Il Professore

Did you find an AKC breeder in the area?

we have found several and will be seeing them in a month one after another. the battle is about what breed to pick. it has come down to beagle (me) versus coton du tulear (everyone else).

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:we have found several and will be seeing them in a month one after another. the battle is about what breed to pick. it has come down to beagle (me) versus coton du tulear (everyone else).

The Coton will be a one person dog. Are the girls aware?

one person as in bond to one person only? didn't know that. will have to look into it more. the worry with the beagle according to them is that they are escape artistes and will run away on their own if they pick up a rabbit scent, of which there are plenty in the woods behind the house.

Max,

Please do not buy a dog from a breeder. Most of these dogs come from puppy mills where dogs are kept in a very inhumane conditions. The female dogs are treated a mere breeding machine. They end up getting sick. The puppies you buy from there also many times unhealthy. To support this kind of activity is really cruel. Please look up on the internet about puppy mills.

There are millions of dogs put to sleep in the animal shelters. You can find specific breeds there also. In fact, mutts are healthy ones and live longer. By adopting a dog from animal shelter, you are really saving a life.

Even if the breeder treats his animals humanely, I do not see why you have to spend a lot of money when you can save a puppy from being killed in a shelter.

Btw in each state, there are dog rescue leagues for specific breeds. For example, greyhound rescue league etc.

Please think about it.

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:we have found several and will be seeing them in a month one after another. the battle is about what breed to pick. it has come down to beagle (me) versus coton du tulear (everyone else).

go for the beagle il proffessore. cotton looks very hairy. showering, combing and powdering will be a chore unless one of you is really dedicated. if it is the first dog you are buying, it would be better to buy a low maintainance one and then see if any one in your family is really a dog lover. you can always go for another dog and you will go for one if there is a dog lover in the house.

let's see...

1st pet - birth thru 6th grade. Mutt of golden retriever and alsatian. Dad's patient gave him as a favor. Wild and ferocious dog. He was nice just to dad and me. Dogs are protective to kids who they see as a new born (me). I could get away with anything with him. I would pull his whiskers and tail, pull up his mouth to bare his teeth, push grass straws inside his nostrils to make him sneeze, and even do a back ride on him like a pony. He would have eaten half the arm of anyone else who tried any of that with him. He was very protective of my mom. Any stranger coming within 10 feet of her would get it bad. He hated everyone else in the world. He was also involved in local dogs' gangs and politics, and would come home only if dad or I went to get him. At the time we lived in a highly vulnerable old house in terms of robbery. He was the only reason why nothing ever happened to us. A perfect watchdog. Lived 12 years. Died of cancer.

2nd pet - Cute Alsatian. The only one we 'bought' for 500 rupees. He lived 1 week.

3rd pet - 7th grade thru 1st year. Purebred Wolfhound Alsatian. My cousin got two of them as a gift from his friend, so he gave one to us. Our best pet ever. Very smart. Easy to train. Learned hindi. Very friendly. Was close to me. Would always nestle himself over my feet. Knew to react to my every mood. If i wanted to play, would begin playing. We had this secret 'sneaking' game going on. The moment I entered a room tippy toeing, he would also begin walking with bent legs. Then when we finally faced each other, we would 'compete', with one gently hitting/pawing the others leg until one began backing off. If I went to my terrace and sat alone sad, he would find me and sit next to me. And if I was crying, he would get mildly agitated and tried to comfort me in his own way by putting his paw over my knees. He saw me through my first break up. He lived, I think 8 years. Actually we don't know how long he lived. He was either kidnapped by the dog breeders, or he went away as he suffered from frequent seizures in last one year. People told us that when a dog loves his host family too much, he doesn't want them to see him die. I scouted the whole neighborhood for days to look for him, but no luck. It took me forever to get over him.

4th pet: 2nd-3rd year. Was a female mutt of pointer and dalmatian. Same cousin got it. Most un-trainable dog ever, but with a very calm temperament, and in general very playful. Never ever got angry. But didn't learn anything. She was eventually confined to our terrace, where she would get super excited at any passerby dog or for that matter, any passerby. She became our natural alerter if anyone came close to our gates. I was her only friend, as I walked regularly on the terrace. She loved to sing along whenever I sang. She didn't care how bad I was, she just enjoyed singing along. And she would not eat her food until I went on the terrace to walk. She was taken back to cousin's friend's farm when our 4th pet arrived. My brother had kept her 'safe' from other dogs, so it came as a super surprise when we found out she was pregnant just before she was to leave. I am sure the open farms were her true calling. She could just not be domesticated. I was eventually happy for her.

5th pet: 3rd year - until I left India. Mom's colleague who reared dogs as a side business thrust-ed one to her. A pure breed cocker-spaniel. The cutest dog we ever had. The only dog my mom adored, and I HATED. Hated with all my heart. That dog was forever restless and impatient. Most stubborn and irritating dog ever. If he didn't like to be in a spot or a room, or being tied down, he would relentlessly cry. All afternoon, all day, all night, until you did what he wanted. He was so stuck up, as if he knew how good looking he was and deserved to be treated like a royalty. There were so many afternoons when I could not sleep coz of the mofo. And to take him out for a walk meant to safeguard him against bigger dogs, and there too, his highness thought of himself as a WWF champion. Instead of running away or staying quiet, he would somehow sneak out of our hands, and attack the bigger dogs he hated. So even if the bigger dogs were contained by their 'masters', they would attack in defense. Argh, I was so glad when they gave him away soon after I left the country and my bro got a german sheperd, who has been with them for last 12 years now.

*phew*

Vidya Bagchi wrote:1st pet - birth thru 6th grade. Mutt of golden retriever and alsatian. Dad's patient gave him as a favor. Wild and ferocious dog. He was nice just to dad and me. Dogs are protective to kids who they see as a new born (me). I could get away with anything with him. I would pull his whiskers and tail, pull up his mouth to bare his teeth, push grass straws inside his nostrils to make him sneeze, and even do a back ride on him like a pony. He would have eaten half the arm of anyone else who tried any of that with him. He was very protective of my mom. Any stranger coming within 10 feet of her would get it bad. He hated everyone else in the world. He was also involved in local dogs' gangs and politics, and would come home only if dad or I went to get him. At the time we lived in a highly vulnerable old house in terms of robbery. He was the only reason why nothing ever happened to us. A perfect watchdog. Lived 12 years. Died of cancer.*phew*

sounds like me. oh, scratch that. sounds like vee.

i grew up with dogs but i am not a dog lover (nor a dog hater -- neutral guy). my dad loved dogs. so did my mom. so does my sis. so does my older. the older will let the dog lick his face and then forget to wash his face till scolded by my wife. at the older's behest we also have two aquariums in the house and have kept birds too (they died). we now have 4 dogs, all different breeds, between my sis and me in our house (we live together).

Hellsangel wrote:

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:we have found several and will be seeing them in a month one after another. the battle is about what breed to pick. it has come down to beagle (me) versus coton du tulear (everyone else).

The Coton will be a one person dog. Are the girls aware?

hahaha @"the girls." socutena!

Jeremiah Mburuburu wrote:socutena!

skiki no esperanto.

Huzefa Kapasi wrote:

Jeremiah Mburuburu wrote:socutena!

skiki no esperanto.

You see, Fake Dad speaks with forked tongue when other people's kids are mentioned.

Rishi wrote:Max,

Please do not buy a dog from a breeder. Most of these dogs come from puppy mills where dogs are kept in a very inhumane conditions. The female dogs are treated a mere breeding machine. They end up getting sick. The puppies you buy from there also many times unhealthy. To support this kind of activity is really cruel. Please look up on the internet about puppy mills.

There are millions of dogs put to sleep in the animal shelters. You can find specific breeds there also. In fact, mutts are healthy ones and live longer. By adopting a dog from animal shelter, you are really saving a life.

Even if the breeder treats his animals humanely, I do not see why you have to spend a lot of money when you can save a puppy from being killed in a shelter.

Btw in each state, there are dog rescue leagues for specific breeds. For example, greyhound rescue league etc.

Please think about it.

good advice and we had certainly thought of going to a dog shelter. we are a bit squeamish about bringing home a dog whose medical history we know nothing about, but we are thinking about it. as for breeders, we are only considering humane breeders that our friends know.

What's the going rate for the two breeds? Cotons are not cheap.

beagle ~ $900, coton - $2000

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:beagle ~ $900, coton - $2000

I hope TAZ saw this.

Hellsangel wrote:

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:beagle ~ $900, coton - $2000

I hope TAZ saw this.

if you want to look at this in purely monetary terms, cotons are long lived if looked after well and suffer very few genetically inherited diseases. 15 to 20 years. beagles have a shorter life span.

Cotons have 3 pluses in my book:
No shedding
No smell
No known genetic diseases

Also they are a very happy breed.

is this a coton? they look unbearably cute for a dog. i like majestic dogs. isis in DA is my kind of dog.

bw wrote:
is this a coton? they look unbearably cute for a dog. i like majestic dogs. isis in DA is my kind of dog.

A yellow lab. They trust anyone and everyone.

bw wrote:

is this a coton? they look unbearably cute for a dog. i like majestic dogs. isis in DA is my kind of dog.

yeah that's my problem too. i like big dogs, but have agreed to a midsized dog. hence the obsession with a beagle. i like their clean cut look and apparently gentle disposition.

like this guy:



and the puppies are just incredibly cute: