The search is on...
So if we are going to get a dog, I want a "man's best friend" dog, not a lap dog or something my wife can stick in her purse. No, I want a dog that I can sit in the front of my truck with me. A dog I can take into the woods, go camping with, go fishing with. Not that I have time to do any of those things any more, but in a few years when I do have time for it, I want a dog that can go with me.
I do NOT want a dog that I have to lift onto and off of the bed, keep constant watch over so that I do not step on it, or listen to high-pitched yelps instead of a bark.
Perfect dog for me? A Labrador Retriever. I could care less what color; black, yellow, and chocolate are all the same to me, but Mrs. Sponge insists that we have a "light-colored dog". I understand with the hair all over the house thing, but it just seems shallow to me to choose a member of the family based on its color. But I digress (always wanted to say that).
I know what you are thinking - "Why not just get a rescue dog, or go to the pound and get one? There are so many dogs that need homes, how can you ignore their needs". Easy. - I have so far been witness to three "rescued" dogs and the results of all three show a clear pattern.
- The first one attacked the new owner after 18 months while playing on the bed. The dog just snapped, and attacked him. Granted this dog had a very rough upbringing and that is why it was "rescued", but do you think I am going to take that chance with my kids? My precious baby girls? Forget it, not worth it over a dog.
- Same owner of the above mentioned dog that snapped, went back for more and got another "rescued" dog. This time there were kids playing in my kitchen and the running around and laughing was too much for this 12-month old dog to take. He too snapped and bit my cousins 7 year old daughter in the face. The guy still has this dog, and it has not shown any signs of aggression towards anyone since, but if that were my dog or that was my daughter, I would have broke the dogs neck on the spot.
- Different owner, same situation. A friend of mine gets a "rescued" dog and she is adorable. Not sure how old, but friendly and obedient for the most part. My friend and his wife eventually have a child - dog no likey. Signs of aggression appear and there is an "incident" between the baby and the dog. I do not know all of the circumstances, but I do know that the dog has a new home and new owners.
No "rescued" dog for the Sponges. Maybe a puppy that has not been subject to any abuse, but definitely not any adult or anything older than about 3 months.
Enter Sticker shock. OMG WTF BBQ? you want what for a yellow lab? $1200? 1200 dollars, or pesos? We are talking U.S. currency here, right? HOLY CRAP!
I did find a breeder that had a litter of pups from a certified male and an uncertified female for $800, "such a deal" right? But if I go that router, then I have to worry about stuff like vision problems and hip dyspepsia (sp?) which are very common to this breed. Better to spend the extra $400 and make sure I do not get a defective dog.
So Saturday begins the search for our new dog, we are going to look at two males in Nokesville, several in Richmond 1 in Pennsylvania.
Merry Christmas.
posted by Sponge at 11:03 AM
1 Comments:
Dog #3 was a little over 3 months old when we got her, and she had been raised by a family whos German Shepherd had gotten knocked up by a terrier, another German Shep, and an OE Sheepdog. She was loved but the family couldn't afford to feed such a big litter so they gave them to the rescure agency where we got her. We raised her as a little person, allowing her to interact with us however she wanted short of being aggressive with us.
the incident in question occured as my daughter began to pull up and walk - and one lazy Sunday afternoon Shadow (the dog) was resting with me on the couch 1/2 asleep when my daughter pulled herself up on the couch and began to 'walk' along the edge. As would usually happen she smiled and giggled at the dog, who lifted up her head and went to do her usual licking and sniffing "hello" routine. Instead, shadow lunged forward and in one motion snarled and snapped at my daughter's face, catching 1 lower canine on her cheek and the other on her eyebrow. There was a small amount of blood. Immediately the dog recoiled knowing it had done wrong and I blacked out for a few minutes but when I came to I am told I had hurled my 70lb dog 30 feet across the house into a wall after choking it and punching it repeatedly. Looking back I have vague recollection - and I do remember she never fought back against me (which makes me want to cry for having given her up). Shadow probably could have done worse - i think it was a 'warning' or unintentional bite. Nonetheless, the kid is fine and the dog went back to the non-kill league we got her from and is now somewhere else, probably very happy. I miss her dearly, but I can't take the alternative risk.
$1200 on a dog is still fucking insane dude. You can get a 6-week old puppy from a league for $100 and raise it however you want.
/yes i probably have some anger/rage issues.
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