Dogs really are 'man's' best friend.

Id rather not, since the Ivan, formerly known as a hurricane, is parked outside dumping 5 inches of rain , this is a very soggy day.
Consequently the dogs (main, backup, and Darrel) are all in the house . Theyve not been in th house since June and we didnt take them along on vacation. So we have the quarterly doggie bath that makes them smell other than what they are, 3 big, soggy, dogs whove collected and stored a seasons worth of country smells.
Giving the border collie and the golden a bath, is easy. Ernie, the catahoula, likes to stoke up the dominance issue at bathtime. Never wear anything loose fitting or he will chomp on it and try to drag you in the tub.Its a game and hes like a velociraptor, always testing the limits of control.
Stash is all black and shiny bright white. We made a fire in the den and shes curled up in front. I think she likes the attention and the water therapy followed by dog bisquits in front of a wood stove. DArrels done,
Lets go Ernie, hee hee heeeee

I want an Irish Wolfhound.

theyll break your heart. They dont live long . A friend had one, it only lived 8 years, and thats sorta average for the breed. Im sure genetic monkeying will provide an answer. My feeling is , like a cheetah, the mitochondria of the Irish wolfhound doesnt supply enough O2 leaving the animal in an anaerobic state when exercising. You always hear of them dropping over with heart problems.9cheetahs dont live long either, )
I dont know , but , its the only explanation and backup I have for my opinion about not owning this breed.

Well, I am damned if I will do a chihuahua!

Big dogs don't live long - like mins - brings us back to the purpose of the thread, don't it??

Evil laughter...

My dog is nine tenths lab and still I have to struggle to give her a bath. She doesn't get off the porch if it's damp out - simply doesn't want the soles of her feet to get moist. She spends much of the day with her body in the air conditioning and her nose and eyes out the doggie door.

done-everybodys gotten a bath. Theyre all stacked up by the stove.

What a picture that creates.

Iffy is an oxymoron--a heroic pit bull. Several years ago Mr. Noddy slipped into a diabetic coma. Iffy summoned me by barking and I summoned the ambulance.

Of course she could have been suggesting that it was time for her Master to feed her too many expensive dog cookies, but her outrage might have been disinterested.

Farmerman--

Will they have Christmas baths? And bright red, festive, spirit-of-the-season bows?

may we see a pic of iffy?

My dogs a sheltie and he likes the mrs or almost any female more than a male.
The only time he likes me more is when he thinks his life is in danger.

RP--

Only verbal pictures. I'm a Luddite and Iffy has a rep in certain law enforcing circles and it is wise to keep her out of the public eye.

She's a red pit bull with soulful eyes and a magnificent snag-toothed arrangement of the upper canines on both sides. Her toenails are long and shapely--Iffy is very possessive about her toenails and regards nail clippers as implements of hostile intent.

Her left front leg sports a benign tumor the size of a golf ball. With the cost of the biopsy we regard it as a heirloom quality piece of jewelery.

Iffy has great courage and small common sense. Once she chased a bear with cubs out of the yard. On the other hand, a confused chipmunk ran under her nose and she sat down to ponder a course of action. She seems to have a "live and let live" policy toward anything smaller than a cocker spaniel, but since she is capable of sudden inspiration we discourage canine visitors.

Her best naps are on the bed in the Master Bedroom, but she has managed some creditable efforts on the fouton, on Mr. Noddy's footstool, on Mr. Noddy's nap and very occasionally on hot summer days on the living room rug. Napping in high places is safer for a girl with a rep.

She'd rather have people food than dog food, but will sort through the kibble and bits and pick out her favorite pieces. Red meat is much preferred to chicken, but any meat is better than vegetables. Fruit is occasionally welcome.

Sound a little neurotic? All the family dogs turn a little neurotic--protective coloration, you know.

noddy, hush yo mouth. I would not shame any of these beasts by dressing them in ridiculous seasonal clown suits ( beggin your pardon cav0

Anyway, we took photos of ernie in antlers one year and , well, he was pitiful, you could see that that was beneath him.

Farmerman
Farmerman, wonderful to hear about the dogs, but how are you coping with the nasty storms raising hell in your area?

I can't believe my son still is going to sell his California home and move to New Tampa, Florida after this year's hurricane and tornado season. They have two big dogs that could probably smack a hurricane in it's eye, but then it would weep even more rain. Damn!

My Bichon, Maddy, would just huff and puff and bark at the storm in his best small dog syndrome ferocity. Weighing only 12 pounds, he would probably end up blown to the top of a tree.

BBB

this is shadow, our staffy mix.



things didn't work out, so we only had her for a few months. but she was, for the most part, an angel...

Sadie, who died in June. She was a cocker with a full plume tail and,as an artist friend of ours put it "a runway walk". One day when out with her, we came across two women aahing and cooing. Thinking it was for her, her head and tail came up and she put on her best pace. When she discovered it was a baby they were making the fuss over she came to a sudden halt, sat down and began to whine and bark for her share of the attention. She is sadly missed.

I have many dog friends that I miss. Each was special and occupied a different niche in our lives. Serious, some fun loving, even the evil one (ernie)
region, that pup is great, sorry you dont have her

bBB-when we retire and move out to NM, the first thing we want to get is a Bichon. They dont shed, and they have a great personality. (Ive been told about the no shedding thing, I dont know fer sure. Is that true?)

Farmerman
Farmerman, you are going to retire to New Mexico? When? Where?

WooHoo!

Maddy is a Bichon Fries. It is true he doesn't shed except when he's playing on my black faux swede chair leaving a tiny trace that he's been there.

Having a non shedding dog is wonderful, especially after having two Himalayan cats in California, who shed profusely on everything.

Maddy has the most wonderful personality of any dog I've ever owned or owned by others. He is so funny, he keeps me laughing throughout the day. Bichons are very intelligent but hyper. Being very social and affectionate dogs, they demand a lot of loving attention. Maddy follows me everywhere I go like a little shadow. They truly are lap dogs, so be prepared.

I wish I had been able to get two dogs at the time I purchased Maddy, but another one was not available. They are very hard (and expensive) to find in New Mexico. I've seen a couple advertised in the last 60 days for over $600. They may be easier to find in California, Colorado and Texas and have them flown to New Mexico.

BBB

BBB
Bump

I really miss having a dog. I live in an apartment right now and refuse to get a dog because I think it would be unfair to keep a large animal in such a small place (I like larger breed dogs, not really fond of the little guys as a whole).

Growing up we had a black lab named Bogie. He was 120 lbs of eternal puppy. My brother and I had a swing set and he would drape his front paws over the swings and walk back and forth-back and forth. One time when all of us kids were playing tag in the back yard I was "it" and was to slow to catch anybody. Out of frustration I bopped Bogie on the rump and yelled "You're it!" and ran off. He chased me all over the yard and then bumped me with his nose, barked and then took off like a rocket for the other end of the yard. I still can't believe he knew how to play tag.

One summer it was particularly hot so we bought him one of those little kids hard plastic wading pools and filled it with water. He absolutely loved it. The only problem was that the pool had little dragons printed on the bottom and with the way the water waved it looked like there were moving things under the water. He proceeded dunk his head under and bark at the little intruders and try to bite them (ever heard a dog bark under water?). He finally "caught" one of the little dragons by poking a canine through the bottom of the pool and thus draining all the water. Total enjoyment time? About 10 minutes.

He was the best dog, but unfortunately like most large breeds he had a short life span. He died many years ago at the age of 9.