Man's best friend.

[Luissa]

Glad to see there are so many people on here who are actively aware of animal rights and the processes to adopt a new one. One thing we absolutely MUST do is shut down pet stores that sell dogs. These pet stores get their puppies from puppy mills where the mothers are overbred to produce puppies and kept in deplorable conditions.

I agree 100% plus half the time when you get them they are sick. I am known more pet store dogs that have had parvo. My brother got my dog from a pet store and a year later she had a parasite which they said could have been living in her for awhile up to a year before she got sick.

 

[Indiana Oracle]

o small dog fight hard...not the size of the dog...the size of the fight in the dog...

when my son was around 3....he disappeared....my husband thought he was upstairs with me...i tought he was downstairs with my husband...when we discovered he was gone....we didnt panic till we had searched 200 hundred or so yards in all directions...when husband said....i am going to walk down the creek....i totally lost it...and then a pick up truck drives up and says...yall missing a little boy....
they told us that our son was walking up the road with our doberman....they of course realized that the child was too young to be out alone and got out of their truck to get the boy....bad move...said zack our doberman at that time..put them back in the truck and would stand between my son and any car that went by...basically nosing my son off the road to the edge....they attempted to leave one of them at the same place to watch son...dog would have none of that either...said he was keeping a large circle clear around the boy...my husband got in truck with them and went to where the dog and son was...only then did the dog let anyone touch my son....zack was not an agressive dog..but he was my son's protector....he was a great dog...

Doberman is an amazing breed of dog.

Incredibly bright, and very protective of family, but in a cool, controlled way.

I buried my last Dobie a few years back.

Cried like a baby and dug a hole six feet deep without even realizing it. Just starting digging and digging.

God I miss that dog...

I had one too. Loved her greatly. She was a magnificent creature. Ran through the fields like a deer. Intelligent, knew how to judge everything. Loyal and loving. When its time to clean out the attic or basment, my picture of her is one thing I always keep. My American Bulldog has her name, Sadie.

 

[WillowTree]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iA9pw53WaKQ&feature=related[/ame]

 

[DamnYankee]

We adopted both of the dogs that we have from shelters. We just got a new one a month ago and he's six years old, part lab/part border collie, and it's amazing how quickly he's bonded to us. There are some great dogs out there at the shelters, so if you ever think of getting one, check out your local shelter first. There are a lot of great dogs that need a good home.

I agree. Have done that several times. And it's difficult for them to place the "older" dogs. Given the proper care, a 6-yr. old dog can be with you for quite a long time.

 

[alan1]

Our distant ancestors definitely did us a HUGE serves by domesticating dogs.

Mountain lion mauls dog that defended owners

To bad they didn't domesticate mountain lions.
And bears.

 

[JohnStOnge]

You know, I have some dogs. And I think it's great that the dog intervened in the cougar attack. I think dogs are great for security.

But dogs are not people. They do not even have self awareness. And they are predators. Their underlying nature is to kill. I suppose you can say it's always "bad owners." But being a "bad owner" can be something like even owning something like a Pitt Bull, Rotweiller, German Shepherd, and (yes) Doberman when you live in a neighborhood with small children and other pets. If you think you can socialize a dog like that so that you can be guaranteed that it will never attack anything that shouldn't be attacked, you are kidding yourself. And if you think you can contain them with zero risk of them ever getting out you are, again, kidding yourself.

 

[JohnStOnge]

Here's an interesting summary of statistics on dog attacks:

DOG BITE LAW - Statistics about dog bites in the USA and elsewhere

Not many fatalities, but I think it brings home the fact that we're not talking about predators.

A quote:

"The most horrifying example of the lack of breed predictability is the October 2000 death of a 6-week-old baby, which was killed by her family's Pomeranian dog. The average weight of a Pomeranian is about 4 pounds, and they are not thought of as a dangerous breed. Note, however, that they were bred to be watchdogs! The baby's uncle left the infant and the dog on a bed while the uncle prepared her bottle in the kitchen. Upon his return, the dog was mauling the baby, who died shortly afterwards. ("Baby Girl Killed by Family Dog," Los Angeles Times, Monday, October 9, 2000, Home Edition, Metro Section, Page B-5.)"

They are not rabbits.

 

[DamnYankee]

You know, I have some dogs. And I think it's great that the dog intervened in the cougar attack. I think dogs are great for security.

But dogs are not people. They do not even have self awareness. And they are predators. Their underlying nature is to kill. I suppose you can say it's always "bad owners." But being a "bad owner" can be something like even owning something like a Pitt Bull, Rotweiller, German Shepherd, and (yes) Doberman when you live in a neighborhood with small children and other pets. If you think you can socialize a dog like that so that you can be guaranteed that it will never attack anything that shouldn't be attacked, you are kidding yourself. And if you think you can contain them with zero risk of them ever getting out you are, again, kidding yourself.

That is exactly what being a good owner is all about. Dog ownership isn't picking the cutest or the coolest or the most popular breed and hoping that the dog will fit into your life/family. It takes a little research and a lot of time and effort, and knowing what you're getting into before you get into it.

 

[DavidS]

You know, I have some dogs. And I think it's great that the dog intervened in the cougar attack. I think dogs are great for security.

But dogs are not people. They do not even have self awareness. And they are predators. Their underlying nature is to kill. I suppose you can say it's always "bad owners." But being a "bad owner" can be something like even owning something like a Pitt Bull, Rotweiller, German Shepherd, and (yes) Doberman when you live in a neighborhood with small children and other pets. If you think you can socialize a dog like that so that you can be guaranteed that it will never attack anything that shouldn't be attacked, you are kidding yourself. And if you think you can contain them with zero risk of them ever getting out you are, again, kidding yourself.

Like that?

Bro, I know people at the ASPCA. I've done the research. 10 out of 10 times it is the owner who neglects the dog. If you have a high energy breed, you've got to exercise it or it'll have too much pent up energy. The Michael Vick pitbulls were rehiabilitated by non-for profit agencies and are now in homes with little children. Yes, that's right. Dogs that were, years ago, placed in pits to fight and kill each other, are now in homes with little children. Why? Because the owners know how to treat a dog, how to take care of it, how to exercise it, etc.

There's an old saying: A tired dog is a happy dog.