Some people simply shouldn’t be allowed to have pets.

[Biff600]

I would never own any animal that can lick its own bits



.................................................it might be a jealousy thing !!!

 

[Saluki]

Deffo beagles? Foxhounds, which incidentally don't seem to be kept as pets at all, look similar but bigger, more leggy and a bit leaner.

I was nearly eaten by a pack of adolescent foxhounds, when I rolled over, as a baby and fell off a coffee table (no idea why a parent had put me there, I was very small). My Aunt rescued me and my dad said it would have been a 'glorious death'.

 

[Saluki]

There are foxhounds and fox terriers. The latter look like those old-fashioned toy dogs on wheels for toddlers to hang onto, and are quite gorgeous.

Tintin had a Fox Terrier. I used to love grooming them, when I had my business.

 

[Saluki]

A fate normally reserved for dead horses.

Indeed. A lot of our neighbours would send their old horses to the hunt, once shot.

 

[Drago]

Indeed. A lot of our neighbours would send their old horses to the hunt, once shot.

Not much choice but to donate them to the hunt since Tesco stopped accepting them.

 

[Drago]

You'd think the vet would let you get them in the van before shooting them.

 

[Dave 123]

Is that really true? My Uncle and his family had a beagle and it seemed a perfectly happy and fine family pet to be honest.

That's good. They're known to be a bit howly and barky (new words to me!), and they're not supposed to be the easiest to train. That's what I based my statement on your honour.

 

[Profpointy]

That's good. They're known to be a bit howly and barky (new words to me!), and they're not supposed to be the easiest to train. That's what I based my statement on your honour.

Training dogs was a skill that rather eluded my otherwise very capable uncle, but it was a perfectly lovely, loyal and good natured dog for all that. Sadly it was run over chasing the former family cat which had moved across the road where it was spoilt and adopted / stolen by an old lady. That was a fine cat too back in the day when siamese cats were athletic muscular puma-like beasts rather the horrid inbred things they've become in modern times

 

[Drago]

My Lemmy is utterly word obedient. Sit, stay, cross, roll over, play dead, bang-bang, cross (the road), commies (growls until ordered to stop), guard (won't let 6 Y/O mini-D out of sight until ordered otherwise), and hail to the chief (salutes Donald Trump.) People watch with fascination when I walk him and quietly say "sit" at the roadside, and how he sits there obediently for however long until I quietly say "cross". It's easy, no excuse to not have an obedient dog.

 

[Inertia]

I was nearly eaten by a pack of adolescent foxhounds, when I rolled over, as a baby and fell off a coffee table (no idea why a parent had put me there, I was very small). My Aunt rescued me and my dad said it would have been a 'glorious death'.

Is he a Klingon?

 

[gbb]

It's odd how people are reluctant to leave their dogs alone for a few hours. When I adopted one of my rescue dogs, I explained that he would have to be left for several hours every day, and the reply was that if no dog could ever be left, no one would have a dog.

Agreed, it depends on the dog of course. My Lab is left most work days for about 6 or 7 hours...he seems to have adapted very well, doesn't chew, seems quite happy when we come back...we have been told on very rare occasions he's been barking, which is VERY unusual for him, but that may be passing people, the path is very close to our door.
Nevertheless, I don't feel it's right but those are the circumstances that have evolved. It's too long for me to feel comfortable about, but we love him, spoil him ...and what is perfect anyway ?

Equally, I'm sure there are some dogs out there that'd go nuts being left for so long.

 

[Reynard]

Knowing the excuses Jack’s previous owners gave for handing him into the dog rescue, my Mum drew my attention to this article in her local paper:

Dogs Trust Salisbury reveals the reasons people give up dogs

These included:

• He ate meat and we are vegetarian
• He didn’t like it when we tried to dress him up
• He doesn’t match our furniture
• She sleeps in her own dog bed all night – I thought she would want to sleep in my bed
• He is always staring at me – even when I am eating
• I won a free holiday and couldn't take my dogs with me
• I got him as a secret Santa present
• She was too friendly and wanted to greet every dog and human we met on a walk
• He was panting too much
• Now he has lost weight he is too energetic
• She grew bigger than we thought she would
• If I'd known anything about beagles, I wouldn't have got one
• I had to spend an hour a day hovering as he shed so much hair
• She wags her tail far too much

God help us if they have kids...

Yep... I volunteer for my local branch of CP, and we see many of the same excuses. Remove the dog-specific ones and substitute things like clawing the furniture, scratching the kids and no time for grooming and that's about right.

I love dogs too, but I just can't have one - wouldn't be fair on the dog, so I prefer to spoil my friends' dogs instead.

I do have two cats though - both rescues. Poppy was an unwanted kitten (byb couldn't sell her as she was asking too much and at 8 weeks she was too old to sell) while Lexi came from a cat hoarder (we took 42 cats out of one house). Love the girls to bits, they get the best that I can give them and whatever I do in life, I factor them in.

 

[screenman]

The note nailed to the post we found our old dog tied to said, her master in prison.

 

[Drago]

The note nailed to the post we found our old dog tied to said, her master in prison.

You have Charles Bronson's poodle?!

 

[screenman]

You have Charles Bronson's poodle?!

No, but we did have a greyhound that when we found her weighed 23lb instead of the 56 to 60 she should have done. 3 months of up to 3 visits a week to the vet and a lot of time and attention from us gave her 7 bonus years.