Why do you love dogs?

Dogs are our best friends. They are always there for us when we need them…except if they see a squirrel…a cat…or a blowing leaf…..LOL.

 

There is a pretty well known quote that says, "A dog is the only thing that will love you more than you love yourself."

 

So tell me… Why do you love dogs? Leave your answers by adding a comment below.

Happy Howlidays!

Doggy Times wishes all of you dog lovers out there a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Remember to include your  barking buddies! 

Dachshund

              Long Hair Dachshund

                Wirehair Dachshund

            

            Smooth Coat Dachshund   

Hound Group

 

Breed History: Other names for the Dachshund are Doxie, Weener dog, and teckel. Dachshunds originated in Germany sometime in the sixteenth century. They are believed to be cousins of the Basset Hound. They were probably crossed with terriers. The breed was developed to hunt badgers and is still used as a hunting dog, as well as a companion. They became popular in the U.S. during the 1930s and 1940s. Three different varieties were bred, wire hair, smooth, and long hair.

 

Breed Description: The dachshund is a compact, muscular dog with a long body and short legs. It has a wedge-shaped head, long drop ears, a deep chest, and a long tail. There are two sizes, miniature and standard, and three coat varieties, smooth, long haired, and wirehaired. The coat is short and smooth, long and silky with feathers, or long and wiry with bristly facial hair. It may be red or cream, or black, chocolate, blue, or fawn, with tan points. There is also a salt and pepper coloring called wild boar and a number of patterns, including dapple, brindle, and piebald. There is no current standard for the standard’s height, but they weigh between 16 and 32 pounds. The miniature version has no standard for height either and they must way under 11 pounds.

 

Breed Temperament: This is a friendly, good-natured, and fun-loving dog. It is intelligent, playful, and affectionate. However, they are sometimes sensitive with their feet.

 

Energy Level: Moderate to High

 

Notes: The dachshund is adaptable to many living situations, including city or rural life. The miniature is an ideal apartment dog. These dogs require training, socialization, attention, and for the wirehair and long hair versions, regular grooming.

 

Health Concerns: Bloat, epilepsy, hypothyroidism, intervertebral disc disease.

 

 

 

The Origin Of Dogs and Cats

And Adam said, "Lord, when I was in the garden, you walked with me everyday. Now I do not see you anymore. I am lonesome here and it is difficult for me to remember how much you love me.

" And God said, "No problem! I will create a companion for you that will be with you forever and who will be a reflection of my love for you, so that you will know I love you, even when you cannot see me. Regardless of how selfish and childish and unlovable you may be, this new companion will accept you as you are and will love you as I do, in spite of yourself."

And God created a new animal to be a companion for Adam. And it was a good animal. And God was pleased. And the new animal was pleased to be with Adam and he wagged his tail.

And Adam said, "But Lord, I have already named all the animals in the Kingdom and all the good names are taken and I cannot think of a name for this new animal."

And God said, "No problem! Because I have created this new animal to be a reflection of my love for you, his name will be a reflection of my own name, and you will call him DOG."

And Dog lived with Adam and was a companion to him and loved him. And Adam was comforted. And God was pleased. And Dog was content and wagged his tail.

After a while, it came to pass that Adam’s guardian angel came to the Lord and said, "Lord, Adam has become filled with pride. He struts and preens like a peacock and he believes he is worthy of adoration. Dog has indeed taught him that he is loved, but no one has taught him humility."

And the Lord said, "No problem! I will create for him a companion who will be with him forever and who will see him as he is. The companion will remind him of his limitations, so he will know that he is not worthy of adoration."

And God created CAT to be a companion to Adam. And Cat would not obey Adam. And when Adam gazed into Cat’s eyes, he was reminded that he was not the supreme being. And Adam learned humility. And God was pleased. And Adam was greatly improved.

And Cat did not care one way or the other.

Bullmastiff

Working Group

 

Breed History: The Bullmastiff was developed in 1860 from the Mastiff and the Bulldog in Great Britain. It was bred to catch and hold poachers without hurting them. Breeders believed the cross created a dog that was fast but not aggressive. According to fanciers, the breed is more Mastiff than Bulldog.

Breed Description: The Bullmastiff is a large and powerful dog with a large, broad head and a short, blunt muzzle. When alert, the forehead wrinkles. The eyes are dark and nose is black. The medium-size, triangular drop ears are set wide apart. This dog has a broad, deep chest and muscular loins, with a long tail that may be curved or straight. The short, smooth coat is brindle, fawn, or red, with a dark muzzle and ears. There may be a small, white spot on the chest. Bullmastiffs are 24 to 27 inches tall and weigh 100 to 130 pounds.

Breed Temperament: This is a quiet, docile dog that is patient and gentle with friends and family, especially children. It can, however, be protective and territorial.

Energy Level: Low

Notes:  The Bullmastiff does well with a family and can adjust to most living situations but may be too large for apartment life. They require socialization and training.

Health Concerns: Bloat, eye problems, cardiac disease, hip dysplasia, hypothyroidism, kidney problems, panosteitis, and tumors.

Human Trick Of The Week!

 

Quote frome The Boston Family

Human Trick Of The Week!

Alright! Oreo here with your brand new trick of the week! Last week we talked about how to get your human to say "NO!" as many times as possible with in a five minuite time period. I hope you all had success!

 

This week’s trick is designed to help teach you dogs to teach your humans how to properly go on walks!    

 

Step 1: Sit infront of your human and stare at him/her until he/she figures out that you want to go on a walk. (This may take some time… human’s aren’t that brite, and they can be lazy). If this takes too long, go to the door and paw at the knob. Some of you little guys may have to settle with pawing at the door itself. If this still doesn’t get your human’s attention, go and get the leash.. if you can.

 

Step 2: Make sure to run around like crazy so your human has to exercise to get the leash on you.

 

Step 3: Remember that the leash is attached to your collar or harness to give YOU control of your human!

 

Step 4: PULL! Pull on the leash as hard as you can.. humans can be heavy and stubborn! They are also slow, so pull extra hard until they can keep up. (You may be pulling for most of the walk).

 

Step 5: Give your human a break once and awhile by stoping on the nicest lawn in the neighborhood and doing your business. Humans like to admire grass for some reason, so this is their reward and a bathroom break for you. Two birds.. one meal! If your human is one of those that likes to pick up your doo… I’m sorry.. this is a gross habit, and there is no known cure.

 

Step 6: Make sure to involve your human in chases! Humans love to chase us and yell! If your human drops the leash, that’s the signal to run like the wind! Your human will have a blast chasing you.

 

Remember, a tired human is a good human! Keep the walks packed with exercise and don’t let your human get in front of you! You are the boss, not the human.

 

Good luck, and have fun!

 

Oreo

The Boston Family

Lots of people have asked to hear about my dogs lives. So I have created a MSN Space just for them. It’s called The Boston Family.

 

The Boston Family is all about my dogs and their day to day adventures from their point of view. Meet Oreo, Mitsy, and of course Chance as they tell you how life is as a dog. Oreo does most of the typing, he is the pack leader after all!

 

So if you love reading stories from the dog’s point of view, you’ll love The Boston Family blog site.

 

 

Click here to go there now!

Pet Overpopulation in the U.S.

Number of dogs and cats entering shelters each year:

6-8 million

 

Number of dogs and cats euthanized by shelters each year: 3-4 million

 

Number of dogs and cats adopted from shelters each year: 3-4 million

 

Number of animal shelters in the U.S.:

Between 4,000 and 6,000

 

Percentage of purebred dogs in shelters:

25 percent

 

Average number of litters a fertile dog can produce in one year: Two

 

Average number of puppies in a canine litter:

6-10

 

Theoretical number of dogs one female and her offspring can produce in six years: 67,000

 

Number of dogs and cats reclaimed by owners from shelters each year: Between 600,000 and 750,000, which is about 15-30 percent of dogs and 2-5 percent of cats entering shelters

 

 

Quoted from: The Dog Bible

Papillon

Non Sporting Group

 

Breed History: Some other names for this cute little dog are, Continental toy spaniel, dwarf spaniel, phalene (drop ear version). These dogs were originally bred in France/Belgium. It is a bred-down version of larger spaniels. Its type is believed to date to at least 1500. Also known as the dwarf spaniel, the papillon was popular with noblewomen. Madame Pompadour and Marie Antoinette both had pet papillons.

 

Breed Description: The papillon is a small, fine-boned dog. It is slightly longer than it is tall. Its head is small with a thin, tapered muzzle, which is about a third of the length of the head. The nose is small and black and the eyes are round and dark. The large ears are naturally erect, resembling the spread wings of a butterfly, from which the breed takes its name, and are well fringed. Except for their drooping position, the ears of the phanlene are similar. The papillon has thin, harelike feet. Its long, plumed tail is carried arched over the back. It is single coated, with long, silky, straight hair. The backs of the forelegs are feathered, and the chest has a profuse frill. It is parti-colored but the nose, eye rims, and lips are always black. Papillons weigh anywhere from 3 to 9 pounds and are 8 to 11 inches tall.

 

Temperament: The papillon is an alert dog that is friendly toward almost everyone, including children and other animals.

 

Energy Level: Low

 

Notes: These dogs are very adaptable and do good in almost any positive living situation. They especially make great apartment dogs. Because they are not very active, they do well with disabled and elderly people. They do require grooming on a regular basis and socialization with other dogs and people.

 

Health Concerns: Liver shunt, luxating patellas, and PRA.

What is it about dogs?

 

Quote from Doggy Times:

What is it about dogs?

Dogs… our canine companions and best friends. They can’t talk to us, but we know what they are saying. They are always there when we need them.. unless they see a squirrel that is. They give us company, companionship, and unconditional love. They also keep us laughing. Some dogs help people to live their lives more easily by simply doing what comes natural to them. Some even climb through rubble and debris to save our lives, while others are busy keeping drugs, guns, and criminals off our streets. No matter what job we give our canine companions, they will always save us just by being with us when we need them. Simply petting a dog has proven to lower stress levels in people.

 

So, what is it about dogs that make us mesh with them so well? Is it simply that we are so much alike? Is it because it is easy to see dogs as people? Most owners I meet treat their dogs like kids. They dress them up, or let them sleep on their bed. They spend time with them watching T.V. and even eat supper with them. Once or twice, I come across an owner that even takes their dog through the drive thru for a special treat!

 

I guess dogs just fill a gap that some of us have. You’re never alone with your dog by your side. Dogs don’t judge us like people do. They simply love. They are our best friends. Dogs are happy-go-lucky creatures that love to lick and play. I don’t think man has found any other creature on this earth that matches to our personality and fills the gap like dogs do. Sure, there are lots of animals out there to bond with. Birds, horses, and even cats! But they don’t return the love nearly as much as a dog.

 

Dogs are care free, they don’t care about what’s going to happen tomorrow. They live in the here and now. I think that gives some of us comfort. Wouldn’t it be great if we didn’t feel we needed to worry about how things are going to turn out? If you ask me, dogs were placed here on earth to be an example for us all. If only all of us could learn to be more like dogs.