I want a small dog to suiit my age and situation

[RobinBHM]

If you plan on buying as a puppy, spend time researching health problems associated with breeds. Pet health insurance is surprisingly expensive.

We know somebody that has an older GSD, the insurance renewal premium was £8k, so she couldnt renew. The following year the dog had a major operation that cost £14k! some larger dogs, GSDs, labradors, retreivers etc are prone to hip problems.

Cross breeds seem to be pretty healthy surprisingly!

Its certainly worth investigating breed characteristics, some dogs like Borders have a high prey drive and can be most unreliable off the lead and no road sense. Greyhounds are dodgy off the lead -one of our chippies has one, he let off the lead in the park -it shot off like a bullet out of gun and reached the horizon in seconds! And you cant use an extending lead with a greyhound unless you want a broken wrist (no criticism of these breeds just examples of the type of characteristics associated with certain breeds and much depends on the background of the breeder, some breed for working dogs, some for pets, some for showing etc)

I ended up having one of these:

http://www.plushcourt.com/Portuguese-Po ... -Wire-Coat

A rare breed in this country, about the size of a jack russell.

 

[Benchwayze]

What happens to police dogs when they retire?
Is this a solution for both you and the dog?

Lurker,
When I got promoted off the Dog Section, I had just bought my present home, and my wife convinced me we couldn't afford to keep Tosca. She was probably right TBH, but somehow I think we would have managed. Anyhow, the 'Gaffer' told me they had retired Tosca to a Staffordshire farmer. I found out a few years later they had put him down. That was relayed to me by a spiteful herbert, who was a particularly sadistic pineapple!

I say it myself, but Tosca was one of the best of our dogs at his actual job. He just didn't perform in 'working dog trials'. Public Image again eh?

There you go! I don't hold anything against the Gaffer; he was probably trying to spare my feelings.

Robin: Hip displasia (spelling?) was a common failing with some of our Police Dogs I recall. so I appreciate the care I need in research. Thanks for the info on Insurance!!! :shock:

John

 

[Benchwayze]

We got our dog from the RSPCA rescue centre nearly 16 years ago. We had one initial house visit, and one subsequent visit after several months.
Total cost was around £120, which included a voucher for "fixing" him.
He's a mongrel, probably 50/50 Jack Russell and Dachshund. He and his sister were abandoned at 6 weeks old.
Probably wouldn't be a good dog for you, as he's a bit weird, but in our experience the RSPCA certainly didn't do any "continual vetting".

That would be okay John. I have been labelled eccentric myself! :lol:
John

 

[Phil Pascoe]

The insurance is a bit of a scam - if you read the small print half of the things that are quite likely to happen aren't covered. Ours went up year in year out until we could no longer afford it ... and that was without one single claim in the puppy's lifetime. I would always take it out for the first year or two though as that tends to be when the unexpected happens.

 

[paulm]

One of our dogs is a whippet. If you want a pet that comes when you call then in my experience, do not get a whippet? Lovely dog but when it comes to recall, forget it. And if he gets out onto the road then he is off.

K

This sounds very familiar !

It's a common misconception that they need lots of exercise, a couple of ten minute high octane sessions in the garden chasing frisbee and tennis balls, or a twenty to thirty minute stroll a day, and they'll happily spend the rest of the day on the best seat in the house.

Lovely affectionate, gentle dogs too, unless you're a rabbit, rat or squirrel !

 

[Benchwayze]

The Insurance quoted raised my eyebrows somewhat. I could not afford that at all, so I'd have to take my chances. The only problem there is I couldn't afford fourteen grand either, so I'd be faced with Hobson's choice if surgery was imperative to save a dog. Even my credit card wouldn't bend that far.

But then I have always been lucky with dogs, health-wise. Fingers crossed.

My attitude these days toward veterinaries is becoming a little 'All Creatures', no personal slight on any who might be members here!

 

[Alder]

Have you considered a Pembrokeshire Corgi.
Russell

 

[Benchwayze]

Have you considered a Pembrokeshire Corgi.
Russell

Yes I did Russell. My Mother had one in the 70s. A lovely little dog, (Chipper) but he was over excitable. Whenever I visited he just went barmy! Wouldn't settle, unless you had him on your lap, and continually petted him. I was a reasonable dog-trainer, but I had to concede defeat.

I don't know why that was, other than he was probably just so insecure. Of course I realise not all Corgis are like that.

 

[Bm101]

I've always had big dogs ( although I have a secret penchant for a blue heeler). I never had any interest in sight hounds. But we then started to look after/ babysit a greyhound (he was a proper runner, won races and all that) and I kind of fell in love with him when he was there. If it was for me I wouldn't get one tbh but a great dog. Slept all day as PaulM says. Take him to the park and he'd go mad (proper explosive speed) for 20-30 minutes then he'd come back and that was it. 'I'll just lie here on my mat all day then.' Easy dogs to keep, gentle and good natured.
You'll never match a GS or similar for personality and intelligence. Especially as an ex handler but all dogs are good dogs when treated right. Same as kids. You have the experience and the knowledge. Go for it. I miss my best lad even now and it's been twenty years. Dogs. Too good for us really.
ATB
Chris

 

[Lons]

Insurance raised my eyebrows a bit as well!
We considered it but decided not worth the cost when you read the small print and take into account excesses etc. better to put a few quid a month into a jar for emergencies than pay was our decision. Unless you're unlucky or get a dog that eats socks

 

[RobinBHM]

We paid for insurance for our dog for the first 3 years. Each year the renewal went up and this year it was getting for £700 Its probably high because the breed (Podengo), so the insurers dont have enough claim statistics to calculate risk.

After doing some sums based on the insurance going up every year, we worked out that it would be more prudent to save about £600 each year and let that add up. If we pay out for insurance every year, when our dog is older and we make a claim, yes the insurance will cover the cost, but the price is going to ramp up when the renewal comes and we probably wont be able to afford keep insuring. Whereas if we stop paying insurance now, we can save up quite a bit for when we may need it.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I had a friend years ago who "self insured" everything he bought - he was a photography lecturer, so had lots of £1000s of gear - white goods, power tools etc. He found out the cost of the extended warranties and put the cash in a box - when something went wrong he robbed the box. Every year he banked the excess in a special account - he did this for many years and had £1000s in it.

 

[Droogs]

I have a beddlinton whippet (2yrs) cross and he is insured as he has already cost over 4K in vet fees due to a heart murmur, always best to insure as the cost is enormous. gobsmacked me

 

[t8hants]

My last dog was a Lakeland terrier nice little fellow, very good natured, looked like a teddy bear had the brains of one.
We are waiting to get a Wire Fox Terrier next week, slightly smarter than a Lakeland apparently, so training him is going to be fun.

 

[SteveF]

we have a rescued staffi boxer cross
was a major PITA for 6 months...so upto age 2
after a bit of training he is a lap dog weighing about 8 stone
begs for food...who cares..but a swift word and he gets the idea
never barks unless I come home late and I tell him to shut up
doesn't really want long walks, but we have a dog walker twice a week if your funds would cover this
a bit of protection if needed (full of muscle,proper mans dog), lots of cuddles, fly catcher extraordinaire
mental as pineapple
happy to have around my very young grandchildren
and loves icecream
Steve

 

[Claymore]

.....

 

[deema]

Having a farmer as a grandfather my parents brought me up with a different attitude to animals which included any family pets. I've always self insured and when the costs rise above replacement cost, off to the bone yard in the sky they go! What I've found most amazing is when the vet has presented me with a potential bill of say £2K, and I state that that's more than a puppy will cost pink juice is the order of the day..,,,the bill suddenly drops a zero off it!

 

[Gill]

I don't think you should have a dog. It sounds to me like you're still coming to terms with missing your wife and miss the human interaction. No dog could make up for that hole in your life. I'm really sorry for this turn of events and hope you find a way forwards soon. It would be nice to think that your wife could suggest interests which could help you through this sticky patch but if she can't, perhaps have a chat with somebody who is skilled in counselling on how to handle loss. My immediate thought is to turn to a local vicar.. and I'm definitely not in the God Squad! It's just that they're rather good at this sort of thing.

 

[Lons]

I don't think you should have a dog. It sounds to me like you're still coming to terms with missing your wife and miss the human interaction. No dog could make up for that hole in your life. I'm really sorry for this turn of events and hope you find a way forwards soon. It would be nice to think that your wife could suggest interests which could help you through this sticky patch but if she can't, perhaps have a chat with somebody who is skilled in counselling on how to handle loss. My immediate thought is to turn to a local vicar.. and I'm definitely not in the God Squad! It's just that they're rather good at this sort of thing.

Not so sure I'd agree with that Gill, the OP has plenty of dog experience and knows the ins and outs very well. The rewards a dog can offer in comanionship really shouldn't be underestimated. None of us know the circumstances of Johns wife either.
If someone suggested a vicar to me should I be in a similar situation they would receive short shrift however guenuine and well meaning the suggestion was.

Btw. I'm not a dog lover, my wife is ,but I do like dogs just not the mess, hairs and smell that goes with them but seeing what ours gave to my kids and missus over the years made all of that very worthwhile.

Cheers
Bob

 

[Benchwayze]

Hello Gill,

Thank you for your post.

I appreciate your point on not having a dog at all and just at this moment, I wouldn't. I am simply too busy. However I am using the time for a little research into the matter.

I'll give you the story!

Jean's situation is that she contracted Parkinson's disease about four years ago, and I was her carer until Christmas last. Just before the holiday she suddenly lost the ability to support her weight when standing. This meant I was unable to get her in and out of her chair on my own. As a result Social Services decided she needed 2 carers, which they wouldn't provide. That was the reason Jean was placed in full-time care.

To compound matters, about 14 days ago I tripped over an uneven flagstone, while shopping. (Even fit, young people can do that) I fell flat on my face. Had it not been for learning how to 'fall' when I was a youth, I might have had a broken nose, and lost a few teeth. As it was I broke my fall on my forearms, but I did fall across my walking stick. This saved my face, but the stick cracked a couple of ribs. So I am shuffling around still. So definitely no dog just yet! I am having enough problems looking after daughter's cat for a fortnight! Thankfully cats look after themselves for the most part.

I normally see Jean every other day, and on Saturdays and Sundays. It's not ideal of course, but we are both coming to terms with that. Jean is also suffering from Dementia, which is a common 'adjunct' to Parkinson's. She isn't yet so bad that she doesn't know what's happening, but she isn't really aware of the passage of time.

My biggest task is trying to clear my house from top to bottom and making it suitable for me to live in. I am not without my own health problems, and I must have clear rooms so I can navigate my way around and fend for myself without problems. So again, I wont have a dog until the house is finished.

As for a vicar, not a chance. I consider them as well-meaning, but misguided individuals, and whilst I respond to them as I would anyone else, any counselling I need, I self-administer by literally talking things over with myself. Of course I also have my woodwork, my guitar, and my painting, and I keep my garden as tidy as I can. So I have no excuse to be idle.

I shall have a dog of some sort when I am ready, and of course will take him/her to meet Jean and her fellow residents.

I do see where you are coming from, and I thank you for your advice. But have no fear, I'll come to terms with this.

Regards

John

Oh, looking at this beautiful weather, I think I should go and water my patio containers! BBL!