Can we have a dog thread?

Lola, just turned 5. Our old lab Murf made it to 15. Wouldn’t be without one, would like another one but that’s an ongoing discussion. Lola would definitely pee on a land cruiser and make a compelling case why the driver should part with his sandwich.

“You can’t purport to care one bit about the environment and own a dog.”

Owning a dog is precisely why I care about the environment…..and actually do something about it.

Spring clean

I read there’s been over 3 million dogs introduced to households in 2020

You have to be very careful with figures like this.  There is no official record/register of dogs, so you have to use various methods to calculate a ‘best estimate’.  There has been a change in methodology recently, which is a large factor in the post 2020 dog ownership boom.  Ownership has certainly risen, but probably not by anything like that amount.

Back to dogs are pointles, they are not. My dog plays a significant part in maintaining my mental health, if you think that’s pointless I cant help you further.

Eric the greyhound in his happy places.

Firstly on the beach at Harlech and second in the hills around Carding Mill Valley.

This is Henry. He is a pure Breton Cheese Hound. They were originally bred by independent French Brie producers to detect the approach of a flat twin engine, which was used in the Citroën Ami’s favoured by inspectors of the Agance de Food Standards conducting surprise hygiene inspections. They could provide their handler with up to 4 miles of warning, which for a old Citroën could be as much as an hour to hide the good stuff!

Once one of the most popular Northern European working breeds, their numbers went into sharp decline after the introduction of the naturally aspirated XUD Diesel Peugeot 205.

His coat is kept curly by giving him a small glass of red wine and an unfiltered cigarette on 14th July every year.

Ownership has certainly risen, but probably not by anything like that amount.

Yeah I’m probably guilty of confirmation bias, but at the same time, I will pretty much draw a conclusion by either 1. a cock-a-poo named something like “bubbles” or 2. owners who’re are dressed in white duvet coats and are apparently confused by how leads work.

When I’m King etc, etc…

2 years past Monday since Oscar came to live with us. He was bought by mother to help with my mental support. The last 6 months we’ve been side by side almost everyday, I would have really struggled far more without him. To me he is far from pointless, he is my best buddy, my comfort when I’m alone and my light when I’ve been in a very dark place.

Back to dogs are pointless, they are not. My dog plays a significant part in maintaining my mental health, if you think that’s pointless I cant help you further.

Yup, very much not pointless or at least no more pointless than 8 billion humans. Barney, without fail is excited to see me every time I set foot in the house, even if I’ve only popped out to the garage for five minutes 😀 He makes me smile, a lot.

Barney, without fail is excited to see me every time I set foot in the house,

That never gets old does it?

She heard the car door.

I’ve often quoted the well known, “the more people I meet, the more I love my dog.”

Some contributions to this and similar threads are reinforcing that somewhat.

It’s not just about dogs, but there seems to be a growing culture of “I don’t want/don’t have, so you shouldn’t either”.

Chances are, if any poster on here even meets my dog, it will be the ones that want to, not the ones that don’t.

That never gets old does it?

No, never. My wife can set the clock by him, 5 o’clock and he’s off to the front window to watch for me cycling back down the drive, as soon as he sees me he races back through the house and beats the shit out of his toys, picks his favourite for the day and then waits by the back door for me, playtime!

@relapsed_mandalorian, that is a proper greyhound butt on display there, love it.

We lost our 15 year old westie in September 2022.

We weren’t intending to get another dog then this little fella turned last November.

He was being fostered by an elderly friend of a friend, after his owners had been taken into care but she was struggling.

Asked if we would take him.

All this talk of badly behaved dogs I don’t get.

We live in a coastal village in Northumberland. It’s always full of dogs. Everywhere is dog friendly, all the pubs, local shops. There is literally 100’s of them. I can’t remember any badly behaved ones. Unless you mean just existing?

People who don’t like dogs ain’t my kind of people. Fact.

Some people who do like dogs ain’t my kind of people, but I probably like their dogs.

Not mine, but I’ve claimed them 😉

I give up. Tried like three times to

Quote, add a picture and say something. Can achieve one before it bins it.

These is a reason I don’t need sertraline. That reason has four legs.

I just use that post image website and use “hotlink for forums”

Yep – use Postimages website then just copy the ‘Direct Link’ code on here…

https://postimages.org/

We live in a coastal village in Northumberland. It’s always full of dogs. Everywhere is dog friendly, all the pubs, local shops. There is literally 100’s of them. I can’t remember any badly behaved ones.

Seen it recently. The staff asked the people to leave with their dog if they didn’t get it to behave.

“The staff asked the people to leave with their dog if they didn’t get it to behave.”

So the problem was dealt with?

We have a gift shop, we are dog friendly.

The biggest problem we have with dogs, are wagging tails potentially damaging stock. However, it hasn’t happened yet, has with human customers though.

Precisely.

Which shop do you have?

I don’t want to be controversial but we had dinner in The Crown Inn, Humshaugh a couple of weeks ago (recently voted best pub in Northumberland). Our table was next to 2 other tables with dogs. They behaved impeccably, my face wasn’t bitten off and no faecal deposits in the vicinity.

Canine contrarian bastids…all of them 🙃

All this talk of badly behaved dogs I don’t get.

Most dogs, they’re fine, I had a lovely chat with a bloke the other week who was taking 5 standard poodles out! Some on a lead some off, they were all really nice dogs, the owner was telling me all about them, he couldn’t have been more proud, it was great.

Just a few weeks ago, I was ‘chased’ by a Cock-a-poo on the trans -Pennine. It wasn’t doing any harm, just running alongside me (ok, it did try to bite my ankle at first, but it mostly just wanted to run) All the while I can hear it’s owner shouting at it to come to heal. The dog has zero concept, clearly not been trained at all…Last year, when this happened to me, I turned around and “took” the dog back to its owner (who glowered at me like it was somehow my fault) nowadays I just see how far it’ll run with me, I reckon my record is about three quarters of a mile…

It happens frequently enough that it’s a thing…

Seen it recently. The staff asked the people to leave with their dog if they didn’t get it to behave.

Aye, seen it local. Fair enough, we choose our places carefully as Stacey doesn’t do small. So we need to make sure she’s got the space to lay down without being a trip hazard.

Case in point.

piemonster

Full Member

I just use that post image website and use “hotlink for forums”

I have no issues with getting images. I have already posted pics in here :⁠-⁠)

What I have issues with is the text box binning stuff half way through.

“Which shop do you have?”

We basically sell Puffin memorabilia!

Talking of training, this is one of my favourite pictures of Stacey at one of her Kennel Club ‘Good Citizen’ training classes. She gets bored, doesn’t like to sit so will simply lay down.

She does this in shops, pubs, basically anywhere where we’re static for too long.

Remembrance service not too long ago:

@relapsed_mandalorian I really wish one of our local pubs had that much space! Round here all the pubs are just too small to comfortably fit my daft long hound and still allow people to move around.

Nearly managed it once, but he insisted on unfurling his tail.

Anyway. General word of warning. Greyhounds (and often other sighthounds) multiply. Either in the house or by the fact you have inadvertently joined a cult.

@relapsed_mandalorian, those 2 pics have made me chuckle.

I just see how far it’ll run with me, I reckon my record is about three quarters of a mile…

Why? What happens to the dog when its 3/4 mile away from its owner? Or do you not really care?

Cyclists arrive so quickly its often before a responsible dog owner can get their dog on the lead. If I am out riding and see a dog off the lead I always slow down, give the owner a chance to get it on a lead, make a point of exchanging a few kind words.  Likewise if out with the dog, I always put it on the lead when a cyclist approaches as I dont know if they are scared of dogs. Its really not difficult is it?

@seriousrikk that was a cheeky mid-week walk and a pint. No chance of that sort of space at peak pub times! We are lucky that there are a few good ‘local’ pubs around that can accomodate a long dog or two. We’re off to Northumberland in September just outside the school holidays so hoping to fully enjoy the area with the hound.

@lunge she’s a character who makes me smile daily.

Jazz, the Lakeland trail hound:

Daisy putting on her “are you sure you hate dogs?” face

@relapsed_mandalorian

Those photos are brilliant 😂

BORED! I’M BORED NOW!………… I’M STILL BORED!

😂 My mate has a lovely wire haired long dog. It’s basically a big hot rug.

Its hard work being on holiday near the beach

We basically sell Puffin memorabilia!

Seahouses?

Unless you mean bongs then I have no idea.

Our 2 idiots….

Bear the Cavapoo who barks at absolutely everything……

Frodo the miniature Dachshund who is probably the most needy dog on the planet……

They get on most of the time…

Why? What happens to the dog when its 3/4 mile away from its owner? Or do you not really care?

It’s not my responsibility. If they’ve chosen to let their dog of the lead on a shared path like the TPT; some sections of which are flat, wide, straight ex-railway lines used by dog walkers, horse-riders, cyclists, runners, families with kiddies – y’know The Public, then it’s thier responsibility to make sure they have it under control, not mine.  I hear what your saying about responsible dog owners and that’s fine, its never those folks, it’s the folks for whom the dog is an ‘accessory’, a ‘fur-baby’. Those folks are the ones you that you have to suggest that maybe it would be best for everyone that they pretend they have to share the space with other people. I live in south Manchester, perhaps it’s a city thing, I dunno.

 Its really not difficult is it?

You’d have thought not, but there you go.

Randal the rescue GWP subtly suggesting that he might like that leftover chicken

Sweetest, most gentle dog in the world, ever.