a dog.

 

*We travel. Kennel fees would be outrageous.

*Time

*Cost

*Vet bills

on and on....

 

But still.

 

So, you guys, if you could do me a favor, can I live vicariously though your dogs for a few posts? Can you introduce me to your pets and talk about the neato stuff.

 

Both dogs past and present are welcome.

 

It'll get me through my little fit here. :D

Today my puppy chewed through the chord to my fan (while it was on), strewed the contents of my garbage can through 4 rooms, killed several of my kid's beanie babies, and ate a book. :D

 

Still want a dog?

 

My other doggie loves to roll in poo of any sort every time he's out in the yard. He won't let anyone in the house sleep unless he's in bed with a person. So he has to have a bath every night because no one wants to snuggle with a stinky doggie.

 

Chewed shoes litter my porch. Food on counters is never safe. Frequent cries can be heard, "HEY the dog ate my ......!"

 

We love them. Wouldn't trade them. :D

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I could tell you a million stories. I have had numerous dogs in my life and rehab dogs now so there's plenty to choose from.

 

I grew up with a black lab cross. My parents got her from our local SPCA when I was 2 years old. She had been abandoned at 4 weeks and really wasn't old enough at all to be on her own. She slept in my room (her choice) beside my bed every night until she died a year before I left home. She made my life livable. It didn't matter what was happening, she was there for me. When I was 5 I taught her to act out prepositions for me. I would say "Toby, around the dog house" and she would run around. "Toby, on the dog house" and she would actually crawl up onto the roof of her dog house. My mom had tried to teach me prepositions by telling me that if it fit with 'the dog house' that if was a preposition, and my little brain thought it would be fun to actually do.

When I was 11 I was out walking and rounded the corner on a cut line and found myself about 20 feet from a mama bear with 2 cubs. I thought I was dead meat. The bear went up on it's back legs and started making those strange grunting noises. I started to try and slowly back away (I know that's not what I should've done, but it's all I could think through doing at that point). All of a sudden I hear this low growl and Toby actually got in between me and the bear and started pushing on my legs. I had expected her to run for it, most dogs would. She kept growling and pushing and the bear kept grunting. Had me scared spitless, but for whatever reason, she bear never charged. Toby didn't stop pushing until we were well out of sight of that bear. I never went for a walk without her after that. Even when I got my own doberman pup when I was 16, I still took Toby with us everywhere we went. Made me feel safe.

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For about ten seconds there, I imagined my life with a dog (the good parts of it) and my heart was just caving in, then my logical mind took over with the laundry list of the sound reasons why I should not have a dog.

 

*We travel. Kennel fees would be outrageous.

*Time

*Cost

*Vet bills

on and on....

 

But still.

 

So, you guys, if you could do me a favor, can I live vicariously though your dogs for a few posts? Can you introduce me to your pets and talk about the neato stuff.

 

Both dogs past and present are welcome.

 

It'll get me through my little fit here. :D

 

Bold above are all reasons why we should not have a dog. We have 3. The Border Collie mix is mine and a sweetheart who loves me. First dog I ever did any training with. He is the only dog we own who was not part of my mid life crisis. The Cocker Spaniel was my ture midlife crisis, but he turned out to be a great agility dog and Ds found his favorite extracurricular b/c we got him (though I had no idea about it at the time). As Dd became more active in 4H, of course she had to have a dog of her own. Took me a year to convince my husband. Now they each have their own dog for 4H and some AKC competitions.

 

We almost lost our newest edition Dd's English Springer Spaniel a couple of weeks ago when he was stung by *something* and went into anaphylactic (sp?) shock. By the time I got him to the vet he could not even walk. Still, he wagged his tail feebly as the vet examined him. He has received more training than any dog we've had previously and mostly it has been done by Dd with some help from me and Dh.

 

Of course I'm going to include photos. How can I resist...

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In my 20's I had a chow chow who became a close friend.

 

She was protective but not aggressive.

She would sense that I needed her and would turn on her protective side.

For instance, I used to work and when I worked I wore ear protection and couldn't hear anything, she would be asleep in the front of the room, but when I put on the ear protectors, and started working, I would look down and there was an alert dog, being my ears for me.

 

She had a real "thing" for squirrels. When we went camping, she chased so many squirrels that her feet were bleeding. She wouldn't stand to eat, just lean over and eat out of the bowl while laying down. When she saw another squirrel, however, she would run, chase it up a tree, then collapse. Dh would have to get her, carry her back to camp, only to repeat about 1/2 hour later.

 

They say chows won't bond to another owner, but in the end she liked DH more than me. They would drive to work everyday in DH's older model pickup. Dh driving, dog on the passenger side, elbow on the armrest. She would look at DH, then out the window, then back at DH. I often followed behind in another car and they looked like this old couple, out for a Sunday drive.

 

She was my quiet friend. Sometimes, when I am lonely, she comes to me in my dreams. I'll be dreaming of something and look down, there she is sitting on my foot.

 

We just got a new puppy (see pic on another thread of mine). It brings back so many memories of past dogs.

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Oh Shannon, they are gorgeous!

 

I am *this close* to texting Darling about a scouting trip...we could um..make it like all educational.

 

Your 4H pictures really are amazing- well heck, all this stuff is. :001_smile:

 

A scouting trip was exactly the way I got Dh to change his mind last year. There were puppies locally for the exact breed Dd wanted. We should at least go, just to educate ourselves about the breed, you understnd. Not to buy or commit to anything, just to talk to the breeder, see what they are like...... That's all. And that is how it begins.

 

Glad you enjoyed the photos. I will say we spend a ton of time on dogs b/t training and grooming. And Dd had to get a super active breed. But, he's fun, too and matches her personality.

Edited by shanvan
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This is really awful. Am I really going to be in front of a bunch of puppies in under an hour?

 

I'm just going to look of course.

 

(Somebody save me.)

 

Shannon, how much does Miles weigh? Darling says, "If you are going to look at dogs, it has to be under 80 pounds."

 

(Does that mean I can have 2 @ 40 lbs. ea?)

Edited by one*mom
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Well considering I've been owned by the two best dogs in the entire world, I have some stories. :D

 

Coco was our second dog. She was the replacement dog after we had to return one to the breeder at the advice of a vet. We drove over 100 miles and paid 600 dollars for her, she ended up with allergies to everything, skin problems, shed like crazy, and died of cancer at just 8 years old. But if you were to ask any of us, we would do it all over again, pay twice as much and drive twice as far for her.

She was allergic to most of the things they put in dog food, and was also picky about which foods she'd eat. We were probably the only people who would stand in the dog food aisle reading ingredient labels. :D As we found out after having new carpet put in, she was also allergic to carpet. :glare: Because of allergies, she was prone to skin problems, ear infections, and hot spots, so she was a lot of work.

Before we could get her fixed, my irresponsible uncle left the gate open and another dog got in. We ended up with 15 puppies!! Even knowing about her allergies, everyone loved her so much that we had no problem getting rid of her puppies to our friends.

 

This dog was amazing. We weren't very good dog trainers- we didn't really know what we were doing. But she listened so well. You could sit a thick, juicy steak in front of her, say no, and leave the house, and she wouldn't touch it. Her favorite food was pizza. She drank from the bathroom faucet, and until she got really weak from the cancer she didn't even have a water bowl. She loved to swim, and would occasionally trick us by pretending to have to go out and go potty (we had a fenced in yard, so we just opened the back door and let the dogs out when they asked) and come back soaking wet from the pool. Fun at 3 am. :lol:

 

Despite not liking children, she was so good with children. She let DD drag her all over the place and even when she was in pain at the end was never grumpy with DD. I can't really put in words the amazingness of Coco. When she died, I saw my dad cry for only the second time in my life, the first was when his mom had died. She really was part of our family.

 

The first picture is one of the many times DD was trying to pull her around. Doesn't work too well when the dog weighed 120 pounds and DD weighed 40 but.... she tried! :lol:

The second was one Christmas when we were bringing in our Christmas tree. Despite being a huge, scary looking dog, Coco was a big chicken. As we were dragging the tree is, I looked up, and there she is up on top of our other dog, who happens to be 40 pounds lighter and her daughter. She laid there for about an hour. It was hilarious.

The last picture was taken the day she died. The day before my parents and I had started to talk about putting her to sleep because we could tell she was really in pain. That who day she just lay at the base of the steps. Twice she peed herself and I cleaned her up. We were going to take her that afternoon, so I took a bunch of pictures of her alone, her and I, her and DD, her and Munky. This is my favorite picture of all because she doesn't look quite as sick. She passed away about an hour later.

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Well, my pup eats anything he can jump up and grab, "Thief" should be his name!! He comes and sits on the front porch when he gets out because the kids leave the gate open. Some insurance companies won't allow a GS...

Our boarding fees are only about $100. a week....

They eat a ton... their visits to the vet are expensive....

UGH... "I'm never getting another one", is what I say!!

We'll have to see :)

(BTW did I mention dog hair??!!)

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Darling isn't helping things.

 

He says get a cat too.

 

He mentioned Husky as a breed he likes, but from what I remember, these are very very active dogs, probably not good for apartment people.

 

What I want to know is where did you get Dh? He must have come from some good breeders b/c he's got a great attitude. There are so many nice kitties out there!

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I HAVE to have a German Shepherd-- at least one at all times-- preferably 2!

 

We currently have a female 6yrs (rescue) and a male (almost 6 months-- from breeder).

ry%3D400

Trip at 8 weeks-- He will be 6 months this weekend and weighs 85 pounds!

 

ry%3D400

Our last male Data at 2yrs-- Trip will be a bit thicker in face.

 

ry%3D400

Sisko-- he was a GREAT dog... our first full German shepherd male...just to show that I LOVE black and tans too!

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This is Munky. She's not really a dog. She's actually my first daughter. She has a condition that causes her to be a little hairy. :D

 

She was the last born puppy of Coco. She was the runt. She was also born in my mom's car. :lol: Coco had been in labor all day long. It had been almost 2 hours since a puppy was born but she was still laboring, and the vet wanted to take a look at her. Well- Munky made her way into the world right in the backseat of the car.

From the very beginning she was spunky. She was the tiniest puppy, but she was always escaping and getting into trouble. Anytime I'd try and get pictures, she would always be the puppy not cooperating. Even though all the puppies looked pretty much the same, she had a distinctive look because of an underbite. So of course- she was the one I kept!

 

She was a handful. She took FOREVER to potty train, and LOVED taking a bath. I swear that she didn't potty train just to get bathed everyday. I'd opened the crate door and she'd rush right to the tub, and jump in joyfully. She was a counter surfer. Even worse, she was a table surfer. We'd come home and she would be standing in the middle of the dining room table. She ate everything. We had to put up the trashcan everyday when we left and make sure NOTHING was in her reach or I would come home to a mess to clean up. But somehow I still loved her through all that.

 

And boy has she repaid me for all that love. When I was laying in bed, crying once a month, dealing with the pain of endometriosis, she would lay beside me and let me cry into her fur. When I was dealing with depression, she was always there trying to perk me up. She slept curled around my belly while I was pregnant. I joke that I should rename her shadow because she is my shadow. She follows me around. When I'm home she's always in the same room as me. She sleeps in bed with me. She's my best friend. Anytime I feel sad, or stressed, or upset, I just need a little Munky-loving time. :D And she trusts me completely. At our old house, the stairs were open. When I'd walk in the front door, she would literally jump right off the side of the steps into my arms, and just expect that I would catch her.

 

Pictures of my girl. :D I have hundreds. Including a couple sessions of professionally done portraits. :lol: Yes, I'm that crazy. The first picture is when she's talking to me on the phone, my mom is holding her phone up to Munky's ear, and my dad took the picture with his phone and sent it to me, I was out of town. The other two are just good pictures of her that I've taken recently.

 

To the OP: See what your missing????? You need a dog!!!! Go get a dog!!!! :D

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daniface2resize.jpg

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yoshicgc.jpg

 

Don't have to ask me twice to see my dogs! :D

TOP: GRCH CH VLA Seelowen Danika, CD, DD, RN, CGC, TDI ("Dani")

 

Middle: CH Seelowen Kayak Calm Waters (other titles in the works!) ("Ky")

 

Bottom: Curlingstone's General Tso, CGC ("Yoshi")

Yoshi is a rescue Pembroke Welsh Corgi, and the pic above is of DH and I after Yoshi earned his CGC; a big accomplishment for a rescue Corgi.

 

astrid

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If this picture thing works, this is Jack Jack when we first got him. He's a German Shepherd/Plott Hound mix, and a pound puppy. He can't seem to make up his mind whether he's a hound or a shepherd. When he's got something to "say" half the time he bays like a hound and the other half he barks like a GS. He sounds big and vicious but is actually a total wuss. He just turned 2 on Saturday.

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This is really awful. Am I really going to be in front of a bunch of puppies in under an hour?

 

I'm just going to look of course.

 

(Somebody save me.)

 

Shannon, how much does Miles weigh? Darling says, "If you are going to look at dogs, it has to be under 80 pounds."

 

(Does that mean I can have 2 @ 40 lbs. ea?)

 

I vote yes :D

 

I'm a firm believer that some people are just not meant to live without pets. I know I am one of them. I've died a little inside everyday for the last six years. I know that the very first opportunity I have to get one, I'm jumping on it like white on rice... so I'm really not very helpful for this conversation :p

 

Despite begging, and begging for a dog since I could talk (seriously, my mom tells stories about it) my parents didn't get one until after I moved out and went to college :glare: Since I didn't have a dog of my own I worked a lot with neighbors animals, worked for the Humane Society for a while, handled at some dog shows etc...

 

I have a friend that is watching her sister's dog (a boxer named Canyon) while they move and build a house. The dog is used to being in a house full of small children (three kids under 4 years old) and so after just a few days at my (childless) friend's house it became obvious that he was just pretty down. So she brought him by to visit one evening. Oh my goodness, I have never seen a dog wiggle it's butt so hard. Of course DS1 is as much of an animal lover as I am and was positively thrilled. DS2 wasn't quite sure what to think, especially because Canyon was so deliriously happy to see children that he wanted to do nothing but snuggle right up to both of them. We've since had them back for weekly visits to give Canyon his baby fix - the visits are now predictable. Canyon comes in and sprawls on the floor while DS1 lies against his back and (after much petting and loving on him) either plays with toys, "reads", or watches a movie. DS2 will either get a toy and sit with Canyon's legs curled around him and play, or snuggle up against his front and doze in and out if he is tired. Canyon just lays there with his little stubby tail wagging the whole time... and heaven forbid that they try and leave too soon. Canyon won't stand up/move for love or money until at least an hour has passed.

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How about one of these!

 

 

except for the second one known in the picture as "George" AKA: Finlay

'cause he lives HERE now.

 

Lara

 

Finlay:

 

 

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Edited by Lara in Colo
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Astrid,

 

My Dd soo wants a photo of her & her dog with one of those huge ribbons! What a great picture.

 

She is also begging her dad to take her to the springer nationals and the local breeders are 'helping' her convince him.

 

And, now, back to 'helping' one*mom......seriously, please post an update.

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This is really awful. Am I really going to be in front of a bunch of puppies in under an hour?

 

I'm just going to look of course.

 

(Somebody save me.)

 

Shannon, how much does Miles weigh? Darling says, "If you are going to look at dogs, it has to be under 80 pounds."

 

(Does that mean I can have 2 @ 40 lbs. ea?)

 

I missed this post somehow. Dd says Miles weighs about 46 pounds, so he fits your Dh's specs. However, we have a little joke around here about how we would not want to deal with (ooops, I mean 'train') two Miles. Whenever I announce I walked 3 or 4 miles (on the treadmill) the entire family shouts back "Walking one Miles is enough!"

 

Seriously. Springers are smart but very active. I suppose in our case that was a good thing since he gets us off our buts and Dd is, shall we say 'energetic' (read adhd). She has the ability to excite any animal to the nth degree. All she did is pet and talk to the instructors dog at class tonight and that dog was completely all about figuring out how to get back to my Dd. The instructor looked at me and said "Oh, good, I'll get in some training with distractions." I hope that was a good thing. Even after she got the dog to obey down he twisted his whole body to look for Dd. He looked for her through the entire course. It was comical to watch. Interestingly dog training has really improved Dd's ability to focus.

 

So, lets recap. Reasons to get a dog...

 

You will have cute pictures of your very own.

Doggies get you off your butt and make you move.

Dog training improves your focus.

We are all waiting for a photo. How can you disappoint the hive?

 

Very bad serious aiding and abetting going on here, sorry.

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Those huge ribbons are from our Leo nationals-- regular show ribbons are just boring strips. Our club really does it up right at nationals-- big ribbons with sparkly edges and tassels! That pic is from Ky winning his huge Open Dog class, and then Reserve Winners Dog.

 

Your daughter will, I have NO DOUBT, win one of those ribbons one day! Stick with it, learn lots and above all, have FUN! Oh, she'll have SUCH fun at Springer Nationals!!! If it's at all nearby, she should DEFINITELY go. Take that girl to the show! :D Remember, Molly would love to chat if she'd like to talk to a jr handler sometime.

 

So come on, one*mom!! Quit holding out on us!! :D

 

astrid

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Dd & I went to Petsmart to look around. No puppies, just cats to adopt. Huge long amazingly detailed form to fill out in order to even be considered fit to adopt.

 

There were only about 6 cats there, ranging from 3 months to four years old. Dd was of course, ready to pee her pants with excitement.

 

Couple of young people came in, young twenty somethings...totally reminded me of my oldest Dd. They were lecturing us as a team about cats, everything from A-Z. Apparently they make Petsmart their daily stop to see the kitties. Nice and all, right....so, in a little bit, another young 20 something comes in, bursts into tears as "her" choice of kitten is still there, nice looking tri color over gray tabby cat. She makes her Mom stand guard to let everyone know *this* cat is spoken for. Seriously, who's going to get in a paperwork fight with a crying girl after all? The couple stand guard with the Mom of the adoptee mom, and suddenly there's this big cat party going on in this 8 x 10 room of cages...

 

All of a sudden I hear, "Ow!"-=this being my Dd. Now having a nice nose bleed having received a 1.5 inch gauge down the bridge of her nose from a full grown cat in the lower cage. Terrific. :(

 

I went with her over to the Vet Hospital area, and asked if they had any wipes or antiseptic there to clean her up with. They said, "Nope, nothing we have will help." I took her to the bathroom and cleaned her up the best I could with paper toweling and soap. You can imagine my mindset by now.."No on the cat front, never..."

 

We left, walked to the bus stop discussing the pro/con responsibilities of a dog, or even looking for a dog. The money, the lifestyle cramp change, everything to consider. We talked about the in depth histories of the cats we did see there which were heartbreaking.

 

One cat there was abandoned right inside the Pet Smart store. Someone just up and unleashed it there. Unbelievable.

 

Now things get really interesting.

 

By the time we reach the bus stop, I have a 9 year old demanding a dog/cat/something *right this second*. I write it off to the heat, the possiblities, whatever...

 

This fit lasts for two hours. Two stinking hours.

 

Got home, dinner didn't turn out, I have a roaring headache, we go out to dinner. I have 3 shots of tequila to get my head out of the zone. Totally not even like me.

 

During dinner, (in which pet discussion was banned but kept coming up anyway by Dd) - darling puts a stop to it by saying, "I don't think I'm really on board with a dog in this small of a space. We'll have to move first."

 

He's cool with moving every two weeks. I'm not. I mentioned I'm highly not okay with a cat with claws; he says he'd rather the imaginary cat had them.

 

So it's a standoff for now - but admittedly the first time I've really even touched the margin of a indoor pet.

 

Dang I love those springer pictures. The seed is planted, even though it will probably take a year or so to bloom into something more concrete.

Edited by one*mom
spell/check....posting under the influence of tequila
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Wow. What a traumatic visit to Petsmart!! I hope your DD is okay. :grouphug: Is there an animal shelter around that you guys could visit? If nothing else, it would give her time to play with some animals and a chance to see what type of animal will be a good fit with your family. DD and I visit our local humane society often and I've found that the animals there are mostly friendly and used to being handled, which it doesn't sound like the cats at Petsmart were.

 

And here's my completely unsolicited advice as someone who has had both dogs and cats in small spaces (and big spaces for that matter)- get a dog. Cats stink. :tongue_smilie:At least dogs do their business outside.

Plus, IMHO, dogs are just better pets for kids. Dogs PLAY. Not that cats don't, but many cats don't play after they grow out of the kitten stage. A medium sized dog would fit in an apartment, but still be great for playing fetch and rough housing on the floor and cuddling at bedtime.....

 

...yes, I'm still feeding into the crisis. Everyone needs a dog!! :lol:

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I'm pretty sure when the time comes, it's going to be a puppy. And hopefully I can learn about Springers (seriously, I fell in LOVE with Miles)- I think it would be an excellent option, and would bring out the best in all of us.

 

In the meantime, I'm throwing a pout party. Not as grand as Dd's - but enough to throw the balance off in the house. :D

 

My goal, is to get a Kitchen Aid, the big one..out of it. I've been mumbling.."well, if we don't have room for that, how about a Kitchen Aid? You'd have fresh cookies everyday...we probably spend over 300 a year on artificial no love in it cookies, right?" He nodded, "Yes, we probably do."

 

"You know, I've been reading a lot of recipes lately, right?"

 

"Right."

 

"Well, you aren't getting those yummy foods because they all require a kitchen aid to fix them up. It really kills me to get all excited about making something tasty, then having to leave it behind because I don't have a Kitchen Aid you know. Breaks my heart a little every night."

 

:lol:

 

If I get one, I want to bake Miles some doggie treats and mail them to him.

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Here's my Tilda. I know her mother was a Pomeranian mix of some kind, and her father may have been a poodle mix. I've seen pictures of her litter mates, who definitely show the poodle more. But Tilda appears to be mostly Pom.

 

She's three years old, and I'm still surprised every single day to discover all over again how much improved my life is with a dog in it.

 

She's a bit of a problem child. She makes occasional messes in my house. She barks insistently and noisily at any animal on the TV. She's afraid of many things, including (but not limited to) garbage trucks, mail trucks, UPS trucks, other kinds of trucks, men, men with beards, other dogs, teenage boys with big shoes, plastic bags blowing in the wind, one of our cats . . .

 

But she also loves us more than anything in the world. She's cuddly and funny and is great company on road trips in the car. She gets me out of the house and meeting people. I can't ever go anywhere with her that I don't get stopped and told how beautiful she is, which is funny because I don't think she's all that striking. When I do leave her home, she greets me at the door with such enthusiasm and adoration . . .

 

My daughter loves to remind me that Tilda knew she was my dog right from the very beginning. I had made arrangements to pick up the puppy from the woman fostering her on one of my trips to deliver my daughter back to college. We drove a couple of hours off our normal path and found our way to the fostering lady's home. She had a house full of company for a family event and was a little busy. So, she somewhat unceramoniously deposited this little puff of fur into my arms and wandered away to get some paperwork. Little bitty Tilda snuggled into my neck, and I swear she sighed. When I had to hand her off to my daughter because I needed my hands, she started whining to come back to me. We had to stay overnight on the road, and the puppy got frantic when I went into the hotel bathroom and closed the door, even though my daughter was right in the room with her.

 

As my daughter explained, "She knows who her mom is."

 

And, speaking of my daughter, she never had any idea she was a dog person until Tilda came into the house. Now they are the best of friends. My daughter makes me laugh every single day interpreting for the dog. We have lengthy conversations that way.

 

We always say she's very smart . . . for a dog. My daughter and I once tried giving her an IQ test for dogs that we found online, and she aced it, of course. We laughed and decided that explained everything about her. Tilda is just like my other two kids, a little too smart for her own good.

 

Having a dog is a huge lifestyle change. I'll give you that. But, wow, it's been so worth it for me.

 

Here are a few photos. The first one is the most recent, taken with my cell phone, so not the best quality. The second one is from last year. And the third is one the rescue lady sent me before I drove up to claim her.

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post-1064-13535086999179_thumb.jpg

Edited by Jenny in Florida
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I'm pretty sure when the time comes, it's going to be a puppy. And hopefully I can learn about Springers (seriously, I fell in LOVE with Miles)- I think it would be an excellent option, and would bring out the best in all of us.

 

In the meantime, I'm throwing a pout party. Not as grand as Dd's - but enough to throw the balance off in the house. :D

 

My goal, is to get a Kitchen Aid, the big one..out of it. I've been mumbling.."well, if we don't have room for that, how about a Kitchen Aid? You'd have fresh cookies everyday...we probably spend over 300 a year on artificial no love in it cookies, right?" He nodded, "Yes, we probably do."

 

"You know, I've been reading a lot of recipes lately, right?"

 

"Right."

 

"Well, you aren't getting those yummy foods because they all require a kitchen aid to fix them up. It really kills me to get all excited about making something tasty, then having to leave it behind because I don't have a Kitchen Aid you know. Breaks my heart a little every night."

 

:lol:

 

If I get one, I want to bake Miles some doggie treats and mail them to him.

 

Definitely get the Kitchen Aid. I can't remember life without one. Miles loves treats (that makes him unusual among dogs, right?).

 

So sorry about what happened with the cats. If it's any help, just before we got Miles we had a bad experience with a Cocker we had on trial from a breeder. I won't go into details, but she would have been a major rehab project. Taking her back was the hardest thing we ever did, but she was completely maladjusted at 2 years old and, though we thought we could help her, she would not have made a 4H dog, which was the reason for getting Dd a dog in the first place. Besides, the Cocker had a wonderful home with her breeder. Ds's Cocker is a rescue and does not fit the breed standard. He looks more like an old time American Cocker from years ago before the breeders made them into fu-fu dogs, and though he is shy he has a much better temperament than the crazy girl we had on trial.

 

Anyway, after that fiasco, we decided Dd would just have to continue borrowing dogs from her 4H leaders. One month later my mom put down a deposit on Miles.

 

On the cat issue.....is there a shelter nearby you can visit? We were dropping off donations at our local shelter a couple of months ago and looked at the cats. There were so many very nice kitties there with excellent temperaments. We even helped a lady a church pick out one. Also shelters often have lower adoption rates in the summer. I also always go to the shelter first b/c I know the cats at Petsmart will not be euthanized like the ones at the shelter may. That last visit to our shelter nearly broke my heart b/c there were so many great cats and I just can't add another one into the mix right now.

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I'm just going to have to request a monthly dose of Miles on here I guess. Get my fix.

 

I'm pretty sure the cat stuff is on the back burner now too.

 

So is like, Miles..on a gluten free diet or anything? :D

 

Ya'll have the most gorgeous dogs on here.

 

That Shepard I was telling you about that I grew up with? She could do somersaults, and go from 4 paws on the ground and twirl herself like Nadia Commanche. I won so many awards with that dog for tricks I taught her.

 

People used to make bets with her. "Hey, I know this dog that can.." and ..well..you get the picture.

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I'm just going to have to request a monthly dose of Miles on here I guess. Get my fix.

 

I'm pretty sure the cat stuff is on the back burner now too.

 

So is like, Miles..on a gluten free diet or anything? :D

 

Ya'll have the most gorgeous dogs on here.

 

That Shepard I was telling you about that I grew up with? She could do somersaults, and go from 4 paws on the ground and twirl herself like Nadia Commanche. I won so many awards with that dog for tricks I taught her.

 

People used to make bets with her. "Hey, I know this dog that can.." and ..well..you get the picture.

 

No special diet. Your Shepard sounds like such a fun dog. Do you have photos? We'd love to see them, though that would probably involve scanning.

 

Get the Kitchen Aid and put everything else on the back-burner. I had to do it b/c Dh just wasn't on board with doggie #3 (Miles). I even had to cancel a visit to see puppies. A year and a half after that the same breeder ended up being the one who began teaching me how to groom. She remembers my cancellation too! We are fortunate to have 2 Springer breeders locally who help me with grooming and Dd with some training.

 

Anyway, put it on hold for a while. But, you know, when you want one, that feeling doesn't just go away. Researching is a lot of fun too, and it's a good idea to do your homework and make sure you get a good match. Look into other breeds too, Springers are not without their issues and anxiety can be one of them and very difficult to deal with. What about another Shepard? If you end up deciding to go through breed rescue then it may take a while for a dog to become available. If you look at the local shelter it may take you some time to find a good match too.

 

You'll go through with it when the time is right. Still, there's no harm in keeping your eyes open.....:D

 

 

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If things fold up here and we have to leave, it's going to mean a condo with an HOA.

 

Dey have z rules! u! no! -that's where the 80 pound limit comes in. I don't think I can get a Shepard under 80 pounds though. Seems like they hit the margin there ... just over...

 

I wish I had some photos of that dog; they were unfortunately all lost years ago during an unexpected event. (Read: theft) Anyway, I don't think there was anything that dog couldn't do except pick up a pencil and spell. She was absolutely uncanny intelligent. Boy could she read people's emotions, she was amazing.

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If things fold up here and we have to leave, it's going to mean a condo with an HOA.

 

Dey have z rules! u! no! -that's where the 80 pound limit comes in. I don't think I can get a Shepard under 80 pounds though. Seems like they hit the margin there ... just over...

 

I wish I had some photos of that dog; they were unfortunately all lost years ago during an unexpected event. (Read: theft) Anyway, I don't think there was anything that dog couldn't do except pick up a pencil and spell. She was absolutely uncanny intelligent. Boy could she read people's emotions, she was amazing.

 

 

I have a shep-lab mix who is 41 lbs. She is super -slender, and obviously not a pure breed. She is really adorable, however.

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