I'm thinking of getting another dog...need some advice.

[Raven]

As some of you already know, I have a 14 year old black lab/collie mix named Gypsy who is nearing the end of her days, I think. I had a 3 year old Newfoundland named Raven who died this past October. I also have 2 older cats. I live in the country on a lake.

With spring coming, I'm pretty well decided that I will get another dog...a puppy so that I can train it from scratch...a female...not a small "yapper"... and maybe a mixed breed because I think they tend to be healthier.

I'd appreciate your thoughts on this. The advice here has always been good as gold! :-)

[mitchtv]

1. I will forever love my late wolf hybrid

Super dog - saw better /smelled better /heard better. not sloberingly affectionate more dignified, a sense of self not dangerous, except to squirrels and feral cats. excellent watchdog absolutely brilliant,athletic, playful,naughty a little disobedient- never off the lease when we left the property. wolf /st Bernard/great dane if you ever see that combo, snatch it up. Not for everybody

[Raven]

2. Wow! Thanks! Never thought of that combination.

I'm not afraid of a large or challenging dog but...will that dog eat my cats?????

[Valjean]

19. I protest !!!!!

Dogs are wolves that have had the dominance and agressiveness bred out of them. A wolf hybrid is virtually the same thing as a wolf.

PLEASE, don't participate in wolf/dog hybrid breeding.

There are breeds out there who don't slobber and aren't needy. I've got a cattle dog mix and you'd swear he was a cat at times. Another really excellent breed is the Canaan dog.

[Flaxbee]

23. Me too...

A friend of mine rescued a full-blood wolf from an awful apartment situation -- she has 50 acres and was able to let him just "be" even though he was kinda messed up after having spent 5 years cooped up in the second bedroom of an apt. (People are so GODDAMNED SELFISH!). Anyway, wolves (obviously) and wolf/dog hybrids are not dogs. They seem to respond differently to medical care and vaccines that have been developed for DOGS, not wolves or wolf/dog mixes. My sister is a veterinarian and she and her colleagues deplore the fad of wolf/dog hybrids, no matter how cool the animal is, it is just not a good thing to participate in; as I said above, the biochemistry of a wolf/dog is very different from a dog.

May I also mention that this friend of mine nearly had her face bitten off -- required 100 stitches TO HER FACE & is looking at some serious plastic surgery, when the wolf got spooked after a black bear was nearby? She's lucky the wolf missed her neck, or she'd probably be dead. Wolves and bears don't mix, if you live in the woods, it's best to stick with something completely domesticated.

Not to get hysterical on you, just try to avoid wolf/dog hybrids.

Border collies are awesome dogs, but they need to run.

[mitchtv]

26. rudyard Kipling wrote an essay on the Wolf Hybrid

he, like I disagree with you. His essay was on crossing pure canis lupis w/ pure canis familiarlaris (G shepherd) . My dog was a bit less than 50% Wolf , 37 1/2% to be exact she had some malamute blood in the wood shed.

[dawgman]

3. Well my folks have 2 malamute mixes one with German shepherd

the other with husky and wolf. They are healthy happy large and definitely not yappers, the latter weighs around 120. they are great with no health probs at all. the mal/shep is eight with no signs of the maladies that typically afflict the breeds.

[Don_G]

4. A Golden Lab?

My brother has one and swears by that breed by it's loyalty and friendliness and gentleness.

I'll withold my personal opinion because my brother is a freeper and makes "no bones" about his unconcern about it's boning my arm, leg, cat or another male dog whenever the oppourtunity presents itself.

IMHO, it's a weird dog but had a strange "master" both teaching him stuff and/or ignorant of a dog's needs.

[VelmaD]

5. Get another lab

I love labs. They just epitomise "dog" for me. Sweet and silly and happy.

My other thought is a mutt. I had a mutt from the time I was in the 3rd grade til my freshman year of college. She was part bassett hound and part "traveling salesman". Mutts RULE!

Finally, my best friend just got a pit bull (Staffordshire terrier version) and she is a sweetie pie. Big, affectionate, playful dog. And she just adores the cats. :-)

[Raven]

7. Thanks Velma!

My Gypsy sleeps with the cats!

[VelmaD]

10. The pit bull...

is SO totally not what you think of when you hear that name "pit bull". Lilly is an endless source of amusement. She will chase ANYTHING. She doesn't want to catch it. If she does...she lets it go...she just wants to chase. The cats are much less unhappy since they figured this out. :-)

She's in the backyard right now chasing squirrels and having a good old time.

Later tonight, after it gets dark, we'll engage in her very favorite game...chasing the light from the flashlight. :-)

[mopinko]

24. great dogs when raised by great people

and the shelters are full of them, cuz no one wants one. sad. i read an article about them the other day, and the trouble they have with them in n.y. they shelter people said they would like to see them renamed the "new yorkie" they really are dying from their image in huge numbers.

[guitar man]

30. Absolutely right

I have always been fond of American Staffordshire Terriers(pit bulls). I have had a few over the last 25 years or so. The most loving and loyal dogs on God's green Earth.

My current dog,Birdie,is 3/4 Amstaff,1/4 Pointer.She is a playful puppy most of the time,but is also 75lb. of no nonsense,kick-ass bitch if she thinks her family is in danger.she has a patch over one eye,reminds me a lot of "Petey" from the Little Rascals.:)

[Lostmessage]

6. Go to this website

http://www.petfinder.com/

I had a golden retriever and she was the sweetest dog in the world.

[papau]

8. my dogs have been stupid and smart - but the scary smart one was a

golden lab ret.

He could open any lock not requiring a key - sliding glass door or screen, latch, knob,

he anticipated everything - I could command him from 200 hundred yards - he raced to quietly defend any child that was scared by another dog by putting his body between strange animal and himself.

Covered himself with blanket - then decided that made him too hot!

he gave lessons to the other dogs in the area to teach them games -

He know that at dark rather moonless nights I looked for change in shadows to find things - so he held still 15 feet from me and thought it funny when I couldn't find him!

I miss him - a lot.

[UTUSN]

9. Lake? Water Dogs

The two Cocker Spaniels I had were so smart, so loving. It wasn't until the second one, when I was older that I learned the breed actually meant something, in this case, the love of water. He was great at playing with the tennis ball, and when it accidentally bounced into the water, he -----DIVED----right in after it. After that I was tossing it INTO the water. Cockers LOVE to play and are so sweet tempered. Not too big, not too small.

[radwriter0555]

11. Go to your local shelter and see which one 'speaks' to you..

Them pound puppies are the BEST.

You don't have to take the first one you meet. Go a few times and find the right baby girl.

[madrchsod]

12. good breed water dog

esp since you are by a lake. best breed i`ve ever had was English springer spaniel.

[Don_G]

13. Instead Of Looking For A Breed

Why not go to your local animal shelter and look for the nearest critter that "jumps" into your arms?

If the both of you feel the same way, I don't see how you can go wrong in making a mutual decision by trusting each other....

[ScreamingMeemie]

14. Sheltie mixes are a great idea. They are active and intelligent.

Not real big, but sturdy. Jessie (who is full Sheltie) was easy to potty train. So easy, that she only goes in one spot.

Good luck to you, whatever you decide.

[Cleita]

15. This is the best dog ever.

One hundred percent mutt. If she could talk she would because she is so smart. She understands a lot of conversation that she hasn't been trained to learn and knows quite a few non dog words. She's medium sized, short haired (nice because she doesn't pick fleas and ticks that easily.) She's not my dog, but I dog sit her. She loves to play frisbee and other games. I also had a dog when I was a child who was like her. These little terrier mix mutts are the best.

[Cleita]

17. I just discovered that my free image server isn't free anymore

so that's why the picture doesn't show. Sorry Raven.

[Cleita]

21. Okay, I finally got the mutt up.

[booradleyjr]

16. English Springer Spaniel

Quiet unless there is reason to be on alert, playful, loving, good with cats and kids, loves the water, and very protective.

[Trainman91769]

18. Labs are the best

I grew up with golden retrievers but IMO they have become overbred. Labs are so beautiful and loving. But definitely go to a pound and rescue one that is all lab or mostly lab. You'll be doing something good and I think the dogs know they've been rescued and are more appreciative.

[LeftPeopleFinishFirst]

20. golden retriever/yellow lab mix!!!

:) best ever mix.

[1a2b3c]

22. boykin spaniel

Its a medium sized dog and mine hardly ever barks. When he does its manly and not some yipper. My dog can learn anything in a couple days. People flip out about how smart he is but he spends all day at work with me and most nights if i dont go somewhere he cant. The dog is smart and beautifull. You can check him out at www.jacksontheboykinspaniel.4t.com The breed website is www.boykinspaniel.org I got my dog from http://www.myboykins.com/ these people. If you need help finding a dog let me know.

[greatauntoftriplets]

25. Brittany spaniels are the best dogs ever.

http://www.brittany-spaniel-dogs.com/

[dflprincess]

27. Go with a mutt

or, as they call them at the Westminster Dog Show "random breds" (I laugh whenever I hear that). They are healthier, less apt to have genetic problems. Besides, there's so many dogs in shelters you could be a hero and save a life.

[OneBlueSky]

28. black lab mixes are great dogs . . .

I'm on my fourth, and they've all been wonderful companions . . . smart, playful, affectionate, loyal, good watchdogs (always let you know when someone unfamiliar is around), and generally pretty well behaved (although they do have their moments) . . . adopting a pup in from a shelter will not only bring you a great new friend, it will also provide a loving home for a doggy in need . . . good luck . . .

[kevinam]

29. get one from a shelter/pound.

I recently read something completely depressing that the city of Atlanta, or one of the area pounds puts like tens of thousands of dogs down a year. Also, it seems like pound dogs, somehow, understand, when you "save" them from a pound. They almost seem appreciative of that. I know that sounds nuts, but I am sane. :) I would also recommend getting a mutt. I have two of them, one a stray, one from the pound. I have a rottwieler/chow mix, and she is a sweet dog, very mellow, but can get cranky, if you push her buttons. The other is some type of husky mix (I think) and she is just as sweet as can be. A bit active, but she is outside most of the day. Inside she does fine. Depending on what you are looking for, I would recommend both those mix breeds...Kevin.

[RebelOne]

31. My Rottweiler is the greatest.

Rottweilers are loyal, intelligent, learn easily and are wonderful watchdogs. I love all dogs, but prefer Rotties. And there are so many wonderful ones out there that need homes.