A dog is for life? please read if you are thinking of getting a pup

seven-day-weekend

Very true unfortunately, Errata

seven-day-weekend

I live in rural Spain and there are so many abandoned dogs that it is heartbreaking. I mean abandoned as chucked out of a van in the middle of nowhere, not re-homed or taken to a rescue. We, and especially my husband, have had to train ourselves not to see them any more, as it is too upsetting.

Most of them won't come anywhere near you if you try to approach them, they are too terrified, even though they are starving, they just run away.

We did rescue one dog just over a year ago, a hunting hound who we found limping and starving on a windey mountain road in the middle of nowhere; he had been caught in a trap and his achilles tendon was severed. Unfortunately, despite the vet's best efforts we were unable to save him. RIP Otis.


However, the Spanish perceive us Brits as being stupidly soppy about dogs and hating children, because we shove them in nurseries all day and never take them out with us in the evening.

I think we could learn from each other!

hethmar

Neednt be one or the other seven We do both in this house.

LillyJ

A large reason why we bought our house was so that we didn't have to worry about other landlords accepting him. I could never, ever give him up. Even when he stinks the house out, slobbers on my work clothes, chews his bed up, spits his dinner out on the floor or is sick on the new carpet, I still love him!
I often say he is a £140,000 dog!

seven-day-weekend

hethmar wrote: »

Neednt be one or the other seven We do both in this house.

What...love dogs and hate children? :rotfl: :rotfl:

That's what I meant...a bit of balance in both. Some people seem to put their dogs before their children.

foreign_correspondent

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

Some people seem to put their dogs before their children.

...in my experience neglected dogs and neglected children are very often found in the same household - where lack of knowledge, insight, skills or capability impede the adults in the family from caring properly for those in their care, or where anger and reentment are vented at the most vulnerable - again, the kids and the dog.

Sagz_2

One of the worst excuses I ever heard for giving a dog up was from the owner of a 9 week old collie pup: 'he won't play nicely with the rabbit'.

I just stood there with my mouth open........

olibrofiz

I would rather eat toast and jam, every meal, than give up my doggies. This, as some of you may know, is what I'm probably going to have to do anyways with Fizz's recent vets bills and my now having to pay for her meds, blood tests etc.

I heard something that raised my eyebrows the other day. I was walking on the park and there was this guy with a 16 week old springer/cocker that was tearing about, she was gorgeous. He'd had her two weeks, she was a rescue, her owner had given her up cos 'she smelled too doggy' !!!:eek:

UKTigerlily

olibrofiz wrote: »

I would rather eat toast and jam, every meal, than give up my doggies. This, as some of you may know, is what I'm probably going to have to do anyways with Fizz's recent vets bills and my now having to pay for her meds, blood tests etc.

I heard something that raised my eyebrows the other day. I was walking on the park and there was this guy with a 16 week old springer/cocker that was tearing about, she was gorgeous. He'd had her two weeks, she was a rescue, her owner had given her up cos 'she smelled too doggy' !!!:eek:

Unbelievable! That's like taking friesias back for a refund cause they smell . . . of friesias! I'm sure some people expect Dogs to never poo or be sick or smell or bark, to just sit there looking nice :rolleyes:

remembered_nights

This all just makes me sad. Our puppy is 14 weeks now and a fulltime job at the moment, but there's no way she's going anywhere ever - family now!

I had a friend get a labrador puppy only to get rid of it a year later because she couldn't be bothered with it

And another friend of the family got a dog as a replacement child, basically... then as soon as she got pregnant the dog was out. Spoilt and badly-trained too poor thing.