Going to the dogs!

[Allen]

Glad to have you back Sam but sorry to hear of your loss.

Seems like the older we get the closer we become to our pets. We have more time to be with them and appreciate them more so we just naturally become very attached to them. As much happiness as they bring I will never take or buy another dog or cat. I will take one in that needs a home but will not actively hunt for one just to have a pet as I can't endure any more of their departures. They just don't live long enough.

[S.A. Boggs]

Brought home from the shelter our Bull Dog, about 3-4 years old. Kinda resembles the dog from Our Gang movies. Friendly dog, Wolf is taller and so far each is trying to adjust to each other. He is just a loveable dog in need of affection and reassurance.
Sam

[Merc]

Has anyone owned a Golden Retriever? I know the puppies are expensive but they are handsome, smart, friendly and easy to train. Id like to have one but wife is against owning any dog in our retirement years due to her urge to travel.

[Allen]

Has anyone owned a Golden Retriever? I know the puppies are expensive but they are handsome, smart, friendly and easy to train. Id like to have one but wife is against owning any dog in our retirement years due to her urge to travel.

I don't own one but have been around many of them. They seem to be great dogs and good with children.

If it were me I would have two concerns, one being "do they shed"? Some dogs do not shed at all but have to be groomed. Others don't have to be groomed but shed like crazy making everything in your house fur covered. Dog and cat fur is extremely hard to remove from fabric upholstery.

The other concern would be the travel. Dogs aren't comfortable in a kennel or being at home alone for long periods. They like being with and staying with people. It's almost cruel to not give them this joy.

If it were me I would postpone the addition to the family till the traveling days are over so you can devote more time to someone who's only going to be here for a very short time. My 2 cents as a dog owner/lover.

[Merc]

A few breeds, like Poodles and Yorkies don’t shed as much, but Goldens and Labs will shed a lot at certain times of the year. My daughter has two Labs and will always have her labs. We watch them occasionally and just resign ourselves to clean up after them when they return home. It’s amazing what they leave behind. My sister owned and raised many Labs and Goldens over the past 50 years and they are my favorite dog breed by far. Friendly, smart and very food oriented which makes them very trainable. And did I mention, smart? They also have excellent memories from their puppyhood. If you held them on your lap a lot when they were a few weeks old, they think nothing of climbing on your lap when they are fully grown and weigh 75 pounds. As I said, I’d like to have a Golden but it’s never gonna happen.

[togor]

Has anyone owned a Golden Retriever? I know the puppies are expensive but they are handsome, smart, friendly and easy to train. Id like to have one but wife is against owning any dog in our retirement years due to her urge to travel.

I have one who thinks like that, but I'm adamant on the subject and for now the line is holding at "1".

[oscars]

Goldens are wonderful family dogs. We had three over 25 yr as my kids came and grew up. Problem now is extensive breeding has resulted in a relative short life compared to 50 yr ago. The biggie is that an estimated 65% of Goldens will die of cancer. Purdue University has a large NIH funded research program to study genetic linkage of cancer in Goldens.

[Gun Smoke]

Goldens are wonderful family dogs. We had three over 25 yr as my kids came and grew up. Problem now is extensive breeding has resulted in a relative short life compared to 50 yr ago. The biggie is that an estimated 65% of Goldens will die of cancer. Purdue University has a large NIH funded research program to study genetic linkage of cancer in Goldens.

That seems to be the case in all breeds.

We lost a Schnauzer (also a great breed) to cancer not long ago.

When I was a child we always had dogs. None of them died of cancer that we know of but recently I was in the vets office and a poster on the wall had a chart of life expectancy of dogs in relationship to their size and it said all dogs have about a 40% chance of dying of cancer.

[Allen]

Goldens are wonderful family dogs. We had three over 25 yr as my kids came and grew up. Problem now is extensive breeding has resulted in a relative short life compared to 50 yr ago. The biggie is that an estimated 65% of Goldens will die of cancer. Purdue University has a large NIH funded research program to study genetic linkage of cancer in Goldens.

I remember back in the 70's Irish setters being very popular with so many owning one or breeding them. Perhaps this is what happened to them along with inter breeding. You don't see many now.