Posted on 03/13/2006 1:55:37 PM PST by proud_yank
Worried that dog breeds popularized by celebrities, movies and television will become the targets of puppy mills, Canadian and U.S. kennel clubs are asking people to think seriously before buying one of the dogs as a pet.
"Everybody wants a Dalmatian or a bearded collie or a Jack Russell after they see them in a movie," Patti Murray of Ashton, Ont., a member of both the Canadian and U.S. bearded collie clubs, said yesterday.
"But these breeds are definitely not for everybody. They are a major commitment."
Such pleas have been issued before by animal groups, especially since Disney's live-action remake of 101 Dalmatians in 1997 triggered an unprecedented surge of interest in the species.
According to a study by the American Kennel Club, more than 100,000 Dalmatians were purchased in the United States in the year after the movie's release, many of them bought impulsively from unscrupulous breeders.
In the years since, popularity spikes have been recorded for other breeds, including chihuahuas, pugs, Jack Russell terriers, St. Bernards, golden retrievers and Siberian huskies.
Many of these purchases were made without much knowledge of a breed's high-maintenance characteristics, said Ann Midgley of Ottawa, a director of the Bearded Collie Club of Canada. Many dogs ended up in animal shelters.
The latest plea for people to keep their pet-buying impulses on a short leash was triggered by the popularity of two new Disney movies featuring dogs, both among the Top 10 grossing movies of the weekend across North America.
In The Shaggy Dog, a remake of the 1959 film, actor Tim Allen's character is transformed into the family's spunky bearded collie. Eight Below is the story of a team of Siberian huskies rescued from Antarctica's bone-chilling cold.
Although neither movie has yet set off an upswing of interest in either breed, dog groups say it's only a matter of time.
"It always takes a while for the seedy breeders to get into gear," says Alexis Hahn, a New Jersey dog lover who helped start Recycled Russells, a North America-wide organization that finds homes for unwanted Jack Russell terriers, a breed made popular by the television show Frasier.
"Every time Hollywood makes a movie about dogs, some breed gets hurt."
Because it often costs as much as $1,000 to buy a purebred dog from an accredited breeder, "backyard breeders" and puppy mills spring into action to supply the demand for popular breeds.
They sell the dogs for as little as $150 or $200, often mass-producing puppies of questionable lineage in appalling conditions.
Dogs bred in puppy mills often develop personality defects and ailments, including hip dysplasia, bad backs and internal parasites, which can make the animals unsuitable as house pets.
Even healthy animals are often not a good fit for a family unfamiliar with a breed's characteristics and needs.
The long-haired bearded collie, for instance, requires extensive grooming as well as at least one long walk every day, Ms. Murray said.
"I have a 14-year-old dog who needs to run free for an hour every day," Ms. Midgley added. "Beardies are very intelligent and loving, but they are a lot of work."
And while Siberian huskies might be every bit as intelligent and self-sufficient in real life as they are in Eight Below, they don't make ideal city pets.
"I won't even look at anyone who hasn't thoroughly researched these dogs before they come to my place," said breeder Roger Walker, owner of Ottawa's KeeKeWa Siberians, which supplied eight dogs to the TV series Due South and another for Disney's 2002 movie Snow Dogs.
I LOVE that photo yank.
He looks spoiled rotten, like my setter.
I just worked out a great deal today. I had a sweet young lady (divorced Mom) and her 11 year old son come out to check out my place, and they are going to stay here while I'm out of town and feed my two dogs and watch my place for me.
In return they can hunt deer and turkey on my property. When they saw the deer come feed in my yard they freaked out. The minute they got out of the car they pointed out buck rubs right next to my house. Then, they found some turkey sign in the nearby woods.
Plus I have a 2,500 acre public hunting area very near me. They are going to build a big fire in my fire pit and cook their meals with my cast iron dutch oven. Since it can be unusafe for a woman and kid to camp in a lot of public land nowadays, they really are happy to have a private place to camp and hunt.
Charlie is spoiled rotten! I just really wish I had taken that picture with the FR homepage on the screen, I guess I'll have to find someone who is good with photoshop.
A lot of Beardie Breeders are nervous about this movie, and the effect that it could have on a breed (i.e. puppy mills, imbreeding, etc).
I imagine they're quite happy to have some private land to enjoy. What I wouldn't give to be able to hunt right out my front door! Where you heading, you going fishing for a while? How is your new, old dog doing?
What breed is your dog? He don't look like a collie to me :)
My new old dog is a sweetheart, already spoiled rotten. The front of my house is all glass, and he stands there looking at me through the glass with that huge head and a pitiful look and watches me till I go to bed, with a look on his face saying "Why can't I be in there with you -- I need you."
But he is a male, and, I tried to let him in a few times, but he MARKS his territory, on my furniture, etc. As I am writing this he has been on my deck freaking out because it is storming here, heavy thunder and lightning .
So, I was on the phone with my sister, and felt sorry for him and let him come into my office with me.
Sure 'nuff, first thing he did was pee on everything.
So I had to take him back out. Then clean up his pee.
I can't handle that. That's why I have always had female dogs.
Last week I built him an awesome dog house outside, complete with insulation, everything but
a telephone. But it still makes me feel
awful when I see that big yellow head and big brown eyes looking at me pitiful from outside the window.
I am going to Alabama to attend my niece's wedding, not on a fishing trip. If I had a choice . . . I'd rather be fishing.
I feel MUCH better not having to put my kids (dogs) in a kennel, and I actually feel good about this 11 year old boy having a place to hunt. The look on his face as he was watching my deer herd today was worth a million dollars.
It's a good setup for both of us. That boy's Mom has just harvested a bobcat (along with wild boar, lots of bow-killed deer, and wild turkeys, and I feel real good about them watching my place.
This kid is very polite and sweet. And I respect his mother for going the extra miles to ensure he has the outdoor experiences. They also like to fish, but she ended up with no fishing equipment after the divorce. When this kid saw my fishing equipment, he was astounded!!!!
Hey, I need some fishing partners -- and that boy is fixin' to get a lot of fishing equipment, and time on the water, if I have my way!!!!
Nonsense. I've always had male dogs and they don't have to mark. Train him not to. Part of the trouble is he's over-excited after waiting outside alone and he's scared to death then he gets the chance he's been pleading for to be with you and he doesn't think. That over-excitement won't last.
You've got storms and he's outside in it? Let him in! Get him a place to lay that's his and watch him. My two cents.
Hey, I adopted a very OLD male HUGE yellow lab from the local shelter. I went there to get a companion for my setter, and saw him.
He is precious. When I got to the shelter I looked at lots of dogs, but kept going back to his cage, he just gave me that look "Get me out of here."
He is so old his teeth are worn to nubs, his back is an arch, and he has arthritus. I have been treating him for all his problems.
He would have been euthanized, nobody will adopt an old sick dog -- except me, I have DUMBASS written across my forehead.
So, I decided to give this old guy a good life for his (probably) few remaining years. He is so awesome, and I love him. But I can't deal with a dog peeing all over my house, I have other stuff more important to deal with (and limited time to do so). I have also provided him with great shelter outside -- he is NOT neglected.
Well, son, you give me instructions on how to stop this peeing and I'll do it. In the meantime, you want to pay for the steam cleaner to clean my carpets where he gets excited and pees all over them?
Now, how DO you train an old dog not to do this? Hey, I'll try it. I want his old bones laying next to my fireplace when it's cold outside.
Go ahead, lecture me, give me a lesson on how to do this.
If your instructions work, I won't send you a bill for the carpet cleaning. I'm waiting . . .
Keep him on a leash, particularly when he first comes in... if he sniffs and acts like he's going to pee say 'no' or 'leave it' and give a correction. Tell him to lay down and stay wherever you are and keep an eye out. Praise him when he's calm and quiet.
If he really isn't potty trained at all, then take him outside pretty frequently and praise him when he goes outside. He'll figure it out. It's not rocket science.
And I'm a chick, and not your son.
When I was a little kid we had a Border Collie. She used to grab my sleeve and pull me where she wanted me to be or away from where she thought I should be. Funny thing is, our Danes and Boxers were that protective too.
Pets are a full time responsibility. I do not undertsand how anyone with a brain cannot see that.
Using the term "son" is just local dialect for me, I didn't mean it offensively. It doesn't matter whether you are a girl or guy.
I estimate this dog is at least 10-11 years old. He has been a house dog; when I first brought him home he immediately wanted to come in with his new family.
And still does.
I would love to have him laying at my feet as I type this. But I just can't deal with the peeing on everything.I am overwhelmed with deadlines and commitments, and the old guy makes my heart break when he stares at me through the windows.
Training a puppy is a whole different ballgame than trying to teach a VERY old dog new tricks.
I just let my setter out to pee, and he followed her up to the door when she came back in, looking at me with that anticipation -- that pleading look.
I tell you, it hurts me more than him to have to segregate him from our family. This old guy loves me and thinks I am GOD.
I'll try your suggestions. I watched him hike that leg up when he was inside earlier, and before I could get the words out of my mouth, he'd pretty much sprayed pee around my office. Then he acted like the world had come to an end when I yelled "NO," but it was too late.
No, it's really not. He'll get it. He's just overly excited in a new place. Now that you expect it, you can be ready to deal with it. If you want to.
put a belly band on the dog
I was on another site and came across this. The animal "protectors" would not like this, but this is the reality of nature.
Okay, Hair of the Dog, that 150 pound dog is laying at my feet as I type this. But he can't stay in all night.
I am probably prolonging his agony by giving him these brief moments of comfort at my feet in my warm home.
He is a BIG dog, and he seems to like my Buffalo Springfield music :)
I'm going to play some Jackson Browne CDs for him next.
http://www.tndeer.com/ubb/NonCGI/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=29;t=003557
People do need to look before they leap with dogs. We've had Shelties forever and they do look like "little Lassies" but a Sheltie is not a collie.
They are extremely energetic herding dogs. They will nip when they herd. They are barkers. They are very clever. They need to be combed out every day or two. They often pick one family member as their "person" and more or less ignore others.
Yet, people see ours and often say that they'd like to have one. Because they're cute and not too big. A stick of dynamite isn't very big either!
Somebody post a pix of the REAL Rin Tin Tin - that's right, from 1920s silent movies.
And let's not forget Strongheart, the 1st major movie dog star just before Rin Tin Tin nipped his heels.
Good point.
Glad to hear it, hope he didn't have any problems you couldn't catch before they happened. Hopefully, it'll get better with time and eventually he'll be trustworthy. I do believe, especially if he's been housebroken before, that he's just over-excited in a new place and that will decrease when he learns the rules. Even if he's not been housetrained well before, it's not hard to teach, I don't care how old he is. Just keep an eye, and a leash on him until he gets it. Sorry for the attitude last night, but I sensed I was getting some from you. Not sure what you wanted from me if not advice to solve the problem....
I was trying to be funny, but after rereading my remarks I can see they didn't come across that way. I really do appreciate your advice.
So you're a girl too, huh?
And a fellow dog lover.
He did good after I took your advice and brought him back in on a leash. He is so sweet and pitiful (I think he has been hit before, he flinches when you pick up a stick, broom or such object).
He's definitely been inside before, and just lives to be by my side. It really does make me feel so bad when I see that big head and those big brown eyes pleading at me through the window.
I am a real softie. My animals (two dogs and a cat) pretty much run my life now.
I got him from the shelter to keep my other dog company. I work at home (on the computer) and while on deadline and needing to work, my setter sits and begs me for attention. I invested $1,800 in a huge fence so she can get plenty of exersize and darned if she won't leave my side. So, I get him and now I have TWO begging for my constant, undivided attention :)
Oh well, it feels wonderful to have a fan club, I'm not complaining.
But, like this article above states, certain breeds require much more time and effort, and it's not fair to get a dog and ignore it. Maybe when I'm on deadline I could play them a Lassie video or something.
Even really active dogs sleep about 20 hours a day ;~D
I work at home too - doesn't hurt to take a break and play some ball several times a day.
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