Dog Days

[Salty]

Soooo, thinking about getting a dog. I have had one dog before, found her randomly on Halloween and found a home for her on Thanksgiving. She was too much. Dumb. Dumb dumb dumb.

I have been reading about how to live with them/deal with them. It has always come off as a mystery to me. Some things are starting to make sense; there are so many little ways (movement, posture, attitude) that dogs pick up on and use to fit in their place in the world. Very, very different from primate brains. Which is cool to have at least a partial understanding of.

I have three goals:
-To give care, shelter, and love to someone who will actually appreciate it.
-Companionship, which I think has seperate intent than the above.
-Protection

I walk everywhere, and getting a dog would require walking or biking exclusively. No bus, no cab. So it would need to be a breed that can handle cold and exertion. I will probably be allowed (and I would make sure first) to bring a dog to work as others in the building do so. And allow them to wander in my office. I would have to have the dog chill out, quietly, for an hour at a time while clients are in. But I have long breaks in between, so she would not be cooped up too long.

What I am looking for are why this is NOT a good idea, or why it is, any advice or book recommendations, or any other thoughts on this.

I am thinking about a German Shepard. They shed a lot, but they meet all the requirements I have, and they are super smart, given the chance, which is important. There is a breeder that has long haired ones up here, so...

I am waiting until I  have enough cash saved for the purchase as well as some vet/other need money first.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

German Shepherds are great dogs. You might consider a German/Australian mix if you can find one, they are less prone to the hip dysplasia that tends to plague older German Shepherds.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I love having a dog, in so many ways. Dogs and humans are very different, but also incredibly adapted to each other. They can read humans, and if you are attuned to your dog, you will be able to read her, as well, without even consciously realizing it.

[Salty]

It would actually be more beneficial to get a straight up GS, I am told daily massage for them does wonders and I give much consiferation to swtching to animals full time. People will take more consistent care of their animals than their own bodies.

And I would have to bullshit people a lot less.

[ñͤͣ̄ͦ̌̑͗͊͛͂͗ ̸̨̨̣̺̼̣̜͙͈͕̮̊̈́̈͂͛̽͊ͭ̓͆ͅé ̰̓̓́ͯ́́͞]

I'd say a mixed breed dog that has Husky, Pyernees, Akita, Kuvasz, Bulgarian Shepherd, Anatolian Shepherd, or Bernese Mountain Dog in it.

Pure-bred dog breeding is fucked up IMO, but there's a good debate here: http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/02/12/the-ethics-of-raising-purebred-dogs/make-health-not-show-the-standard-in-dog-breeding.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I am a big advocate of adopting mixed-breed dogs, and of meeting a lot of dogs before taking one home. A good match is  important.

[Left]

I found a dumped golden retriever once.
He went to a breed rescue group because I had 3 dogs already... but he was probably the best-tempered dog I ever had.

German shedders are pretty awesome though.

[Salty]

I will likely check out the animal shelter and the many rescue/foster places around town before going to a breeder. The trouble is they are mostly pit bulls. Which doesn't bother me, I love those dogs. But they cannot handle being outside in bad Alaskan weather for 5 miles at a time.

I am taking my time either way.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I will likely check out the animal shelter and the many rescue/foster places around town before going to a breeder. The trouble is they are mostly pit bulls. Which doesn't bother me, I love those dogs. But they cannot handle being outside in bad Alaskan weather for 5 miles at a time.

I am taking my time either way.

Yeah, they're pretty thin-coated. Pit bulls in Alaska are just a bad idea, what are people thinking?

[Salty]

I will likely check out the animal shelter and the many rescue/foster places around town before going to a breeder. The trouble is they are mostly pit bulls. Which doesn't bother me, I love those dogs. But they cannot handle being outside in bad Alaskan weather for 5 miles at a time.

I am taking my time either way.

Yeah, they're pretty thin-coated. Pit bulls in Alaska are just a bad idea, what are people thinking?

There are so many!
So many.

[Left]

I will likely check out the animal shelter and the many rescue/foster places around town before going to a breeder. The trouble is they are mostly pit bulls. Which doesn't bother me, I love those dogs. But they cannot handle being outside in bad Alaskan weather for 5 miles at a time.

I am taking my time either way.

Yeah, they're pretty thin-coated. Pit bulls in Alaska are just a bad idea, what are people thinking?

There are so many!
So many.

   Their coats are so thin...

[Salty]

I tell you, I know less about dogs than most. But the more I learn the more I suspect there's a whole lot of people that treat their loved ones more like dogs than people. Especially the way people treat their children, the way they try to dominate them.

That shit is fucked.

[LMNO]

Part of why my cousins are so fucked up (and they're pretty fucked up, like multiple institutionalized fucked up) can be directly related to something my Aunt once said: "Raising kids is just like raising dogs."

Plus, she's a born-again evangelical, so... the end results were fairly predictable.

[Cain]

German Shepherd/Labrador mix is usually a safe bet.  While all crossbreeds can be hit and mix in terms of traits, both are intelligent, high energy, sociable dogs with a reputation for even temperment.  Plus I believe it's a fairly common mix.

Not that I've ever had one, but I've had a German Shepherd before, and apart from an aversion to strange men, he was a great dog.

[Dildo Argentino]

Avoid dogs bred for shows and prizes, choose a breed bred for working or a crossbreed whose parents and siblings you know and like, and maybe if it's lots of walking and running alongside a bicycle and Alaska, a sled dog of some description may be your best bet? I had a malamute for a couple of months, his ideal daily exercise regimen was 20-25 km running, and he quite willingly chose to sleep outside in the snow rather than inside in the heated house if those were the only choices.