I'M GETTING A PUPPY!

What joy for you it must be, Sal. I am happy for you and it is most fitting the new year will bring a cute little bundle of happiness and of such fond memories for you.

Thanks Paul. There is still the chance that these little guys will be born on my birthday. Now I wonder what kind of astrology that will be all about? LOL. Somehow I think maybe my old pal hasn't wandered as far from me as I had presumed. Somebody is watching, that's for sure.

That's so exciting! I have a golden labrador and he is just the sweetest loveliest creature you could possibly dream up.... I'm so happy for you

Gil-Ad

Congratulations, Sal! (wahoo!)

I am so glad you are going to get a new puppy!

I have been waiting for this announcement and hope you will share pictures soon.

How is the deal going with the house dog? Any improvements?

What no ultra sound?

No pregnant pix?

No geneology pix?

ok guess i will have to wait for the grand entrance.

Puppies are fun

I know you'll be so happy! We want to see pics when the little fuzzballs are born!

Rotties rule! I think only those that have owned one can really understand.

Really sorry to hear that Joe. It's a shame to let one dog ruin you for them all though. It is true that you will be more likely to get bit if you are afraid, too, though. Animals can smell fear and don't trust it at all. So be careful around them if you are edgy. Nobody can tell when a dog is going to cop an attitude - but a good owner can always tell when their kid is thinking about it. If they can't, they can't communicate with a dog well enough to own one.

All I can tell you is that if you and I run into each other while I'm with my boy, no matter how big he is, you won't be afraid of him for very long.

Great news, Sal, can't wait to see photos.

I have only known one Rottie. His name is Ernie.

His head is bigger than mine even with my big hair.

One of the best Thanksgivings I have had was at my son's girlfriend at the time. Ernie was hers. There were 6 dogs invited including a darling yellow lab puppy who loved my vanilla hand lotion. Every time I put it on (which was a lot back and forth helping in the kitchen and washing my hands), he would come and lick off all the lotion.

Ernie sat over in the corner like the Mafia Don. He had a way of scoping out the room - just making eye contact with each person and checking the dogs were behaving. It was really like the Mafia - if Ernie's happy everybody can enjoy - and the opposite was implied just by his attitude.

Well he finally had enough of the puppy running around creating havoc. He also decided that I was complicit and so he sat on my feet (all 130 lbs). Any dog who wanted to come over to me had to go through Ernie for the rest of the night.

I sent him a pound of pork ribs for Christmas just like a patsy greasin' a palm. Too bad my son got a new girlfriend and I never saw Ernie again.

...but yeh Rotties Rock.


p.s. trick or treat something sweet

Animals are better than that Kurt - they can smell hormones, too, and there are some released in fear. In fact fear releases some very strong hormones as it's an instinctual survival emotion. A Rottie can smell one drop of urine in a gallon of water.
A nose is to a dog what our eyes and ears are to us - of course their ears are much better, too, but it's their nose that they learn with mostly. Rotties are known to break doors down to get to bitches in heat that they can smell for very long distances. I had a friend with a St. Bernard who would just go through the front window when there was a bitch in heat anywhere in town. Town was about 1.3 miles long. He finally had to replace the window with bullet proof glass.
But the point is - they smell hormone release as well as adrenelene. If you don't like them they can smell it whether you are afraid of them or not. If you don't like a dog, it's best to keep a very safe distance from it.


Pat -- thanks for the Video. You just brought tears to my eyes. I just keep playing it. God those things are cute. Where will you ever see a puppy as cute as a baby rottie? Check out the size of those little mugs - 4 weeks, LOL. Munchie was so big for so long I had forgotten how cute they are when they are puppies. But when I went to get him he was around 9 weeks old and there were 10 of them. They were inside a little picket fence and when I pulled into the driveway those little heads came up in a row just like a calendar pic and my heart melted. There was no way I could have left there again without my guy in my arms. It's really going to be a long 2.5 months.

OoooOOOoooOOOooh -- a puppy! Congratulations!!

Does the couple live relatively nearby so that you can visit the pups as they grow up?

I love bringing home a new puppy. You get to go out and buy new toys, puppy proof the house, etc. I'll be looking forward to the pics and stories!

Some dogs are just mean and it has nothing to do with smelling something.
I have never been cautious near dogs or most any other animal,and most animals took to me immediately.
Then about a year or so ago I was at a friends house setting up their wifi for them when out of nowhere their dog lunged at me and bit. I was extremely lucky, I was able to move quickly enough that the teeth just nipped my flesh and ripped the sleeve of my shirt.
That attack changed 50+ years of loving dogs, whether it should have or not.
It wasn't until some time later that someone brought a big dog near me and I found I was feeling very uneasy around it. Thats when I realized I was actually in fear around the dog,and that I had changed.

You are right, Kim - some dogs are vicious.
But many are vicious because their owners have no clue how to raise a dog conversely to the whole breed being vicious. That's the case with Pits and Rots. Both of those breeds are capable of being gentle in the extreme. But you get all these idiots who want one because they are "bad ass dogs" or "can kick your ass" - I've heard it all. Makes me freaking sick.

Teach it to protect when it is already an instinct and you can wind up with a dog with too strong a sense to protect. Keep it outside instead of inside with the pack and it can make it crazy. Some dogs are just a bit nuts to start with just as some people are born nuts. A responsible breeder will know when there is something dangerously wrong in a puppy's temperment and will have the puppy put down. A responsible owner knows their dog.

It's not a bad idea to be cautious around any dog that isn't yours unless you know everyone one of it's communication signals. If the dog is yours and you can't tell when it's not thinking right about a situation, then you haven't payed enough attention to that animal - they talk to us, too, we don't do all the talking.

My second Rot was the most gentle dog I've ever known. I lived in a town of about 200 and every person in town knew and loved my dog even if they had fear of the breed beforehand. Good story...
I lived in a Mother In Law's apartment in an mountain home on the edge of town. My landlady moved out of her half and a family with very small children moved in. Shella hadn't met me or Blitz yet and was hanging clothes out in the yard. Her 18 month old boy ran out in the road (dirt, dead end, no fast traffic when any but still). Blitz knew he wasn't allowed in the road and saw the kid go. The next thing, Shella looks up and sees a 170 lb dog charging her baby. She screamed, clean clothes went everywhere and she made a dash for the kid, she didn't see me standing there not worried. Blitz got to the kid, grabbed it by the shirtsleeve and walked it back into the yard. Shella stopped when she saw Blitz grab the kid by the shirt but you could see her shaking. Once Blitz delivered the kid to her he gave it a little tap in the chest with his nose and made the kid sit down. then he just came back over to me. After that the neighbors always loved the dog and trusted him to keep kids safe from the creek and the road and other dogs. Eddy told me if my dog ever bit one of his kids he'd punish the kid because he couldn't imagine what they would have had to do to him to get him to bite them. He was THAT gentle.

Now that is what a Rottie can, and should, be.

I love that story, Sal.

I think you will really like this one:

Jesus Christ Joe -- doesn't matter if a dog is attack trained or not..........NEVER reach into a car or truck with a dog there!! - a little late eh? It doesn't matter how much of a friend you are to a dog, it will protect a car fiercely - that is not only its territory, but if it is taken out often it is their escape route from the house to where the fun is and they don't mess with that one at all.
I'd be less afraid of walking into a dog's yard than reach into its car.

That is only one reason I am dead against people leaving their dog in an open vehicle.

I am also wondering why a person would take an animal that is going to be 4 foot tall to attack training. That is ignorance that attack training is even allowed if the dog isn't going to be with a cop or a forest ranger, soldier, etc. If they are going to allow that to happen, they should make it a law that the dog has to have some form of distinugishing gear on -- like a special collar or something so people will know the animal is risky from the get. Too many dogs are ruined by such "guard" training. It does nothing but exagerate natural protection instincts. If your guy isn't going to protect you naturally in an emergency, you aren't doing something right.

Ya know - all this talk makes me think that there should be mandatory classes in schools to teach children how to act around animals. People who are buying a dog should have to take mandatory classes on handling their breed of dog and should
mandatorily attend at least one puppy training class.

A lot of attacks that seem very random are actually provoked without the provokers knowledge of what they did. I'm not just talking dogs - house cats can rip a kid up pretty severely - and what about wild animals. Unless someone knows how to act around a snake, a bear, a cougar, a moose, a skunk, etc.....they really shouldn't be out where these animals live. I hear so many stories about bad incidents with animals that really could have been easily avoided - either by an owner being sharper or somebody attacked that should have known more about the rules animals play by before stepping into their territory. I'm not sayin all attackss can be avoided, just that very few attacks are as random as they seem to be whether the animal is domestic or wild. AND - It's harder to tell if a domestic animal is nuts than if a wild animal will attack because wild animals don't deal with stupid owners messing up their instinctual communication modes.

Aw Sal, that's wonderful, I'm real excited for you.

There's nothing so adorable as a little puppy or kitten. Can't wait for the pics!

This is wonderful news. This creature will be very lucky to have you as his (her) adoptive mother and you will be just as lucky to always have him (or her) by your side.



Have you decided on a name yet?

Yaayyy for a new puppy!! Going to be a long wait for pics or to even squeeze a name out of you Sal but well worth it I'm sure when we all can share in your joy in January.

Teresa

Just heard, Sal. That is some really good news. And yeah, gonna be a long couple of months. Hang in there.

Thanks mbenton - I'm hanging.

I'm really sorry to hear that eshera. I haven't had to make that decision yet with any of my guys - and hope never to have to. I can't imagine how devastating it is. It takes a lot of courage to do what is right sometimes but if the love is there, we can be unselfish. I hope when you are ready you find a situation as great as the one I have found. It is sad when they go, but we know that our time is limited when we choose to share it. The best we can do is make the time priceless.