[GSpotter]

Originally Posted by EmC I HATE the summers here in SW Georgia.

In order to cool you down a little bit, here's a picture of Rocky about a half a year ago:

[atomicbartbeans]

Incredible. You took that pic?

Nice work, man. He looks so happy.

[GSpotter]

Originally Posted by julesstoop Johan-Olof, my deceased rabbit. [/img]

Not to change this to a deceased pet thread, but here's a picture of our late dog Toni and rabbit Sammy:



The dog had a torn ligament at that time. I didn't even know until that time, that a dog with such short legs could get something like that at all...

We also had the dog of my sister-in-law for about 2 years for care:

[GSpotter]

Originally Posted by atomicbartbeans Incredible. You took that pic? Nice work, man. He looks so happy.

Thanks!
I was testing my new tele lens. Here are some more shots from this occasion:





We both had much fun!

[Amadeus]

Those snow pictures are awesome GSpotter, good job. Dogs just seem to love the snow. Ours do also.

I'm also sorry to hear about Toni.

[BuonRotto]

Dammit, every time I tell myself that it's a bad idea to get a dog, I either see one outside or I find this thread again. You people are torturing me!

Advice sought:

single guy,
1,000 sf apartment (with lots of other dog owners nearby, mind you) downtown,
work being 15 minutes away by car,
a college campus and park space in walking distance,
some extra cash coming in soon,
would need to go back to work on some nights

should I even consider getting a dog? I'm worried about not being home for it, and it not having a playmate or needing to be penned in during the day at least for a while. It would probably be housebroken already if I get one old enough from the animal rescue, but not necessarily -- though maybe it should be necessary. *sigh* So confused.�

[InactionMan]

I've got two dogs, a pug and a german shepherd. I'll post pics later. Dogs rule.

[alcimedes]

Can you bring the dog with you to work ever? Otherwise can you use your lunch break to walk the dog in the middle of the afternoon?

The thing to remember with dogs is they basically have no one besides you to get them out and about and having fun. If you don't have time to do it right, it's best not to do it at all.

That being said, if there a bunch of other dog owners around, you might be able to find one you trust and pay them to do afternoon walks for your dog.

[GSpotter]

Also think about vacations, business travels (if applicable in your job), weekend nights etc. Do you have someone as a backup? We walk our dog about 4 times a day - each day...

If you don't have the time / possibilities to have your own dog, you might want to check the next animal shelter. I do not know about the US, but here they always are looking for "walkers", i.e. people who are coming on a regular basis to walk one of the dogs. So you do not (have to) take it home, but still can build a releationship to a single dog.

[atomicbartbeans]

Originally Posted by BuonRotto Dammit, every time I tell myself that it's a bad idea to get a dog, I either see one outside or I find this thread again. You people are torturing me! Advice sought: single guy, 1,000 sf apartment (with lots of other dog owners nearby, mind you) downtown, work being 15 minutes away by car, a college campus and park space in walking distance, some extra cash coming in soon, would need to go back to work on some nights should I even consider getting a dog? I'm worried about not being home for it, and it not having a playmate or needing to be penned in during the day at least for a while. It would probably be housebroken already if I get one old enough from the animal rescue, but not necessarily -- though maybe it should be necessary. *sigh* So confused.�

May I heartily recommend Guinea Pigs. (see above picture of mine)

They only need about an hour of your loving attention each day (less if you have 2), can be left for 2 days if necessary, and they are very clean. They're also extremely friendly/inquisitive, love to cuddle, can be litter-trained (if you'd like to let them wander around all day), and make the most peculiar squeaking and cooing noises when hungry. Their chief diet is Alfalfa and/or Timothy Hay, but they'll also eat fruits, vegetables... almost anything that grows. They live for 8-15 years. As they only get around 4-5 pounds and small-cat-size, they are very conducive to sitting in your lap for hours at a time while at the computer.

Guinea Pigs are the nerd's best friend.

[DMBand0026]

Originally Posted by BuonRotto Dammit, every time I tell myself that it's a bad idea to get a dog, I either see one outside or I find this thread again. You people are torturing me! Advice sought: <snip>

Although I don't like cats as much, you'd probably be better suited as a cat owner. They can be left alone for a lot longer than a dog as they can be litter trained and don't need constant attention to be happy. I've known a cat or two in my day that would probably have been happier and more content if their owner was never around at all. I'd look into a cat if I were you, it just seems to be a better fit.

[BuonRotto]

Thanks for the advice, guys.

I could only bring a dog into work on nights and weekends I think. There's no rule about this that I'm aware of, but no one does it unless their spouse or whomever shows up with the dogs at the end of the day or it's after regular work hours.

I don't do much business travel myself, but I would probably need to either find a sitter or find a good kennel and get the dog used to it early on. I'm still fairly new to the area so I don't have this close network of people who are willing to sit for me. Consistently using a particular kennel for a dog on those occasions during the year when I travel for distance (usually long weekends) would be important.

I could go home and walk the dog during the day if I take a long lunch. I go home now on occasion at lunch,eat and relax for a few minutes, and it takes me between 1 hour 15 minutes and an hour and a half to get back to work. There are plenty of walking services in the area too, just that I'd enjoy walking dog anyway and it's another expense that adds up. I'm asking folks around my complex about that and obedience schools. (FWIW, I would do the obedience training with the dog as opposed to sending it to a "camp" for a few weeks.)

And while I'm more of a dog person, I do like guinea pigs, cats, rabbits, and so on. Maybe that's more up my alley. I'm going to look into this as well. The more I think about it, the more I think that might put my mind at ease about the animal's well-being and still be fun to care for.

[Windswept]

Originally Posted by BuonRotto Dammit, every time I tell myself that it's a bad idea to get a dog, I either see one outside or I find this thread again. You people are torturing me! Advice sought: single guy, should I even consider getting a dog? .�

Getting a dog really is a huge decision. It's a major commitment, especially if you don't have friends/relatives eager and willing to care for him/her when you travel.

I loved my dog dearly and took her with me on long car trips (eg. for six weeks at a time). But she was huge, and sometimes it was difficult finding places to stay that would accept large dogs. As a result, I ended up sleeping in my car seat from time to time. Fortunately it was quite comfortable.

I should mention, that if you get a sweet-looking, attractive dog, when you take her walking girls will likely come over to pat her and make a fuss over her. This is especially true for puppies, of course. When Kristie was a puppy and I took her for walks, people would literally fall to their knees and go into raptures over how adorable she was. They just "had" to get their hands on her fluffy little coat and play with her for a minute or two. She really was a cutie. So, add "attracting very nice members of the opposite sex" to the list of benefits of having a dog. Anyway... at least it's something to consider.

[GSpotter]

Originally Posted by Windswept So, add "attracting very nice members of the opposite sex" to the list of benefits of having a dog.

I can second that. - although I found it out 'too late': My first dog was a present for my wife when we married ... But it is astonishing how easily you get into a conversation with total strangers when you have a cute dog with you.

[BuonRotto]

You people! First you tell me a dog is too much trouble for someone with my lifestyle and then you go ahead and tack on the potential for sex as a side-effect. Which do you think makes for a more persuasive argument?!

[Windswept]

Originally Posted by GSpotter I can second that. - although I found it out 'too late': My first dog was a present for my wife when we married ... But it is astonishing how easily you get into a conversation with total strangers when you have a cute dog with you.

Oh, I completely agree, GSpotter. That is SO true! I can't tell you how many cute guys have come up to ask about my dog when I was out walking her.

Of course, she was extremely beautiful, and always had a friendly, happy demeanor, and a lovely Samoyed smile on her face. You could see the happiness shining in her eyes.

Honestly, to Buon Rotto, when you meet someone who obviously loves and cares for their dog, you just *know* for sure that you are meeting an incredibly nice person.

[stevegong]

Miao!

Mrao!

Meow

[BuonRotto]

Wow, gorgeous eyes!

[Luca]

This is Spicy.

My family adopted him after he kept showing up at our house hungry. He was still very young at the time. He hadn't been neutered, he had no tags, and he was very skinny; almost bony. We decided that this poor guy was going to die pretty soon if we didn't do something about it, so we got him a flea collar, we neutered him, and eventually we went all out and got him tags. We had to bring him in to the vet because one day he came back with a huge wound on his neck. There was some necrosis in the area and he would have certainly died if we hadn't brought him in. Well, there goes the "free" aspect of this "free cat."

Anyway, he's a really nice cat. Very large - about 12-13 lbs. He has a very thick black coat and a mane. We're not sure quite what breed he is but we think he's related to the Norweigen Forest Cat, a breed known for their large manes. They had to shave the fur off his neck when he got that big wound, but it's since grown back and he's looking as good as ever. He has beautiful yellow eyes and a really laid back personality. He's obviously very powerful and could easily hurt you if he wanted, but he never really does. If he gets annoyed with something you're doing to him, he always gives several "warning bites."

During the day, he sleeps on the couch. All day. On his back (?). Yeah, he's funny that way. It looks like he's dead or something, but for some reason he sleeps on his back during the day. At night we let him outside and he hunts. We've seen him carrying around dead mice, squirrels, birds, and even a rabbit once. But he doesn't present us with his kills, we think he just eats them. One time we even saw him stalking a deer. So he's a bit of a dumbass, but he's really sweet and we love him.

[alcimedes]

If you want to best benefit to both, find a local pet store and ask if they need someone to walk their dogs at night/end of the day. I had a friend who worked strictly as the walker for a pet store.

All he ever did was walk adorable little puppies around and have women throw themselves at his feet. It was pretty impressive.

[InactionMan]

I said I'd post pics once I got my lazy ass around to it, so here they are:

This is Dunya, German Shepherd/Husky.



This is Augustine, the bad ass Pug.



Again, dogs rule.

[NosferaDrew]

Originally Posted by Luca ...One time we even saw him stalking a deer. So he's a bit of a dumbass, but he's really sweet and we love him.

I love this pic:

[CobaltFire]

I'm looking at getting a Shiba Inu when I have a place that allows pets. Those dogs are cool. Almost the attitude of a cat, but in a fairly territorial dog. Perfect for me.

[Amadeus]

Originally Posted by NosferaDrew I love this pic:

That is an awesome picture. Appears to be a young deer. Quite an aggressive cat.

[xionja]

Puppy Dog:




Not my pony, but one of my best friends for the past 5 years. I rode him and took care of him for 5 years, owners didn't do much with him. Now he is retired out on pasture at his owners place For those who know about horses, you can see he is x-tra fuzzy, he has cushings disease.

[gjas15]

Here's my dog: (Cody)


He is 12 I believe; I don't really know since I got him from the humane society, but on most days he still acts like a puppy. Most of my friends consider him to be hyper-active... Boy are they wrong! When we first got him there was no stopping this dog; (I don't think he even slept) he'd run around the yard all day barking at birds and the slightest gust of wind. If I turned our sprinklers on he'd try to pin the head down and drink out of it (I would spend hours making him run from one end of the yard to the other by turning the sprinklers on and off ) Also, he would chase his tail around for 10-15 minutes at a time, without stopping (well maybe except to change direction) funniest thing to see since his tail is all curled up onto his butt. Hes a spitz mixed with something, don't know what for the same reason we don't know his exact age.

He was also one the worst behaved dogs, considering he was two. He would chew on furniture, "marked" said furniture, dart out the door and bolt down the street (stopped that after we was hit by a car, took him long enough to figure out "cars bad" ), bite, and make me clean dog snot off of glass doors... but then again that was well worth it.

Figured he was abused by the way he acted around people for the first year or two. I'm not really surprised though, his previous owners probably just got too frustrated trying to keep up with him so just hit him until he'd stop. It took a few good smacks on the nose every once-in-awhile, but I got him whipped into shape and couldn't imagine life without him now.

Then there are my parents two dogs, Norman and Ali repectively.



Norman is a cockapoo (cockerspaniel + poodle). I believe he is 14, poor old guy can't control himself if you know what I mean. If he's feeling spry (or had a pain pill for his joint pain) don't get too close to the ground or he'll try to french you

Ali is 50/50 Rot/Lab. She looks like a Rot but is the sweetest dog on the planet. For being a Rot, she is the most skidish dog I have ever seen. If someone just raises there voice whether it be in anger or laughter she'll go hide under the nearest table.

We used to have a purebred greyhound that gave Ali a run for her money in the sweet dog department. He passed away about 6 months ago from skin cancer. Id post a pic but I cant find one at the moment.

[stonyc]

Originally Posted by CobaltFire I'm looking at getting a Shiba Inu when I have a place that allows pets. Those dogs are cool. Almost the attitude of a cat, but in a fairly territorial dog. Perfect for me.

My wife and I are looking into getting a shiba to go along with our lab... shiba's are beautiful dogs.

[BenP]

I was pretty sure I was the only one who has a dog named Norman, at least on this board.

I guess not.

[murbot]

Damn, my wife and kids won't let up, and now we're looking at getting one of these two 15 week-old beagle pups:





I have to admit they're kind of cute. I guess.

*grumble* *grumble*

[Amadeus]

More very cute pictures. Awe! Thanks for posting, xionja, gjas15, & murbot