Friday, May 8, 2009

USS Golden (Max) of GoldenRottie makes his maiden voyage

Holy Crap!
Max can swim!!!!!!! Poor dog was bred to be in the water and for the past 6 years, the best I could do was give him a kiddy pool or let him run down to the creek when we lived in NC.
I had to pull him in and then hold him while he was in the water. It's funny because he has full trust in me and will let me do anything to him. He looked like a dead frog floating around and didn't swim the first few times. Now... You can't keep him out of the pool.
This means more cleaning for me but I wouldn't have it any other way. My pup is happy!
There will be pics to follow.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Pics of your furry friends

If you have a cool pic of you furry friend, I want to see it and share it with everyone else.
Send your pic to goldenrottie@gmail.com

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

It's not the dog....It's the owner.

When ever some one makes a derogatory statement about an aggressive breed such as Pit Bulls, Rotweillers, Chows, Akitas, etc... The other side states that it wasn't the dog but the owner.
While this has some truth to it, we must remember that each breed has its own character.

These characteristics have been breed in to the dog for different reasons. This is why some dogs are more animal aggressive than others or some dogs are more of a one person owner. These characteristics are innate and it’s up to the owner to keep them in check.

Characteristics are what make a Golden Retriever everyone’s buddy both animal and human. They are also what make the Rottweiler such a great guardian and protector. We need to concentrate on spay and neutering practices, education, and leave the breeding to the professionals.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Why, Oh Why does my Golden like to roll in poop?

My Golden Max (aka Mookies) will roll in just about anything, live or dead. But the worst is poop! Max just has a grand old time running around the yard to find the right spot or in this case pile of poop.

He starts with a long sniff. Sort of what some one does with a good glass of wine. Then he turns his head to the side and works his upper part of his body into the spot. He then twists onto his back and wriggles and squiggles, chuffing and snorting his approval. When all of this is done, he gets up, has a good shake and looks for me or my wife. Once spotted, he makes a bee line for us with his "golden smile". (Golden owners know what I'm talking about)

He wants to share his new found stank with us by putting in paws on our laps and then burying his head in our chests.
Poor guy just doesn't understand that essence or Rottweiler is not attractive. If you ask Max he'll tell you the stinky-stankier the better and that you don't know what you’re missing.

I beg to differ my furry friend. I beg to differ...

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Designer Dogs

I like to listen to pet owners talk about their Designer Dogs as if the dog has been around for hundreds of years. I giggle inside when they get red faced and aggravated when some one has the chutzpa to let them know that they have a mutt.
Having a mutt is great. In fact, they tend to be healthier and smarter in my opinion.

But to stand there and tell your fellow human that your Morike, Moodle, Shipoo, Schnoodle, Chi weenie, etc... are dogs worth $500.00 plus, you've just got to be plain CRAZY!
Love your dog. Love your dog with every bone in your body but don't try to tell me how expensive your dog is. At the end of the day your dog is a mix breed, a mutt, and a mongrel.

I think I get aggravated most with people who breed these dogs and want to charge an outrageous price to unsuspecting owners. Some of these dogs fetch a higher price than pedigreed dogs.
The same goes with Albino dogs or dogs without skin pigmentation. If you are selling White Dobermans, Rotweillers, etc... and telling people that the white color is rare and therefore cost more money PLEASE stop!
This is how a line becomes weak and you pass on the bad genes. Leave breeding to the professionals and to those who care about the breed. If you have a pup that does not fit the breed standards make sure that you spay or neuter the dog as soon as possible. It's called being responsible folks.

My groomer told me that she and her boyfriend were in a pet store looking at the designer breeds and thought they should take a Bull Terrier and a Shih-Tzu and call it a Bull Shit. I did get a laugh out of that!
That being said please do not get these two together, as it would make for one butt ugly dog.
Let me know what you think? Are these mixtures of breeds viable?

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Does your dog have a bone to pick with you?

I don't think the debate between real and synthetic bones will ever end. In my opinion, I would rather give my dog’s real bones if possible. Their bodies are made to handle and digest it. I'm not saying go out and give your dog chicken and pork bones as chicken and pork bone splinter easily. When I do serve my dog’s raw bones, it is a knuckle bone and they are supervised.
The down side to real bones are they tend to be messy and no one wants their dog chewing them in the house. They will bring about bugs and bacteria if left for a long period of time. (I say pick them up after a few hours and be done with it. It only cost you a few bucks so it's not that big a deal.) If your dog can eat days old food out of the garbage can, lick there own butt, and eat dog and cat poop, then I think a little bacteria off a bone won't hurt. Again, just my opinion. Synthetic bones such as Nylabone have their place and I have used these as well. In fact, I have used these more than real bones. Most Nylabones will do the trick but if you have powerful chewers than I suggest getting the "Galileo" Nylabone. This bone is tuff and will give your dog lots of chewing pleasure. You can keep it in the house, it won't stain anything, and if you are a germ-a-phobe, you can boil it. Just make sure you let it cool before giving it to your dog. I do not give my dogs Rawhides, Pig ears, or Cow hooves. I think rawhides are the worst because they do not break down easily and your dog ends up swallowing slimy, gooey, strips of blah. Yes it is possible for these to get wrapped up in your dog’s intestine. Plain and simple it's not good for your dog. I think my Rottie has some type of allergic reaction to raw meat as he yacks it up when he eats it but my Golden loves it. If I can't serve the real thing, then Nylabone is the next best answer for me and both my dogs seem to enjoy it.
Knuckle bone or Nylabone, you pick. In either case just make sure your dog does not swallow big chunks of bone break off. It's much easier to pick it up and throw it away then make a visit to your vet.
Just remember that chewing is a natural habit for your dog and this gives him/her great pleasure and stress relief. Also chewing keeps your dogs teeth and gums healthy. So treat your dog to a good bone and make them happy.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Have you seen the Lumpapottomus?

I have, he's a 140lb mahogany and tan Rotweiller. He's my pride and joy and his name is Enzo. We sometimes call him the 6 million dollar dog because he has been in and out of the vet for this thing or that. Enzo is everything a Rottweiler should be and then some. We affectionately refer to him as Lumpy or The Lumpopottomus.
This is the ferocious Rottie that let an apartment maintenance man in my apartment, change out a door lock and then leave. Enzo was sleeping in the middle of my bed and didn't even care to move an inch. That's how he earned his name Lumpy.

Over the years I've noticed that Enzo has not been able to see to well at night or in the dark and I noticed that his eyes would get this weird green glow. We never thought that much about it as he still seemed quite normal and I just attributed it to getting older. I thought that Enzo was getting cataracts so I brought him to our local vet. He ran some tests and stated that he was not able to see into the dogs eyes and suggested an eye specialist.
We showed up to the eye specialist who diagnosed Enzo in seconds and informed us that he has PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy). He told us that Enzo has had this for quite some time and was pretty sure that he was just about blind.

He told us that Enzo had us fooled for quite some time as his other senses took over. He looked and acted quite normal to us, other than the eerie glow. Well that was almost a year ago and he's doing fine. I try not to move things too much and he seems to be as happy as can be. The only hard time that we have is when he wakes up from dead sleep.
He doesn't know where he's at and he will just stand there.
Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night just to find him staring into the corner.
He hasn't a clue and I'm sure he must feel a little strange. When walking him to bed after waking him up in the living room he will fight me and want to walk the opposite direction I'm going. It's hard to steer 140lbs of blind dog when they are dead set on going in one direction. Honestly though, that's the worst of it.

My wife takes this worse than I do as Enzo along with our Golden Retriever and two cats are her kids. She gets a little miffed with me as I do not share the "kid" view but she does know that I care deeply about all my pets, Enzo in particular.
Anyhow I am attaching an article on this genetic defect and if you find that your pet has any of the symptoms, get them checked out.
See the article from http://www.animaleyecare.net/diseases/pra.htm

Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA)
This is a genetic, inherited disease of the retina (the "film" in the camera), which occurs in both eyes simultaneously. The disease is nonpainful, and there is no cure for it. The eyes are genetically programmed to go blind. PRA occurs in most breeds of dogs and can occur in mixed breeds also. It is recessively inherited in all breeds studied, with the following exceptions: PRA is dominantly inherited in Old English Mastiffs and Bullmastiffs, and PRA is sex-linked and found primarily in male dogs in the Siberian Husky and Samoyed breeds. Clinical signs vary from the dog first becoming night blind in the early stage of PRA (not able to see in low light surroundings) to the entire visual field in all light levels becoming affected, which is advanced PRA.

The pupils are usually dilated, and owners often notice a "glow" and increased "eye shine" from the eyes. All dogs with PRA will eventually develop blindness from advanced PRA, and this time frame until the dog is blind varies considerably from dog to dog, but usually takes at least 6 months from the time of diagnosis, and can rarely take years until the dog is completely blind. Although no treatment for PRA is possible to stop the disease, nutritional antioxidant supplementation for retinal health may help slow the deterioration of the retina to "buy some time" before the blindness inevitably happens.

Animal Eye Care believes that in many of these PRA patients, specific oral antioxidant nutritional therapy can delay the progression of blindness. Blindness is not avoided, however, in any PRA patients. If oral antioxidants were used, they would be continued until complete vision loss occurred. What to do if you suspect PRA: Have your dog examined by a board certified veterinary ophthalmologist to determine if this disease is indeed present. If you are located in the Pacific Northwest or in British Colombia, you may contact our office to schedule a comprehensive ophthalmic examination.
Dogs with PRA should not be bred, and the breeder that you received your dog from should be notified that the dog is affected, so the breeder can alter their breeding program in future. It is important to understand that dogs with PRA are happy dogs. Their eyes don't hurt, and they adjust very well to their slow loss of vision.

In fact, if a dog were destined to become blind and Dr. McCalla could pick the disease, it would be PRA, as the vision loss is slow and nonpainful, and the dog is given much time to adjust to its vision loss. It is important to realize that it is OK to grieve about your pet's vision loss, but you must not put your sad feelings in your dog's head--they aren't really there! Your dog is not suffering. They adjust well to their vision loss, and it is by far hardest to deal with on the owner's side. Your dog's job description has not changed.

Your blind dog is happy as long as its routine is stable. From your dog's point of view, life continues to be great-- you are there as always, and they just need to use their other keen senses a bit more to get the same information they used to view. Keep household furniture in its place, and consider purchasing the book "Living With Blind Dogs" by Caroline Levin. Animal Eye Care also sells this book. It is the only book of this subject matter, and is beneficial in helping owners and their affected pets adjust to the vision loss.
Animal Eye Care also sells pet medical alert tags. One tag reads "I Have Poor Vision" while the other reads "I Am Blind". Please contact our office if you want to purchase a tag for your pet.

Dogs with PRA can develop cataracts late in the disease process. Cataract surgery would never be done, as it would not help the dog to see. However, cataracts can cause pain and damage to the eye, and if the eyes look very cloudy to you, please call Animal Eye Care for a reexamination as soon as possible. There are DNA blood tests available, to determine if dogs are likely affected with PRA, are likely carriers for PRA, or are not likely carrying the PRA gene. Please visit the web site for further information (http://www.optigen.com/).

Friday, March 6, 2009

My dog can beat up your dog!

To all the Bone Thug Ghetto Gangsta's:
1. Your dog is not a status symbol.
2. Your dog does not make YOU a bad ass, but instead makes YOU an ass.

Taking a 5lb chain and using it as a collar is just plain stupid. Are people supposed to be afraid of you or your dog? Because with out your dog, who are you really? Not too much I suppose.
You guys and gals breed back yard Pit bulls and Rottweilers and screw the whole line up.
You breed mother and son, sister and brother and dogs with ailments and dispositions that should not be. There are specific guide lines to breeding, but you melon heads don't even think about that. And most people don't even know enough to ask questions about your breeding habits. All they see is a cute little puppy but little do they know that it will end up having some serious mental and physical problems.
Then what happens? They let the dog loose, give it to the pound, or kill it. I guess Forrest Gump hit the nail on the head with the statement "Stupid is as Stupid does".
"And that's all I've got to say about that".

I had a customer bring their Chow-Chow to me for grooming. He is a good looking white Chow. He has the BEST disposition and is a big lover. His owner did not like this behavior and kept him away from people and other dogs as she wanted him to protect her.
I'm here to tell you, if you have breeds such as Pit bulls, Rottweilers, Chows, etc...
You do not need to make your dog mean. You do not need to enter your dog into a protection class. (Unless your dog will have a specific job in law enforcement, security, etc...)
Your dog has an innate trait for protecting owner and family. There is no need to intensify this. Why not let others enjoy your dog for the same reasons you do. Be a responsible owner, know your breed history, and practice spay and neutering if you are not a breeder.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Activities for you and your dog

Sorry for the delay of posts. I've been moving from one place to another.
My dogs are doing great. My blind Rottie is playing pin ball around the house but is getting it down pat fairly quick. My golden loves his new back yard. There are lots of smells for him to roll in.
My two cats are having fun exploring their new world and have adjusted nicely.

Today's post will be about activities for your dog(s). We all know that an exercised dog is a happy dog and a happy dog makes for a happy owner.
For the dog that his not getting daily exercise, frustration and pent up energy can manifest it’s self in some bad doggie etiquette.

If Fido is running in circles chasing his tail, chewing the base boards, chewing the couch and pillows, barking, jumping, being aggressive all of the sudden to other dogs and humans, walking around aimlessly, etc... Your dog might be in need of exercise.
When you and I feel frustrated we complain or exercise. When we have pent up energy, we get out and do something.

Well your dog resolves these problems in a dog’s way. Dogs complain by barking, Dogs destroy items to release energy. It's not that they want to be bad, it’s just the way a dog handles stress and frustration. Your dog just can't "Deal With It". Your dog needs an outlet.
There are several things you can do other than just walk your dog.
1. Take your dog for a jog.
2. Play ball with your dog
3. When walking your dog, use a doggie pack and fill with bottles of water. You are giving your dog a job to do and the weight of the bottles will tire your dog out.
4. Give your dog a job to do. Working dogs have innate urges. (Ex - Take your herding dog to some herding trials or classes.)
5. Fly ball (NAFA) http://www.flyball.org/
6. Agility http://www.usdaa.com/

As you see, there are plenty of activities for your dog. If you are a very busy person and you don't have time to dedicate to your dogs mental and physical health, you might want to consider doggie day care or a pet sitter to come out and walk your dog. In most areas, this should run you about $15-$20 per day.

Happy Exercising.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Will the real Cesar please stand up!

I'm surprised how many Cesar Milan’s are giving advice. I actually read a post where the writer instructed the person posting the question to make that "Tsch" sound when correcting her dog.
I'm also surprised at the form of punishments dog owners will tell other dog owners to implement.
I'm going to say it right here, right now. Hitting or beating your dog will not do you any good. And no I'm not talking about a swat on the butt; I'm talking about physical abuse. The whole object of training is to have your dog listen to you out of respect not out of fear.
Please read and educate your self. Cesar Milan is an excellent reference but taking someone’s message to give an aggressive dog an Alpha Rollover when not having any experience to do so is absolutely idiotic! If you don't know what you're doing, you are going to get bit. Even the professionals get bit from time to time.
So my suggestion is to read, educate yourself, know your dog, and THEN if you're comfortable, implement what you have learned.
I actually read a post where the writer advised forgoing trainers if at all possible as they could learn everything they needed to know from books and not spend money needlessly.
I taught myself basic obedience training from books, I've attended obedience classes, and I work in the animal industry, and let me tell you I still refer to my vet and other professionals.
You should use these posts as ancillary information and not the end all be all. If you have any questions that you are not clear about, don't hesitate to go to your local vet and ask questions. Your vet should even have some reputable trainers to refer or good books to read.

Remember these basic things.
1. Your dog is a social animal and thrives on human contact.
2. Your dog wants to please you. It makes them happy.
3. Your dog wants to be a dog, not a human.
4. Educate your self on your dogs breed. Do your homework.
5. Exercise makes for a happy dog and a happy owner.

Training can be fun and establishes the bond between owner and dog. Take a basic obedience class you'll learn something and have fun!

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Potty Training Your Puppy

House breaking a dog can be a very trying time. Some breeds get it quicker than others but you must remain patient with your dog. Remember that puppies have small bladders and go frequently. The most important ingredient in your training regimen is Consistency. Performing steps the same way every time will help both you and your dog.
Try to take your puppy out every hour and after every meal or water break.
After you are done feeding your puppy, make sure to take your pup outside to relieve its self.
Make sure you are doing this at the same time every day or as close to it as possible.

When your pup is outside, they will do everything under the sun except what you want them to do, which is to poop or pee. This should be a positive experience so when you see your puppy doing their business, you need to make a production out of it.
With the highest voice possible, lavish your pup in praise and pets. Do this every time you take your puppy out and they poop or pee. This creates a positive experience and your puppy will want to perform this behavior every time.

If you see that your pup is going in the house, pick them up quickly and head out the door to the designated bathroom area. Set your puppy down and let them finish their business. Remember to lavish them with praise and pets for finishing outside.
Under no circumstances are you to hit, spank, or beat your puppy. Do not rub your puppy’s nose/snout in the mess.
Your pup does not and will not understand why you are doing this. The only thing that you will achieve is to make your puppy afraid of the situation. Usually when an owner employs this method of punishment a few times, the pup will either hide and go to the bathroom or eat it.
Remember, it’s a puppy, it doesn't know anything. We don't take an infant and rub its face in a diaper, so why would it be right for a puppy?
Remember consistency and praise. You will be surprised how far this will go. Yes you will have the knuckle head puppy that just won't learn. Be patient and consistent as this is not the norm.

In my opinion, crate training is the best way to go when you can not be in the house. Your puppy should have just enough room to stand up and turn around. If your pup has too much room, they will poop and pee in the crate, dance in it and be more than willing to share it with you when you get home.
Puppies have a short attention span and no sense of time. For that matter dogs period have no sense of time. That being said, if you did not catch your puppy in the act, do not punish your puppy. Your pup will not have a clue why you’re mad. Take your puppy out immediately when you get home and remember to praise when they poop or pee outside.

As your puppy learns these new habits, you can then start to implement a code word so that they will go on command. Pick a word or phrase that is short and catchy. Your puppy will do best with 1 or 2 syllable words.
Every time your puppy is about to poop or pee, start chanting your code word in a high pitched voice. You need to wait to the last moment right as they are about to do it.
Your word can be "go potty", "go poopie", "potty outside", "go hurry" etc...
After a while when you say your code word, your puppy will want to go to the bathroom.

Remember consistency, praise, and a LOT of patience.

Friday, February 20, 2009

What's in your pet's food?

39 Billion dollars. That is the number the pet food industry was able to drum up for 2006.*
What is more staggering, are the ingredients in your pets food and treats. The FDA loosely regulates what goes into pet food and how it is marketed. http://www.fda.gov/cvm/petfoods.htm

A large truck pulls into an industrial complex and deposits its payload. The inventory of the truck is loaded on to a conveyer belt rumbling its way to a piece of machinery with teeth, tines, spikes, and cogs. On the other end a giant vat, eagerly awaiting the ingredients spilling out of the chaos. What I’m describing is a rendering plant used to receive euthanized dogs and cats from our shelters, sick, lame farm animals and road kill scraped from our rural roads. The vat fills and the contents boiled (rendered) to a soup. This animal soup is then used in our dog and cat food, chicken, cow, and horse feed, cosmetics, candles etc...
I can't even begin to tell you the toxins and poisons that are ingested from the pesticides, flea collars, and heavy metals.

To make matters worse, it’s not just our pets who are ingesting this but humans as well. We have many choices in the dog food that we purchase and you shouldn't let marketing cloud your mind. Just because the packaging is attractive and the commercials are cute, doesn't mean that the food is wholesome and healthy. I'm not saying that you have to run out and purchase the most expensive dog food, but get the best you can with what you have. More times than not, foods with dyes and fillers are the culprits for doggie allergies. So do your homework, read the ingredients on the package, and choose a dog/cat food that is as healthy as possible.

* According to WikiAnswers www.wiki.answers.com

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Don't Shave My Dog!

I've been in the grooming industry for three years and one of the biggest complaints that I get is to not shave down a customer’s dog. The poor dog is usually a toy or miniature breed of some sort and has a long or curly coat.

What most pet owners don't understand is that they have a "Groom" dog. Maintenance is usually required for these breeds. Some breed examples are Poodles, Bichones, Shih-Tzu’s, Maltese, Havanese, and Schnauzers. Again, these are just some examples.

If you keep your dogs coat long make sure that you are brushing/combing at least every other day. Matting occurs when the dirt and oil build up on the dogs coat causing the strands of fur to adhere to each other. Over time this process builds on its self and your dog develops a nasty matt.

Matting usually occurs on the face around the muzzle, on and behind the ears, and legs.
In extreme cases matting occurs all over the body, even around the private areas.
This is not only painful for your dog but can cause skin issues as well. Moisture grows under the matted fur causing yeast infection as well as a host of other skin issues. Yeast infection smells like nasty toe jam. Don't be afraid to stick your nose to your dogs’ fur.
Does this happen every single time? No. But rest assured that it will happen sooner or later.

Usually the request we get is to "just pull the mats". It's not that simple.
Pulling small mats in a localized area is possible and ethical. If a groomer states that they will pull heavy mats on your dog then your groomers’ ethics are in question.
Plain and simple, it HURTS and there is no reason to put the dog through this.
Not to mention that your groomer does not want to be bit that day. Your dog is not biting because its mean, it's biting because it hurts.

Your groomer should use a #7 or #10 blade to shave down your dog. Some times your groomer will use a combination of blades to get through the coat.
In bad cases, your groomer may advise that you go to your local vet for the shave down.
When your dog is in this type of condition, know that you run the risk of your dog getting knicks, cuts, and burns.

This does not happen every single time but it can happen on badly matted dogs. Remember your groomer does not go out of their way to hurt your dog. They take every precaution against this and care about their furry customers welfare.
That being said, if your groomers’ equipment is not in good shape, such as dull blades, old clippers, extra blades to swap when one blade heats up, Kool Lube, etc... Then burns and knicks could happen. (Kool Lube is a brand of spray for hot blades.)

Just be aware that if you bring your dog to the groomer in horrible condition, you should not complain to your groomer about knicks, burns, and cuts as you were not doing your job at home.
Don't be surprised if your groomer charges you more for this visit. It takes the groomer longer to shave down a matted dog. This extra time could have been used to groom a dog in good condition.

Don't be afraid to ask your groomer how to take care of your pets coat. She/He should be very happy to show you. Your dog will love you for it.
If you have a dog that bites you for brushing and combing then you might want to check into some training. Don't be afraid to ask your groomer or vet for some advice. Chances are if your dog bites you, your dog will bite anyone else trying to groom them.

Remember the vast majority of groomers are in the business because they love animals and have an artistic gift to make them look good. If they say your dog(s) need a shave down, chances are it’s for their own good.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Puppy Love

You have come to a decision, you want a dog. You're taken in by the soft fluffy coat, the beach ball belly and the smell of Frito paws. (Well, I think they smell like Fritos.)Before you bring this ball of fur home, you must do your homework. You need to ask yourself some basic questions.

1. What type of person am I?
Ask yourself what type of life you are living. Are you a busy work-a-holic up at the crack of dawn and coming home from work long after the sun goes down? If so, a Gold Fish would probably make a better pet for you. Maybe even a Pet Rock.
2. Am I an active individual?
Ask yourself if you love being outdoors, playing sports, etc... Active individuals and families have time for an active breed of dog. Vice-versa, a laid back individual or family would require a calm dog with low activity requirements.
3. What level of patience do I have?
Every dog needs some form of obedience training, some more than others. Choose a dog that will fit your level of patience and that of your family. There are some dogs that will hang on your every command and perform it willingly. There are obstinate breeds that could care less that you are training. It's their way or the highway! And then you have the breeds that are thick headed. No matter how hard you try to train with them, all your dog hears is BALL, BALL, BALL, SQUEEKY TOY, BALL!
4. Do you live in a house or an apartment?
Many people fall in love with the little fluff ball that grows up to be a BIG hairy thing with four feet.
Are you ready for this? Do you have the room for this? Purchasing a puppy is a HUGE responsibility. You can not or should not purchase a puppy and then discard your pet because it did not fit into your life style.
You now have a responsibility to your pet. Your pet will depend on you for its welfare.
Ok, you want to choose the right dog for you. The best place to start is the American Kennel Club. http://www.akc.org/breeds/index.cfm?nav_area=breedsTake your time and read all about the breeds, you might find some of their history interesting. Go to a local dog park and watch how the dogs interact. Ask questions of the owners. Owners love to talk about their dogs, their breed, history etc... You'll learn a lot this way and possibly make some connections.
Now that you have figured everything out and you are ready to purchase your puppy, where are you going to get your puppy from?
I would like to see you support your local breeder. Breeders have pet quality dogs as well as show dogs. In some cases you can get these dogs for half the price of their show siblings.
The difference between the two could just be markings. You're still getting a great dog.
Of course there are plenty of dogs at shelters that need to be adopted and are in need of a loving home. But that will be for another post on another day. Do your homework, take your time and pick a breed of dog that will give you and your family lots of love and happiness.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Welcome to Golden Rottie

Today is the launch of Golden Rottie. The object of this blog is to report on my life experiences, opinions, and views on the world. You may not always agree with what I have to write but you will always know what side of the fence I am on.
That being said, Welcome to Golden Rottie and enjoy.