Yea, I know. I told myself I wouldn't post anything on my blog until I completed my "serious" part of the posts to come...but if I'm honest, I've never been good at following my own rules because I can talk myself into (or out of) anything. I'm a sly little dog.
Speaking of dogs, that is exactly what this post is about. Chance and I are up for the challenge of being dog owners again. River is no longer with us (hasn't been for about 3 months) and I don't share the story because it literally makes me cry and cry and cry. If you really need to know then you can email me, but otherwise I prefer not to talk about it at this exact second.
We have been researching and looking at different dogs. We (meaning Chance) want a larger dog. We've narrowed it down to three dogs. A Lab, a Golden or a Great Dane. So far we've been leaning towards a Great Dane because of their so called great temperaments and easy lifestyle. The are mild, playful, and very loyal. They need to be walked, but are not hyper-active and do not require vigorous exercise. They have also been proven to be one of the easiest dogs to raise in small spaces (more so than a lab or golden). We have a good size house with a good size backyard and we plan on walking the dog AT LEAST every day. I've asked some advice on this and SOOO many people have said to NOT get a Great Dane. It's super confusing because most of the reasons they tell us not to get one is because they have big poop and are just too big. You think I don't know this? haha. We've also been told to steer clear of them because of their short life span (10 years or 13 with good health). And the Golden and Lab expected life span is 12-14 years which isn't that much of a difference. And the funny thing is that EVERYONE that tells us NOT to get a Great Dane has never owned a Great Dane. But all the people we've talked to that actually have Great Danes (or have a family member or friend with a Great Dane) are OBSESSED with them; telling us they are the best breed ever.
Clearly we want to make the right decision, and I wouldn't be asking people for advice if I didn't want to hear it so I'm open to your opinion even if it’s obviously silly.
I’ve been reading A TON the past three days on the internet about the pros and cons to each of these breeds. Lemme give you a little advice and say go ahead and don’t do that. It’s like if you want to be scared outta your mind then type in “cons to yada yada yada breed.“ On some websites they were like, “My golden was the sweetest dog until she bit my face off” or…”My Great Dane is great but this one time it ate my couch and then ate my baby” or “My lab is the most hyper-active dog I’ve ever had…it won’t stop jumping and it ate my body or something.” Oh internets….you really do a number on me.
But I also understand that a dog’s personality and temperament is going to have a LOT to do with how we raise it so if we train it correctly I trust whatever it is will be a well adjusted dog. Whatever dog we get will (hopefully) be with us a long time so that’s why we want to make sure we do this right. We are trying our best to go about this in a responsible manner.
So with that said…any advice?
And since we are leaning towards a Dane is there something we should REALLY consider? (and please be educated with your answer…like if you actually have interacted with them). Thanks!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
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5 comments:
Honestly that's so tough, its a new addition to the family so its not easy. Those are great choices and to my husbands dismay I plan on owning all of those breeds. I would honestly suggest going to the breeder/families in the same day and if possible waiting a day after you've met all three you're considering decide from there. I think the only piece of firm advice is to purchase pet insurance through vpi. DON'T get insurance through the spca. After what I've gone through with pets from there is tragic but what they do with their insurance is a crime and negates any good they're doing by putting dogs up for adoption in the first place. Good luck and I'm sure you will make the right choice for you two!
we have friends that have a great dane and they like it. he's massive and they have two other dogs and had they truly realized how big he'd get, they wouldn't have gotten him. however, he's a good dog.they don't live very long though. like maybe 8 years i think. that was the one thing they didn't know before they got him and now they're sad. they have the potential to have major health issues because of their size too. if you have cable, animal planet has a show called dogs 101 and it features every bread, the good and the bad, potential problems and what climate, enviornment they thrive in.maybe check it out.
if you're really wanting the great dane i say go for it... just as long as you know you're gonna need a snow shovel as a pooper scooper :) haha.. but that's the only downside I've heard of... I would take that over a hyperactive dog anyday (which labs tend to be, unless you're gonna run 5 miles with it everyday). The dane isn't gonna shed, and will at least look like a good guard dog, hopefully its temperament will be better than a guard dog though :)
I hate to confuse you even more, but we really like our Australian Shepherd. The breed is a very good family dog because of their loyalty, high intelligence (in other words, easy to train). I've never trained a dog before but he's not even 7 months and he knows to sit, stay, lay down, give a high five or high 10, drop, get down, roll over, or to chase the cat if we tell him to :) Okay, so I'll stop trying to sell you on Aussies! If you're looking at cost, bigger the dog, the more it's going to cost you in the long term (spay/neuter, vet bills based on weight, grooming costs, etc.) If I were you, I would stop freaking out about "the breed" issue and just go with what's convenient for you and in your price range. Don't even look at the age range, that shouldn't be a factor in your decision. Just know that your dog is going to die before you and that you need to be okay with that. Also, think about how easy it is to find these dogs. If you're okay with driving 3 hours away just to find the closest great dane breeder, then go for it. You should know that labs and goldies are going to cost more because they are in high demand with families, espeically with young children. They both make really good family dogs because they're loyal and have lots of energy for playing. We initally wanted a lab but decided an Australian Shepherd is better. I've talked to lab owners and they all tell me that they require a lot of work because their energy levels are so high which means they require so much attention. (Ahem, Marley & Me?!) All in all, you're going to love having a dog regardless of what breed it is. In order to have a really good dog, you have to be committed to spending a lot of time with them for training and loving. Don't be too attached to any of your furniture or personal belongings, hold everything with an open hand, because it might get chewed up, peed on, vomited, or all the above! Sorry this is ridiculously long.
I appreciate all of your comments everyone, THANKS!
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