<p>If anyone is wondering, Moose is recovering wonderfully and he has a potential adopter. They’re going through the last stages of screening and he’ll be on his way shortly.</p>
<p>I love big dogs but their short lifespans are so heartbreaking :(</p>
<p>Yes, it is. It also makes me wary. Larger dogs are more prone to bloat (which freaks me out because it can just sneak up on you) and hip problems. I’m not sure I would know what to do. The last thing I’d want is to not provide the best care for my dog.</p>
<p>Our largest dog, 100+ lb, lived a decade. The best thing you can do is adopt a mutt. They tend to live longer than purebreds.</p>
<p>There are wonderful dog treatments for hip problems and ramps for mobility.</p>
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<p>I agree! One of our best dogs was a 100+ lb Shepherd/St. Bernard mix. He was also the healthiest. He lived to 15 1/2 years. Our purebred 130+ lb. St. Bernard lived only to about 8 1/2 years old. As much as I love the big dogs, we are downsizing now. We just had a 30 lb. corgi/lab mix who was awesome and are about to adopt a 38 lb. Bassador (Basset hound/lab mix).</p>
<p>We are planning to get Dalmatian puppies next year. I have always wanted them, since I was a little girl, but my parents weren’t into large dogs. We are going to name them Pongo and Perdy and I don’t even care how ridiculous that might be. 
I grew up with an affenpinscher, and though I loved him dearly I am looking forward to having more playful pets. </p>
<p>My affenpinscher was purebred and the runt of the litter, and he lived to be almost 15. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a purebred or a mutt so long as the particular breed mixture is suited for my family and I was aware and prepared for the typical health problems for that breed. I think the dalmatians from the breeder will be a one time indulgence and all future dogs will be shelter dogs. I worked in a shelter for years and there are so many dogs I would have brought home if I could have…</p>
<p>If you’re in the U.S., wouldn’t that make him an Ambassador? Pretty highfalutin, eh? ;)</p>
<p>I’m loving reading all your posts! I have a teensy little Boston Terrier who THINKS she’s a big dog…fortunately she can’t counter surf, but she’d surely like to ;)</p>
<p>Pongo and Perdy sounds fine. When we got our first dog, my kid, a toddler wanted name him with all consonants. It took some negotiation to put in a couple vowels.</p>
<p>I lost my Boston Terrier to cancer in May. He was 14. Last week, I adopted a 2-3 yr. old pit bull mix. She has impeccable house manners, but is dog reactive on the leash. My trainer is recommending training with an electronic collar. We start next week - should be interesting.</p>
<p>[Second</a> Chances Dalmatian Rescue](<a href=“http://www.secondchancesdalrescue.com%5DSecond”>http://www.secondchancesdalrescue.com)</p>
<p><em>Whistles</em> ;)</p>
<p>When we got the giant dog, I wanted to name her Stanley because the wings had just won the cup. I was vetoed and we named her after the chick from Pulp Fiction. How a drug addict beat the coolest trophy ever is beyond me. </p>
<p>I named the next two adopted dogs and apparently I’m not allowed to name my kids as my naming skills are lacking lol</p>
<p>Kitty, my parents are downsizing, too. We have a pit now and that’s the largest they want. I think the next one will be somewhere in the 40 lb range.</p>
<p>Romani-I am familiar with them, but they never answer my emails! I am starting to wonder if they are even active anymore. They never seemed to have puppies anyway, and given their propensity for health and temperament issues I want a known pedigree. I know all the arguments for a shelter dog, and will probably own many shelter dogs in my life, but I want these dalmatians more than anything.</p>
<p>My fiance told me pets were a dealbreaker for him shortly before we moved in together! Thank goodness I’ve made a convert out of him. He is really excited to get these doggies now, too. We seriously considered getting a cat last month but it turns out my dad is so allergic he wouldn’t be able to visit anymore if we got one, and we were both so sad. 
But all the better for the dalmatians anyway. Truth be told I know my dad will be allergic to the Dals, too, and I haven’t bothered to ask how allergic because I don’t care-- we are getting them. We have given more thought to getting ourselves and our home ready for these dogs than we have for our future children.</p>
<p>I think the best shelter dog I ever met was Chico, a rottweiler/german shepherd mix. He was SO affectionate, he would just lay all over you. I taught him sit, stay, lay, and come within a few minutes, in English and in Spanish (I used to talk to the dogs in spanish to practice for my class when I worked at the shelter!) He was sooo smart and was recovering from surgery. I actually considered not working with the dogs anymore for a while after him because it was so hard to not be able to take him home. But I have my own house now and soon it will be ready for them. :)</p>
<p>Best of luck with the puppies. You are going to have your hands full. I don’t blame you for going with a known breeder with a breed like the Dalmatian. They are surrendered way too often because they require so much exercise, attention and are not the best choice for small children. Too many people don’t research the breed and end up with a dog they can’t handle so I’m glad you have done your research and will be prepared for the challenge.</p>
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<p>Well done!! 
I guess she is an Ambassador. And her personality suits it too! </p>
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<p>Yes, it has been very nice. They can curl up next to you on the sofa. I know some people allow their big dogs on the couch, but we didn’t allow the mix and the purebred Saint was not physically able to get up there (thank goodness!) Plus we had mobility issues with both the large dogs. For the mix, it was only the last week of his life. For the Saint, we had months of having to physically help her. It’s not easy moving 130 lbs. And it was heartbreaking with the Saint seeing her mobility decline because everything else was fine with her.</p>
<p>Lol kitty. The saying in our house is “Where does the 100+ dog lie? Anywhere she wants!” We have always allowed our dogs on the couch. The pit can mostly cuddle with us when SHE allows it (otherwise, she’ll kick us off the couch :p). Somehow though, the pit takes up more room on the bed than the giant dog which was double her size! </p>
<p>At the end, our dog’s hips started giving out. Our house is only one level so it wasn’t bad for her. We got her a ramp to get on the bed and in the car but she would only let my dad lift her for anything. We think she was too proud to let anyone else help her. She would lie in the bathtub a lot towards the end… we think the cold helped relieve some of the discomfort.</p>
<p>My sister’s mom had (and bred… CONSTANTLY… ugh) St. Bernards. Beautiful dogs but the mom died around 6 (she was overbred and was so sad to look at for the last year or so of her life). The dad lived to be around 8 but had a lot of health issues at the end.</p>
<p>We are doing the best we can to be prepared. We bought a house with a large backyard and we are having it fully fenced, and my fianc</p>
<p>Sabadog is now 19 months old and we are thinking of adding a sibling for him. H and I will be putting in an application through a Lab rescue organization and I know they work hard to help you find the right dog for your family. That said, does anyone here have any recommendations for the best way to introduce a new dog to the family? Sabadog is very high energy, loves to play, loves other dogs but I want to prepare him for welcoming his sibling. I’m sure someone here has experience with this!</p>
<p>Bumping this thread, because after looking for a dog to join our family after our 16 yr old lab died 3 yrs ago, we finally found one!
Or should I say my youngest D did.
She had been pursuing leads at least as hard as I have been(plus she has faster internet)
Our new dog, a boxer mix was one of her favorites, although I initially dismissed him because I thought he would be too large.
However, after considering other dogs which had frankly more issues than I wanted to take on, I went to see him at the local shelter.
He has just turned one, and was apparently relinquished because his family underestimated the time/money/ energy that a young dog & a new baby demand.
But since we had our lab from a puppy & had young kids at the same time, I am very aware of what I am getting into.
Of course, last time we had a dog this age was 20 years ago, when * everyone* was younger. :)( & I had an 8 lb calico who helped to raise the girls & teach our new pup, what’s what! )
But he is very good, he doesnt jump, he pulls just a bit and he only barks as an alert.
( with a bit of a howl, so I think he is a boxer/ beagle mix)
We’ve had him for almost 5 days & half of that was spent camping in the North Cascades, which went very well. He absolutely was ecstatic about playing in the river, which we barely let him do since we werent really set up for it- plus the Skagit is a fairly swift river.</p>
<p>Ive been reading dog books to decide which route on training I want to take, and checking out doggy daycares, because he is a chewer & I need to resume my 4 x a weeks swimming schedule ( I had a knee replacement,3 months ago)</p>
<p>I have to hand it to my kids, they were both encouraging me to get a dog ( the oldest- through the youngest I think) although I was dragging my feet even though I wanted one.
Mainly because of the time/ energy/ money required;)
But already he has kept me so busy that I had no choice but to get out of my slump and both H and I are really looking forward to introducing him to the local flora & fauna.
:D</p>
<p>Emeraldkity4, this is great to read. I, too, just recently adopted a dog. My 14 yr. old Boston Terrier died in May. I adopted a 2 yr. old pit bull mix in July. She is wonderful with people and very well behaved, but is a little too dog/cat reactive for my tastes. I’m working with a trainer and have seen a lot of progress. We are using the e-collar with her.</p>
<p>That is wonderful, EK. Boxers are hands-down the funniest dog breed IMO. They LOVE LOVE LOVE to make their human parents laugh. Congrats on your newest edition!</p>
<p>cartera, that is wonderful. Pits are the most euthanized breed so it always warms my heart to hear of pittie adoptions. FWIW, my pit is now 6 and still terrified of cats. We’ve tried working with trainers to get her to be comfortable with cats and it just never happened. Dogs she loves though (except my sister’s rat dog that always attacks her ankles). Good luck :)</p>