Big Dogs or Small Dogs?

Norris :)

Vonn!

I'm guessing there is some food off-camera in Joygoat's pic?

I was watching ilxor Yerac's lovely lovely boxer a couple of months ago and he's the nicest and would like to have more people and dog friends but everyone crosses the street when they see him. Tragically misunderstood. ;____;

boxers are ridiculously sweet ime

slightly overly hefty boston terriers own

http://i.imgur.com/4jQ4RU7.png

boxers are silly goofs and I love them

My mother inlaw had a shihtzu named bella and as adorable as she was, she was just a pain in the ass. it wasn't the dog's fault, my MiL indulged her like a furry princess and would never follow through on any kind of training becuase she didn't want to upset the dog and it was like aaaaagh.

I mean, to the point where the dog wouldn't eat if anyone was looking at her, wouldn't eat wet food unless it was *warmed slightly*, wouldn't eat off anything but an actual plate...it goes on

the biggest problem is that she couldn't socialize at all with other animals, she was snappy and irritable whenever other dogs were near and would always start shit with my brother in law's docile bigger dogs...but my MiL was convinced that they were 'picking on her' and wouldn't hear a bad word against her. it was just a nightmare when they ended up all sharing a house together.

she got adopted out to a friend of my MiL's after MiL passed away...the friend lives alone and her children are all grown up, and can shower Bella with all the attention she demands. being in a 3 dog house was no place for the Princess, that's for sure.

oh and whenever you sat down she would jump in your lap and repeatedly lick any exposed skin including feet and it was groooooossss

she was cute as hell though

@ENBB, your dog is so cute!

Aw, thanks. He's pretty ridiculous and he knows it. (btw: Best Beloved Benson)

that's sad to hear about the shihtzu. almost any bad habit w/ food can be broken, generally thru a little trick called 'starve them', but socialization stuff is difficult to repair. i socialized my corgi like crazy but totally forgot to socialize her w/ kids (most of my friends are childless) and the first time she met a small child she was over a year old and it blew her mind, she was terrified of it and for the longest time would let out this low disapproving 'ooo' whenever she even saw one down the street. she's gotten alot better but even now she just kinda freezes w/ this awkward weird forced smile on her face, i can tell she feels awkward and uncomfortable, it's like watching my grandmother eat chinese food. the licking of skin was the dog wanting salt.

@ENBB: Haha. Nice! Didn't see that thread!

I feel super lucky to have a big dog breed that is so stuffed animal muppety that nearly nobody finds him intimidating - basically if somebody shies away I know they have actual dog issues and we play it cool

Anyone here ever experience progressive protein loss with their dog? Baxter (that brown & white spaniel I posted above) just got results from a blood test that are really scary. we took him to the vet last week due to excessive vomiting & panting. he's been dropping protein levels in his blood for a few weeks now and I just found out I have to take him to the ER tonight in order for him to be seen by a specialist. Kind of freaking out. He's only five years old and I'm not ready to lose a pet.

D: That sounds awful! Really hope the worst will be averted!

Thanks! I'm hoping whatever this is can be treated.

Pancreatitis, maybe? If my dog starts vomming, that's my first thought.

vomiting is better than diarrhea i guess, hopefully it's not some kind of renal failure, maybe just a parasite. hopefully it will be something that can be treated w/ some ease. hoping for the best.

Yeah, pancreatitis and renal failure are big concerns. Unfortunately his diarrhea has been really bad, too. Google searching this stuff isn't really doing wonders for my anxiety.

Only worry about renal failure if the pee is weird. Pancreatitis affects dogs of any age, though. Whippetlurcher has recovered from his December pancreatitis attack but ooooh boy £3000 vet bill followed by *expensive* gastro dog food.

Best of luck, Darin.

yikes! well, glad your pup is doing better now, Suzy. Some Web MD research leads me to believe Baxter is dealing with some sort of lymphangiectasia issues, although the causes can be anything from parasites to cancer. I'm frustrated that we've already spent $700 this week on blood tests, medications and x-rays and we still don't have any clue as to what's up.

anyway, enough of my downer talk - back to the big dog/small dog debate...

thanks, Carl!

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

If I had a house (instead of a small apartment) I would absolutely own a Newfoundland. When I was a kid there was one that lived a few blocks away and the first time I walked past its house it was sleeping on the lawn and out of the corner of my eye I thought it was a boulder until it moved.

Baxter is doing better! While he does suffer from some lymphangiectasia-type symptoms, he is improving dramatically and his prognosis looks good. Things are looking up for the little man.

that's very good to hear, i was just reading about him upthread and hoped he was okay.

Glad to hear that! I was wondering too.

Newfoundlands are awesome.

Also hooray for Baxter!

Oh and

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m134/johnjusten/Mobile%20Uploads/2014-05/E0CCB4A2-E18E-4592-82FD-57085D3D4E43.jpg

HENRY

There's something beneath that enormous beast -- it looks like a rug?

no chihuahua no credibility

I loooooooove other people's dogs...big ones, small ones, doesn't matter...but I'm way too much of a procrastinator (and, frankly, kinda lazy) to own a dog that needs to be walked and stuff. Cleaning my cat's litter box once or twice a day is more my speed.

I had cats for most of my adult life - because it's hard having a dog in the city. When I moved to the burbs, the cats died of old age and, smitten with my sister's dog, I got one for protection. Then Dad got a Siberian, which I kept after he died. A few years ago, I was in and out of the hospital with surgeries and my mom gave the dogs away.

Trying to be brave about it. It does no good getting emotional. When I get stringer I'll get another Siberian but one dog is not the same as another.

Anyway, I'd forgotten how safe big dogs make you feel.

My uncle breeds Great Danes. All of his dogs have ruled.

It took me forever to come around to big dogs after being attacked by one as a kid but I've known a succession of such lovely, lovely big dogs in recent years that I've grown really fond of them. I do love (most) little dogs, too, though. My family's little dogs are hilarious and adorable but they're also terribly trained/socialized (yappy, terrible on a leash, aggressive towards/fearful of other dogs, etc.). I try not to let that color my opinion of little dogs across the board. The GF and I have been talking about a dog, and I'd opt for a lab in a heartbeat (with loose fur and slobber informing the bulk of my reservations).

I used to be such a cat person but I've lived with way too many shitty (i.e. aggressive, destructive, poorly box-trained) cats of late to feel like much of a fan at the moment. I like other people's cats, usually. The ones who aren't going to bite chunks out of my books and piss on my bed.

hey guys i'ma ask yall this b/c i'm asking everybody.

so my wife and i are moving from a house in new orleans to a surely-tiny apartment in nyc. we have two small cats, a small dog, and a 74lb elderly pit bull who has been my #1 bro for many years. naturally our pet situation is making the apartment-finding process very difficult and frustrating and i imagine the subsequent living-in-tiny-apt-with-mad-pets would be equally difficult. but whatever.

except that an ex of mine, who is still a good friend, offered to take the 74lb dog (with whom she lived for many years) to live with her in her big house with a big yard here in new orleans. ellie (the dog) is like 15 years old and surely not all that long for this world and i want her last couple of years to be super awesome. but i have no clue which is the better situation for an old lazy sleepy dog--hanging out w me in the big city or lounging around this fancy house/yard (with someone she also knows/loves). your thoughts would be appreciated.

(my wife is also trying to find a new home for the smaller dog, who is kinda neurotic and doesn't really give a fuck about people so that whole thing is less fraught)

i feel like by taking a dog into one's life one is making a commitment to the dog to see things through to the best of one's abilities but i dunno. i also feel like i should note that ellie is the dopest dog ever and my ex is not the only person who has offered to take her.

i asked a vet abt it and she was like, leave the dog w yr ex but she may have been drunk.

used to be a cat person until i developed an allergy to them. now, it's looking at pictures of them only. luckily i live in a time of unprecedented access to cat pictures.

both big and small dogs can be awesome, i feel small dogs can be very unfairly maligned with the vicious/yappy stereotype. i love all dogs, except alsations (all cops are bastards) and english bull terriers (exclusively owned by racists)

if you think the ex will take good care of the big dog, i would leave it with her. tough sophie's choice there though.

hard for me to answer that question, as I've already done a whole lot to ensure our big guy is comfortable, including moving at the drop of a hat when he couldn't climb stairs anymore

do you think the dog could handle the change, mentally? serious question

i left my 50 lb dog with my ex when we broke up and i miss her a lot but i just don't have a lifestyle or a space or the capability to look after her in my current life... plus they really fulfill each other well. i'm not sure how dogs adjust to people coming and leaving their lives; i think it depends on the animal. but if your ex is loving and takes good care of the animal, i think your dog will adjust.

leave her with your ex - imo that change will be far less stressful for her than moving her to a tiny apt in NYC. it's a terrible decision to have to make - but mainly for you, not ellie. if she knows your ex really well, i think she'll be perfectly happy and content there.

That's so hard. Your dog is going to miss you, for sure, but may overall be happier with a yard and space and not having to make a big move to a strange city with a new climate. Even typing that makes me feel sad, though, so I don't know.

thanks everyone. i know taking my ex up on her generous offer is the right thing to do but man it is a fucking drag.

I have a friend who had to give up her much beloved dog when she moved to NYC. Fortunately, the dog now lives with her parents where the two get to spend some time together again a couple times a year. Would you ever have the occasion to visit your ex and see the dog?

Leave her with your ex, imo. They know each other, it'll be less stressful than the alternative. Offer to chip in on vet bills for the inevitable end-of-life care soon to come?

i'll be back in new orleans regularly so there would be visits.

yeah i'm not gonna stick her with giant piles of doggie hospice care bills or whatever. she just went to the vet and apparently is in fine robust health for her age but i feel like shit can go down pretty fast.

i m losted good luck