I Want A Puppy For Christmas!

Okay, I don't really want a puppy for Christmas. Yes, I do want a puppy, but not quite yet. My last three dogs have come into my life as adults. I haven't had the joy (and aggravation) of raising a puppy since 1986.

I had four dogs until just a couple of years ago.I had to put one to sleep due to trauma injuries, and another that was old with failing health. A third I put to sleep just about six weeks ago. She had severe spondylosis, but lived 3 - 4 years longer than the vets had expected. I cherished every extra day we had together.

I have mentioned here before that I used to work with dogs (and cats), up until a year ago. I worked at an animal shelter for 3 years, a veterinarian for 6 years and 2 years at a first class boarding kennel. During those eleven years I touched the lives of about 10,000 different dogs. That's not an exaggeration. I crossed paths with about 100,000 dogs, but I'm just counting ones I, in some way, have touched their lives. (yes, much of this was from the work at the shelter. We took in 35 - 40,000 animals a year) Of the ten thousand there were probably 500 that I knew very well from seeing them over and over at the vet and the boarding kennel. I loved them as my own dogs and they loved me as their own 'person'.

My new puppy will be a Golden Retriever named Re-Boot, in hopes of filling the shoes (paws?) of the Golden I recently lost. My remaining dog is a Golden and yes, they are my favorite breed. There any many other breeds I like, though. Border Collies are very smart and I will probably have one some day. Corgi's have taken a piece of my heart, too. I will probably never own a Standard Poodle but they are very fun dogs once you get to know them. Over the years it was quite an experience spotting the common traits in the different breeds.

I want a puppy for Christmas. So why don't I get one?? Raising a puppy properly requires time and money. The time I have now. The money - I don't. So I will wait. My puppy will be there when I am ready. (and please reconsider if you are thinking of giving a pet as a Christmas gift - but that's a chapter in itself)

So why am I posting this frivolous little story? Because I hope to get the attention of all of you that read these animal threads and ask a favor of you. Lately Tabitha Soren has been a pest on these innocent, "G" rated animal threads. I want to ask you to join me and just ignore her and not give her the dignity of a reply. I know, she gets us all PO'ed, but if we just ignore her she will lose the satisfaction of the attention she gets, and she won't have replies to reply to.

BTW. . . post your pet stories here and we won't let this warm and fuzzy thread get hijacked!

Then again a pup couldn't ruin much

Oh dear.... where should I start?

Even with a good safe area to leave a pup... it will ruin at least one thing that you love during it's first year if you take your eyes off it for two minutes....

I would adopt an adult if you really have to leave it all day. The first six-months of a dog raising are REALLY not worth the aaaawwww of having a puppy.

All large breeds have some incidence of bad hips, but you are also taking on known hips in an adult. You know by the time they are two whether they are going to be OK.

He's so mean that he has "happy growls." My whole family has war wounds from dealing with him. He hates us, but loves strangers
Bwhahaha. My uncle's dad has a miniture pinschure(sp). It looks like a mini doberman. This dog will jump in my lap, and then if I pet it, it growls(sometimes). I pull my hand back, it then wonders why I'm not petting it. I went on a hunting trip one time, and one of the other hunters brought his bird dog, a Brittney Spanial. When I drove up there, it didn't even know me, but greeted me there. I had a new friend. Good hunter as well. His girlfriend rescues them. While I plan on getting a lab, I may be getting a rescued dog instead.

The worst thing about living in a dorm is not having a dog around.
I agree there. My apartment has a no dog policy. Only cats, and I don't want a cat.

I certainly have no intention of "intruding" on this thread at all -- but here is a bit of "news" I received in e-mail within the last hour. Believe me it is totally credible as these Hunte people are a high class (if possible) puppy mill.

The last time I posted a request for foot protectors needed by the dogs doing SAR work at the WTC - someone told me to prove my "source" was legit and I was so disgusted, that I had the thread pulled. So I just stay fairly "quiet".

Obviously, this was an recent press release:

For Immediate Release:
Wednesday, September 5, 2001
Contact: Dan Wadlington
dan.wadlington@mail.house.gov
417-889-1800
USDA Approves Loan to McDonald County K-9 Distributor Blunt Announces

Goodman, Missouri -- The Unites States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved a $900,000 guaranteed rural development loan to allow the Hunte Corporation, located in northern McDonald County, to purchase equipment, restructure it’s debt and provide working capital for expansion Southwest Missouri Congressman Roy Blunt has announced.

Hunte Corporation Chairman Andrew Hunte said, “The loan will allow us to expand business and increase employment in McDonald County.” The company received another loan for $3.5 million from the USDA last year.
“The dog breeding industry has suffered a black eye in recent years, but we are out to change that image by putting animals first and ensuring they get the best humane professional treatment,” Hunte said. “We deal with breeders in several Midwest states who can meet our standards of quality care. One of our goals is to help breeders improve their operations.” Hunte explained, “We get the puppies at 8 weeks old and they undergo a week of quality care to make sure they are healthy before they are shipped to upscale pet stores around the country.”

The Hunte Corporation operations near Goodman include more than 150 employees under the direction of six veterinarians. The dogs are housed in a 30,000 square foot building that is climate and odor controlled. The operation is federally and state inspected.

Hunte said, “We added 18 employees this year and we hope to keep expanding.” “We want to be the educators of the industry. We are committed to excellence. The federal guaranteed loan will allow us to continue to move in that direction.”

Ten years ago, Hunte Corporation consisted of seven employees and a million dollars in sales. Hunte says sales this year will exceed $26 million.

Hunte Corporation is the largest distributor-wholesaler of puppies in the United States. The company also exports young dogs overseas.

PLEASE, If you buy a purebred, BUY FROM A REPUTABLE BREEDER!

These people bragged that they expect to sell (warehouse and ship) more than 80,000 puppies this year.

The President of the AKC was going to some grand opening (or meeting of puppy farm owners) a couple of months ago, but was "dissuaded" by the dog folks from doing so.

ALMOST ALL PURE-BRED DOG BREEDERS have dogs for inexpensive "re-homing" from their own kennels -- these are NOT RESCUES with unknown backgrounds -- they are retired show dogs or dogs who are just kept to be grown out as prospects. We seldom breed a female more than once or twice and keep only the best (not the most prolific) males for breeding and showing. This is true of almost ALL PURE BREEDS!

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