imported_nea

Those are wonderfull pictures! They both look so happy! :)

Those people are so mean! :x :evil:

I don't know much about dogs yet... mostly what I know is from knowing my aunts dogs. I've been so lucky to always have dogs around, and even though I only see them once a year and they live across the atlantic ocean, I know them well. Then last summer I bought a book called The Ultimate Encyclepedia of Dog Breeds and Dog Care on a sale at Borders, and then I was given the book Dogs The Ultimate Care Guide for my birthday this year. I love that book! And of course all the library books about dogs have at one time or another been here... :D

Aw, thanks! :oops: You're all really great friends! :) If I keep reading these boards, the next time I have a dog I should know practicly everything! :D I found out today some about Bir's past. It turns out that the woman we bought him from (named Helen) really wasn't honest at all. She said that he had spent some time with someone who lives in the country while she was gone for work those few weeks. Well, it turns out that those people had him for almost a whole year! And the woman we bought him from has been in and out of treatment centers or whatever they're called, I don't know for what though. And he was teased badly by kids and is scared of them. No wonder he's not been nice when my friends come over, or to the kids in the appartment building. The person who had him for like a year is named Susan, I think. She is a Basset Hound breeder. And she has agreed to take Birk!!!!! :) I'm so very happy about that. First of all, he knows her and her dogs and gets along well with them. He'll be in the country, which he loves. He will be with a very experienced dog owner. When he was there before he was a joyfull happy little boy. Now he will be again for the rest of his life! Poor puppy has had a hard life. Susan told us that Helen had him over the Christmas holiday and Easter, and when he came to her he was totally stressed out. He even bit her once right after he came from Helen's place because he felt so insecure and all. So tomorrow they'll come for my Bir-dog-puppy. :cry: I'm going to miss him very, very, very much. But at least he'll be happy, I'm sure of it. And maybe someday we can go visit him! I'll always love Birky and I will always have had for a month in my life the privlege to have him live with me. This is really hard, but I don't regrett knowing him. He is one fantastic, brave little dog.

We're going to find Bir a new home as soon as possible. I'll miss him very much, but I really think this is the right thing to do. My mom says she won't consider getting another dog. I'm really glad I found this place, its helped me alot. If I ever get another dog I'll be sure to come back. Thanks everyone for your help and support! Nea

What kind of leash do you prefer, normal or retractable ones?

Wow ellieangel, Rio is one of the most beautiful dogs I've ever seen. His eyes are so very blue.

[quote name='starcastle']a) All countries do not have an overpopulation of dogs. In my country, Sweden, we do not have rescues and ponds and shelters. We don't need them. True, the entire Swedish dog population isn't bigger than to be just about equal to the number of dogs put down by American shelters etc annually. [/quote] Actually there is one rescue, [url]http://www.hundstallet.org[/url]. But in a year only about 400 dogs get there, and 300 of them are runaways who go back to their families once they are found. In a dog book I borrowed from the library there are some of the Poo mixes. There is Labradoodle, Bichon/Yorkie, Cockerpoo and Bull Boxer. What it says about some of them is this. And I've tried to translate from Swedish to English, but its going to sound wierd. Labradoodle This is a classic example of logic and planned mixbreeding with the goal of creating a new "breed" with the best traits from both. Its to early to tell if this mix - between labrador retreiver and poodle - will be succesful. Wally Conrons idea is to get handikapp dogs that don't shed. The Labradoodle as seeingeye dog has been trained and placed with blind people in Australia and Hawaii, but the sheding problem isn't completely solved. But temperament wise this seems like a very succsesful combination. Cockerpoo Cockerpoo - the mix between american cocker spaniels and toy poodle - is very sought after in Northamerica. Like alot of mixes the first puppies were the result of unplaned breeding but nowadays, when the number of dogs has increased, they have been purpously bred. That the poodle is in the mix is obious, both in the face and fur structure, as well as in this new "breeds" personality. Like alot of poodles the cockerpoo is a watchfull observer, without the hyperactive tendencies that so many american cockers have. Another advantage is that the cockerpoo has less skin problems than the american coccker spaniel.

I think its great that someone is willing to pay that much money for their dog! :D

Border Collie, Samoyed, Great Pyrenees and Lab. I haven't had any of them, but I've known them well and someday I hope to have them. German Shepard, Australian Shepard, Clumber Spaniel, Golden Retriever, Flatcoated Retreiver, Newfoundland, Standard Poodle, Siberian Husky, American Staffordshire Terrier, Beagle, Greyhound and Pembroke Welsh Corgi are some breeds I hope to have someday too.

Thank you abker17 for saying that... I'm so unsure and sad now and it means alot to me that you think I'm doing whats right. Thanks ellieangel for the link. I don't think he has Rage, he has never bitten anyone or even tried to, but he growls and barks in a not nice way. And Shannon_C, thank you for not thinking I'm horrid. I really wish we'd thought of taking a walk with Birk before we decided to get him. I think its so sad that Bir has turned out this way. He came from a good breeder and all, but his former owner didn't know anything about dogs and so he wasn't raised right. Now he, and us too, is paying for it. And it isn't his fault. He can't help the way he was raised. Its just so sad.

He was really nasty to a friend of my moms a few minutes ago... She put her hand out to pet him, and he growled and barked. This person knows alot about dogs, she was doing nothing wrong. My Bir dog. I'm so sad for him. :(

StarFox, I'm sorry about Zebra. I hope he gets better. We are going to find Bir a new home. Somewhere where he can get all the training and love and help he can. Its not just his aggression thats why we're going to find him a new home. I just can't bond with him in the same way I can with alot of other dogs. There is just something in his core personality that I can't connect with. Some dogs are that way for me. Its nothing that I blame him for, or me either. We are just not suited for each other. I think he'll be happier in a home where his people can truly bond with him in that special way. I love Bir, but I don't think it would work out well. This is hard, but I really think and hope its the right thing to do. :cry:

Thanks everyone for replying :) . I don't really think I'm scared of Bir and of him biting or hurting me. I have never been scared of any dog and I really don't think Bir wants to hurt either me or my mom. What I might be scared of is that he somehow gets loose and runs away and gets into a fight with a huge dog that will hurt him terribly and then he gets run over by a car or something. He just doesn't listen outside at all! And right now I'm terrified that I'm going to make the wrong decision. So yeah, I'm scared. We do alot of things he thinks is fun, like taking walks when we run and jump over logs and stuff, and I'm teaching him some tricks. I think he thinks thats fun too, and he has already learned paw and jump and he's learning beg. And then I often sit and rub his tummy for a while. So me and Bir are friends. Which is why I don't like it when he growls at me, because he should have no reason. You're right courtnek, I don't know how to be the boss. I know how to be a friend to a dog, and I am Bir's friend, but I just don't know how to put myself in the in charge position. The thing though is that my mom does know how to do that, and Bir knows shes tha alpha, but he still sometimes does growl a little at her too. I hope the trainer can help us. She should call tonight to set up a time to meet her. Bir also has so many good things about him, he is smart, wants to please, and is such a sweet dog. But there is that something about him I don't know about...

Thanks Sanvean... I'm really glad you don't hate me and that I'm not the only one who has felt this way. Do you ever regrett not having Toby? Do you ever doubt that you didn't do the right thing?

I love my Birk puppydog. I really do. But I don't know if he is the right dog for me. When we got him I made a whole lot of mistakes. First of all, I wanted a dog [i]then[/i]. I didn't want to wait, or look at several dogs before I decided. That was really dumb. I know. And I've learned that now. Another mistake was that we should have gone out for a walk with him, and then gone home and thought hard and analyzed what we liked and didn't like with him. Instead, I said I wanted him there and we set a time to get him. That was stupid too. And also, I think his former owner could have been a little more honest with us and told us he had a slight problem with agression. She implied it a little, but the way she said it it sounded to me like Bir would just go and want to be by himself if people were visiting, and that there were just a very few dogs he didn't like. That is not the way it is. When people come he is right there and barks/growls and is not pleasant. Even to me and my mom he occasionally growls not nicely at if he is wanting to be left alone but we happen to pet him, or if we are taking a walk and want to stop to talk to someone. Then he barks in a bossy way. With other dogs he is terrible most of the time. So he does have a problem with that. Another thing we should have done was have him for a trial period of a few weeks or so. There are so many should haves. And not thinking of them but of the now, I am completely confused. He has his agression problem, and we are taking him to see a trainer really soon. But still, there is something about him that I just... don't feel comfortable with, or don't like, or something. I can't pinpoint exactly what it is. There is just something. The first or second day we had him I became aware of it, but when I mentioned it to my mom she became angry. And no wonder, we'd only had him for a day or so. We talked, and I pushed that feeling back and have ignored it as much as possible these almost 4 weeks now. Yesterday my mom said something about it, and we have talked alot. She's not angry at me now because we have had him for a while and know him now. She thinks it might be something linked to him being slightly... unpredictable in his reaction to being petted, even if it is very rare that he growls, or something to do with his agression. It might be, yeah. And if this trainer can help us stop that then great. But I'm not sure it is something connected to that. There are some dogs that I love nomatter what, no matter how short I've seen/known them and that I feel totally and completely at home with. Then there are dogs that I like, or even love, like Birk, but that I don't feel that same closeness too. Its just something that is that way with me. And when we met Bir, I think I was just too thrilled with the idea of getting a dog that it clogged part of my brain and I just didn't want to see that. I don't know. If I think back now, I do think if I'd been less in a hurry to have a dog right then, I would have probably never gotten him. But then again, I can't be sure. I want the best for all of us, Bir, me and my mom. If, in a couple of weeks, if I still feel like this, my mom has said that we could try to find him a new home that is better suited to him. She says I can make that decision. And I don't want to decide anthing at all untill we see the trainer and talk to her. But I'm so very confused now, I feel so increadably guilty and bad. I have a hard time thinking of much else. And, if, we do find him a new home, I still want a dog. I really do, and I know that we can give a dog a good home. Bir is happy here, I honestly think so. And even though I'm thinking this, I still love him and am paying him just as much attention as always. He is in no way suffering from this. I also wonder, if we keep him and I don't feel he is right, that there is something in his personality I don't feel at ease with, or can't connect with, or whatever, if eventually it won't be good for either of us. I want him to be happy. I myself want to be happy too. I wonder what you think. In these few weeks I've been here I have seen that you really care about, and are very knowlegable about dogs. Please, be honest. If you think I'm a terrible person please say so. I want to know. I don't know what to do.

Thanks! I'll try with the treats. Bir loves to eat, so thats good. But sometimes he thinks growling is funner than eating, unfortunatly. Maybe I should get a couple of collies, that might teach Bir to respect them.... :lol:

I called the vet today to ask about the price of neutering Bir, and it is [i]3000[/i]kr! Thats about $250-300! :o I didn't know it would be so expensive... We'll have to wait a while now before we can have it done.:(

I want Tex and Austin!!! :cry:

One of the things I like about Sweden is that there aren't dogs or cats in pet stores. But sadly, it wasn't until just like 2 years ago or so I even realized it was wrong to have them there :oops:.

Thats a nice name! :)

I didn't see any cockers.... :( But they have my two favorite breeds! Samoyed[img]http://www.aardvarkstozebras.com/images/dogs/samoyed.gif[/img] Border Collie[img]http://www.aardvarkstozebras.com/images/dogs/bordercollie.gif[/img]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Good luck! :) Its always a little scary taking pets to the vet...

Those poor dogs... I wish I lived in the US so I could get some of those. Here is a dog I think sounds wonderful.... But they all seem so nice.[url]http://www.petfinder.org/pet.cgi?action=2&pet=1600644&adTarget=468petsgeneral&SessionID=3ed8eca87534c18a-app3&display=&preview=&row=0[/url] [img]http://www.petfinder.org/fotos/MD50.1600644.jpg[/img] Star Dog Samoyed,Labrador Retriever Mix Size: Large Age: Adult Sex: Female I.D: Star Notes: Star is a 5-year old Samoyed-Lab mix who came to us from a shelter in Virginia. She is spayed, up to date on shots, and heartworm negative. Her right ear tilts off-kilter (in an endearing kind of way), due to a previous hematoma, but it's just part of what makes this girl so appealing! Star is housetrained, crate trained, and non destructive. She walks well on a leash, knows basic obedience commands, and knows some beginner tricks like “shake” and “give me 5”. She is good with other dogs and good with cats. She is mellow and easy-going and based on her personality, her foster mom says she would make a good therapy dog…Mostly, she just wants attention and is not above pawing at you to make sure she gets it! :) If you are interested in learning more about Star or in possibly adopting her, please visit our website where you can get more information and download our adoption application. This pet is: up to date with routine shots, already house trained, altered -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This pet is eligible for a gift of the first two months of ShelterCare pet insurance paid for by Petfinder.com [Click]