Can we have a dog thread?

A bit like religion, politics, E-bikes and wood burners, (and everything else) dogs seem to be a contentious subject on the STW forum. Therefor I propose a dedicated dog thread wherein users can post pictures, talk about them or pour vitriol and scorn on bad owners. Even propose kicking them or doing that thing that Mick Dundee does if they get a bit feral.

I missed the opportunity to post in the restaurant thread because of bloody work!

Chewie demands a dog thread!

https://www.tiktok.com/@yunabugs/video/7208277852784135470?lang=en

‘wags tail’

‘wags tail’

You’ll be wanting the William!Wragg! thread for that sort of thing

My boy in his favourite place, the beach.

oh go on then …

I’ll start with the contentious opinions.

Dogs were a large contributor in the evolution of modern society. Playing an integral part in helping mankind move away from the Hunter gatherer lifestyle.

Dogs are not wolves and not pack animals that require dominance blah blah blah. Most dog trainers who say they are don’t now what the hell they’re taking about. The pack behaviour that most people refer to is based on studying captive wolves. They don’t work like a family, which a wild pack is. They act like a prison gang, which is what they basically are.

Ah Chewie looks just like our Wilbur. I’d post a pic, but really CBA working out how on here!

To add to funkmasterp’s comments, dogs have evolved/been bred alongside people for a long time now, and the relationship between the two is unique. Most of us no longer need dogs to do the jobs they once did, but that link remains and both species benefit from it. Dogs are expert in exploiting human chemistry.

There are admittedly issues with selective breeding that need to be sorted and ditching stuff like Crufts and the Kennel Club would go a long way to helping that.

There are also issues around bad and ignorant ownership that are maybe harder to tackle. Dogs aren’t dicks, but that can be trained into them by people that are.

Dogs are ace.

That right hand dog up there knows something

Our three when posh, look at me poses

And in their more natural environment. As in, caked in mud 🙄

Dunni why that thread was closed.  I thought it funny😜

@funkmasterp it makes me a bit sad with all the information we have available that ‘pack theory’ and the alpha crap is still peddled so widely. Such opinions should not be contentious at all.

Anyway, my hound doesn’t require order or discipline, he just need to know he is safe. He need to know that when necessary I have his back and will look out for him. He also knows that he will be getting a bit of my sausage roll or my bacon sandwich – and that is absolutely OK too. In exchange, he will sit patiently by my table (on his bed) and his focus will be entirely on me. It’s such a shame he is just so damn long, I’d love to take him into more cafes and pubs.

I quite like dogs. My best friend was a boxer called Cato as in “not now Cato”

He used to greet me every time he saw me with great enthusiasm.

I don’t have a dog of my own.

They all look like they smell really bad and would happily jump up on to cafe table and rip a child’s face off to steal it’s ice cream.

🙃

Chewie looks great. Where’s Bert?

Oddly Chewie doesn’t smell like a dog unless he decides to drop himself into the canal. Smells like biscuits as long as he gets a bath every three week or so. I think it’s a poodle thing, having a different bouquet.

I decided to save money by not taking him for a haircut. After an hour with me and some clippers he looks a tad different 😂 it’ll be back to the groomers as he looks better when he resembles an Ewok.

Every home should have a dog/s. ❤️

When I left the Army and was kicking about on a nice stretch of termination leave I wanted to fill my time before having to get a grown up job with something meaningful so I popped along to the Dogs Trust to see if they needed any fosterers.

Things moved quickly and a week later Archie came to stay. He was an old boy of 12, given up after ‘failing to adjust’ to a new puppy. This separation from his home caused him what we would view as sadness, he’d also been mistreated physically.

When COVID hit he ended staying longer than planned and I’ll always be thankful for that, the pandemic complicated my transition and Archie gave me a purpose and as dogs do untold amounts of love, affection and calm.

Sadly arthritis pushed us to make a difficult decision a year later but I will always be glad that we got to give him a good year of love, cuddles and raw mince.

Then there our current house-horse, Her Royal Highness Stacey.

She’s an ex-racer, retired early who came to use via the great peeps at the Greyhound Trust.

She is such a playful and affectionate girl whose chitters are off the scale, she happy at home sleeping, or making friends in the park and running around with limbs flailing like an octopus in a tumble dryer.

Ah the Edinburgh defense is alive and well in 2024. Second time in a few weeks 😁

Heres dylan enjoying his new dog bed

Focus.

She smells of Doritos. And is a good dog. I love my little mongrel.

There’s only one thing better than a dog. And that’s two dogs

I walked 2500km straight with my last dog, day in day out we got out of the tent and started walking until dusk and we put the tent up again. He loved every last second. I am sure he thought he must have died and gone to heaven. I’ve got a picture of him on day 75, leaning into the wind at the top of the Appenine mountains, massive grin on his face and just going yeeaaah!

A happy, confident and well trained dog by your side is one of my life’s most beautiful experiences.

Dogs are indeed ace

This is Bert. He’s a regular poster on STW.

He’s a 9 year old male Karelian Bear Dog native to Finland and believed to be one of 4 or 5 in the UK.

They are used for protection from bears and hunting large game (wild boar, moose, deer etc). They don’t attack the prey, they use their bark which is individual for each type of prey and agile nature to corner the animal against rock face/river etc and alert the hunter to dispatch it. Their bravery keeps bears away – they are used in US & Japan national parks to avoid bear/human confrontations.

Finland have the black and white variants, Russia have the brown versions (Russia Euro Laika). Bert is descended from the original 13 dogs that started the Finland KBD program in 1953.

They are massively independent, highly intelligent (knows 100’s of words and hand signals) and very wilful.

He is an awesome dog with a brilliant personality and character, up for any adventure in any weather.

Edited to add – they have no odour, don’t bark unless hunting, and they are not to be washed – their fur has a lot of oil so mud and water are shed off immediately.

Took my last walk with Fin a couple of weeks ago.

She would have been with us 10 years this week.

Planted a cherry tree at the top of the garden this weekend where she used to sunbathe

Had a ride up onto Cutgate on Saturday where we had some great times on the trails together

There’s only one thing better than a dog. And that’s two dogs

We’ve been discussing a second Grey or sighthound of a different flavour recently.

This one is broken

Anyone know where the reset button is?

Anyone know where the reset button is?

Boop the snoot. Usually works. 😂

Open some chocolate in a different room

A short video of Floh doing her thing. Dogs are indeed, ace. I would certainly be lost without one.

Meet Max, enjoying a bit of sausage roll at the Gower Cider mill.

Harold.

He’s a total dick and I’ve got to get up at half five tomorrow to walk the eejit.
Just spent the best part of £150 on food for him and he’s a total burden.

Sometimes I don’t mind him though.

I like Bert’s 2nd photo. Very Blue Steel

After me getting no sleep last night, this idiot decided she wasn’t happy with my plans to lie in for a couple of hours this morning. So she sat on my chest until I gave up and got up

Sandy says hello.

A dog has the same annual environmental impact as a Toyota Land Cruiser. You can’t purport to care one bit about the environment and own a dog.

They’re completely irrelevant in modern society and a waste of the world’s resources in a climate crisis. They are also a pain for people who don’t have dogs.