courtnek

I'm in Illinois, Upper Northwest...am I invited too? its not THAT far....

let me try and help. when man first started purebreeding dogs, it wasnt for looks so much as it was for what the dog could do. now understand that means that not all collies had the same head structure, the same gait, the same coat, as other collies. at the time, they were breeding for a dog that could do a job. not be just a pretty face. inbreeding and linebreeding was not as common, because the took dogs that had the physical skills and stamina needed to do the job. looks were secondary at best. they tried to perfect the breed by breeding with other types of dogs that gave an advantage at those work skills. today, there are still very few places where the dogs really work. there are still sheep herders, and cattle drivers, and I can guarantee they dont give a rats a$$ how the dog looks, as long as it performs. i can say this with certainty after adopting Laurel. purebred Foxhound. bred to hunt, not show. the hunt club didnt care what she looked like, and to a show person she would be considered ugly. her eyes are sad. her coat is not perfectly tri-colored. she has dew claws. and she could outrun, outhunt and outpace and show foxhound on the planet. I have had this argument with other forums, who said their show hounds were never bred to hunt. I asked them did they run? they said yes. I sent them pictures of Laurel doing sprints, literally sprints, through my backyard, so fast I couldnt capture them on a still camera without blurring. every one of them backed down. I dont have a problem with keeping a dog up to breed standards, but it really doesnt require inbreeding or linebreeding. in my opinion that closes the funnel ont he gene pool, and that is BAD for dogs. the rules are too strict in the show world. IMO

I dont care what she is...she is absolutely GORGEOUS...look at that coat, and those eyes, and that stare, and of course, those ears. I would never feel afraid walking her at night, even if she hadnt a mean bone in her body...just that face and stare would make a bad person think twice. she is just beautiful. I really hope you can get her. oh keep'em fairy, where are you? :wink:

well, they're not everywhere in new york...usually the poorer, more crowded sections, like tenements and such. unfortunately, low income housing areas and bad landlord apart buildings are the usual victims. alleyways and such, but its not like you just see them crossing the street or anything. at least, its not like that in Chicago. you do see them, but not everywhere....

well, this is kinda off subject, but a year or so ago there was a criminal here in Chicago who was apprehended by a cop for stealing a purse. he was a big guy, couple hundred pounds, and he shoved the cop away and then proceeded to steal the squad car..... except.....the squad car was a K-9 unit, which is boldly emblazoned on the doors, hood and trunk....the cop had left the divider between front and back open when he stepped out of the car, which is commonly done because they can hit a switch on their belts and open the passenger doors in the front, and the dog can get out if necessary. so the guy jumps in the squad and takes off, only to suddenly found the K9 in his face. he actually hit the dog and bit its ear, but the dog bit him several times in the arm. in the struggle with the dog he lost control and hit a building, then tried to flee on foot while bleeding. he was quickly apprehended and taken into custody, and the dog was uninjured. and won an award. and the whole time I'm listening to this story I'm thinking "DARWIN AWARD for this moron....." who in their right mind steals a squad with an attack trained GSP in it? and here, they dont take the K9 units out unless they have the dog with them....and it says K9 everywhere on the car... his original crime was attempted theft of a purse. misdemeanor, no biggie. now he has assaulting as officer (2 counts, since the dog is considered an officer as well) and grand theft auto.....resisting arrest.. etc.... :evilbat: :evilbat:

well then, we can breed a labrador and a curly coated retriever, and call it the Lab Coat. choice of vet techs world wide.... (I get the feeling DO is gonna kill me for this one....) :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

well I have never protection trained a dog, or taken classes in it, I can say from experience that the obedience aspect of this makes a large, dangerous dog much more readily called off of a situation than one who isnt. I had friends at the police station, who have attacked trained K-9 dogs, and I have watched them get put through their paces. they stopped and called off instantly, no matter whast the provocation. I think its a good idea.

what a whacko.....so heres what you do. buy some cheap yarn and index cards. write on the index cards the times and dates you walked Meg, then hang it over his stupid little wire.

Free was afraid of Kyle's wheelchair when he broke his leg, and she hates the vacuum cleaner and will attack it whenever she see's it. dont worry, dogs react differently to certain things as was said. besides, Zeb go over his fear fairly quickly. thats a good sign. 8)

me too!!! YAY Illinois for not letting this crap take hold!! WOO HOOO!!! :D :roll: :D :D :D

YAY Izzy!! now remember, you cant take them ALL home.... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

yes, fleas had the disease, but the rats were infested with the affected fleas, and thats how they got transferred to people, since rats will move into your home if they can. I dont care for fleas, either.... :lol: :lol: someone else said earlier that people have been using cats for millenia to kill mice and rats....I'm sure the rats bit them as well.....hmmmm....how did they, or did they, manage to stay healthy? thats a good question. now. some of those rats in NY and Chicago are nearly as big as some cats, so maybe thats why they went to larger vermin terriers...I think rats are one of those creatures who grows to match its available food supply. as far as bloodthirsty or natural instincts, I go for natural instincts. the people who are sponsoring and running this situation should make a point of educating the NY public about the original purpose of terriers in general, and get the "bloodthirsty" part out of it. rats have been a big problem there, and in Chicago, and I would assume most large, crowded cities. if this info was released, it would probably make most people look differently on the Pit, as a rescuer, rather than a villain. did they mention the purpose of terriers on the show Kat? I'm sure a lot of people watched it. as far as squirrels, I hate to disappoint but they too are members of the rodent family. rats with furry tails, or tree rats as they are fondly called around here.

ok dont kill me, but I think its a good idea. terriers were bred to kill vermin, rats are vermin, so why not? I hope they are vaccinated and protected of course, but remember, rats caused the plague in europe centuries ago. and there is no cure for it still. they tend to infest cities because of the garbage, and barns because there is food available. they are terrible parasite-carrying plague bearing creatures. if the dogs are willing to get rid of them, I say go for it. just take care of the dogs (now these are wild rats, not pets. pet rats and mice are different) of course, Free has taken down her share of field mice and squirrels (no rats here thank goodness) maybe she would like this job???

[quote name='drjeffrock'][quote name='DivineOblivion19'][quote name='drjeffrock']I have seen a couple pits literally split their tails from this so-called "happy-tail" syndrome. In such an extreme case, I could understand docking a tail. However, cropping a mixed breeds ears is like those fools that put those big spoilers on their little Honda Civics... Its pointless, like a Honda Civic is fast enough to become airborne without that extra down-force.[/quote] [color=indigo]Excellent post Jeff!!!!! :lol: I hate it when I see a Civic with the giant aluminum spoiler!!!![/color] :cunao: :cunao: :cunao: :cunao: :cunao:[/quote] LOL, I have a couple friends in Garden Grove and its insane there. Every freaking Civic looks like a rolling discotheque. Dont get me wrong, I used to be deep in the import scene, but I just never understood certain things. Here's another, people who put those monster-tach shift lights on their cars. You know, the big huge tachometer on the left that lights up after you hit a certain rpm? I havve actually seen idiots put them on automatic cars. :roll:[/quote] OMD Jeff I am splitting my sides!!! I hate those things....what in the world does one needs a spoiler, or even a wing, for on a car that doesnt sit 6 inches off the ground? I have a New Beetle..they sell those with spoilers and wings too...why? the original beetle was lucky if it could do 60 mph.... and even the new ones arent speed demons....

what goes around, comes around...... GO IZZY!!!! WOO HOO!! 8)

while yes, it is sad, I think it makes a very necessary point right now. We have all seen what happens when people "impulse buy" a dog, because of a Crufts win, or a cool movie, or a tv show....remember 101 Dalmatians and what happened then? I think the timing on this was perfect, and hopefully will stop people from impulse buying GSP's....without researching their needs and hoping they'll end up with a Carlee.

from an email from Laurel's foster mom By Charlie Madigan Tribune senior correspondent February 16, 2005, 11:41 AM CST CHICAGO -- Now it's time to do something here on the Internet I swore I would never do in the newspaper because it's such an immense cliche. I am going to write about my dog. My top dog. Actually, it's your top dog and everyone else's top dog who has a dog. Whatever dog you have has to be the top dog. It's the unwritten part of the dog-human contract. Word arrived that the Westminster Kennel Club had decided that a German shorthaired pointer named Carlee was America's top dog. Let me say this about that. "Bite me, Carlee and the Westminster Kennel Club!" I own the top dog. He is a mutt. My last dog was a mutt. The dog before that was a mutt and the first dog was a mutt, too. I have had 34 years` worth of mutts and all but one of them is gone. Their ashes sit in nice little cans or pots on a bookshelf. Every once in a while, one of the containers catches my eye and I find myself saying, "That was a great dog," even about the one who was crazy as an outhouse rat. The first one, who went to live with the mailman when I moved to Russia long ago, seemed to understand nothing but peeing and chewing up apartment quarter round, which he meticulously removed and diligently placed in piles. He lived a long and happy life on a farm. I am writing this not because I have anything against Carlee and the Westminster Kennel Club. Those are beautifully kept and well-trained dogs, the top of the pyramid of American dogs in some ways. But they are really no better than a vast collection of other dogs. If the Westminster Kennel Club is one side of the world of dogs, the other side, by far the sadder side, is all around us, no matter where we live. Head on over to the local humane society or dog pound and there you see them, lined up in cages, many dogs caught in a hopeless bind because they don't seem cute, don't seem puppy like, don't seem pretty. This then, is something like a Rambling Gleaner public service message. Don't forget about those dogs. The inclination may be to run out and buy a German shorthaired pointer because Carlee looks so lovely. Fight that thought for a bit. I think we should have a contest, a reality-based contest, for those other dogs. It should all be televised, elimination rounds and whatnot until we find the perfect animal shelter dog. That dog would get to go home with someone. Everyone else in the contest would be put down by injection, right then and there on television so we could all watch. Did you ever have to do that, put a dog down? There are harder things, I suspect, but not many. The feeling stays with you quite awhile, and then you start to understand what being with this dog, this top dog, really meant. That plan for a contest sounds harsh, doesn't it? Actually, a day doesn't pass without that kind of event playing out someplace. Some pup wins the affection contest and goes home, and some other dog doesn't and moves, in many cases, one slot closer to the needle. It's not televised, but you can rest assured that. in a lot of places, that's exactly what happens. Not all pounds execute dogs, of course. Some try to take care of them for life. It's a nice thought until you march along the rows of pens and look into the dog eyes and see some of them staring back. What's in there? I don't know, but it doesn't seem very happy. There may well be no bad dogs. From some of them, though, you can know for sure there are bad people who once had them. Now, in many cases, those dogs are going to live and die in a cage. Should you run out and get a dog now? I don't know. That depends on how you feel about having furniture chewed up, puddles on the floor, little piles of dog log surprises and lawn bass until you get that training thing worked out and the obligation to take interest in something that can speak, at best, only with its eyes. Obviously, too many people went out and got dogs and didn't live up to their part of the deal, which is why so many of them sit around in pounds waiting either for a final moment or for kindly visitors. It's just something to keep in mind when you look at Carlee, a spectacular dog by anyone's measure. They are all spectacular. But most of them are never going to hear someone say, "Top Dog! Right here!"

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: if he's willing, I could supply a list.... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I have trained my dogs with THATS A BIG NO!@!@! whenever they get into something dangerous for them. Laurel was chewing on a lighter, I yelled THATS A BIG NO!! and she dropped it. then proceeded to pick up every other lighter, remote, and some other thihngs, like cell phones, and bring them to me. I treated her for "being good"...nect thing I knew she was chewing on the toilet paper!!! I cant win, can I? :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

everyone should laugh about something everday! :lol: :lol: :lol: you're welcome!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

well, I cant argue with docking under those circumstances, having owned damnable hunting dogs forever, and seeing the damage those tails can do, both to the house, kids and to the dog itself....I agree that people should research their dogs before getting them, but in one of these sitautions, I would rather see the tale docked than see the dog end up at a shelter. just my take....

oh SURE Izzy....heard THAT before... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: her new home will need to be one where there is LOTS of activity. Weims are hunters, need a home where there is a chance for plenty of exercise, or even hunting. exercise is a MUST!! good luck finding her a new home. I have hunters, I understand their needs. :wink:

Pyrless, my foxhound has dew claws. when bred originally, the claws were for "gripping" in dew situations, where the dog without them would ordinarily twist and fall. they often have to scale ravines, and sidewalls, to get to the prey. the dewclaws were bred in to prevent slippage and fall under those circumstances. they become a problem for a dog that isnt hunting, since they tend to "snag" on things and get ripped. in the field, they dont often rip because the ground is wet.. hope that helps...

AAP, dont let the "green people" get to you. they will flame you for using wood for your art!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: wrinkles, I think you need to find something to take up your time. you seem hell bent on causing controversy with every post. a job maybe?

well, as far as rabies, the county wont allow titers. the others they will, but the rabies vac has to be administered once every year, or once every two years. no exceptions. there is a lot of wildlife around here that can carry rabies, so I really dont object to it. it seems safer to me than the other possibility...