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What say ye?
Columbus Underground Messageboard » General Columbus Discussion
New dog advice: shelter or breeder?
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Alexandra477
Short North
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Posted 4 years ago # -
Coremodels
Really close to Explorer's Club.
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Really no reason to not check out all the rescues and shelters first. I've gone to a breeder, but it was mostly because the specific breed I wanted just isn't that big on the rescue/shelter scene as puppies, but if I was getting anything else that's where I'd have gone.
Give me an idea of breed if you know, or size/temperament if not and I can probably shoot you in the right direction.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Alexandra477
Short North
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I'm thinking medium-sized, maybe large. The important thing is that it's laid back and not hyper. An adult one would be all right. We have a fenced in yard and live in the Short North, so I'm game for lots of walking.
I like all kinds of breeds: old english sheepdogs, bernese mountain dogs, st. bernards, wheaten terriers, and cavalier king charles spaniels. I guess I'm all over the place, I don't know what to do :?
Posted 4 years ago # -
vespamary
Short North
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Shelter! Or this is a great website
http://www.columbusdogconnection.com/
I fell in love with my Bernese Mountain Dog mix on there!
http://martineaubungalow.blogspot.com/2007/03/houseblog-hijacked.html
AND AND AND they'll be at the North Market THIS WEEKEND from 11-1 as part of the Grillmasters Festival with adoptable dogs! Come meet some cute pooches!
Posted 4 years ago # -
Alexandra477
Short North
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Cool, thanks! I'll stop by. I'll stuff my boyfriend with Pam's Popcorn before we look at the pooches.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Coremodels
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I'm going to check tonight, but I have a friend who just recently found a "lost" (read abandoned) 12-18 month old Great Pyrenees that he can't keep who's WONDERFUL. I just sent an e-mail to double check they never found the owner now..
These are AMAZING gentle giant type dogs.
p.s. that's not the actual dog, just a fun shot of the breed
Posted 4 years ago # -
Alexandra477
Short North
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oh my gosh, let me know! i would send you a private message with my info, but i haven't figured out how to do that.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Coremodels
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lol...np Dragona, if worse comes to worse just send me one at dave@coremodels.net
I'll let you know when I hear back from the park posse :)
Posted 4 years ago # -
shroud
Polaris
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Dragona wrote oh my gosh, let me know! i would send you a private message with my info, but i haven't figured out how to do that.
Just hit the "PM" button at the bottom of a post from the person you want to send a private message to. From there, it's just like making a regular post.
As for dogs, I think folks have covered the basics, but just to state the obvious, part of the decision is really going to depend on if you want a puppy or are OK with an older dog, if you want a purebred or are OK with a mutt, etc. If you want a purebred (even if you don't care about pedigree specifically), then shelters will be a lot more hit & miss. And you will RARELY find puppies at a shelter.
In my experience, most terrier breeds are very hyper, so if you're looking for a laid back dog, I'd steer away from terriers. King Charles Cavaliers are great dogs, but more on the small side than medium. They're more prone to deafness than other breeds - my parents have a 14 year old Cavalier who's the sweetest dog in the world, but she's been stone deaf since she was 6, if not before. They're also not the BRIGHTEST dogs in the world... trainable on the basics, but obviously not as "with it" as the smarter breeds (retrievers & the like).
If you're OK with huge dogs anyway (which Im guessing you are, since you mentioned St. Bernards), Great Danes are actually VERY laid back for their size. Definitely "gentle giants"... well, once they get past the "big & clumsy" stage.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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gsmittynd wrote Breeder or Shelter? I am curious to hear what people have to say as I personally have not heard of either of these bands :wink:
yeah, I dunno how this wound up in the "music" forum, but I moved it to "general discussion"...
But seriously... who's never heard of The Breeders?
Posted 4 years ago # -
Alexandra477
Short North
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thanks for telling me how to pm (dur, i shoulda picked up on that). i love great danes. have you ever seen argyle, the resident great dane at ruby tuesday (on summit)? he's amazing.
Posted 4 years ago # -
lifeliberty
Here
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Argyle is huge
Posted 4 years ago # -
Brewmaster
Portland, OR
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^ Lifeliberty put it best. Rescues can be a mixed bag sometimes, and you can't always fix their complexes that previous owners built into them. Some have fears that they can't get rid of, some just don't get along well with other dogs, so you've got to be careful. If you want a rescue dog that you can walk in the short north, make sure he/she isn't afraid of traffic, people, or other dogs. Otherwise, it may take alot of work! If you have a puppy, you can just expose them slowly to traffic and keep feeding treats to let them know it's a good experience.
We ended up going with a breeder and are very happy. Like Life said, you have to deal with all of the awful puppy crap (figuratively and literally), but at least you know that he'll be well trained and socialized (providing that you and the breeder take the time to do it).
Posted 4 years ago # -
Coremodels
Really close to Explorer's Club.
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I've met Brewmaster's dog and it's a vicious, pit bull like, killer...don't believe his lies.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Alexandra477
Short North
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Hehe.
Thanks for all your advice. Our friends keep saying we'll know the minute we see "our dog" if we go to a shelter. But I do worry about being able to work with a dog who had a stressful past. I'm definitely not a dog expert.
That being said, some of those breeders want big bucks for their puppies. That's gotta be a huge source of income for them. Some of them seem way more professional than others.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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Dragona wrote That being said, some of those breeders want big bucks for their puppies.
Compare breeder prices to pet store prices and you'll think the breeders are a steal!
Some day I'd like to get a Boston Terrier (because I had one growing up as a kid and they're great city dogs) when I have more time to spend with it, and puppies at Petland run in the $900-1000 range while local breeders I've seen have them in the $250-400 range.
Posted 4 years ago # -
lifeliberty
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here's a Dane rescue
Posted 4 years ago #
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