Healthy Pets

[AtLast]

Originally Posted by DapperButch

Yes. I think the one thing people miss when they pick out a dog is if the breed is a good match for them. All people seem to care about is what the dog looks like. Unless you are typically an active person, don't get a Parson Russell/Russell Terrier, let you say. The dog will just drive you nuts AND it isn't fair to the dog.

By the same token, don't get a 5 pound poodle if you want to hike 5 miles in the woods every day.

Dogs should be chosen based on personality type/what they were bred to do. Otherwise, we just keep filling up the shelters with dogs that don't match our personalities (more often active dogs go to shelters). When you get a dog you should plan to have it for the rest of its life. If you know you are going to want kids in the next 5 years, get a kid friendly dog. It is only fair to the kid and fair to the dog.

/rant

Really sound advice. Thousands of dogs end up in shelters and rescue organization each year because people don’t research breeds and mixes of breeds. Could be avoided. When I had Boxers, I did a lot of "talking out of" them to many people. People would see mine at the dog park and say they wanted one and when we talked about activity levels and the fact that the breed does have many health issues that can come up- they re-thought things. Which is a good thing- a Boxer in an apartment is not good unless you have a walker as well as during time off interact and exercise the dog. All dogs need our attention and training and interaction. They do not do well being thrown in a back yard and ignored. And that isn’t a good life for a dog anyway.

I adore Boxers, and really miss having one, but as I am aging and dealing with severe arthritis issues, it is far better for me to have a small dog. And my Frog Dog has many of the silliness traits of a Boxer and smarts. They have some health issues as well, but since I had several Boxers through the years, I'm good at scoping out good breathers as this is an area of concern as well as spine problems if you allow them to do things they are just not built for. The hip dysphasia felt like it came out of left field, but I am getting lots of tips on his care. Plus my vet has 5 Frenchies!!

He is active and social, but I can get away with a couple of days of just leash walks in the neighborhood when my joints are acting up. Now that he needs changes in kinds of activity and some pacing with length of walks, I figure we are in sync! He likes to "garden" with me in the yard and I can roll a ball around for him a bit, just not bounce it so that he goes and jumps for it. We will adjust. And I am really glad that it is less taxing on a smaller dog and much easier to deal with in terms of surgery. At first, I was really down and focused on the pain. I am already seeing that the changes made are reducing this.

I like that Frenchies are quiet overall (but are alert watch dogs) and have short hair. But it is imperative that the owner know that they are very susceptible to heatstroke. I am glad I live in the climate that I do. These little guys would have to be in air conditioning on all of the time in some areas.