Big Paws Only Dog Forums

Eider spent too much time in the crate yesterday and boy, was he wound up last night!  He went on a terror rampage.  Nothing was safe!  After saying 'no' about 100 times I gave up and let him destroy whatever he could get into since he wasn't ingesting it, just ripping it to shreds.  He had a blast in the recycling bins.  Here are the results...

I'd like to see folks put down their thoughts on these two breeds, esp those who may have owned both.  I have had Labs for many years, two Pyrs of my own and one foster, but never a Newfie.  The more I see and hear of the Newfies on here, the more interested I am.  We have a breeder not far from here so I'll also go up and visit if she'll allow it but I'd like to get some input from all who have owned these breeds as to pros and cons.  It may come down to whatever turns up in either breed that seems to be a good fit for us but I'd particularly like to learn more about the Newfies and what to expect.  I LOVE the Lab temperament - never growl at a person, generally avoid conflict with other dogs as well, generally happy to obey and want to please you, generally pretty playful.  I really like the guarding instincts of the Pyr and that he'd be out there all night long keeping his territory safe BUT ours also loved me so much that he was quite protective of me which was difficult when we had visitors.  If he didn't trust them, even if they were just afraid of dogs, he could be rather pushy.  He never bit anyone but he pushed quite a few people and took one person's hand gently in his mouth.  That's a little more than I want.  I like a good bark and my Labs sure provide plenty of that, but I also want the tail to get going right along with the bark.  I had not really considered a Newfie for a next dog but after the posting of Obi, I'm really thinking that it might not be a bad fit for us.  Anyway, just hoping ya'll can put your thoughts down to help me think through this.  Even if it isn't Obi, I'd really like to start trying to figure out where to go next.  Piper has really taken a turn for the worse the last few days and I didn't want to get another dog before she passed on but it looks like the time will come quicker than I expected.  You never expect it.  I mean, you know it is coming closer but when it comes, you didn't expect that it would be here so soon.

Eider man was in rare form last night.  I've been having a great deal of difficulty breathing lately so I haven't been able to get out and excercise him like I ought.  As a result he's finding all sorts of trouble around the house!  Last night was too cute though.  I'd finally had enough energy to fold laundry so one basket if full of folded stuff, leaving the other completely empty.  Like a cat with a box, an empty basket MUST be explored!

I got an e-mail this morning about a puppy mill going up in our area. What is it about dogs that makes us think they are different than cows? Why is it ok for milk cows to be stuck in barns, never moving out of their stall, often laying on concrete, pushed for production and eaten when they no longer can produce but it is not ok for this for dogs? Don't get me wrong, I'm absolutely horrified at this situation. I'm just trying to understand myself as to why I feel this way and what arguments I can make to the town council that is looking at this proposition. First in my mind is the socialization issue. They're pumping these pups into home situations but the pups have not had any socialization. Realistically, this is a consumer problem. If people would stop buying pup from such sources, there would not be such a ready market. I guess I'm just a bit stumped as to how to go about arguing it and also trying to get to the bottom of my own ideas about why dogs are different. That said, I'm not sure how much I feel dogs are different. I buy my milk at a farm where the cows have mats to sleep on, where they go outside to a lovely pasture on nice days (not into a mud pit). When I was raising ducks for profit, they were cared for as humanely as possible and there were people I would not sell to knowing the lack of care they would give the ducks. I guess though with dogs I still have that above and beyond relationship that is a little different yet than with other animals. I'm still not sure how realistic that is or why I feel others should live up to my standards. Help me out here folks! I need sound arguments, not just feelings.

Here are some of the details:
On February 28, the Zoning Board of Appeals in the township of Milo—
located in Penn Yan, New York—is scheduled to decide whether
resident Lavern Zimmerman will be allowed to build a pole barn to
house 150 "breeding stock" dogs. According to a citizen who attended
a previous hearing regarding the proposed facility: "They will be
breeding small dogs (Yorkshire terriers, shih tzus, etc.) in order
to sell the puppies to pet stores. The females will be bred at about
1 year old, 1 to 2 times a year, sometimes without a heat between
breeding, until they are too old for that purpose. Then they will be
euthanized. The males will also be euthanized after they are too old
for breeding. The dogs will be kept inside this metal pole barn at
all times. USDA regulations state that they only have to keep the
building at 50 degrees in the winter, and under 85 degrees in the
summer. All feces, refuse, and carcasses will be put on an outside
compost heap."

Here's the info, link below, I can get contact for anyone close enough to help:

He is in Northwest Oklahoma....ve ry close to SW Kansas a couple of hours from the Tx panhandle

Im still needing a new home for our dog. He is a Great
Pyrenees/Anatolian shepherd. He is about 10-11months old. He is house
broke, current on shots with tag, great with other dogs and small
children. He had a new home for about two months and came back to me
because of reasons not of the dogs fault. We are expecting our third
baby soon and if we dont find him a new home soon, my husband is going
to take him to the pound. The pound already informed me that they are
too full right now and if they took him in, he would be put down right
away. I really dont want that to happen to such a wonderful dog.
Someone please contact me if you can either take him or at least find
him a foster home.
Thanks
Nikki

P.S. There is no adoption fee, he is free to a good home.

http://homesteadingtoday.com/vb/showthread.php?p=1218860#post1218860