Belle
Growing up, I enjoyed the companionship and love of my 2 dogs Punky and Cuddles. My mother has also had her childhood memories enriched with the memory of her little Dandy and as a young adult, Tuffy who was around when I was born. Now I would like my daughter to have the same experiences. I do believe you learn and grow from loving an animal during childhood. They are your best friends. They are there to cuddle you when you cry, keep your secrets and play with you when everyone else is too busy to play.
Finally I talked my mother into getting a dog for Teague. However my mother was very specific about the type of dog we were going to adopt. It had to be a female, it had to be a puppy (so we could bond with it and train it properly to our needs), no purebred, and she had to be a small dog. My mother's first dog Dandy was a fox terrier/Chihuahua mix. And her other beloved dog, Tuffy was a Cockapoo. Since my mother had such fond memories of those dogs, she wanted something along those lines.
So we went to our local shelter and they had nothing to come close to any of our requirements. Not to mention we just didn't feel a connection with any of them. Next we tried PetSmart during one of their adoption days. Again, nothing that really connected. Finally we tried Pet Orphans of Southern California in the Valley. There we found her. She met the requirement of being a mutt, a female and a puppy. But she was NOT a small dog. The shelter named her Belle. She is a German Shepard mix. No clue as to what kind of dog the father was but we were able to see her mother. And she is a MONSTER of a dog. Just huge. But you could tell she was so gentle and had the sweetest disposition. She was not pure German Shepard and you could tell she had been thru some hard times as one of her ears was slip.
Belle is the runt of the litter. And not as pretty as her brothers and sister. But she pulled all three of our heart strings. She was so calm and well behaved. We had some time with her alone. When the attendant came back she suddenly barked and got pretty protective of us. We asked if this was normal, her barking at anyone who passed by. The attendant said no, she had never seen this behavior in Belle before with anyone. While the barking will have to be corrected, it would seem Belle chose us too.
Here is a few pictures of her. She needs to be spayed still before we can take her home, but we can't wait. Also we are waiting to see if we have been approved to adopt her. My mother had a conversation with the lady who decides that. And she REALLY was pushing crate training. It really, really made my mother mad. I don't know if we will be getting Belle.
Now, I understand that crate training has its purpose and may even be a good thing. It all depends on the dog and the living situation. I personally am not a fan of it. And in our case, it really isn't necessary. My mother has a HUGE backyard. And this dog will grow up to be a large dog. Not to say the dog will never be in the house. On the contrary. But she wont need to be in the crate. I just see no purpose in it for us.
When we first visited the shelter we the attendant said that their organization strongly suggested crate training but that it was optional. However, when my mother talked to the lady who makes the decisions, she made it sound as if you didn't crate train your dog, you were not a responsible pet owner. They gave us a dvd to watch which pretty much reiterated that sentiment. That is where I start to get offended.
My mother has had over 50 years with dogs in her life. Not till my early 20s did my last dog die. And having the pleasure of seeing and helping a little in training another puppy until recently. Never ever have we crate trained. And we have had happy healthy and well adjusted dogs.
So, I hope its not contingent to crate training. If we weren't so in love with Belle we would go elsewhere. We may have to. I hope not though.
Finally I talked my mother into getting a dog for Teague. However my mother was very specific about the type of dog we were going to adopt. It had to be a female, it had to be a puppy (so we could bond with it and train it properly to our needs), no purebred, and she had to be a small dog. My mother's first dog Dandy was a fox terrier/Chihuahua mix. And her other beloved dog, Tuffy was a Cockapoo. Since my mother had such fond memories of those dogs, she wanted something along those lines.
So we went to our local shelter and they had nothing to come close to any of our requirements. Not to mention we just didn't feel a connection with any of them. Next we tried PetSmart during one of their adoption days. Again, nothing that really connected. Finally we tried Pet Orphans of Southern California in the Valley. There we found her. She met the requirement of being a mutt, a female and a puppy. But she was NOT a small dog. The shelter named her Belle. She is a German Shepard mix. No clue as to what kind of dog the father was but we were able to see her mother. And she is a MONSTER of a dog. Just huge. But you could tell she was so gentle and had the sweetest disposition. She was not pure German Shepard and you could tell she had been thru some hard times as one of her ears was slip.
Belle is the runt of the litter. And not as pretty as her brothers and sister. But she pulled all three of our heart strings. She was so calm and well behaved. We had some time with her alone. When the attendant came back she suddenly barked and got pretty protective of us. We asked if this was normal, her barking at anyone who passed by. The attendant said no, she had never seen this behavior in Belle before with anyone. While the barking will have to be corrected, it would seem Belle chose us too.
Here is a few pictures of her. She needs to be spayed still before we can take her home, but we can't wait. Also we are waiting to see if we have been approved to adopt her. My mother had a conversation with the lady who decides that. And she REALLY was pushing crate training. It really, really made my mother mad. I don't know if we will be getting Belle.
Now, I understand that crate training has its purpose and may even be a good thing. It all depends on the dog and the living situation. I personally am not a fan of it. And in our case, it really isn't necessary. My mother has a HUGE backyard. And this dog will grow up to be a large dog. Not to say the dog will never be in the house. On the contrary. But she wont need to be in the crate. I just see no purpose in it for us.
When we first visited the shelter we the attendant said that their organization strongly suggested crate training but that it was optional. However, when my mother talked to the lady who makes the decisions, she made it sound as if you didn't crate train your dog, you were not a responsible pet owner. They gave us a dvd to watch which pretty much reiterated that sentiment. That is where I start to get offended.
My mother has had over 50 years with dogs in her life. Not till my early 20s did my last dog die. And having the pleasure of seeing and helping a little in training another puppy until recently. Never ever have we crate trained. And we have had happy healthy and well adjusted dogs.
So, I hope its not contingent to crate training. If we weren't so in love with Belle we would go elsewhere. We may have to. I hope not though.