Thanks for all the dog advice everyone gave us previously. SarahK and I are starting our search in earnest for a dog now, and we’re going to start with trying to find a pound puppy or rescued dog. The thing is, we need the dog to be a puppy so as not to freak out the dumb cats too much and we’d prefer he’d be a German Shepherd or Shepherd mix. What’s the best place to look?
a vietnamese restaurant?
Cover your car with peanut butter and red meat then drive around. The dogs will find you.
I would try the Animal Shelter on Almeda Rd. south of the Loop.
Becare of the pounds. I got a shepherd / husky mix from a pound once.
1) he was crazy and uncontrollable
2) he needed a lot more room than I had (apartment)
If you want a big dog like a Shepherd make sure you have a decent sized yard for him to run in, and make sure he gets good exercise.
the pound dog was the only dog I’ve ever had troubles with ( and I’ve had quite a few dogs). SOmetimes dogs that end up in the shelters SOMETIMES haven’t been properly socialized from an early age, and SOMETIMES they are beyond help. There are exceptions, just be careful.
Be safe…get out the checkbook and spring for a free range German Shepherd puppy. Good idea going with a large breed though…larger dogs generally have a better temperament when it comes to coexisting with other animals. I have two labradors, both get along swimmingly with the neighborhood cats, or they’ve managed to eat just enough of them that no one has noticed yet. Works for me either way.
Large breed dogs, and especially dogs that have been bread to be aggressive or defensive, are very risky to get form the pound. Many times they are abandoned because the owners felt they were dangerous. To get a Shepard, much better to get it from a breader, or someone in the classifieds who had a litter of puppies that they are trying to give away.
PS shouldn’t you be getting a rottweiler named Chomps?
It’s a bit more work, but go read Katz on Dogs. Detailed recommendations there.
Sorry, danhendrickson, but your contention that it’s risky to get a dog from the pound is just plain wrong. Having been on the Board of Directors for two large-breed dog rescue groups for several years, I can state with absolute certainty that most of the dogs that we got from the pound were left there by owners who “didn’t have time for them” or “didn’t think they’d get that big” or got there because of sheer neglect — not because they were aggressive. Frank and SarahK, start out at Petfinder.com and find a breed rescue group in your area that works with the breed you’re looking for. They’ll have dogs of all ages that have been living in foster homes, so the foster families can give you a good indication of what the dog’s personality is like. Remember — don’t breed or buy while shelter animals die!!
I’ve stumbled into the pound twice and took the most obnoxious, 2-month-old puppy they had. The ones who, when I picked them up, looked me in the eye, bit my hand and growled at me letting me know that they will kick my butt.
I got two great dogs that way. The first one was a lab mutt and smarter than most people I know. The current one is pretty stupid but a fun dog. His full name is Kagogi the Destroyer. I gave him the “Kagogi” part, he earned the “Destroyer” part. I have the full line from the Kagogi Signature Series. From books to shoes to hats to walls.
Puppies take time, energy and you will want to kill it. Accept that. Remember that. You will want to kill it. More than once. Just hope that you and Sarahk want to kill it at different times. Otherwise, try to have some good recipes on hand.
And to make sure you don’t actually kill it, make sure you never, ever, ever, leave a gun lying around where he can chew the furniture. Trust me on that one.
Evil Glenn’s puppy ranch, perhaps.
1.)Never take advice from people who talk about Breaded dogs.
2.)Why do you think a rolling ball of trouble like a puppy will annoy your cats less than a calmer adult?
3.)Breed Rescue. Free, purebred dogs.
4.)Biggest genetic problem for Shepherd Dogs is Hip Dysplasia.
I got a beautiful loving GSD from the local pound. It took about six months to find one I trusted.
Be patient. When you find the right critter you’ll know. And have lots of room and time for a big German Shepherd.
Have you checked Evil Glenn’s cabinets?
I would have to agree with the “go with a mixed breed” group. I have a 8 y.o. Aussie-German mix, cage-trained(potty, not fighting!! sheesh!!!!). And all the times I’ve had to have her stay inside (she hates thunder), she has never meesed once.
My wife raises puppies for a Guide Dog organization. They’ve pretty much moved away from Shepards. They’ve had better luck with labs. Mature faster, calmer, not as much hair in the blender, etc. If they get to be too much of a pain, you can “go Chaney” on them and everyone will think it “was a hunting accident”, or so I’ve been told.
Ask your vet. The vet knows what medical problems the breeds have, their temperaments, etc. Websites would be biased. I don’t believe your vet would be.
Germany?
Oh, and you may want to avoid one breed in particular, a female Arkansasian Hillaryhound. They can be particularly grouchy. Oddly, their breed is dying out. Something to do with their not wanting to mate with the males of the breed.
Try a local rescue group devoted to German shepherds.
Like this one
How about South Brevard German Shepherd Rescue- check out the web site http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/sb-gsr.html
Oh, another suggestion, you may want to look into something like an invisible fence system, you wouldn’t want your new canine friend to go check out the golfers that stray too close to your yard.
Try mexico.
“1.)Never take advice from people who talk about Breaded dogs.”
Yes, we all know that batter-dipped are far better…
But seriouly, my current dog and my previous two were Lab mixes. Phenomenal dogs. And all were great with cats. The current one is a Pitrador Retrievabull. (Pit-Bull, Lab mix – makes sense doesn’t it?) She is by far the best dog I’ve ever owned…
“Pitrador Retrievabull” lol!
As the current proud owner of a Doberman and an American Pit Bull Terrier and the former owner of a German Shepherd/Doberman mix, I can tell you for a fact that the “mean” dogs are only that way if you make them that way.
As for my advice? The aforementioned German Shepherd/Doberman mix was the best dog I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. Smart, loyal, a good listener, and absolutely fabulous with kids (she was around me from babyhood until I was 8ish, so I know). If you can, try to find a mix like that. The only thing she did that got on my mother’s nerves was that she liked to go down to the river and swim, which was a no-no, so you might want to look into a fence, visible or not, if you don’t already have one.
And Veeshir is right, there will be times when you will long to commit doggiecide, but remember that in the long run it will be worth it and the dog will grow out of it (hopefully).
maybe you should have the kid first so the dog doesn’t get jealous and chomp on its head.
I would suggest looking into the Borzoi (Russian Wolfhound). I’ve had two of them, and they’re the smartest dogs I have ever had the pleasure of having a relationship with (careful what you say!). They’re as sweet as can be, friendly, and very careful about things in the house. They love to run and fetch, and are definitely more loyal than my ex-wives.
Just Google “german shepherd rescue” and you’ll get bunches of info and you can then narrow down to your region. These are rescued dogs that they are trying to find a good home for. Good luck!
Pay little attention to the “Get Mix X folks.”
You know enough about science to know, “Get X based on my one annecdote” is bad advice.
We don’t like to believe it, but the whole breeding thing is pretty clear. If parent has a good or bad trait, puppy will probably have it too. They’re not people – you can’t hope to overcome a bad trait with love or training or stubborness.
So if you’re going with a purebred, find out how to pick a good breeder. If you’re going with a mutt, go ahead and try your luck at the pound or with a local family you know. You’ll probably be fine. Just don’t do inbetween; getting some chimera someone put together with no regard for the temperment of the dogs involved.
The Hillaryhound, also known as the Shrilly baying ballcrusher, claims to be native to more than one region (Arkansas, Illinois, New York, Palestine, Olympus) so the breed has not been added to the AKC list.
It’s also the only breed known to keep it’s owner on a leash.
Petfinder.com
It’s in Orlando, but Pet Rescue by Judy is awesome.
Frank, on the subject of “hip dysplasia”, I have to ask just how committed you are to the idea of “Must Love Dogs”?
Our Belgian Tervuren/Something Else mix was diagnosed with this condition, in both hips, at one and a half years of age. $9000 and two total hip replacement surgeries later, he’s one of the best, and happiest, dogs I’ve ever known.
Should you and SarahK end up with a similarly afficted pup, whatcha gonna do; 1) Whatever it takes to make it all better or 2) Send it off to Evil Glenn to be dealt with?
Mike
Seriously. Try HUA.org
Rescues seem to be a good way to go. Personally, for a German Shepherd, I’d find a top notch breeder to make sure it was a strong blood line. We found our Sheltie at a breeder and he’s the best dog ever.
If you’re basically looking for a buddy and not intensive training, more than likely a rescue would be the thing to do.
Dogs rules -the bigger the dog the bigger the pooper scooper,if the dog loves you back,it’s the perfect pet (aka) human owner.
German shepherd rescue.
If you want to get a dog that is smarter than most kids and certainly smarter than most Dems, you gotta get a Border Collie. They are so smart that they can actually do your taxes (short form only, even Border Collies can’t understand Form C). There are several BC rescue groups out there. just make sure you have room for them to run about. And there is nothing better than watching your dog try and herd the kitties. My Jessie loves her kitties and she has chased off more than one interloper cat that tried to enter her domain and threaten her charges.
Petfinder dot com which posts pets in need of adoption. You just type in your search criteria and zip code. Just searched the Orlando area and several baby Shepherd mixes are listed. And yes, get a puppy since you have cats.
…the bigger the dog the bigger the pooper scooper…
Related to this is the idea of what you will feed this large dog. My advice: Stay away from the Purina/Petigree “Grocery Store” dog food, and instead get a high quality food from the pet supply store or your vet.
You’ll pay more per pound for the food, but your dog won’t know this. He’ll eat less of a high quality food–helping your wallet while minimizing the volume of poop you’ll have to deal with.