Sanvean

Yes, I think we are staying at the Dunalastair, now that I think about it :D I would love to see some photos!

We're going to...let me think here...Oban, Inverness, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Kinloch Rannoch, and Skye. There might be a few others I can't remember! I've been trying to find out if DF is eligible for British citizenship (his dad lives in the U.S. but still has English citizenship). He's not interested in living overseas, though :p

Sounds like you found a great breeder :)

Ooooh, I want to move to the Scottish Highlands, too! :D (We're honeymooning in Scotland.)

Ferky, I'm in the same boat as you -- I mostly read Dogo at work and can't install software on my computer here. The pop-ups are driving me insane! :onfire:

Angel, no offense, because you're a darling, but your DH sounds like jerk! He hit your puppy, he won't let you get another dog -- I'd kick him to the curb! :flop:

Oh, Bentley is a darling!!!

The book "The Truth About Dogs" has some neat insights into this whole relationship. Here's a link to more about it: [url]http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/014100228X/qid=1058211580/sr=8-2/ref=sr_8_2/103-4729705-5451821?v=glance&s=books&n=507846[/url]

Cute game!

$400 is a VERY low price for a bulldog. Most of them from quality breeders cost $2000 or more, because they usually have to be delivered via C-section, as their heads are so large. If this woman's sister wants to breed her bulldog, she'd better be prepared for a LOT of time and trouble. I love bullies, but they have so many health probs.

Oh, that's good to know! I've only met a few Weims, but I think they're so lovely!

[quote name='JohnnyBandit']But an example was when my current dog Bandit had what turned out to be a minor leg injury as a puppy I was told to keep him quiet and not allow any running or playing. I was told this by the lady vet and asked her how was I supposed to do that?[/quote] I had this same problem when our two kitty girls, Pawnee and Janie, were spayed. We were supposed to keep them from running and jumping for something like two weeks. How on EARTH are you supposed to keep two five-month-old kittens from doing that???

What a neat legend! I would think that it was an effort on the part of both...

[quote name='Anonymous'][quote]Its primary make-up is of Spitz or Spaniel origins (as opposed to Terrier). The above is giving a summary of the maltese's origins. When reading about the beginnings of developing the maltese I found reference to the fact that the breeders in that day deliberately enclosed the dogs in extremely small cramped cages so as to force the breed to become smaller. So, if people in those days had been ethically minded & argued forcefully to discredit such breeders for that practice, the maltese would not exist as it does today. Breeders today who are allowing a mix to be sold for a profit are, imo, not even close to being compared to the horrid example given above as to how a popular "purebred" (the maltese) was bred for the pure pleasure of having a cute little lap dog.[/quote][/quote] If this is true -- and I've never heard it before -- it is truly reprehensible. But you can't hold modern-day breeders responsible for what their predecessors did. I don't think anyone here is acknowledging my argument about overpopulation. I am NOT anti-mutt. I know and love MANY mixed-breed dogs and have devoted five years of my life to rescue. What I AM against is reckless breeding by people who don't know what the fuck they're doing, and 99.999 percent of people who are breeding mixed-breed dogs fall into that category. And for those who say I should chill out -- YOU spend every Saturday trying to find homes for these poor dogs. YOU take the calls from animal control begging your group to take this sweet shepherd/pit bull/lab/litter of puppies/etc.

[quote name='Angelboddy']She came from a very good breeder, and since she is going to breed her, she cost just alittle more.[/quote] I hate to be a spoilsport, but most reputable breeders won't give sell a pup with an open registration. Has your friend bred dogs before?

I think you're glossing over my main argument. RESPONSIBLE people aren't breeding Malti-Poos, Labradoodles, and the like. People who want to make a quick buck are the ones doing this. You may have problems with purebred dogs, and that's your right, but Macy's breeder can tell me all about every dog on Macy's pedigree. She knows what their strong and weak points as far as conformation, health, temperament, etc., are. I would be VERY surprised if you could find a breeder of, say, peke-a-poos, who could do that. If you want to financially support these folks, you WILL be supporting irresponsible breeding practices. To respond to your point about purebred dogs actually being mutts, I disagree. A mutt will not breed true: If you mate a Cocker and a Poodle, you will get some pups that look like Cockers, some that look like Poodles and some that look like a mix. If you mate two Cockapoos, you will still get a lot of variation. But if you choose a particular look, size, temperament, etc., and breed only dogs that meet that standard, eventually -- over many generations -- you're going to have pups that all look pretty similar. Yes, some breeds originally were mixed with whatever breed the owner thought would turn out useful pups. But today, we have enough breeds so that ANY possible need could be met by SOME breed. I personally wanted a small, calm, gentle dog that wouldn't bother my fiance's allergies, would be good with our cats and (someday) our kids, and that I could do pet therapy with. After a lot of careful research and no success in rescue, I decided on the Maltese breed. I found an experienced breeder who loves her dogs, makes sure that are sound in conformation, health and temperament, and adopted one of her retired females. I did NOT financially support someone who had a poodle and thought it would be really cute if she let her dog have pups with the neighbor's schnauzer.

Poor Garion! I worry a lot about my Macy being attacked by a strange dog -- she's only 6 pounds. We never, ever let her off leash because of this, but I worry that a dog might run up to us while we're out walking. THankfully, we live in a pretty safe area, but I still worry :p

Mydogroxy, Macy eats the Natural Balance kibble with the rolls mixed in. She loves it! I've heard that some folks just put the toothpaste on the toothbrush and let their dog gnaw on it (while supervised, of course). With Macy, I usually just use a Q-tip dipped on peroxide; we bought a doggie toothbrush, but her mouth is so little the toothbrush won't fit in it!

Wow -- your baby sounds SO smart!

One of my friends has two Tervurens -- they're SO beautiful!

I have known great purebreds and great mutts. I have no problem with mutts -- I agree with you that many of them are fine dogs. My problem is with people who purposely breed mixed-breed dogs. There are enough mixed-breed dogs out there already. No one needs to go making more of them, least of all people who don't give a rat's patootie about health issues. A cockapoo whose parents were badly bred themselves isn't going to be the picture of health. And reputable breeders, the ones who test knees and eyes and hearts, don't crossbreed. If you MUST have a small dog and can't find one in rescue -- and I sympathize, because I had the same problem -- find a reputable breeder who can talk to you about the problems in that breed and tell you how he/she works to weed them out. We adopted our wonderful 5-year-old Maltese, Macy, about two months ago from a fabulous breeder. She is in perfect health (except for a tiny luxation in one knee, which doesn't bother her at all) and has an extremely sweet and loving temperament. Also, have you tried looking on Petfinder or in breed rescue groups? We had very specific requirements -- a dog that was small, nonallergenic and good with cats and kids, so this didn't work for us -- but there are many small wonderful dogs out there, both purebreds and mutts.

Darling photos! I think Yorkies are super cute, but I'm generally not a big fan of terriers. They're my favorites of that group, though :)

Has anyone tried using a litterbox with their Chin? I've heard they're very catlike, so perhaps that would work ;) I considered using a litterbox for Macy, my Maltese, but she's about 90 percent housetrained and is getting better. Now if only she would signal when she needs to go out...

I'm right there with you, Bentley. I was walking Macy the other night and met a very nice woman with two darling Shih-tzus. The littler one was a beautiful puppy, about four months old she said, with pretty black and white markings. She was saying, "I've thought about breeding her when she's older, just once or twice." I could tell she clearly loved her dogs but didn't know nearly enough to be breeding them. I tried to gently emphasize to her the ways that the bitch can be harmed -- Macy had a breach birth before I owned her and had to have an emergency C-section, and her breeder had 25 years of experience. I also pointed out that puppies can be born deformed or partly formed, or can just fade away for no apparent reason. Don't know if I convinced her, but I tried!

I really miss our last vet, Dr. Wendy. She's on the board of my animal rescue group and just adores all animals...she baby-talks to them and gives them kisses! She decided to buy her own clinic, though, and it's just too far for us to go (especially with the kitties). I like our new vet, but he doesn't give them kisses!