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The dog.

McMurphy

You've heard that expression possibly thousands of times over the year's now, but to me "the dog" as an expression doesn't do them justice.

Think about it, we as civilised human beings have domesticated many animals, cats, birds, horses, donkeys and horses to name but a few, but what other animal is there on this earth that even comes close to challenging "the dog" for its loyalty, affection, intelligence, and goddam loveability. (< Is that a word?)

In our house, there's two full time working parents, and 4 kids (and Shane a 4 year old poodle/retriever cross)

Shane will signal to the rest of the house when he hears my van (or herself in the car) approaching the house - lane (it's 90m long by the way, yep long but if it was any shorter it wouldn't reach the house)

He'll loyally wait on either of us when we take him on a walk to the local shop, won't budge an inch from the place we will "command" him to sit and stay (yeah we loop his lead to a bollard whilst in there, but he won't budge an inch without our say so)

He will alert us if someone's at the door, and he'll bark with excitement when we are playing around the house with the kids (eager to join in)

He knows when I'm down (after receiving news of a death of a loved one recently) he just sauntered into the room where I sat, sat at my feet, placed a paw on my ankle and whimpered slightly as if to say he shared my pain.

He will also "guard" each of my kids enthusiastically while they are on their bikes/flickers running alongside them barking as if to say "move out of the way"

I'm adamant that he knows every word I say to him.

We have a cat too (he showed up a few years ago and never left) but he's a prick in comparison.

Let's hear your amusing tales of your pets.

Dog/cat/chameleon or an.other.

Do you have a pet, and if so what are its unique qualities or funny tales you want to share with us?

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sk8erboii

What the ?

Wheety

Who looks after the dog while you're both in work?

RWCNT

This was a very touching post. Anyone who takes the piss is a prick. Tired at the minute but will reply with my thoughts about how awesome dogs are later OP, thanks for this thread.

ArchXStanton

The more I learn about people the more I like my dog...

Sums them up for me

nacho libre

I would not be around to type this but for the actions of our family dog. I recently saw a picture of him licking my face when i was about 7 years old:)
That was three years after he saved my life.

discobeaker

My cousin's dog started going crazy last night at 4am and barking at the front door. Turns out 3 little pricks were trying to rob her car. The car would have been long gone if it wasn't for "the dog"

Personally,my dog,was a little life saver. After my dad died,I got into a deep depression,my wife bought me a King Charles Spaniel to try to help bring me out of my depression.

From day one,myself and my doggie have been best mates. He is currently sound asleep beside me with his head on my pillow,snoring his head off. I am so thankful to have the little guy in my life.

SmartinMartin

discobeaker wrote: »

My cousin's dog started going crazy last night at 4am and barking at the front door. Turns out 3 little pricks were trying to rob her car

Your cousin's dog can drive?
Brings a whole new meaning to 'dog licence'.

poisonated

I don’t have any dogs myself but I love dogs. My sister in law has 2 as emotional support animals and they mean the world to her.

Noodles81

My dog is my rock. She is so emotionally tuned into me and my husband. She listens to everything we say and knows when it's about her too. She is so intelligent and patient. She has the best sense of humour and we get great craic out of her.
She is ever so attentive when we are ill and won't ask for a walk if I'm not up to it. She knows where her treats are and reminds us if we forget to give her some. She sleeps beside us in her bed with her teddy and likes to get tucked in before we put out the lights. I find her presence very relaxing and her little breathing noises soothes me if I wake up. Dogs are definitely the best thing ever. If I won the lotto, I'd have about 50 of them!!

Church on Tuesday

Ben, our now sadly recently deceased black Lab who died of old age, used to break up 'fights' between myself and my brother.

We would pretend fight and he'd come between the both of us to break it up. Remarkable, it's like he didn't want to see any violence between us.

He was a deadly guard dog too and not a dog I'd like to have cross paths with in his prime.

arybvtcw0eolkf

How I feel about dogs, and what my two mean to me are beyond any words I could commit to boards.ie

I've two, Richo my pitbull and constant companion (he's snoring his head off beside me now) and Ruby my Staffordshire Bull Terrier (she's still in my bed, she's a lazy whore).. I'd best give an honorable mention to my cat 'Kitler (she's the funniest cat ever).

What can I say, I love dogs. I can't pass a dog on the street without wanting to pet it, or if its in a car beside me I'm doing stupid sh*t to try get its attention. I couldn't imagine the world without dogs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ubwv1UsMCt4

My two are rescues.

I don't care for the breed of dog, they're all the same to me ~ except for the bull breeds, they're the sweetest most gentle dogs ever.

I hadn't intended on getting a Pitbull, but my sis in law was volunteering in Ashtown dogs pound. This kip is like the Auschwitz of dog pounds.

She rang me one day to say they had a ten week old Pitbull who was about to be put to sleep later on that day simply because of his breed. I told her to hide him and that I was getting into my car and coming over immediately to take him home, and an hour later my best friend in the world was safely curled up on my settee.

My Staffy came from another source. She was about to be PTS simply because she was the runt of a litter, so I took her.

Kitler my cat was a rescue from my Vets surgery, but he's a greawt guy and has a no PTS policy.

super_furry

Had a cat as a kid, a big black tomcat called Fluffy who hated everything and everyone apart from me and my Dad. Fluffy loved fighting - cats, dogs, bigger dogs, didn't matter, he'd take them all on and was always covered in cuts and scrapes.

It was weird though he was hugely affectionate to me and my Dad and turn into a super-affectionate kitten when we around. He eventually picked a fight too many and was killed by a rottweiler who had somehow found it's way into our garden - but not before taking an eye.

The prick of a dog owner had a cheek to come looking for money too.

Bigbagofcans

Johnny Dogs wrote: »

We have a cat too (he showed up a few years ago and never left) but he's a prick in comparison.

Why do some people have to feel the need to criticise cats so as to put their point across about dogs? No need to compare.

Rootsblower

Read then re-read

http://dogpage.mcf.com/misc/TributeToTheDog.html

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

gmisk

Wilbur the french bulldog.
He is just the best fella in the world.

He loves hopping up beside you on sofa with one paw always on your lap.

He hops up on the foot stool to stare at you if he isn't getting enough attention.

He loves clambering on your lap even though he is a bit big for it now.

He has a quick howl at the front door before bed just to let people know he is here and protecting us.

He also runs into any room with a hairdryer on and shakes himself as he thinks he is wet, while waiting on his turn with the hairdryer.

I could continue on and on believe me but that's enough for now

He is fantastic and makes my life so much richer.

Sonics2k

Bigbagofcans wrote: »

Why do some people have to feel the need to criticise cats so as to put their point across about dogs? No need to compare.

Probably because cats are pricks compared to dogs. They're not actually pricks, but dogs are just the best.

Bigbagofcans

Sonics2k wrote: »

Probably because cats are pricks compared to dogs. They're not actually pricks, but dogs are just the best.

Comparison is the thief of joy.

Ariadne

I love my cat more than most people in my life. I love having him around me, even if he's just napping near me, hearing his little snores and sighs. He likes to be close by and he sleeps between my legs at night. Sometimes he wakes me because he wants a cuddle and he curls up in my arms. When I'm sad there's nothing better than having him curl up on my lap and purr, he drools when he's that happy. Seeing him sitting sunbathing in the garden or just having a nap in the middle of the day, he has the right idea about life. He runs down the stairs when I come home or sometimes he's waiting outside the house for me and I hear his little meow. I have to laugh when he decides to sit on my laptop or on my book or on my puzzle, whatever I'm doing that means I'm not paying attention to him. He gets these little fits of energy and he runs up and down the stairs like a mad thing. He'll be nine next month and I'm hoping that he'll live forever. He has the softest belly and I love to touch his little paws.

EmmetSpiceland

Dogs can be great but poor pet ownership is ruining their image. Whatever about their carbon footprint the inability for dog owners to pick up their dog’s **** is a joke. Or worse still when they fling the bag into a bush so it hangs there for years.

It’s vile. Then you have the tracksuit clad urban legends dragging some vicious pitbull type breed along the footpath on a chain. The dog tries to stop for a dump but the hard chaw won’t stop so it drops logs all along the path.

Just as some breeds shouldn’t be allowed for private ownership some people shouldn’t be allowed own any dogs.

McMurphy

Wheety wrote: »

Who looks after the dog while you're both in work?

We work different times from each other (usually,) I work for myself, and 50% of the time it's from the office at home. But have a childminder for times that these may clash.

There's the odd Sunday where we might go off for a few hours, sometimes he'll come with us, other times he's happy out in his basket.

McMurphy

EmmetSpiceland wrote: »

Dogs can be great but poor pet ownership is ruining their image. Whatever about their carbon footprint the inability for dog owners to pick up their dog’s **** is a joke. Or worse still when they fling the bag into a bush so it hangs there for years.

It’s vile. Then you have the tracksuit clad urban legends dragging some vicious pitbull type breed along the footpath on a chain. The dog tries to stop for a dump but the hard chaw won’t stop so it drops logs all along the path.

Just as some breeds shouldn’t be allowed for private ownership some people shouldn’t be allowed own any dogs.

Years ago more than now, it was common for some folk to just have a dog that was chained or tied up to a homemade dog box/kennel.

These people rarely interacted with the dogs, save to pick up it's crap when they could be bothered, and feed/water the poor thing.

In that sense, dogs aren't pets, they're prisoners.

And the owners are dicks.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Johnny Dogs wrote: »

We work different times from each other (usually,) I work for myself, and 50% of the time it's from the office at home. But have a childminder for times that these may clash.

There's the odd Sunday where we might go off for a few hours, sometimes he'll come with us, other times he's happy out in his basket.

Some dogs are happy enough to chill out alone.

My two are so different when it comes to exercise. My Staffy Ruby simply doesn't ever want to leave the house, the poor girl as anxiety issues and poor re call. Those issues meant that she never got the chance to socialize with other dogs, she's terrified of almost everything.

My other dog Richo is a bundle of energy and wild horses won't hold him back or keep him down so he's walked in the morning and evening, we have great chats so its never a bother.

When I have him out Ruby is content to lie on the settee looking at an animal show on TV (I kid you not, she loves them).

When they're alone in the house I leave all the doors open for them to have a free house to explore.

Badly Drunk Boy

My 9 year old niece (who likes dogs, and has 2 of them) was bitten by a dog a few weeks ago. She wasn't doing anything to antagonise it, although the dog wouldn't have known her well. The owner refuses to believe that it bit her, even though she had to go to hospital, had a tetanus shot, and has a big bite mark on her arm.

I'm sure it was only being playful, though... :rolleyes:

Lorelli!

One of my nicest childhood memories is when I got my first dog.

My parents got him for me because id fallen out with my friends at the time and I was a bit down over it. I remember playing out in the back garden with him and i sat down for a minute and he came over, lay his head on my knees and fell straight to sleep. My dad was there and I said to him 'awh did you see that?" and my dad winked at me and said 'see lorelli, he'll never let you down'

My oh surprised us last year by getting a new pet dog. They're not the same breed but I actually think he looks alot like my first one. I found myself calling him by my first dog's name a couple times without thinking even though he's gone nearly 20 years!

LCD

My dog never gets up to greet us, never seems excited to see us. He gets excited twice a day before his morning walk & before his evening walk. In his extremely excited state pre-walk he has knocked over our 16month old on a number of occasions. He wines & moans in the car unless he gets to sit in the front passenger seat. It is extremely dangerous when he sits in the front passenger seat as he likes to jump onto the driver or sniff the pedals.

He is a fussy eater, you find a brand he loves then he'll just refuse to eat it one day & then you have to dump it & get a new one. He is not affectionate preferring his bed on the other end of the couch to you. He hates our 16month old (she adores him) however he has noticeably gained weight since we started letting her feed herself (he hangs around the high chair & she feeds him).

But he is "The Dog" & we love him & would never change him

Junkyard Tom

I kinda feel sorry for dogs they've been so enslaved by us humans. A friend of mine has a dog and it's desperately needy -- if it could, it would climb inside his body and look out through his mouth -- it would be happy if it was his conjoined twin.

Wibbs

Junkyard Tom wrote: »

I kinda feel sorry for dogs they've been so enslaved by us humans.

Depends on the dog and breed involved too. Plus ending up domesticated was a massive advantage for the dog. They've become one of the most common large mammals on the planet and certainly about the most numerous large mammal predators. On the other hand their undomesticated version, the wolf is endangered in most of the territories it inhabits and has been driven extinct in the rest. In evolutionary terms the dog won and they helped us win too.

CalamariFritti

I like dogs. Had a lovely male spaniel and missed him dearly when he was gone. He was a loveable rogue.
Having said that now that he’s gone I’m after realising how dirty an animal they are and I’d be very reluctant to let one into the house again. Between the hair and the slobber and the dirt he’s dragging in and his insistence to try to be with you no matter where you are (Couch. Kitchen, bed even) it’s been pretty horrific in hindsight. And ours wasn’t the worst by far. Some dogs eat their own sh1t ffs.
And next you see them slobber sniffy kissy next to their owners face. Ugh.

Don’t get me wrong they’re lovely and a great friend and companion. But if I had a dog again I’d draw certain lines.

Fart

I completely agree, and it always strikes me when I hear it.

However, let's address the elephant in the thread: Who in the blue hell calls their dog "Shane"?