Dog Question

[YosemiteSam]

I have a Golden who must think she is a cat. Was cleaning house and found a mouse in the bed. She has a habit of hunting outside and bringing her catch inside. Thus far she has managed to bring in 2 birds, 2 mice and 1 Opossum.

Ha! My Golden hunts too, but the second it stops moving she loses interest. We find dead stuff outside or in the pool. :laugh2:

She terrorizes the hell out of squirrels, rabbits, and chipmunks. Any time a fox comes in the backyard there is a massive standoff until the fox decides to leave.

 

[BlueStar3398]

Ha! My Golden hunts too, but the second it stops moving she loses interest. We find dead stuff outside or in the pool. :laugh2:

She terrorizes the hell out of squirrels, rabbits, and chipmunks. Any time a fox comes in the backyard there is a massive standoff until the fox decides to leave.

My German Shepherd was a great hunter! I am terrified of rodents and she knew it! I was cleaning my storage/garage in my backyard and she found some mice. She took them out one at a time and killed them. Then she dropped them at my feet to show me! :laugh2:

 

[Aikmaniac]

My German Shepherd was a great hunter! I am terrified of rodents and she knew it! I was cleaning my storage/garage in my backyard and she found some mice. She took them out one at a time and killed them. Then she dropped them at my feet to show me! :laugh2:

I will have a German Shepherd one day when I have more space. When I was small (toddler to about 7 yrs old) we had a lab/shepherd mix. Absolutely wonderful dog (Suzy). My parents have pictures of me laying on her. She protected me and slept in my room every night.

I've caught myself looking up lab/shepherd mixes but I know that's too much dog for them at their age.

 

[BlueStar3398]

I will have a German Shepherd one day when I have more space. When I was small (toddler to about 7 yrs old) we had a lab/shepherd mix. Absolutely wonderful dog (Suzy). My parents have pictures of me laying on her. She protected me and slept in my room every night.

I've caught myself looking up lab/shepherd mixes but I know that's too much dog for them at their age.

I will get another one too one day. She was so SMART, protective and loaded with personality. I could swear she understood everything I said! I still feel like crying if I think of the day she passed away so unexpectedly.

 

[YosemiteSam]

I will get another one too one day. She was so SMART, protective and loaded with personality. I could swear she understood everything I said! I still feel like crying if I think of the day she passed away so unexpectedly.

Haha, that's funny. I love dogs!

I will have a German Shepherd one day when I have more space. When I was small (toddler to about 7 yrs old) we had a lab/shepherd mix. Absolutely wonderful dog (Suzy). My parents have pictures of me laying on her. She protected me and slept in my room every night.

I've caught myself looking up lab/shepherd mixes but I know that's too much dog for them at their age.

I had a Catahoula / German Shepard mix named Mitzie. She was awesome. She was like a short stubby German Shepard. Thick body and short legs, but she was a great dog. Very fun to play with. The only bad thing about her is she was one of the high energy dogs. Our backyard looked like a NACAR track where she would run in circles around the backyard fence doing her patrols. :laugh2:

 

[Stautner]

Many shelters/rescue groups now will have you fill out a questionnaire about what you are looking for in a dog. This result will match you with dogs in the shelter, which helps them avoid having returned pets because of unexpected behavior.

The rescue workers and volunteers will be very familiar with the dogs and their personalities. I think it's a fantastic tool.

Take your time and look around. Good luck!

The other nice thing is that a shelter/rescue group will generally allow you to take the dog home for a few days to see how it does in the new environment. You really can't tell how a dog will fit from interacting with it in a pet store or shelter, and you don't want to unintentionally burden your parents with a dog that requires a lot more work and patience than they want or need, so a test period makes a lot of sense.

 

[BlueStar3398]

The other nice thing is that a shelter/rescue group will generally allow you to take the dog home for a few days to see how it does in the new environment. You really can't tell how a dog will fit from interacting with it in a pet store or shelter, and you don't want to unintentionally burden your parents with a dog that requires a lot more work and patience than they want or need, so a test period makes a lot of sense.

That is a great advantage and it saves a dog from euthnasia. My dog, Scarlet, lived in a foster home for a few weeks before I got her. She got along great with the Great Dane and Boxer in the foster home. And, all of her vetting was part of the adoption fee. She is the sweetest dog. I still can't believe that her former owner dumped her at the Dallas pound!

 

[iceberg]

One of my dogs is a Maltese and he's a hoot... really cute and really affectionate... and they think they are the toughest dog on the block...

they ever see an akita? : )

 

[Faerluna]

The other nice thing is that a shelter/rescue group will generally allow you to take the dog home for a few days to see how it does in the new environment. You really can't tell how a dog will fit from interacting with it in a pet store or shelter, and you don't want to unintentionally burden your parents with a dog that requires a lot more work and patience than they want or need, so a test period makes a lot of sense.

The rescue groups that I foster kittens for has no facility. All the animals are in foster homes, which is such a tremendous advantage. All the foster parents can attest to the dog or cat's personality and they are in a home environment which is always the best situation.

 

[TheCount]

My German Shepherd was a great hunter! I am terrified of rodents and she knew it! I was cleaning my storage/garage in my backyard and she found some mice. She took them out one at a time and killed them. Then she dropped them at my feet to show me! :laugh2:

I always worry about that stuff. With all the diseases rodents carry these days, especially in populated areas, I don't think I'd even let me dogs chase after one. Too scared they'd catch something.

 

[roughneck266]

Definitely stay away from Boxers. I have one, and I love it to death, but they are a huge ball of energy lol.

lol Mine is sitting here pouting right now. He wants to go back out. We came in like 5 friggin minutes ago!
Best dog I have ever had, but you are right he wouldnt be the best for an older couple.

 

[BlueStar3398]

lol Mine is sitting here pouting right now. He wants to go back out. We came in like 5 friggin minutes ago!
Best dog I have ever had, but you are right he wouldnt be the best for an older couple.

Labs too. My mom got 2 Lab puppies that grew into BIG dogs very quickly. One of them got a little wild and jumped up on her. She got a chip fracture in her upper tibia.

 

[casmith07]

Any terrier is a bad choice, IMO. Entirely too much energy.

 

[MapleLeaf]

I think I may end up spending some time at the local shelter as we have done before, but I will check out the Bull Terrier.

Thanks for the thoughts everyone!

Save a lovely dog who needs a family and find an older one who is less maintenance and needs less work and exercise.

If I have a suggestion I would say a older 7-10 yr old small to medium size mixed breed would be nice.

Avoid the medical issues that aging pure breeds have. Small size, small dumps, shorter walks, less food equals less effort and expense.

You can assess the dog's personality and get help from the staff at the shelter and know you have done a nice deed in this world.

Good luck.