Let's See Your Dogs!!

AWESOME!!!! I miss having GSD's!!! Will hopefully happen sooner than later!!

 

Absolutely beautiful pair of GSD. My Big Buddy "Santino" just turned 12. Sweetest big dog we have ever owned. Unfortunately he's got a myriad of health issues including his hips and feet. We bought an RV to take him on trips as part of his bucket list. He takes a ride in the shell of my 06 Tacoma everyday, rain or shine.

 

Your dog’s personality may have little to do with its breed
https://www.kxan.com/news/weird-news/your-dogs-personality-may-have-little-to-do-with-its-breed/

WASHINGTON (AP) — Research confirms what dog lovers know — every pup is truly an individual.

Many of the popular stereotypes about the behavior of golden retrievers, poodles or schnauzers, for example, aren’t supported by science, according to a new study.

“There is a huge amount of behavioral variation in every breed, and at the end of the day, every dog really is an individual,” said study co-author and University of Massachusetts geneticist Elinor Karlsson.

 

I mean I've always considered "breed personalities" to be a general guide. I think this just confirms that like people, dogs' personalities vary. But I think it is safe to say that certain breeds TEND to have certain personality traits.

 

I was gonna make a snarky comment about attack type breeds and then I remembered the time I saw a Chihuahua bite a 300 lb. Samoan woman on the knee cap. So I'll just shut up now.

 

I've never met a violent pit bull. Met plenty of vicious lap dogs we call "Karen's Killers."

 

Until something happens, they’re all good dogs. That holds true for all breeds.

However, statistics cannot be ignored.

 

I've known a number of fantastic pit bulls myself but these incidents don't happen as often with other breeds. From two days ago in CA:

https://www.latimes.com/california/...ull-that-mauled-1-year-old-daughter?_amp=true

 

Can't argue, nor agree. Without DNA, they were "described as pit bulls" by authorities. Are they truly pure American pit bull terriers? Most likely not, plus no back story, no photos of the dogs. I think plenty are great dogs, plenty have been taught bad behaviors, plenty have personality issues, but I'm not sure how I feel that a dog's breed doesn't play into overall behavior and temperament. Yes they have their own personalities, that's why we love them. I also believe that responsible, cognizant owners can prevent a lot of these sad stories, that give a breed a bad reputation. A rep that isn't deserved across all "pit bulls". Like people, who we shouldn't stereotype, they are an individual. Sometimes with built in qualities that can be good and bad.

 

There's a couple key paragraph that I think addresses this.

And this one.

I highlighted two important things I think the story boils down to. What that says to me is that it's important to understand what behaviors your choice in pup is prone to and if you are planning on rescuing, you need to know what kind of environment the dog came from. It's easy to find these things out if you choose a breeder, especially since you can enquire about the sire and dame and often meet the mother. It's a little harder to get that from someone at a Home Depot. And next to impossible to get that from a rescue. The rescue shouldn't discourage you, just know that you will know little to nothing about upbringing (If someone tells you a dog is not good with other dogs or doesn't like cats, that is a red flag).

I'm not sure it matters whether a dog is purebred or not when it comes to a pit. I've seen dogs advertised as "Labrador Retriever" and it is 100% clear the dog is a mix. Within the shelter world, this is done to give the dog a chance to be adopted. Mixed breed, you cannot really know and if you choose to take a dog on, be responsible and work on training and watch for signs of trouble or change. They can be behavioral or even health related.

Finally, look in the news. There are plenty of reasons some dogs are profiled. The young mother who lost her arms and another mother who stabbed one of her two dogs to death as she and two others were attacked. Vicious attacks by Labradors do happen tho not nearly as often. German Shepherd, Cane Corso, Akita, Rotties, or Dobermans are just as dangerous yet you rarely hear about them.

 

My family had a "purebred yellow lab" that ended up attacking my dad. Her whole litter was put down due to behavior issues. She was food aggressive and had other issues (don't remember them all). We picked her out, saw the parents.....

 

Me & my girlfriend were on a walk last week with our 6 month old son in the stroller. Walking past a house I noticed a fluffy white POS rat dog barking on the porch. I positioned myself between my girlfriend and the dog just in time for it to charge its yapping useless ass towards us. The owners were laughing & half-assedly calling for it as it tried to chomp down on my Achilles. It couldn't latch on & eventually ran away. After that I vowed to my GF that going forward I won't ever again hesitate to grab a noisy dog by the neck & choke it until the owner intervenes. Pitbull, lab, shizhu or Chihuahua....charge me or my family & I'm crushing its windpipe without hesitation. God I hate yappy rat dogs.

 

Although you may not agree, this was probably the right thing to do.


edit: dogsbite.org gives some statistics.

 

Yep some dogs have a screw loose same as people.. You try and save them, then end up saving them from themselves..

 

Agreed.

We had a Rottweiler/Pit Bull once. Well-behaved and good with the girls and other dogs. At the same time, we also had a Catahoula rescue that was afraid of his own shadow, super sweet and not a mean bone in his body. The Rott/Pit attacked the Catahoula once, and I thought it was a fluke. Didn't seem to be a real trigger, they had always gotten along, and the Catahoula was always submissive. About 3 months later, it happened again. The Rott/Pit had a wild look in his eyes, like not really there, then snapped out of it. Another 3 months later, he did it a 3rd time, and he was just wild. I had to punch him in the head to get him to snap out of it, and then it was like nothing ever happened, he was back to his sweet self, like a switch flipped.

I hated to do it, but we had two daughters under 5. I couldn't have that dog around them, and couldn't re-home him with that kind of screw loose.

I think all dogs can have that switch triggered at times, but some are just broken. You're not going to hear about smaller ones that are easier to control and do less damage.

 

Very true
Horrible and it sucks , but the right choice was made.

 

Statistically speaking, these two breeds are involved in a much higher percentage of bites than all others. Yet, I've been friends with a guy who has only ever owned Rotties (he's a fam of 5) and they've been the sweetest dogs except when it comes to prey drive they don't have cats and cats do not hang around their house Same with pits. Or in this case, Staffordshire Terrier--they are technically pits. Beautiful & massive & wonderful pets in the right homes.

 

The prey drive on my doggo is very strong.
The neighborhood cats stay away.
One time she did jump the fence and chase down the cats.
They stopped she stopped, nothing happened, weirdest thing.
She is the most gentle soul.
Here is Sukis dna

 

If you haven't seen it yet check out Scott Van Pelts tribute to his dog Otis. Its a beautiful tribute and well worth the watch. Just make sure you have the tissues nearby when you watch it.

https://www.espn.com/sportsnation/s...-van-pelt-pays-tribute-otis-dog-one-big-thing

 

Damn you.

That was wonderful.

I don't think I could ever live without a dog, and agree with Scott's sentiment. Going into it, you know that time will come. But, it's a price worth paying for all the good times and the unconditional love they give. We're down to 3 now. Below is a photo from a little over 4 years ago. The 2 tan Brussels passed during the pandemic, little Milo on the left and later Ricki, who lived a long life of 16.5 years. The little black one, Boo, gave us a scare a week ago, but thankfully he just had allergies and an eye infection. The red sesame Shiba (Kojun) is my camping buddy, and just like Otis, he's always near me. He lays on the couch in my office while I work, and comes to remind me when it's around 5:00 and time to do something other than work (like take him out front so he can do his perimeter check). He's got some years on him now, but has plenty left. And I will be crushed when he goes. But, I'll get over it, form a new bond, and have a new travel and camping buddy. Whoever it is will not be Kojun, but will hold their own special place in my heart right next to him and all the others I've been blessed to know over the years.


Here's old Ricki, shortly before she passed. She was mostly blind, but could see some light and shadow. She's laying in the hall looking toward my office as the sun is setting for the day, and on her time with us.