and the vet chimes in......
 

I hate to tell you this but 99% of the dogs are going to shed unless you get a mexican hairless which are about 1500-2000$. Golden Retrievers shed alot. I deal with golden rescue here in Austin and they love their dogs but spend a great deal everyday just vacuuming. Greyhounds are WONDERFUL. For the most part they are calm, shed a lot less than most dogs and there are plenty that need adoption. If you have small pets (ie cat) be aware that many of these guys were trained to race and just did not make the cut. They were trained to chase small furry things and many will run after and possible kill a small animal-some, not all. We have an animal blood bank at our clinic and 90% of the donors are greyhounds-they are awesome and if I didn't have cats and live in an apartment and didn't work so much I would get one.


I just want to reiterate that you need to make sure your parents are ready for a dog. Though they do not take as much of a commentment as kids they need lots of attention, depending on what breed -lots of exercise and almost any puppy you get will chew things up. Veterinarians are starting to charge more and more for their services unlike the old days where most charged minimally and ended up eating bread and water for their main meals. Thus, you have to make sure they are financially able to care for a pet. I tell people when I see certain breeds for ex. dachshund, start saving up for the back surgery b/c more often then not they will prolapse a disk (avg cost 1500-2000$ in Austin area to correct).

There is pet insurance but some of those companies do not offer very good deals-you must read the fine print.

Good luck with your decision and remember to spay or neuter to prevent pet overpopulation.

No one's got Rottweilers? I have two females at home which I absolutely adore..but they are so expensive and high maintinence, and you have to be really selective about their bloodline and make sure they are AKC, etc...otherwise risk bad temperament, risk of poor genetic lineage, etc. :( Basically they take a lot of research, a lot of space to run around, and a whole lot of dog chow!! But my rotties are the best friends/dogs I could ever imagine...fierce protectors and gentle companions :)

LOL, I never saw anyone spell shi tsu that way! :D

My parents had both a beagle and a lab/beagle mix, both puppies, at the SAME TIME! :eek: I wouldn't recommend that though :)

[QUOTE]Originally posted by PnguinTrax
[B]
They chew and they like to dig.


i can soooo agree w/ that! i have a lab and she chews on everything!!!!!! i am talking everything she is w/in a foot from. she is getting better but from about 3 months until now (7 months) she has chewed on everything. and she's not done yet!!! you have to be really careful with your stuff and corners of end table and beds. they are really good dogs and they are really smart, i would recommend getting one if you can handle the chewing on everything for a while

OMG, get a Greyhound, but don't put dogs in Apartments unless you promise to take them out all the time!!!!

i know small dogs fit better in houses but they are soooooooo annoying!!!

Personally i LOVE german shepherds and Greater Swiss Mountain dogs -- but i dont have 1000+ dollars for one

but if you want a dog that will be rather maintainance free

get a mixed breed!! they are resilient little guys or gals
good ole hybrid vigor

but do your research!! so many breeds have genetic problems

I'm surprised no one's mentioned this. The Waltham company (a company that specializes in pet health and nutrition) has a rather detailed questionnaire on their site that helps you pick the best animal for your living space and temperament.

You can take the quiz at http://www.waltham.com. Since you're looking for a dog, click on "Dogs" and then click "Select A Dog".

I recomend any of you that have a yard or a farm and have a little time to spend with a dog training it as a puppy, you should get a blue heeler (Australian Cattle Dogs) I have one named Dually, and he is absolutely one of the smartest dogs I have ever had. I always wanted a heeler and now I have one. THis year they were recogniced by the AKC as a breed, so thats good. If youve never seen a blue heeler, go to www.blueheeler.com or watch the movie Mad Max. The dog that follows Mel Gibson everywhere is a blue heeler. Ive always had hearding and hunting dogs so thats all I know about.

Are they better than bloodhounds for sniffing out raccoons?

Get Mechanical One, does not shed piss or poop!:D

Turn off and on!:cool:

Lil, they arent nealy as good as my Walker hounds back home on sniffin out a coon, but Dually is hell on groundhogs. He will bury himself in a groundhog hole to get to one. Hes had his face bit up and everything, but he loves to chase em.

I have always been a lab fan, especially of the yellow lab - they do tend to shed and slob a bit but they are the best dogs. They are very friendly, loyal, obedient and fairly easy to train. And as dogs go they are extremely intelligent :)

For the record....
 

The way to spell Shithzu/shi tsu/Shit Soo is SHIH TZU!!

And for goodness sake, don't have it mate with a bulldog!!!:D

I couldn't resist!!

RM

the AKC sucks, they promote crap like ear/tail cropping and inbreeding (well not publicly of course)

i didn't read through all the posts, so i'm not sure if this question has been asked... did you ask your parents if they want a dog. if both kids are out of the house, maybe they just want it to be mom and dad, w/out any add'l responsibilities.

if they vote, "yes", for the dog, i'd get a chocolate lab. they are absolutely beautiful dogs.