PUPPY!!!!!!!

Allegedly Labradors have genetically lost the trigger in your stomach/brain that tells you that you're full. Poor buggers are ALWAYS hungry.

Perhaps that is partly why they are so trainable as sniffers/guide dogs etc, in the sense that the reward means so much more to them than other doogies!

one of our doggies passed yesterday. pretty tough on our son.

― you know who deserves sitewide mod privileges? (m bison), Thursday, February 21, 2019 12:38 PM (three days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

our surviving dog was breathing weirdly, so we took him into the vet and...he probably has cancer and only a few months left, if that. sheesh.

― you know who deserves sitewide mod privileges? (m bison), Sunday, February 24, 2019 2:43 PM (five days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

put dog #2 (simon) down last night. he deteriorated so quickly after dog 1 (charlie) died last week. he was was mostly chipper this week, though, until i got home last night and he couldn't pick his head up without discomfort or pain.

i took this one a lot harder. partly because i thought we had more time with him and had far less time to prepare for his passing than the other one. partly because i picked him out when we first got him and spent the lion's share of time with him. he could be a difficult dog at times; he was a shelter rescue and he was big on chewing stuff he wasn't supposed to and pissing in the house all the time when we weren't home. but he was also very loving and protective.

anyway, this is the first time in maybe 25 years -- not counting the year i was out of town for college -- that i don't have a pet in my house.

sorry man; that's really rough.

M bison, so sorry, that is terrible

i'm really sorry m bison, that is awful. i hope you're doing ok, it must be overwhelming. <3

i recuperated by lining up to adopt 2 chihuahuas. they should be ready by tuesday. naming em ziggy and manu and will have pictures.

that is a very good idea, and an adorable one as well. holy crap! how old are they?

theyre each about a year old. luckily my school is v close to the city animal care services so i went after work initially intending to get one dog, but these two dudes were cellmates and brought in at the same time, so i couldnt separate them!

i recommend picking up the beverly hills chihuahua trilogy on the way home as well, this will be essential viewing for your new fam

I went down that path of getting another puppy before thinking too much about it when suffering bereavement. It has been hard work, but I don't regret the decision at all.

how is the sock gobbler

mar dhea and theres a few round here wouldnt be safe from him indeed

he's a bit depressed with the new low sock access regime, the intestine recovery rations he's on, lack of off the lead action and the elizabethan head-piece is inflicting psychological duress. I'd like to think the brush with death has instilled a new sense of maturity in him, but as soon as the stitches come out on wednesday he'll be back to his best/worst in no time I reckon, but thank god tbh.

I can't get a new dog till after the summer -- we're having major renovation work done on our house and we have to move out for a few months.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D4Ge4jRW4AAU1Aw.jpg

Douglas is 6 months old today. ffs I lose the daily count of the amount of times I'm retrieving stones and lumps of chewing gum out of his gob. But he's growing into a real handsome dog for sure.

extremely good boy

That’s a real good creek you found there, Douglas <3

https://imgur.com/a/KwXvHXg

this is my buddy, Buddy

https://i.imgur.com/poRjUMw.jpg

(not actually mine, but we are pals)

I am a fan of these dogs.

god i want a dog

new mexico pup style! love it

https://i.imgur.com/ejMadtx.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/IjPW1ix.jpg

meet charlie! he's 3 but looks (and acts) like an old man. was a stray in texas and on a kill list and then bounced through fosters and bad adoptions :(

but now he's home! he is extremely mellow and settling in. already has a favorite spot on the couch and spent last night curled up at my feet in bed.

my first dog, i love it so far

he looks gorgeous!

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EGt4z2pWkAEy9eW?format=jpg&name=4096x4096

this is my main doog Douglas, he's reaching his first birthday in 2 days!

handsome boy

he has some very unsavoury habits and is an obsessive scavenger, so I have to put a muzzle on him off the lead until we get into deep countryside. Because he will literally eat anything, including discarded socks, dog-shit, fox-shit literally anything... but he is slowly getting more sensible.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DuNXSzvWwAAyOs9.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DuqA86nWkAAUMBZ.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D0MdhRaWsAIyEjG.jpg

just shamelessly reposting earlier pics of Douglas's development in the last year from this thread, including after he needed major surgery to have a sock removed from his small intestine after nearly dying, because I felt like it!

he practically collapses that settee when jumps on it now!

two extremely good boys imo

Doug is so beautiful. Black labs are my favourite. Does he like to greet people by putting their arms in his mouth? We had a black lab who did that. Not everyone likes that, we discovered.

And look at Charlie! I hope he'll turn out to be a total rascal when you've had him for a while and he settles in properly.

This is our pack (I don't know if this photo will work).
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EC5Xz6xXYAAkEcc?format=jpg&name=4096x4096

Oh, hueg, sorry.

Love to see all the VGBs.

I am still VERY dog-broody.

Labs are such easy dogs to have if you are under stress. When I had anxiety my lab mix used to lie down next to me so I could feel how calm he was. Only problem with them is that they WILL eat anything, including - ick - a tray of pasta in the alley that has maggots. They're smart dogs so it just must be hard-wired into them to put any and all food into their mouths.

" Black labs are my favourite. Does he like to greet people by putting their arms in his mouth? We had a black lab who did that. Not everyone likes that, we discovered."

yep, not biting but excitedly getting hands, arms, sleeves of coats in his mouth in his excitement, and he repeatedly jumps up at people - which is not good when he is covered in mud or the unfortunate person has recently had a hip replacement or just doesn't like that type of thing! He is calming down a bit and getting more wary about strangers, but still often starts hyperventilating when he meets other dogs or people sometimes, get's crazy excited. He will literally eat anything hence the need for a muzzle off the lead. I've stopped going to to one local park because some twisted psychopath from the rugby has been putting poisoned food around the pitch again

mine is having separation anxiety, barking/whining after i leave. this was my first day heading out to my job so we'll be working on it. hopefully when things become more predictable and normal he'll relax a bit

I'd recommend getting some pressed rawhide bones, they can chew them for hours and it might help him chill if he's showing anxiety and prevent other things getting chewed.

xp to trish

just remembered the day my postman, who is a fan of Douglas came to say hello and ended up with his hand in a big cavernous labbie mouth, and when get got his hand back there was a huge globule of saliva dangling off his wrist..

No! Not rawhide! The rawhide doesn’t digest, is often made by bleaching said rawhide and comes from very unethical places. Plus I see a rawhide veterinary horror story just about every day online. You’re best off getting raw bones from a butcher (I get beef rib bones for Wilf when he stays).

shit I didn't realise there were so many blockages caused by rawhide bones. The ones I get are quite expensive and from a reputable online seller, and I thought they were just basically very chewy protein. oh well!

Douglas is such a beautiful dog ❤️❤️

NB: Bully Sticks have similar issues if you have a fast chewer though puppies go berzerk over them.
NB to NB: they smell real bad tho
NB to NB to NB: they are bull penises tho

xp

he's absolutely gorgeous, that much was evident the second I saw him as a pup - but he's maturing into a stunningly handsome dog. Does anyone know if those poundshop butcher's bones in cellophane wraps are good or bad? or what are the best doggy chewing treat options?

pretty doggos!

We used to do the king size kong with frozen food/peanut butter in it.

Yeah, Kongs here too.

xp to Calzino: Those things can splinter if the dog crunches too hard on them, so they're not great for very chompy dogs. We're fine because we've got two weak-mouthed dogs and one Jack Russell who is mighty and strong but small.

just remembered the day my postman, who is a fan of Douglas came to say hello and ended up with his hand in a big cavernous labbie mouth, and when get got his hand back there was a huge globule of saliva dangling off his wrist..

Yes, an old housemate of mine used to call our labrador Lord Crustynosebridge because he always had a big dried flob across his muzzle. So debonair!

I've just been reading that you should avoid white rawhide dog chews because they are the ones that are likely to have had extensive chemical treatment. The ones I get are a yellow ochre colour and don't stink like crap, so I feel a little bit better now. But the choke hazard is obv not good.