About pets.
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Ulzzang wrote...
Realistically speaking, I will probably get a pug.I have a pug and they are really awesome animals. Mine is really REALLY sosial (and pugs in general are) he doesnt even let me go to the bathroom alone, he always follows me around and when he was a pup, he actually came in shower with me too :D
And even tho he's a male he doesnt hate other male dogs and he's nice in general, but is a bit shy because his eye sight isnt the best.
BUT. This is a really big but everyone who wants a pug should know:
1.They have quite high risk of getting epilepsy.
2.the wrinkle on top of their nose can get inflamed [size=10](is that really the right word for it?)[/h]
3. because of their HUGE eye size and short snout, there's a high risk they'll hurt their eyes. And this is the reason why my pug cant see well. When he was small, he wasnt very careful with his eyes, so he hurt his eyes total of 4 times. First time wasnt bad, just a scratch, but second and third time were bad, because he actually had a small hole in the cornea and the iris was pulging out of there, but with the right medication he was able to keep his eyes. The fourth time he again got just a scratch, but because he was already a little bit older and wasnt growing anymore, things got bad. Even at the start the vet said that he wont be able to heal the wound as easily as last times, because on the first times he was growing, so the wounds got healed more easily. So, even tho it was just a small scratch compared to the 2 last ones, the vet sew about 90% of his eye shut for the healing progress and gave us eye drops and antibiotics. But when I woke up next morning I realized that something was very wrong with my dog, and his eye was so sore, he didnt even let me pet his head at all, and I realized that the stiches had opened. I hurried him to the vet (she was really nice, taking us there even after her work should have ended for that day) and she found out that his own defence system tried to get rid of the infection in his eye. And the thing (I was kinda in a shock, so I couldnt understand what the vet was saying very well) that tried to get rid of that infection had melted the stitches keeping his eye closed and on top of that it had also damaged the eye more, again making a hole in the cornea of the eye. Then they made some eye drops of my pugs bloods plasma to help the recovery and gave some stronger anibiotics. After that he's been fine and now he actually closes his eyes when something comes near his eyes :D
4. because of their short snout they have a soft palate they can get seizures when going all hyper. And those seizures are a bit like epilepsy ones. My pug got one not long ago, and his all four legs were cramping in an X like position for like 20 minutes and it was scary as hell. This is quite common for pugs and the breeder of my pug said its quite rare for a pug not to get at least one in a life time. But if it happens, just stay calm, and try to calm the dog, because when it happens they have no idea what it is and is alot more scary for them than you.
5. pug dog encephalitis. An illness, that only pugs suffer of. Bluntly said:
- no one knows for sure what causes it (as far as I or my pugs breeder knows of)
- its always fatal
- there's no cure for it
- if a pug gets it, he has only few months to live, max. But imo its better to let him sleep before it gets bad.
6. allergies. Pugs have them quite often. Mine has a wheat allergy and I have to feed him special food. Wheat allergy is one of the easiest ones, wheat free food isnt that much more expensive than others, but on the other hand wheat free treats are surprisingly rare :/
7. Pugs just like some other dog breeds cant reach their own bum with their tongue. So you'll have to clean him after his toilet time :D
But in the end all of the dog breeds have their own downsides, pugs have quite many and big downsides, but they are so wonderful animals, I wouldnt give up on him even if I had the chance to go back in time to the time I chose the breed. Not even tho my pug cost me good 1500 euros (pure bred dogs are really expensive here) and I've had to use at least another 1500 euros on the many many vet visits and the medicines + about 20 euros monthly on his food about 900 euros total (I've had him for about 4 years)
But yeah, just wanted to warn you with my pugs story about the downsides of pugs.
Ulzzang wrote...
If you could pick any kind of dog, what would you pick?*giggles* oh how I love dogs and if I could choose, I'd have hundreds of them :D But my favorite breeds are:
Glen of Imaal Terrier. I once saw 2 great looking dogs with really great personalities, so I searched and searched for any information of what breed they could have been. Then I found them, Glens :> If I had the chance of choosing my second dog alone, it would be Glen, no questions asked. Its just that they are quite rare D:
Bulldog I just cant help it, I love ugly dogs, and the bulldogs I've known have wonderful personalities, even tho without proper training, they can be quite annoying too.
English bull terrier Again, a quite "ugly" and not a very generic looking breed. I'd love to have one, but not before I have a bigger house. And them being wild and quite massive, I wouldnt take them as a play friend for my pug, poor thing would get smashed into a pancake :<
French bulldog Will most likely be my next choise. My bf loves them, I love them and physically they are quite same as pugs, so we know what we're getting. But that will have to wait some time (at least a year or 2), since this time I want to be prepared for the possible vet visit, because with my pug I wasnt quite prepared.
And people, dont buy dogs from pet stores, buy them straight from the breeder if you want to be sure to get as healthy dog as possible!!!
hm, biggest wall of text I've made in a long time
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say what! wrote...
I would get a poodle because i own one and the ladies love poodles, but they are very expensive. Also quite tough to train!
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Cats. I love cats,I don't have one tho.
As for the pets I do have....well 10 cockatiels. There pleasant to look at and very friendly if you start playing with them at a young age. I still want a cat tho, even if it does put the birds in harms way lol.
As for the pets I do have....well 10 cockatiels. There pleasant to look at and very friendly if you start playing with them at a young age. I still want a cat tho, even if it does put the birds in harms way lol.
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gizgal wrote...
say what! wrote...
I would get a poodle because i own one and the ladies love poodles, but they are very expensive. Also quite tough to train!
Nope i taught him how to play dead, shake, sneeze, beg, dance, sit, lay, jump, spin,and speak
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I would love to have a Rottweiler. So cute.
I remember my neighbor having one when I was young and I always went over to pet it. That dog was pro. It scared everyone but it was actually really kind.
Spoiler:
I remember my neighbor having one when I was young and I always went over to pet it. That dog was pro. It scared everyone but it was actually really kind.
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[font=verdana][color=green]Whilst he isn't mine personally, my family owns a Springer Spaniel. They're a nice decent size; not too big nor too small to be a complete gaylord. They need a lot of exercise though; which is great for my health, but I don't know if I would have enough time to cater for it.
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Xil
Norse God of Sawdust
Beagle. I would love to own a Beagle.
Unfortunately, as you can see from the below video, they like to howl. Pretty god damn cute: until 1am at night, or while your at work all day.
One day, though...
Unfortunately, as you can see from the below video, they like to howl. Pretty god damn cute: until 1am at night, or while your at work all day.
One day, though...
Spoiler:
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Due to the recent influx of dog related threads, i'm bumping this one to remind people to be careful where they get their pets from.
If you have your heart set on a certain breed, first, check your local shelter. if there are none there, check with the rescue for your chosen breed. lastly, look for breeders who have puppies not worth breeding(because they don't meet the breed standard) for sale as pets. unless you plan to get into showing/breeding you should have them spayed/neutered asap.
most breeds have a specific purpose or job(though some have become obsolete), so you should research the breed carefuly to learn what your choice was meant for. some breeds are less suitable for pets. for example, many from the hearding group don't do well with out something or someone to keep them occupied. they may get into trouble and cause damage. this is why some end up in the pound. people get a dog because they like how it looks and don't consider that it's job requires it to be very active all day. then they lock it up in an apartment while they go to work and then get pissed at the dog when it tears the place down.
also, in case anyone doesn't know the differeance between proffesional breeders, backyard breeders, and puppymills:
pro- carefuly selects which dog and bitch to breed, tracking lineage and screening for genetic diseases, usually spreading litters out with several breeding seasons between.
backyard- average yokel who never gets their pet spayed/neutered, then gives away or sells the randomly created puppies(this is also where most of those stupid 'designer' cross breeds like labradoodle come from).
puppymills- try to breed as many as possible by breeding bitches as soon as they come in season, to be sold in pet stores. which is why you should NEVER BUY A DOG FROM A PET STORE!!! peta would have you believe all breeders are incompetant backyard breeders keeping their dogs in conditions as bad as puppymills. thus average schmoe votes for alarmist, blanket laws that put ridiculous restrictions on all breeders.
[size=1]IMHO, anyone who gives pets as gifts should be dragged out in the street and shot.[/h]
If you have your heart set on a certain breed, first, check your local shelter. if there are none there, check with the rescue for your chosen breed. lastly, look for breeders who have puppies not worth breeding(because they don't meet the breed standard) for sale as pets. unless you plan to get into showing/breeding you should have them spayed/neutered asap.
most breeds have a specific purpose or job(though some have become obsolete), so you should research the breed carefuly to learn what your choice was meant for. some breeds are less suitable for pets. for example, many from the hearding group don't do well with out something or someone to keep them occupied. they may get into trouble and cause damage. this is why some end up in the pound. people get a dog because they like how it looks and don't consider that it's job requires it to be very active all day. then they lock it up in an apartment while they go to work and then get pissed at the dog when it tears the place down.
also, in case anyone doesn't know the differeance between proffesional breeders, backyard breeders, and puppymills:
pro- carefuly selects which dog and bitch to breed, tracking lineage and screening for genetic diseases, usually spreading litters out with several breeding seasons between.
backyard- average yokel who never gets their pet spayed/neutered, then gives away or sells the randomly created puppies(this is also where most of those stupid 'designer' cross breeds like labradoodle come from).
puppymills- try to breed as many as possible by breeding bitches as soon as they come in season, to be sold in pet stores. which is why you should NEVER BUY A DOG FROM A PET STORE!!! peta would have you believe all breeders are incompetant backyard breeders keeping their dogs in conditions as bad as puppymills. thus average schmoe votes for alarmist, blanket laws that put ridiculous restrictions on all breeders.
[size=1]IMHO, anyone who gives pets as gifts should be dragged out in the street and shot.[/h]
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Mr.Shaggnificent wrote...
I'm curious to the reasons behind peoples choices for dog breeds. how much are they based on looks and how how much do people actualy know about the breed?The story of how I chose pug and how I got mine:
[size=10](spoilered because its long, but I wanted to share the whole story, just because it might help some people who're thinking of getting a dog)[/h]
Spoiler:
Overall I had a very nice experience with the breeder, she was nice, knows much about pugs and imo is everything a breeder should be. And even tho my pug has had his share of health problems, I wouldnt change my choices.
Mr.Shaggnificent wrote...
NEVER BUY A DOG FROM A PET STORE!!!
This. Even tho you may think its sad for them to be at the pet store and you want to "save" them from there, do not buy one. If you buy one, you're supporting them and that just means they'll get more puppies there.
We dont have pet stores that sell dogs, but our problem is cheap purebred dogs from Russia and Estonia. Those dogs usually cost 50-400 euros when you have to pay 700-1500 euros (sometimes even 2000e if its a rare breed) from the professional breeders. So many people buy these dogs for their prices and some people buy them because they want to save the poor puppies from bad/dirty enviroment.
These dogs are very often sick and starved, they often suffer from infections and they often have fleas and other parasites. And some of them are not used to people touching them because the people who breed these dogs usually only visit them when giving them food or showing them to buyers.
Many people buy these dogs, but they dont realize that by buying them, they encourage those people to breed more puppies like these. And if people stopped buying them, slowly these puppymills would cease to exist and no more puppies would have to suffer like that.
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well, i always tend to care to some stray cats.
well, my "pet" catches some destructive rats and eats some leftover food, so it's okay.
well, my "pet" catches some destructive rats and eats some leftover food, so it's okay.

