My Best Friend

Started by Dan, October 25, 2010, 07:48:27 AM

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Dan

If I do get another Great Dane then I doubt I will want to show it. That's just a commitment I don't think I'm up for doing the way it deserves to be done. But I do think I would like to train one as a therapy dog to go into nursing homes.

Do you guys ever feel a little voice inside of you keeps telling you to do something and over time it just gets louder and louder. That's how I am with the therapy dog idea. It's a likely place I will be putting some of my time if I am able to semi-retire in the next few years. I have family friends who are in the therapy dog community in my city and they could help me get on the right track once I pick my puppy.

I know there are a lot of things that are needed and a lot of ways to give back, but this is something I am feeling increasingly compelled to do. Hard to explain. Hope it doesn't sound too crazy. It's not like voices in my head. More like a voice in my heart if that makes any sense.
If you believe big government is the solution then you are a liberal. If you believe big government is the problem then you are a conservative.

Solars Toy

Quote from: Dan on October 27, 2010, 07:37:07 AM
If I do get another Great Dane then I doubt I will want to show it. That's just a commitment I don't think I'm up for doing the way it deserves to be done. But I do think I would like to train one as a therapy dog to go into nursing homes.

Do you guys ever feel a little voice inside of you keeps telling you to do something and over time it just gets louder and louder. That's how I am with the therapy dog idea. It's a likely place I will be putting some of my time if I am able to semi-retire in the next few years. I have family friends who are in the therapy dog community in my city and they could help me get on the right track once I pick my puppy.

I know there are a lot of things that are needed and a lot of ways to give back, but this is something I am feeling increasingly compelled to do. Hard to explain. Hope it doesn't sound too crazy. It's not like voices in my head. More like a voice in my heart if that makes any sense.

Dan- I have often thought my little dog should be one of those dogs that goes to nursing homes.  She is cute and lovable and a great lap dog.  She is a chihuahua and Cocker spaniel mix.  Eighteen pounds of love....

She actually became Solars therapy.  When Heidi and then Pal passed on I had him take my little dog home with him so he wouldn't be alone.  A week later I moved in.... :) :)
I pray, not wish because I have a God not a Genie.

Dan

ST that's a great story. Sounds to me like you don't have a therapy dog. It sounds to me more like you have a matchmaker dog.   ;D
If you believe big government is the solution then you are a liberal. If you believe big government is the problem then you are a conservative.

Solars Toy

Quote from: Dan on October 27, 2010, 07:54:21 PM
ST that's a great story. Sounds to me like you don't have a therapy dog. It sounds to me more like you have a matchmaker dog.   ;D

Well he was holding her hostage at that point...what else could I do. ;D ;D ;D ;D
I pray, not wish because I have a God not a Genie.

Solar

Truth is Dan, the puppy didn't want to go back to a 15 sq ft lawn, not after playing on all this land, with creeks and all kinds of wildlife, she was instantly spoiled.

Problem is, she is seen as a snack to most everything up here. :o
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Dan

I agree Solar. All dogs are happier when they can run and play outside. I call it letting a dog be a dog. My dog loved being outside. When she was younger and healthier she would run and run and run. We would walk down pipeline roads and even go through deer trails in the winter when the leaves were down. She could smell all sorts of interesting scents from wild animals from deer to wild pigs to coyotes to rabbits to squirrels to raccoons to possums. Every once in a while she would run across a rabbit or cow or deer and try to chase it. One time she caught up with a rabbit and didn't know what to do when she caught it. Don't worry, the rabbit was unhurt.

After we were out at this family land she would dream about it for days. While she was sleeping her feet would move back and forth like she was running and she would make little, muted barking noises. Playing on so much land is like going to Disney Land for a dog so no wonder ST's puppy didn't want to leave. And you picked up a girlfriend in the bargain.
If you believe big government is the solution then you are a liberal. If you believe big government is the problem then you are a conservative.

Solar

Quote from: Dan on October 28, 2010, 04:59:19 AM
I agree Solar. All dogs are happier when they can run and play outside. I call it letting a dog be a dog. My dog loved being outside. When she was younger and healthier she would run and run and run. We would walk down pipeline roads and even go through deer trails in the winter when the leaves were down. She could smell all sorts of interesting scents from wild animals from deer to wild pigs to coyotes to rabbits to squirrels to raccoons to possums. Every once in a while she would run across a rabbit or cow or deer and try to chase it. One time she caught up with a rabbit and didn't know what to do when she caught it. Don't worry, the rabbit was unhurt.

After we were out at this family land she would dream about it for days. While she was sleeping her feet would move back and forth like she was running and she would make little, muted barking noises. Playing on so much land is like going to Disney Land for a dog so no wonder ST's puppy didn't want to leave. And you picked up a girlfriend in the bargain.

Now the opposite has occurred, is has become old hat for her, in other words spoiled rotten, she no longer appreciates just how good she has it.
Would rather stay inside an sleep.
Now instead of her going back top her old home and dreaming of her good times here, she would see it as torture, or jail.

I think the dog suffers from depression, but can't really blame her, if I weighed 20 pounds in a rainstorm, and the fact that any cat could kick my ass, I'd be depressed too. ;D
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Dan

My ex mother in law had a good comment one time on why dogs loved to sniff scents left by other animals. She said sniffing was for a dog like reading a newspaper was for a human. It told them who, what, when, where and why.

That always tickled me.  ;D
If you believe big government is the solution then you are a liberal. If you believe big government is the problem then you are a conservative.

Elfie

Therapy dog is a great idea.  I just didn't know Dane's were of that sort. I always thought of goldens. In any case thats a cool thing to do.....
;)
Nature is an infinite sphere of which the center is everywhere and the circumference nowhere.
Blaise Pascal

Dan

Quote from: Elfie on October 29, 2010, 06:15:34 AM
Therapy dog is a great idea.  I just didn't know Dane's were of that sort. I always thought of goldens. In any case thats a cool thing to do.....
;)

Any dog can be a therapy dog. It's just a matter of proper training and socialization. But yes Dane's are called the gentle giants of the dog world. I know my dog was very sweet and loving and people always commented on how gentle she was.

And I think it would be kinda cool to walk in there with a 150 lb dog. It could be a nice change of pace from the beagles and the poodles they would normally see.
If you believe big government is the solution then you are a liberal. If you believe big government is the problem then you are a conservative.

Elfie

Quote from: Dan on October 29, 2010, 07:13:41 AM
Any dog can be a therapy dog. It's just a matter of proper training and socialization. But yes Dane's are called the gentle giants of the dog world. I know my dog was very sweet and loving and people always commented on how gentle she was.

And I think it would be kinda cool to walk in there with a 150 lb dog. It could be a nice change of pace from the beagles and the poodles they would normally see.
that would be cool.  There was a lady at Bristol last spring, she had a dane walking with her, he was pretty gentle, she was promoting dane rescue.  I bet it would be a good thing for what you're planning.  That and it could open up a huge door for all kinds of therapy work.  I hope you do that,,, I really do.
;)
Nature is an infinite sphere of which the center is everywhere and the circumference nowhere.
Blaise Pascal

Dan

I think Great Dane and Greyhound rescues are wonderful things. I truly do. But you have a much higher rate of health problems and sometimes they develop personality issues that are much harder to adjust as adults. Workable as a pet. Maybe not so much for therapy dog work. Some would be OK, but it would be a real hit or miss kind of thing.

I had so many health problems with my last dog. And it wasn't the expense or the time or the effort of administering medicine daily for her lifetime that made it hard. It was the fact that I loved her so much and it was hard to see her suffer so much. Maybe this sounds selfish, but I really want to get a healthy puppy that I can properly socialize from 8 weeks of age and minimize the problems that come with the breed.
If you believe big government is the solution then you are a liberal. If you believe big government is the problem then you are a conservative.

Elfie

I know exactly what you mean about health and wellness issues with dogs. Ol clunkerbut is a rescue... well, yea,lol, but anyway. its why I knicknamed her just that,,, she has had a rough start by all means,,,when I got her at 10 weeks someone had beat the daylights out of her, fractured from muzzle to tail,they blasted her left eye out destroying the orbital socket so no way to put a fake eye in there. they kicked her so hard the femor(sp) head is half out of the hip joint itself (so she clunks a bit I can feel it still), been serious arthritus since 4 months, all that at 6.5 weeks old.   Now she's going to be 14 come 11-22.   They said I would be lucky if she wasnt crazy from the head blows and gone before her 10th birthday.....
Jokes on them.     These days I am the psyco bitch from hell when it comes to people and her,lol. She's losing her eyesight and her hearing... she frightens easily now,then again she always has been a fearful thing, especially of the dark,,,
Feisty little thing and full of the tude,,,which is her mix breed,, she's a canarly,,,ya can hardly tell what she is until the chow comes out or the playful lab comes out or when we're out in the woods , the cattle dog (you're going this way Mom) comes out,lol
Truthfully I am glad I have her, she has taught me tons of things,,,,she is with me 24/7 as a rule and only 6 days a year she is not and I still come home to check on her...It's a wonderful thing you thinkin about doing what you are doing..... and yep a healthy dog would be a good thing,,but I am glad I have her to know what to expect if it isn't so.
;)
Nature is an infinite sphere of which the center is everywhere and the circumference nowhere.
Blaise Pascal

Dan

I know what you mean. My dog wasn't abused, but she pulled virtually every congenital defect a great dane could have. When I commit to something I'm all in and I took responsibility for her life. More than that, I loved her like a child. If the next dog I get becomes ill or has special needs then I will give her the best care I can possibly provide. But taking care of an animal with special needs can be demanding and squeeze our time from other parts of your life.

I just want to try to do things the normal way for once. If it doesn't work out, then no big deal. But I want to pick something that gives me a good chance at a healthy dog this time.

With great danes the trick is to buy a pet quality puppy from a show breeder who has screened several generations back for the congenital defects common in the breed. That's not a guarantee of anything, but it's your best bet for a health dog.
If you believe big government is the solution then you are a liberal. If you believe big government is the problem then you are a conservative.