I'm thinking of getting a dog.

[Swede]

My buddy Snoopy died last year and I hadn't even thought of getting another dog. But the thought just popped up a week ago.

[Dookus]

1. cool

then it must be time! Good luck on getting a new bestest friend. The right dog can bring so much joy.

[vpigrad]

2. I hear they're good with butter.

Just kidding. Check-out:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3051296

[tuvor]

3. Thought about "saving" a dog from the SPCA?

That's how we found Bailey.



He was four years old and grossly overweight, but with a raw food diet and exercise, he's almost svelte again!

[intheflow]

4. That is one cute dog.

Goofy, but loveable!

[tuvor]

8. Thanks! Yes, he is a galoot.

Always looks sad except when it's time to play fetch.

[driver8]

26. He has a great face!! Very handsome, n/t

[BrklynLiberal]

12. Handsome boy!!! Lucky to have found you!!!

[leftyandproud]

5. best dog in the world...

a black lab.

expensive, but worth every dime. Friendly, crazy, awesome, endlessly loyal companions.

[Blue-Jay]

7. Yes. Get a lab!

You've never been loved until you've been loved by a lab.

[intheflow]

17. Beware puppy mill labs!

I had a sweet black lab once named Ben. But I swear to god he was the dumbest dog ever born, and I suspect inbreeding. Jumped off a cliff playing frisbee one day (my son was nine and threw it off by accident). About 10 minutes later he jumped off the cliff a second time chasing a bird!

He was dumb as a box of rock about everything unless it was about escaping from any restraint, then he was like Houdini. No rope or chain or fence could hold him. He caused over $1000 in damage to my apartment when he literally chewed through the front door.

So yeah, get a lab if you want, but make sure the pedigree is pure.

[leftyandproud]

19. pure only...don't get a mut!

I have a pure bred black lab and he is very smart...probably knows 50 verbal commands...always well behaved. We sit outside on halloween and he just watches the kids going by...doesnt do anything stupid like chasing strangers or barking at random things. In fact, he never barks at anything (unless I tell him to ;)

[intheflow]

20. Ben was a pure black lab.

The best dogs I've ever had were all mutts. But I'll grant you that labs are the smarted of the pure breds. Ben was a freakish anomally.

[welshTerrier2]

6. my pup is lying on the bed next to me staring at the TV ...

what better friend could a real dog lover have ???

[nytemare]

9. A nice link to find a doggie

http://www.petfinder.com/

It has links for specific breeds, and search functions by zip code or city, I can't remember which. Pretty nice!

[intheflow]

10. I got Pete from an abusive home.

He was the last of a puppy litter at my former next door neighbors. They treated his mother well enough, but one day I saw the guy kick this "teenage" pup and I knew I just had to have him. I couldn't really afford a dog at the time, but I've never regretted having Pete.



So YES!!!! Get a dog! And consider getting one that will appreciate your loving home because they've already known what it's like not to be loved.

[NGU]

11. I grew up with Airedales and they are so pretty and playful

[BrklynLiberal]

13. Wonderful idea! Rescue a dog. It seems they always remember and show

their gratitude in the most incredible ways.....
I cannot remember a day in my life that I did not have a dog..or two.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

14. Gotta pitch my guy

nothing like a happy dog :D

[Blue-Jay]

18. Crap. Makes me miss my boy, Kenny.

sob.

[Warren Stupidity]

15. go mutt - they are the best

pound puppies rock!

dogz is the real deal

[DELUSIONAL]

16. Do some research -- find a breed to match

your lifestyle etc.

There's an online test to match up breeds and people.

Sometimes cross bred dogs -- like Poodle/Lab etc are fun.

If you want a pure bred -- contact one of the breed rescue groups.

These groups work with humane societies and shelters and when their breed lands in a shelter they evaluate, foster and re-home. People who have adopted these rescue dogs end up with loving dogs.

And then there is nothing at all wrong with falling in love with a specific breed and contacting a breeder and buying a puppy. The breeders who make a study of breeding genetics and breed standards DESERVE to be supported -- they are preserving in effect a sub-species of dog/canine. The dedicated pure bred breeder should be supported.

As a former dog owner you probably know about the pit-falls of buying a dog from a pet store. The pedigree may not match the puppy etc.

Some breeds are very old -- like the Basenji breed. This isn't a breed for everyone. But if you like an intelligent dog who likes long walks, is clean and doesn't bark -- this breed might be for you.

But you've had a dog so you know what is involved -- and what breed or mutt might fit into your life style.

[Scout1071]

21. Swede....Go for it.

I lost my lab only 3 wks ago. He was 11 yrs old and is sorely missed. I was going to wait, but a friend had the sweetest 1 1/2 Boxer that he desparately needed to find a home for and I couldn't resist.

Interestingly enough, my friends that have dogs all told me not to wait...they all encouraged me. My friends without dogs all questioned why I wanted another so soon.

If you love dogs, you won't regret it one bit.

Highly recommend checking out the shelters. I looked around at shelters and online - found out that at least 25% of dogs at shelters are purebreds, so you can get a great looking dog! Not that I have anything against muts either.

And for the record, he arrived with the name Spike, but has been formally renamed Senator "Spike" Boxer in honor of the good Senator from California.

[mondo joe]

22. I hope you like dealling with someone else's need to pee and poop

The main reason I don't have a doog.

[kodi]

23. Do it. "Tribute to a Dog" by George Vest

TRIBUTE TO A DOG

"The best friend a man has in the world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter that he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those who we trust with our happiness and our good name, may become traitors. The money a man has he may lose. The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do us honor when success is with us may be the first to throw stones of malice when failure settles its clouds upon our heads.

"The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog. A man's dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely if only he may be near his master's side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer, he with lick the sores and wounds that come in encounters with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince.

"When all other friends desert, he remains. If misfortune drives the master fourth an outcast to the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him to guard against danger, to fight against his enemies. And when the last scene of all comes, and death takes the master in its embrace, and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all the other friends pursue their way, there by the graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad, but open in alert watchfulness, faithful and true, even in death."

By George Graham Vest

I've 6 and George Vest was right.

[RevolutionStartsNow]

24. Please consider saving an older dog

I have a wonderful dog, Zuma, who was a puppy when we got him from the SPCA. He was rescued from an abusive owner who left him in a hot car when he was a newborn pup. He's the world's best dog.

When we were ready to get him a companion dog, we were going to get another puppy from the SPCA. I posted about it on this site, and many wonderful DUers strongly encouraged me to consider saving an older dog at the shelter. When we went to the shelter to look, there was a beautiful and sweet full-grown black lab mix. We couldn't turn her down, she was so sweet. She's now our Joey, and we are a happy family.

[driver8]

27. Those are some happy looking dogs! Great photo. n/t

[Skittles]

25. means you're ready, Swede

do it!

[driver8]

28. If you want a specific breed, there seems to be a rescue for

all breeds. You might want to check those out. Or -- get yourself a good ol' mutt from a local shelter. They will love you forever and will appreciate your kindness and your home.