Category: Top Dog

Writing this about my dog Eddie, we grew up together. He was a therapy dog for many years, and my best boy for 13. Just struggling to process it all, all thoughts and advice welcome

Oh to love a dog

He comes bounding through the door, an excited little lab

I kneel and play and bond

He sleeps at my feet and cries

I wake and pet and soothe

He grows into his paws and gentle nature

I grow along with him as I find my stride

He lays at my side when I’m sick

I feel at ease and my fever subsides

He hops on my lap each night

I welcome his weight every time

He goes to work

I go to college

He tackles me each time I come home

I get trampled and licked and warmed

He grows old and gray and wise

I watch and grow weary of all that that means

He licks my tears as I cry

I lay with him as he leaves

Oh to have loved a dog

Our 7 year old pup is suddenly afraid of storms. She’s shaking and panting. It’s just weird. She’s always ignored them, but this mild storm has sent her under the coffee table.

We’re as positive as you can be that she didn’t get into anything and isn’t showing any signs of pain.

Anyone experience a change in behavior like this?

Hi all, so for context, I am a freshman in college that lives around 1 hr 30 min from home. My dog, a papillon/cavalier/Shih Tzu mix, just turned 14 this month. My family loves him dearly and he has been with me my entire life. I seriously don’t know life without him. Although he does NOT act his age (he is very playful and acts like a puppy), I do acknowledge the fact that i don’t have a whole lot of time with him left. Despite me being in college, i NEED to be with him when he passes. The regret I would feel if he were to pass without me in his presence would be horrible. Basically, I just am wondering if any of you have also been in this situation & if there’s anything I could do to ensure I am with him? I’ve never had a pet of mine pass so I’m not entirely sure. Thanks so much

I'm a student, and I've had my dog for a a little over 6 months now. He's a 1.5 year old Rat Terrier mix that we got from a local shelter.

I am aware that purchasing a dog as a student usually isn't the best decision, but there were a few key things that made me more comfortable with the decision.

1. I am about to graduate, and I have a job lined up for after then. I've managed to tailor my final semesters to be very low time/class commitment to have more time to take care of him and work part time.

2. I wasn't adopting him alone. I adopted him with my at the time roommate. We talked about it extensively ahead of time, agreeing to split costs and labor. We got along very well, and had had no major issues for the 2+ years that we had been living together. We knew that we would likely be parting ways in the next couple years, and agreed ahead of time that whoever took him at that point would pay the other person their half of the adoption fee and pet deposit. Around early January, we ended up deciding that I would take him whenever that time came.

3. We live in a house with a large yard. I wouldn't have dreamed of adopting a dog under my present situation if we lived in a small apartment. Our house isn't huge, but it's enough room for us and our other roommate, and our yard is about 1.5x the size of our house and fenced in.

HOWEVER, less than a month ago things fell apart with my roommate very suddenly and they announced they'd be moving out at the end of February. Also, I'm defending my senior thesis next week and my defense copy is due in a couple of days. This has left me unexpectedly with full custody of our dog during a time when my schedule is completely fucked.

When I'm not working or in class, I'm working on my thesis. As soon as the defense copy is submitted, I'll be preparing my presentation. Our typical routine is essentially non existent. I'm doing my best to get him outside, exercised, and stimulated. I've made him a bunch of puzzle toys for when I'm working, and when the weather's good I work outside so he can play in the yard (he doesn't do well in the yard alone for long periods of time. It's something we've been working in terms of building his independence, but that has been thrown way off along with the rest of our routine). Before, I had someone else who could walk him half the time and also give him attention when he needed it. Now it's just me, and it's clear that I'm not meeting his attention needs right now.

I don't know what to do. In two weeks, I will be able to fully commit my time to him, but right now I just can't do that. I had gone into this project under the impression I'd have backup, and now I'm alone and worried and feeling guilty for my pup. He's healthy and happy overall, but he deserves so much better and it's also taking every last ounce of energy I have.

If anybody has guidance or advice, we'd both be very grateful.

**Introduction** hii wanted to know what dog is best for me and for its own good hoping to get one by this month 1)Will this be your first dog? If not, what experience do you have owning/training dogs? * yes 2)Do you have a preference for rescuing a dog vs. going through a [reputable breeder]( http://ownresponsibly.blogspot.com/2011/07/identifying-reputable-breeder.html)? * no 3)Describe your ideal dog. * just someone to play with me and make me feel less lonely but also cuddly enough and lives long 4)What breeds or types of dogs are you interested in and why? * toy poodle, cocker spaniel, cavalier king charles spaniel, pomeranion, border collie, miniature dachshund, mini aussie shepherd, shih tzu, irish setter, english setter, siberian husky 5)What sorts of things would you like to train your dog to do? * just the basics maybe some cool tricks 6) Do you want to compete with your dog in a sport (e.g. agility, obedience, rally) or use your dog for a form of work (e.g. hunting, herding, livestock guarding)? If so, how much experience do you have with this work/sport? * no **Care Commitments** 7) How long do you want to devote to training, playing with, or otherwise interacting with your dog each day? * i can train in perhaps 3 30 min sessions throughout the day, but honestly we can play around the house and yard for an hour or 2 at a stretch maybe twice a day but regular interaction is all day since im home pretty much all day everyday 8) How long can you exercise your dog each day, on average? What sorts of exercise are you planning to give your dog regularly and does that include using a dog park? * i cant go on walks due to a family situation, the most i can do is play in the yard for hours and there’s also no dog park nearby 9)How much regular brushing are you willing to do? Are you open to trimming hair, cleaning ears, or doing other grooming at home? If not, would you be willing to pay a professional to do it regularly? * im open to doing all that at home how many every times needed **Personal Preferences** 10)What size dog are you looking for? * small-medium 11) How much shedding, barking, and slobber can you handle? * alot but id hope for not so much slobber on me not a deal breaker tho 12) How important is being able to let your dog off-leash in an unfenced area? * not important **Dog Personality and Behavior** 13) Do you want a snuggly dog or one that prefers some personal space? * snuggly dog that would follow me around and play wiht me 14) Would you prefer a dog that wants to do its own thing or one that’s more eager-to-please? * either is fine honestly but if eager to please means its going to hang out more with me then id like that 15) How would you prefer your dog to respond to someone knocking on the door or entering your yard? How would you prefer your dog to greet strangers or visitors? * no preference 16) Are you willing to manage a dog that is aggressive to other dogs? * no 17) Are there any other behaviors you can’t deal with or want to avoid? * aggression or reactive **Lifestyle** 18) How often and how long will the dog be left alone? * pretty much never 19) What are the dog-related preferences of other people in the house and what will be their involvement in caring for the dog? * family members want a cuddly dog i do want someone cuddly but also playful they might help occasionally 20) Do you have other pets or are you planning on having other pets? What breed or type of animal are they? * perhaps another dog down the line if possible 21) Will the dog be interacting with children regularly? * nope 22) Do you rent or plan to rent in the future? If applicable, what breed or weight restrictions are on your current lease? * possibly going to rent next year 23) What city or country do you live in and are you aware of any laws banning certain breeds? * nothing such 24) What is the average temperature of a typical summer and winter day where you live? * 42f to 95f **Additional Information and Questions** 25) Please provide any additional information you feel may be relevant. * it might travel on flight next year to a different country nothing is planned yet tho 26) Feel free to ask any questions below. are there any indor excercises i can do to make up for the walks that i cant go on with this sweet angel? also wanted to know if i can both crate and pen train this dog since id like to take it with me in a crate for a flight but also would prefer it stays in a pen when it needs some personal space 

Hello! My partner and I are going to visit a rescue lab + dane + bull mastiff mix this weekend and have been struggling to find many photos of a fully grown one. She is 50% bull mastiff, 25% dane & lab. Does anyone have any photos or thoughts about rough size and stature etc? Thanks!!

I have two dogs, I have one male dog (12) and one female dog (12). Both small breeds, share a kennel… recently my female dog has begun howling almost every night this week. I have come down to check on her and provide any needs such as water, walk, or food. But still even after that she howls. I have checked her body and she has no visible injuries as if she is hurt. (Also stopped playing with her toys during the day). Tonight she howled 1x around 9:30 before bed and I left her since I know she had all of her needs taken care of. Then at 11:48 I heard a yelp and my dogs growling at one another as I came down the stairs. They stopped almost immediately when I turned on the light. They never have issues..

I’m so concerned, I’m not sure what’s going on. And obviously I’m going to seek help from the vet but hoping to get some idea or clue of what is going on…

Hello everyone, I just adopted a new dog. She is a an Australian Shepherd and she is 2 years old and non spayed. We got her yesterday and we are planning on getting her spayed later this week before she goes into heat again.

We have another dog already who is a 4 year old mixed breed who is spayed and we have had her

for 3 years! I know that bringing in a new dog can be an adjustment and they have already gotten along so well, they play a lot and have similar temperament when they play. We do live in a large townhouse and we did adopt the sweet girl from a house with a yard so I know it will take some adjustment for her to adjust to going outside on a leash. Does anyone have any advice on how to make this adjustment go as smoothly as possible? Once she is spayed and healed we are planning on taking her to daycare with our other girl and we are an active family. I just don’t want to let her down but I also don’t want our original girl to feel replaced at all.

Just curious as my husband has a dog and says as much as he loves dogs it's unlikely he'll consider getting another