Comfort dogs

The day after he ate the tree, I had 4 hours of TMJsurgery. He was in hospital 3 nights. When I went to pick him up, the vet handed me a Baggie with all that in it. My boy had a rep at the vets for a looooong time. The day I sent him to the Bridge, the vet and I reminincised a bit about him. He still had that rep

...and one more pic, can't forget my sweet 'goober dog', Smitty. Got him from a rescue years ago, no one wanted a GSD with tipped over ears. He was a handful at first but turned out to be a wonderful easy going street smart kind of dog.

My hubby showed me something about Princess we hadn't noticed up til today. Her right ear has a bit of an inward curve near the tip. The other ear is perfectly straight.    Her dog brother Jackson, who is a Sheltie, had one ear that curls over at the tip and the other one is straight. Been like that since he was a puppy and we could have fixed it, but we decided to leave it alone. Think he looks adorable that way.

Adorable!!

the worlds best nurse

Any suggestions - of a doggie that would be good with my grandchildren and be a mellow furbaby?

Do you have a good rescue group near you?  Let them know what your needs are and they should be able to match you with the right dog. A Beagle could be a good size too, but they can also be barky. I love Labs too, and am partial to Pit Bulls, as you know!  Both of mine have been really great with kids.

Aparenty this hit national news today. This is where I live. Tonight I saw on yahoo the rug has been put up for auction, with proceeds going to Canine Estates a local rescue groupYAY!!!!

This is the neatest rescue group. It's located in a subdivision of multi thousand $$$$$ homes. The house is devoted to the dogs. Volunteers come in to care for them. They have all the comforts of home. And if they never get adopted, they can stay there forever. All medical is taken care of too

I have a Sheltie and he can be a bit barky but I have heard they are good with kids. When my little sister was small we had a cocker spaniel and he was really good and mellow.

Mini Aussies are the same as a standard, high drive, need a job. Extremely smart!!!!!!

GMAFoley,

How old are the grandchildren?

MiniAussies are nice. Some of them are 'busy' dogs some are mellower. It depends on the breeder and the individual dog. (Btw are the minis recognized by the AKC yet?).

There are back yard breeders and puppy mills who aren't paying much attention to genetics or breed standards that should be avoided no matter which breed.

I'll second a beagle though! Truly low maintenance, short coat, generally sweet temperament and tolerant of children. The downsides, being a hound that was bred to hunt they get on a scent and will wander off and become lost. So a safely fenced yard is best to let them out to play and potty. Also they can be vocal, but my clients who have them either don't mind or it's not that bad. Nice smallish to medium dog that is still robust and there arebeagle rescue groups if you wish to adopt!

My Dear Hubby and I have only had rescue animals - so alot of times its the baggage they carry with them.. We are planning for the Lord to drop another one to fit our situation. But grandkids are 5,7, and 13. Tigger was not child friendly, but we knew this and took measures to give Tigger her space. As she got older, she actually made friends with them, which was nice to see before she passed. I know a bit more about human and dog behavior now, hoping we can make things work with a new furbaby.

Tigger was a chinese crested and whippet mix - She was found in a dumpster and we got her from a rescue agency. She didn't have too much hair. We found she had a few triggers: putting your hand in front of her to sniff was a major no no - we think she must have be backhanded by a man with a beard and broom. As long as people let her come to them and they left their hands by their sides or in their pockets, there was never a problem. She loved to talk if you talked directly to her. She would bark back to whatever you said and her rat. tail would be wagging a mile a minute. I sure miss her, but I need to get another furbaby. No furbaby will ever replace her but if I could let another have a good long life... that is what it is all about.

thank you for giving her a loving home!

I actually get to keep some Chinese Crestedsfrom time to time and found the few I have handled to be sweet, happy active dogs. They look like little ponies prancing around.

Have fun looking for your next companion! It's so exciting and something to look forward to.

I was in line for another German Shepherd puppy when I was diagnosed. Now I'm watching this great litter mature into impressive beautiful dogs. I hope to get a shot at having another puppy in my life. Probably won't take on another puppy after that.