I know how you feel about your Lab, @Nrdsb4 - Sabadog died very unexpectedly and rapidly a few months ago at the age of 7. It was just devastating, I felt like I was in a dream, that it couldn’t be happening. Then Sabapup (6 yrs old) got sick with some kind of viral/bacterial illness that sent her liver enzymes off the scale and of course, I was convinced she too was dying and it could have gone either way. She spent a week at the hospital (ka-ching! $$$$) but her enzymes are almost normal now. We had planned to bring a new puppy home prior to the hospitalization and our vet really encouraged us to do so. It’s been really good for Sabapup to have a friend again.
I work about 5 minutes from home. My lunch break has always been spent with my two buddies. I work in a fairly high stress environment and that mid-day break really helps me to reset.
@Nrdsb4 I agree with you about getting a dog. I love dogs but I don’t have the time to care for a dog. If I truly loved a dog, I wouldn’t get one unless it could feel truly loved as well.
I have always had dogs. Right now, we have a nine year old field spaniel. He is very smart and he can be very sweet or very standoffish. I used to have flat coated retrievers. They were completely loveable goofs. The spaniel is our downsized dog. He is much easier to travel with in the car. I think all dogs need to keep their brains busy just like people. I do all sorts of dog sports- barn hunt, nose work, tracking, etc. It really makes a difference. I like a smart dog even if I get out smarted occasionally. I hope I can always have a dog as dogs force me to get outside and think about something besides myself. I understand that people had to go through the pain of losing a dog, but I feel that the joy of a dog greatly outweighs that.
I have a Vizsla Beagle mix. He’s pretty much all Vizsla except the nose is Beagle and he has the most decadently droopy ears. If I do say so myself (and obviously I do), he is the most handsome and personable Vizsla Beagle mix! He takes the nickname “velcro vizsla” very seriously and hates to be away from his people. He and my husband belong to a playgroup of similarly-situated older men and their dogs. They stroll (and chat) almost 365 days a year. He is like a stuffed animal come to life - so pretty and cuddly. If I had one complaint it is that he will not wear boots or neckwear or coats or Halloween costumes, but nobody is perfect.
@Onward I definitely agree with you. I know someone who doesn’t want to get a dog because they can’t handle the pain of losing another dog. I would be sad but can go through the process of losing a dog because all the memories I made with that dog would be there for me to hold on to and cherish forever.
My dog (German Shepherd mix) has a heart murmur, we had it checked out at a vet clinic and it is “innocent” which means just incidental and not caused by any conditions and won’t do her harm. I think one of my kids has this too! She’s the best…she’s 5 and in those 5 years, each entry into the house is a moment of joy…you can’t really stay in a bad mood long when you have someone greeting you with such love. I also take long walks with her so she keeps me healthy (mentally, physically) and have also thought about becoming a dog walker since I’m doing it every day anyway! And I agree that for many dogs, this might be the best preventative for behavior problems. She’s the best though, sweet, smart, and the right amount of “scary” about strangers coming to the door…we did have a string of breakins in our neighborhood last summer but I feel quite sure that she is a huge deterrent…yet she doesn’t bark needlessly or incessantly and is pleasant to guests.
My lab is 8, and I used to walk him about 40 minutes a day, but had to cut way back a few months ago. He was lethargic and acting like he didn’t feel well so we took him to the vet. After a bunch of visits and a bunch of tests they finally figured out he has some rare thing called polymyositis. Evidently his immune system was attacking his muscles. He lost 20 lbs in a very short period of time. He lost all the muscle mass in his head, so he kind of has a cone head. They put him on a high dose of prednisone, and are tapering off. He has his energy and appetite back. But lacks the stamina for long walks. I really miss my “walking” friends, and I noticed that I have gained a little weight too. Hoping once he is off the prednisone, we can get back to longer walks.
What do your dogs eat? We used to give mine dog food, but recently we have been preparing food for her: if we eat meat, I will just boil a piece with rice and give her that. She has been really enjoying the food and I don’t need to worry about issues with dog food anymore.
We have a rescue dog. She is a mix of yellow lab, white shepherd, and something small and nervous. That’s her in my avatar. We lived overseas for many years, and told our DD that when we got back the the States, we’d get a dog. DD was almost almost 16 when we finally moved back and were able to fulfill that promise. We got our sweet girl when she was 9 weeks old, and now at 5 years old, she has just as much energy as she did as a puppy. She loves to play catch, go for walks, take car rides (the windows MUST be closed because the noise bothers her), and just be wherever we are. She dislikes helicopters, the big trucks that “steal” out trash every week, and Matthew McConaughey automobile commercials. Is he the trigger or is it Lincolns? We will never know.
We feed Fromm but we tried a new flavor and our dog developed a beard stain for the first time in 8 years. We are trying to figure out if it’s improving now that we went back to his old flavors or not. Hard to tell but it does seem to be growing out white.
My dogs each eat different foods. One eats Fromm (to be honest, he’d eat anything we put in front of him); the other eats Stella & Chewy’s Raw Blend. The Stella & Chewy dog is picky, picky, picky.
When she stopped eating Fromm which she had eaten for a good 6 or 7 years, before I took an 11 year old dog to the vet with the vague symptom of “decreased appetite”, I went to the dog food store and asked them for a small bag of the most delicious tasting kibble they had. The worker handed me the bag of Stella & Chewy; I tried it and she happily ate it - and still does - going on two years now.
Stella & Chewy is quite a bit more expensive than Fromm, so I won’t feed it to both of them, but I love her and she’s still quite happy and healthy for closing in on 14.
I don’t remember what I fed my dog but I remember that she had a favorite snack. I think it might have been beef jerky strips but I can’t say for sure as it was a while ago. We’d usually hide it somewhere in the backyard and she would be tasked with finding it. She was really good at smelling and could find it anywhere. Just talking about her makes me miss her so much. 
I try to balance dog health with human food allergies, so our options make a shorter list. Both dogs eat First Mate. One of the lines is rotational so we alternate between fish, lamb, and chicken. Loved Stella and Chewy’s! We used it as an occasional topper or treat. Had to stop buying it when they changed ingredients that now include an allergen.
Every morning I measure each dog’s daily portion into a mason jar, and we feed throughout the day. I break them up into at least four portions and hand-feed or scatter to slow them down, or feed during a little training session. Their crate meal is a huge kong stuffed with a mix of kibble and single-ingredient pureed baby food (and seriously, one-national-brand, infants do not need cornstarch with their ground turkey, and neither do my dogs!).
Our boy puppy likes dry banana slices for treats. Big sister likes . . . frozen broccoli florets.
I never had a dog as a child and my mom was fearful of dogs. As a result, I was fearful as well. As such, it was not easy for me when my kids and H wanted a dog. Our current family dog is my favorite by far. She’s an Australian labradoodle–only 21 pounds and incredibly smart. My H roasts an organic chicken once a week–he removes the skin and cuts up the meat. The dog gets 2 ounces of chicken a day along with her dry food. She is totally spoiled.
We lost our 12 year old Border Collie in March. He was a wonderful dog. Very calm and loving. He had absolutely no behavioral problems but he had no herding drive. That’s how we got him- he flunked out of herding training. That “flaw” made him the best companion dog ever.
Two days ago we got the puppy in my avatar. She’s a total nut but very smart. She has two speeds, the speed of light and asleep. She’s going to get me in shape for sure.
@LeastComplicated , best wishes for you and your new baby. Aww, so sweet.
Thank you! She’s so much cuter than the photo!
@LeastComplicated What breed is your puppy? It looks extremely cute! 
We were feeding Ollie, but they started losing interest, we just switched to Stella & chewy as well. The Bernese have such a short life span. I’m convinced it’s partly due to the terrible kibble dogs have been fed.
@MoonKnight She is also a border collie! She is our fourth border collie. I just don’t have patience with dumb dogs. She has only had two accidents in the house in three days and is only 8 weeks old. She knows exactly what to do when we go outside. She is also already sleeping through the night in a crate beside my bed.