Posted on 07/05/2008 12:57:30 PM PDT by TornadoAlley3
What in the world do you mean they are not qualified to adopt a dog? How do you know that?
Bingo. Rescue animals are the best (say my two fat cats).
Anything that's small, noisy, cranky and mean-spirited ... like Meeshell.
My two, too. My sweet little angels.
I feel sorry for any canine owned by that phoney, narcissistic Obama. Any dog of his will most certainly end feet up in Fort Barky Park.
Leni
Will it be allowed in the family mosque?
Yes, I think that’s what they should do. Rescue animals. They are sweet and so happy to be treated well and loved.
We'll see if he really gets a dog for his kids. Muslims today are allowed only guard or working dogs. That might be his out.
Leni
Since having a dog would be offensive to Muslims and PETA types, Obama will pander and not have any pets.
Assuming always that you go to a reputable breeder and select carefully, purebreds are more predictable in terms of what you're going to get.
We had two small children, so we went the predictable route with a Lab from a good show breeder. She is now almost 8 and a particularly Good Dog. We were so pleased with her, we got a second Lab, who is also a Good Dog but in rather a different way (she is a hot-rod field retriever, she's a very nice dog but quite a handful.)
I'm completely smitten with the working retrievers and wouldn't get a toy dog like the Griffon. If we did something other than a Lab (and I really see no good reason to switch) we'd get a Chessie. Great working dogs!
1. It's just a publicity stunt. Worst reason in the world to get a dog. See Clinton, Buddy.
2. Obama's not on board, it's Michelle's idea. Both parents not on board, bad idea to get a dog "for the kids".
3. They don't have time for a dog.
4. The kids are allergic. The issue is not so much whether a particular dog is hypo-allergenic (and much of that is just hype, as with the so-called "cockerpoos") as whether the parents are willing to do the heavy cleaning necessary to make it work. See No. 3.
5. They apparently have never had a dog before and haven't really given it any thought. See No. 3.
Conclusion: wouldn't make good dog owners, at least not right now. With some actual commitment and research, they could, but don't see any indication of that.
Yes, with normal kids, but with children who have grown up hearing the racist rantings of "Rev." Wright, and his "Sunday school", I think they need a dog that reflects more on the personality of the parents.
He was a good dog.
We have a Lab mix (looks like a Lab, but too tall and weighs 100 lbs); an Irish Terrier/ yellow Lab mix (hysterical when he stalks squirrels - he is BLONDE and the squirrels see him from when he walks out the back door) and a Cairn terrier/Yorkie mix (She terrifies the chipmunks). They have worked out their pecking order and generally tolerate each other,
There was a lady on the tube some years ago. I think her name was Barbara Woodhouse. Her mantra was ‘no bad dogs’.
She was right. Dogs become what we train them to be.
I am sometimes uncomfortable with folks who disparage American Staffordshire Terriers (I think that's the official name for pit bulls.) I've met some who are real mushes, and others that are nasty. But we could say the same about Yorkies or Poodles.
I guess it is just how we teach them to behave.
Because of selective breeding, a dog of a particular breed will start with a set of instincts and abilities that are hard wired into him.
My older Lab never saw a duck until she was over 3 years old. Before that she was an obedience and agility dog. The very first time she saw a duck fall out of the sky, she knew what to do. It was in her breeding (thank goodness -- her daddy was a show dog, an affable sort but wouldn't know what to do with a bird if you handed it to him. But her mama was a daughter of the only Chocolate Lab ever to win the National Field Trial title.) It was like magic -- all we did was refine her natural instincts. Even though she started very late for a retriever, she's a very good one. She'd be better if I were a better trainer!
On the other hand, there are some folks with Standard Poodles who belong to our retrieving club. Poodles were in fact hunting dogs once upon a time, but it was hundreds of generations back and most of the desire to hunt has been bred out of them. Their owners are trying really, really, really hard -- but it's like trying to push a rope uphill. The dogs are intelligent and obedient, but you can see when they go to the line that they are fetching the bird or bumper because they were commanded to do so -- contrast that to a Lab that you have to train to WAIT until you give the word to leave the line, that will go through flooded timber and waterweeds and heavy cover because every cell in their body is focussed on retrieving that duck!
It's not true of every dog -- there are well bred Labs who just don't have the hunting instincts -- but by and large Labs will hunt, Terriers will dig and chase vermin (and bark), and Border Collies will herd anything that moves. And yes, they are VERY smart -- all those generations of handling sheep in close cooperation with their masters. BCs pretty much rule Agility, and my little Lab is a dark punctuation mark in a sea of black-and-white BCs in the Masters class.
AmStaffs are a touchy subject -- I believe once again that it's part training, but the dogs were originally bred for fighting. They aren't generally people-aggressive because their handlers were down in the pit with them, but they are hard wired for dog-aggression. Obviously not every AmStaff is dog-aggressive, but it's something that you have to be ready for and watch for, and train the dog to absolute obedience. Not a dog for casual ownership -- Labs and Goldens are better for that. Most of them are naturally mellow and they've had dog-aggressiveness bred out of them because of hunting and handling in close proximity to other dogs.
I could not imagine my life without a dog. Currently we have 4, plus 6 out of 10 puppies. The rest of the pups will be gone by the end of the week, all went to great families:)
I still cringe when I think about the Clinton’s and Buddy.
Especially since I HAVE a Chocolate Lab and she would have been SO sad without humans to devote herself to. She's a little bit loopy, like all Chocs, but she adores people and is happiest when she is with her special human.
Poor Buddy! All that love and nobody to give it to.
I've been owned by Chessies for over 20 years and they are wonderful dogs but definitely NOT for everyone. They're much different than labs - much more hard-headed...LOL - but I wouldn't own any other breed.
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