Pomeranians

So since my friend asked me write about either Pugs or Pomeranians, and I''ve already written about Pugs, I thought I would write about Pomeranians. I've known only one Pomeranian in my life, and she hasn't left the best impression of them on me.  Her name is Patty, and she is my aunt and uncle's dog.  Patty is a yipper.  She doesn't bark; she yips.  And it can completely drive me crazy when I go to visit my aunt and uncle.  She's also a little standoffish until you've been there awhile and she really knows you, so playing with her is hard.  And that's what I want from a dog!  One that will let me pet it and hold onto it.  Perhaps she's the reason I don't hold a special place in my heart for Pomeranians.  But, let's look more into them.

Patty on Christmas 2009

General Information:

• Survived the Titantic
• Small, yappy, and energetic (definitely Patty)
• Independent and Inquisitive
• Short, triangular ears
• Athletic dog
• Can bark excessively
• Great lap dog
• Stubborn
• Average Height: 7-11 inches
• Average Weight: 4-6 pounds

Health:

• Even though it's small, it still needs exercise!
• Prone to early tooth loss (Feed dry food)
• Slipping knee caps
• Heart problems
• Average Life Expectancy: 12-15 years

Grooming:

•  Double coated fur
• Heavy, constant shedders, so must brush daily
• Must trim nails, check ears, and go to groomer every 4-6 weeks

Environment:

• Can live about anywhere with exercise

Type of Owner:

• Great for most, but not for families with young kids because of how small they are
• Train early and consistently

Well it seems that I judged Patty prematurely.  She was never taught not to bark, so she does it constantly.  And perhaps she only seems stand-offish because she is so hyper and ready to play.  I may be a little more willing to play with Pomeranians now, but if they haven't been trained not to bark so much, I hold the right to stay away!

(Not Patty)

(Thanks to Dogs101 and DogBreedInfo!)

Pugs

Be warned; I'm about to talk about another dog that I don't particularly love.  I just can't love its face as much as I do the bulldogs.  But I'm going to talk about it because, well one of my friends asked me to, and, I hate to admit it, I did fall for one of these. What dog am I talking about? The pug. Friday night I was at a friend's house, and this friend has a little dog named Skittles. Now Skittles is one crazy dog, kinda like Nub the Mountain Feist, but she sure did love being rubbed. I don't particularly love Pugs because they've never seemed that cute to me, but this little dog won me over. I didn't think about using it as one of my posts until a friend asked me to write about Pugs or Pomeranians. Well guess what? Skittles is a mix of those two breeds. I guess it was fate. So, I decided to write about Pugs.

(Not Skittles)

General Information:

• "Smushed in face"
• Have short noses 
• Face wrinkles
• Aims to please
• Curly tail
• Typically a lazy dog, but will become active if owner is
• Playful and charming
• Weight: 14 to 18 pounds
• Height: 10-14 inches

Health:

• May have trouble breathing, especially in warm weather
• Eyes may pop out, especially if collar/ leash is too tight
• Be careful not overfeed
• Exercise every day, but don't let them overheat!
• Life expectancy: 12-15 years

Grooming:

• Minimal, but do shed some
• Must clean wrinkles on face

Environment:

• Good for apartments because of its small size

Type of Owner:

• Great for families
• Get along with other pets and with visitors

Now after reading a little bit more about Pugs, watching a video, and meeting Skittles, I think I have to rethink my opinion about this dog.  They may not look the cutest in pictures, but their personalities more than make up for it.  But it scares me a little that its eyes may pop out!  That's something I'll have to consider...

(Thanks to Dogs101, AKC, and DogBreedInfo!)

Newfoundland

So I know any guys reading my blog are probably going to stop reading this as soon as I say it, but how many of you have seen Must Love Dogs? I simply love this movie. It has a great story, even if it is about a woman after a divorce. But one of the best parts of this movie is the dog. Sarah, the main character, has a brother. This brother, Michael, has a Newfoundland named Mother Teresa. Now this is about the most adorable dog you've ever seen. She's afraid of a little yapping dog, and of the water, yet she's huge! I just had to look more into this gentle giant.

General Information:

•  A LARGE dog
• Calm, patient, courageous
• Trained to pull in things to shore, rescue people, and rescue anything that needs saving!
•  Waterproof double coat (keeps them warm)
• Large lung capacity
• Droopy lips to help him breathe from the side
• Know that they drool!
• Average Weight: 110-160 pounds
• Height: 26-28 inches

Health:

• Orthopedic Issues
• Not so good in heat
• Heart Disease (sub-aortic stenosis)
• Hip Dysplasia
• Life expectancy: 9-15 years

Grooming:

• Groom twice a week
• Constant brushing!

Environment:

• Okay for apartments because they don't mind being a bit lazy
• But be careful they're not too lazy; just like any other dog, Newfies need exercise

Type of Owner:

• Great for families with kids, even small children
• Take to training well

Knowing that this dog is so gentle with kids just makes me love it even more.  It may be a large dog, but it seems to adapt well to small spaces and lazy atmospheres.  Maybe this will be a dog in the running for me one day...if I have a big enough house!

(Thanks Dogs101, AKC, and DogBreed Info for their help!)

West Highland White Terrier

Most people know this dog as a Westie, and I know it as the Cesar dog. The other night, the Cesar dog food commercial came one the T.V. and my roommate and suitemate both just went crazy. My suitemate is a dog lover, and my roommate, though she's generally is a cat lover, just loves these little dogs.  She plans to have one one day and name it Oswald.  She probably loves it because it is so small, but let me tell you some more of its characteristics.

General Information:

• Happy, curious, affectionate, and stubborn dog
• Dislikes smaller dogs or other animals
• Undocked tail
• Double coat
• Love to dig and bark
• Height: 10-12 inches
• Weight: 15-21 pounds

 Health:

•  Globoid cell Leukodystrophy, Legg- Perthes
• Copper toxicosis,  cataracts, patellar luxation
• Sometimes deafness
• Skin problems
• Life expectancy: 12-14 years

Grooming:

• Coat combed two or three times a week
• Shape the coat every three months
• Bathe when necessary
• Sheds little hair 

Environment:

• Okay for apartment life or for life with a large area to roam
• However, if living in apartment, needs daily walk and area to play outside

Type of Owner:

• Someone that can keep up with this dogs energy and put in the time to discipline 

Westies are the epitome of cuteness and are definitely in the running for my future pet. I just wish I had a choice of color other than white! I think this dog would definitely find a way to get dirty.

(Thanks to Dogs 101 and DogBreedInfo for their information!)

Sleepy Dog

If you go to my friends' page, you will see my friend Jarrett.  Jarrett writes a blog about crazy happenings all over the world and has found a video that I thought would be perfect for this blog.  I've already written about the English Bulldog, but clearly they like their naps!

Here's Jarrett's video, and what he has to say about it:




Since I had to do a guest post I decided to do something that goes with the topic of the blog. I found this video of a boy and his dog falling asleep together. This video made me die laughing, because I have done this myself, but not with my dog. The dog adds a special touch to the video, because I always thought dogs just pass out when they feel sleepy, but it's whatever; it's still hilarious and you will get a laugh every time you watch it.

-JMurph

Chow Chow

This past week, my boyfriend and I were making our weekly round in Petsmart when we saw a lady with this cute fluffy dog.  I'm not sure if it was purebred or not, but this dog definitely had some Chow Chow in him.  He was so cute!  I knew I couldn't leave him out of my blog.  So let's find out about this adorable dog.

(Thanks AcoBox for the pic)

General Information:

• Only dog born with 44 teeth
• Known to be aggressive/dangerous
• But after training this dog, it's a great addition
• Has a blue-black tongue
• Straight hind legs
• Double coated, rough or smooth
• Loyal
• Height: 17-20 inches
• Weight: 45-70 pounds

Health:

• Hip and elbow dysplasia
• Entropion
• Often snore
• Life expectancy: About 15 years

Grooming:

• Seasonal, heavy shedders
• Need to constantly brush

Environment:

• Okay for apartment life with daily exercise
• Cranky without exercise
• Need to be kept in cool places

Type of Owner:

• Good for adults after training, but not a great family pet
• Needs to socialize with other people and pets so as not to be too protective

So it seems that while this dog is incredibly cute, they aren't necessarily the best choice for me.  I do plan to have a family someday, and I can't have an aggressive dog in the house that may harm my kids.  However, I will definitely pet any dog that was as happy as the little Chow I met at PetSmart.  I'll just have to appreciate these doggies whenever I happen to come across them.

(Thanks to Dogs101, DogBreedInfo, and American Kennel Club for their info!)

Mountain Feist

My boyfriend's cousin has a Mountain Feist.  For those of you who have no idea what kind of dog this is, I didn't either before I met Nub.  Nub is one insane dog.  He gets so excited when people come to visit, and because he's such a small dog, he's bouncing off of everything.  When the dog jumps, he's seriously jumping to about the height of my upper arm.  When I sit down, he jumps on the couch, and runs back and forth from person to person.  And then he runs back and forth over all of the people sitting on the couch.  When I was there to see the puppy of a different dog they got, he was running across my lap to get to the puppy.  At one point, as I was leaning back, he ran across my chest.  I'm just glad it wasn't my face.  Now, I'm going to find out if all Mountain Feists have this much energy.  If they do, you certainly need to have a patient, loving, and energetic family for this little dog!

General Information

• Great squirrel hunter
• Also good for hunting raccoon and opossum
• Strong hind legs
• Docked tail
• Very energetic
• Love to play
• Protective
• Curious
• Short coat
• Height: 10-22 inches
• Weight: 10-30 pounds

Health

• No major health problems to be noted
• Needs lots of exercise, either a long walk or jog everyday
• Recommended that the dog be given a large area to play 

Grooming

• Only requires an occasional brushing to get rid of stray hairs

Environment

• Okay indoors
• But best to give this dog some room to play 

Type of Owner

• Firm but gentle, and these dogs are easy to train, even with all of their energy
• Good for energetic families
• When it's time to sleep, is a total lap dog

Now, just to prove how much of a handful these dogs can be, here's a picture of Nub chewing on a new toy...

So if you're looking for a small, energetic dog, Nub is for you. But I think he's just a little too excitable for my taste. Not to mention he peed on my pants one time I came over...

(Thanks to DogBreedInfo, GreatDogSite, and Wikipedia for their info!)

English Bulldogs

So, we've made it to the point where I've run out of dogs that I personally know. However, there is a dog that I just find completely adorable. Every time I see one, I just have to exclaim, "Awww!." They just have a goofy look about them that makes them all the more endearing. This is the dog that I would really like to get, but the question is, will it be the perfect dog for me?

General Information:

• Protective, Affectionate, Gentle, Determined
• Related to French Bulldog
• Have an underbite
• Short coat
• Energetic when puppies
• Height: 12-15 inches
• Weight: 52-55 pounds

Health:

• Prone to breathing problems 
• Sensitive to heat and cold
• Skin infections
• Hip and knee problems 
• Easily overheat
• Drools

Grooming:

• Brush with brittle brush or rough cloth
• Wipe with cloth between wrinkles
• Average shedder

Environment:

• Good for apartments
• Better indoors because of sensitivity to weather

Type of Owner:

• Great with kids
• Need pack leader or can become too defensive and stubborn 

Maybe now you can see why I love Bulldogs so much.  I''m not an outdoors person, so this dog actually fits in with my lifestyle.  And I really would like an indoor dog, so keeping it inside with me is not a problem.  They're just so cute, even if they are stubborn.  Maybe they're like having another child!  So perhaps this dog would be a great fit for couples wanting to practice being parents.  Bulldogs may be considered lazy by some standards, but they definitely have the looks and affection to make up for any of their faults.

(Thanks to Dog Breed Info, AKC, and other sites for their help!)

Black Labrador

So in my previous post, I talked about Pumpkin, a Greyhound/Chihuahua mix.  Well Pumpkin has a little buddy.  Okay, maybe he isn't so little.  But he sure thinks he is!  He lets Pumpkin run circles around him, and doesn't even try to argue.  This dog is so loving and just wants the people around him to be happy.  He's a big teddy bear.  He hates thunderstorms, running inside whenever one hits.  This dog's name is Luke.  And he is a Black Lab.  Now, I'm not going to lie and say that I know for sure that Luke is a full Black Lab.  But it's the closest I could come to describing him!

Now...on to the interesting part!

General Information:

• Most popular breed in the United States
• There are two different kinds, American and English
• American is tall and lanky
• English are heavier and bulkier
• Intelligent, even temperament, love to play, eager to please (like Luke)
• Height: 21- 24 inches
• Weight: 55-75 pounds
  

Health:

• Prone to hip and elbow dysplasia
• PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy) and eye disorders

Grooming:

• Shed seasonally
• Brush and groom regularly
• Bathe or dry shampoo when necessary

Environment:

• Okay indoors
• Better to at least give this dog a decent yard to run around in

Type of Owner:

• Great for families
• Easily trained
• But also need a strong pack leader to overcome their playfulness

So even if Luke isn't a purebred Black Labrador, he sure has the characteristics of one, a truly loving and playful dog. This breed is just about the cutest breed in my opinion; if only they weren't so gosh darn big!

(Thanks to AKC, Dog Breed Info, and BlackLabrador for their information!)

Chihuahuas

My boyfriend's cousin's dog (I know that's a lot), Pumpkin, is a Chihuahua/Greyhound mix.  I know that sounds odd, but she mostly looks like a Chihuahua.  Now, this dog breed is probably my least favorite.  Not because I don't think Chihuahuas have a cute side, but because they just look so darn puny!  It's too small of a dog for me, but I thought I'd look into why everyone goes crazy over this little dog.

General Information:

• They like to be carried around and pampered
• Smallest breed of dog in the world
• Protective, Sweet, and Loving for their owner (Like to cling to one person)
• Radar ears (folded down when they're puppies)
• Think they're quite tough
• Height: 6-9 inches
• Weight: 2-6 pounds

Health:

• Risk of Obesity, leading to Diabetes and Dislocation of Kneecaps
• Generally healthy
• Daily walks, including playtime
• Life span: 15+ years

Grooming:

• Little shedding
• Short coat only needs occasional brushing; long coat needs it daily

Environment:

• Best to keep these tiny doggies inside
• Do not leave outside unattended (Look like prey to birds)
• Best in warmer climates

Type of Owner:

• Not very good for families
• Children may drop them
• Chihuahua may be overly babied because of its size
• Needs an owner that doesn't feed it too much and balances babying with discipline

So, maybe Chihuahuas aren't as puny as I thought; they're just a small breed!  Maybe part of the reason I dislike them is their tendency to become "divas" after being constantly babied.  Make sure not to let this happen to your Chihuahua!  You need to be the pack leader. =]

(Thanks to Dogs 101 and Dog Breed Info Center for the information!)

Yorkshire Terriers

Over Thanksgiving this past year, my aunt and uncle purchased a new puppy for my ten and twelve-year old cousins. Their dog, Jojo, a two-year old Yorkshire Terrier, had been hit by a car a couple of months earlier. They'd only had him since Christmas. My cousins, not to mention my aunt, were devastated, and wanted another little dog around the house. Of course they loved Yorkies, and since my aunt and uncle's oldest son, a sixteen-year old, has had problems with dog allergies in the past, a Yorkie was a best choice. So, they bought this new little puppy, which they named Bear, and he is the cutest, most energetic little puppy you could imagine.

In honor of Bear, and Jojo, I thought I would give you guys some information on Yorkies.

General Information:

•  Adventuresome, Energetic, Very Loyal, Clever
•  Small dog
•  6-7 inches tall
• Weigh about 7 pounds full grown
•  Docked tail
•  Glossy, silky, long-haired coat
• Protective of their family

Health:

•  Life Expectancy: 12-15 years
•  Possibilities of:
•  Bronchitis
•  Eye infections
• Hypoglycemia
• Tracheal collapse (Use harness leash to help prevent this)
• Take the dog on daily walks, but play is a better way of exercising this little dog

Grooming:

• Daily Brushing
• Monthly bath
• Little to No shedding
• Regular grooming for short coat
• Long coat requires high maintenance (Wrapping coat in tissue paper with oil)

Environment:

• These little dogs are best indoors
• Can be helpful for people with allergies, since it does not shed much, but allergies come from dander and saliva of dogs. Depends on person and dog for allergies to flare.

Type of Owner:

• Strong leader
• May be aggressive with strangers and other animals if not properly trained
• Good for families as long as the dog is not allowed to take over

Yorkies are perfect pets for people searching for an indoor pet that doesn't shed or take up much space. With that said, the dog can also take over. Make sure to train it well and establish yourself as the leader. Yorkies will be the most lovable and fitting dog for families in apartments, or for a family wishing for an indoor dog, but be sure to train it well!

(Thanks to Wikipedia and Dog Breed Info Center for their help!)

Welcome to My Blog!

Welcome to my journey!  I'm looking for a dog that my boyfriend and I can adopt one day, and I hope to help you find your own dog along the way.

I'm living on campus at my college, and my dog, Cady, is at home with my family.  I only get to see her a few times a month when I go home, and so I thought I would write this post in honor of her.  I bought Cady on the side of the road when she was 8 weeks old.  A lady was giving away these puppies that had their shots, and only asked for donations for her expenses.  My dad bought Cady for me for $20.  She was the runt of the bunch, and of course a mutt.  But she is the happiest and most lovable dog I could ask for.

I'm not sure what breeds Cady has mixed in, but her body structure and coloring has always seemed to me to be like a Pit Bull Terrier.

Here is some General Information about the Pit Bull Terrier: 

• Loving, Protective, Intelligent, Eager to Please
• Needs a Strong Caretaker (one willing to train) 
• Medium-sized dog
• Short, shiny coat
• Cropped ears 
• 18-22 inches tall at the shoulders
• Average of 30-60 lbs.

Health: 

• Life expectancy: About 12 years 
• May be prone to hip dysplasia, hereditary cataracts, allergies to grass, and congenital heart disease 
• Daily exercise, long daily walks

Grooming: 

• Bathe as needed 
• Brush regularly with dense bristle brush
• Apply chamois to make coat shine 
• Average shedder

Environment:

• Apartments are okay with daily exercise 
• Better for dog to be in an active environment

Type of Owner: 

• Multiple dogs may be an issue if other dogs are small (can be seen as prey) 
• Good for children

So, while Pit Bull Terriers have a bad representation as being an aggressive dog, all the sites I’ve seen have described this dog as a loving and loyal animal.  If trained well by a strong leader, a pit bull terrier is as obedient and affectionate as any other breed.

(Thanks to Wikipedia, Dog Breed Info Center, and Bulldogbreeds for their information!)