Definitely adopt and do it from your shelter. And get a mutt because they tend to be smarter and healthier. Don’t go to a shelter looking for a breed, go to a shelter looking for a dog that you make a personal connection with. That is how I have always done it (with one exception that we got from a rescue instead) and I have not regretted it with the four dogs I have had in my life.
I am sorry you had to lose one of your dogs. It’s always so hard because to a loving pet owner, they are family.
Thanks, they really are family members! It was hard because we only had him about 4 years. It’s hard no matter how old they are but we had to put him down when he was only 10. In those last few days his quality of life totally changed though. Luckily we had like 6 months warning and he lived towards the long end of the vet’s expectations given the size of the mass they had found.
We had a similar situation with the last dog we lost. It was very clear it was coming long before the end. We knew it had to happen when we woke up to find that he had pooped all over his dog bed and the floor. He was so ready that he was gone within seconds of the injection. I’m just glad we gave him a good life and I’m glad you did with yours.
Definitely type is important, but I would say that much more so than breed. And you can tell pretty easily if it’s the type of dog that needs constant stimulation if you just spend a few minutes with the dog. The first dog I got right after I moved out of my parents’ house was not only the first dog I saw, but the only dog the shelter told me about on the phone. And it was love at first sight. But I forced myself to look at every other dog in the shelter just to make sure she was the one for me. And she was.
Given that I have over 30 years in various aspects of animal science, yes. I actually do know what I’m talking about, because my perspective comes from actual lived experience and not memes.
But I’ve seen you post in Lemmy multiple times, and every time you fail to grasp that you don’t know everything.
“Dog inbreeding” just shows how little you know. Ethical breeders make careful selection of their breeding pairs. It’s far better than letting health issues perpetuate wildly. And ethical breeders don’t tend to make much, if any money off of it, either. They tend to do it for love of the history and purpose of the breed.
The idea that any pure dog breed is not inbred is laughable. If you have the animal expertise you claim, you would know that. Incidentally, the fact that you refuse to say which breed you’re talking about is quite suspicious.
But go ahead, tell me the inbreeding coefficient of the breed you’re talking about. Let’s see some evidence to back it up.
Definitely adopt and do it from your shelter. And get a mutt because they tend to be smarter and healthier. Don’t go to a shelter looking for a breed, go to a shelter looking for a dog that you make a personal connection with. That is how I have always done it (with one exception that we got from a rescue instead) and I have not regretted it with the four dogs I have had in my life.
I am sorry you had to lose one of your dogs. It’s always so hard because to a loving pet owner, they are family.
Thanks, they really are family members! It was hard because we only had him about 4 years. It’s hard no matter how old they are but we had to put him down when he was only 10. In those last few days his quality of life totally changed though. Luckily we had like 6 months warning and he lived towards the long end of the vet’s expectations given the size of the mass they had found.
We had a similar situation with the last dog we lost. It was very clear it was coming long before the end. We knew it had to happen when we woke up to find that he had pooped all over his dog bed and the floor. He was so ready that he was gone within seconds of the injection. I’m just glad we gave him a good life and I’m glad you did with yours.
Well put, but I’d say include your lifestyle to help in selecting that mutt’s breeds.
As in, don’t get a working dog breed if you can’t be there to give them something to do all day.
But it’s really best to meet mutts to see if you gel together.
Definitely type is important, but I would say that much more so than breed. And you can tell pretty easily if it’s the type of dog that needs constant stimulation if you just spend a few minutes with the dog. The first dog I got right after I moved out of my parents’ house was not only the first dog I saw, but the only dog the shelter told me about on the phone. And it was love at first sight. But I forced myself to look at every other dog in the shelter just to make sure she was the one for me. And she was.
True dat - and lovely doggy tale <3
The type of dog I prefer generally doesn’t end up in shelters, because the vast majority of breeders are ethical.
You really believe that, don’t you?
Given that I have over 30 years in various aspects of animal science, yes. I actually do know what I’m talking about, because my perspective comes from actual lived experience and not memes.
But I’ve seen you post in Lemmy multiple times, and every time you fail to grasp that you don’t know everything.
I don’t know most things and I grasp that very well.
I do know that saying that people who perpetuate dog inbreeding for money are ethical is a bit silly though.
“Dog inbreeding” just shows how little you know. Ethical breeders make careful selection of their breeding pairs. It’s far better than letting health issues perpetuate wildly. And ethical breeders don’t tend to make much, if any money off of it, either. They tend to do it for love of the history and purpose of the breed.
The idea that any pure dog breed is not inbred is laughable. If you have the animal expertise you claim, you would know that. Incidentally, the fact that you refuse to say which breed you’re talking about is quite suspicious.
But go ahead, tell me the inbreeding coefficient of the breed you’re talking about. Let’s see some evidence to back it up.