1. What kind of Dog to get? Everyone in my house is in agreement it should be a small dog. I always thought Irish Setters are beautiful dogs but like I said the consensus is no big dogs. I am considering a Yorkie, they are soooo cute! I realize some Yorkies do have medical issues but I am not looking for a tea cup Yorkie. Also on my list is the Pomeranian. Snow White wants a Chihuahua, ManSon said a Schipperke, Oldest Daughter has no comment thus far.
2. I would prefer to adopt a dog who is a few years old and not a puppy. Puppies are adopted so quickly and the older dogs get over looked most of the time. I actually think an older dog is great since they have already grown in to their personality. You know exactly what you a getting in to. They are usually potty trained and have stopped chewing on everything in sight. Don’t get me wrong, I think puppies are completely adorable! I am just not sure I want to go through the paper training.
3. We have two cats. I know cats and dogs can get along and it will be a slow process of them getting to know each other. If we get a really small dog maybe the cats wont notice it’s a dog? (he, he, he)
4. Long hair or short hair? I would have never thought of this on my own. My sister who has a dog made me aware of some little known facts. Well, people with dogs know this but I don’t think everyone considers this when picking out a dog. Her dog has a very short almost nub of a tail. One of the many reasons she chose this breed was the fact she did not want to see pooh hanging on the back end of her pooch. Long haired dogs and dogs with tails apparently have this problem from time to time. Ewww! Long hair can also be a tangle problem and shedding should be considered as well.
5. My children have their own pets and I want the dog for ME! I know this is selfish but come on they didn’t want dogs they picked cats. We have had cats for years and I still feel like I am missing out on having a dog. I grew up having dogs. It nearly broke my heart when the children wanted cats. The cats are well loved at our house. They know I love them, they sleep in my room by choice. Each cat starts out the night sleeping with one of the children then around midnight or so they sneak off to my room. Earlier this week I was slow waking up but Merril helped to get me going. She was in my bedroom window sunning herself as usuall. All of a sudden she fell out of the window, into a box of clothes which then fell to the floor, Merril and all. She shook off the clothes that were on her and raced back up to the window. Apparently a bunny went by the window and that scared the pooh out of her! I laughed and laughed! Well, I was fully awake after that.
6. Where should we look for our new pet? There are several places available such as Yorkie Rescue, local SPCA, and what surprised me most….you can also adopt a pet through eBay! Ok there are no actual Yorkies for sale on eBay but it did come up in the internet search when I was looking for a kennel. I will check with the SPCA first then the Rescue and then with the kennels.
7. Selecting a groomer is important when you own a dog. I am not going to be the one doing the trim or the nails. What questions do you ask a groomer to find out if they are really the right groomer for you? 1. Do you cut hair? 2. Do you cut nails? 3. Do you provide emergency/last minute rear end pooh removal for your squeamish clients? 4. Will you calm me down if I call you in hysterical panic? Will you laugh at me if it isn’t a real emergency?
8. Things to purchase in preparation for our small doggie
(a) food
(b) leash & collar
(c) toothbrush & paste
(d) shampoos, flea & tick products
(e) training paper
(f) brush & comb
(g) carrier
(h) 3 beds {living room, family room, my room}
(i) toys
9. Puppy proof the house. This will mostly take place in Snow White’s room due to the toy population in her room. Most of the other rooms are pretty much pet proofed from having cats. You know cats can get in to everything.
10. What to name the dog. Snow White stated it was only logical that she name the dog since she had no part in naming the cats. Oldest Daughter dubbed the black Siamese Hitachi but the rest of us just call her kitten. ManSon named our Calico Merril after a cute Cat-girl character in our favorite Anime series. I named our Tom Cat Captain Bly. When we purchased Captain I was told he was a male. He had been in a fight with another cat thus the stitches over one of his eyes. Later the stitches came out and his eye was fine. But when we brought him home he only had one eye “Captain Bly who only has one eye.” Six months later he jumped on my lap and I noticed he was pregnant. Anyway Snow White would like to name the dog Princess. Too common a name and besides I call Snow White Princess quit a bit. I explained how funny it would be if someone heard me say “Princess what did you do on that floor? Did you make pooh on that floor?” They would think she, Snow White, had pooped on the floor. Yes she thought that was funny but still wants to name the dog Princess. We will debate this further.
11. Pet insurance is something I would consider given the amount of money my sister has spent on her precious Bear. He had surgery to remove a lung compartment (apparently they have 8!) due to cancer. He is doing great! Just like a puppy again!
12. Apparently you cannot just pick out a dog and take it home. There is a 5-10 day approval period depending on which type of location you purchase your fury companion. The application is much like that of a Top Secrete security clearance. With the exception of the SPCA the agency you purchase your pet is allowed to drop by unannounced to check on the pet and tour your house. Um, what?! Does this mean my house has to be show room clean at all times? Will this involve a white glove dust test?
13. As part of my research and preparation for our dog I will be touring around the pet shops, groomers, and veterinarian offices. I want to ask questions and find out if the breed of dog I want is really what I want. Find out if there is anything I do not already know about Yorkies and Pomeranians.
I would love to hear any pet advise or stories you wish to share. Those of you who will laugh saying such small dogs are not real dogs…it’s ok. Years ago the thought of such a small dog would have made me laugh as well. Now my thoughts and preferences have changed.
8 comments:
My biggest advice is talk to a dog trainer. We got a dog that lasted less than a month because the pound (yeah yeah I know) assured us she was a great family dog. She dominated Drama girl, attacked every other dog in sight, and after failed obedience training and a few sessions with a personal trainer, both told me I needed to get rid of the dog. The personal trainer said she'd be happy to help me pick out a dog, but we're so scarred I don't want to think dog for another few years :).
We've tried adopting other dogs from the pound with similar horror stories (Dog A, cute lab that was actually a mean pit bull, Dog B, died, parvo. Dog C, ran away every day. Dog D, great and love him, but he too had a wandering streak This last one was Dog E. EVERY dog we got from the pound except the great one, who I think was just trying to find his way to his old home).
Fun TT. I loved all the pictures... so cute! We have two small dogs. A 2 yr old Shih-tzu mix named Trixie and a 1-yr old miniature black schnauzer named Molly. We got them both when they were puppies, and both came from a local shelter. We were able to take them home the day we first saw them. I prefer puppies because I want to train them myself the way *I* want them trained.
After fostering a larger dog (25-30 lbs) I realized small dogs are the way to go for us. Both of my two have long hair (esp Trixie, hers grows much faster than Molly's) but neither of them shed. Molly might shed a hair once in a blue moon, but Trixie does not shed at all. Small dogs' nails are easy to clip if they're trained throughout their life to not be afraid of you and the nail clippers. The poop/butt problem is easily solved by keeping the hair on their butt and tail bases trimmed short. This is a routine part of the grooming process, but is also really simple and fast to do yourself. BTW, poop can also get stuck to a short haired dog's butt. ;o) Wet wipes are a good thing to keep on hand for this problem.
Neither one of ours are yappy or barky or growly. lol So don't let people tell you small dogs are annoying. ;o) It's aaall in how they're trained.
We use the groomers at Petco periodically and I keep the girls trimmed between grooming visits. They'll do it however you ask, and they're decently priced and the location is convenient for us. Both of these breeds are supposed to be good with kids, and so far that has proven to be the case. I'd get another Shih-tzu (mix) in a heartbeat! :o)
Good luck, happy dog hunting, and happy Thursday Thirteen. :)
I don't have any good advice on what to get or how to go about it... We have had two dogs that we obtained from breeders 1 German sheppard (lived 9 years) and 1 sheltie (lived 14 years) and I had an adopted cat that lived to be 19. What I will say is that the cats will take a little time to get used to the dog, so you should keep them separated until you can trust the cats to stop smacking the puppy to show (him / her) whose the boss.
What I will advise is, that cats and dogs can love each other. We got our sheltie after the cat, and when the dog died, poor kitty mourned something awful and never really recovered from her grief. She died two years after the dog of just plain 'ol old age.
That said, my vote is a Yorkie. Everyone I know that has one just raves about what good little dogs they are.
What about a boston terrier? They are sooo cute...
What a fun list. We thought about it before we bought Lucy the basset hound..Good luck!
So cute!
I just posted my first Thursday Thirteen - and that's how I found you.
I love my doggie! We were lucky and picked him up at a fall festival at a farm - and he is the bestest dog ever.
I love doggies and those pics are adorable. Happy TT.
Great list. We have a sibe and a 12 year old Pomeranian we just adopted a few months ago. The Pom's a riot and great with the kids.
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