Not quite how I planned my day to end up

So been working on the whole christmas thing and last night I talked to my folks. They lost their schnauzer this summer and I've been giving the recovery time but my dad finally said he missed his buddy and was ready for another. Well schnauzers aren't falling out of the woodwork these days but I said I'd keep a look out. Well the wife and I were out running errands this morning and decided to stop in at a place she used to work, nice little puppy shop, no puppy mill stuff, just a place for breeders to showcase their pups for people to find in one spot.

Some background, we have 4 dogs, 2 of which are for lack of a better term, on their last legs. They are really just hanging on for us right now and Im just trying to make it through the holidays before the inevitable. We've had discussions about our next dog, Wife wants a big dog, Yellow Lab or Bulldog. I'd like another chiuahua to go with our male (one of the healthy ones)

So the puppy place didnt have any schnauzers but I caught my wife hanging out at another puppy bin (while I was looking at the chiuahuas)

I hate to say I lost the battle, but she had me at "woof"

Shes a standard bulldog, my wife has named her Phoebe. I guess my Christmas shopping is done at least.

I did end up finding a Schnauzer for my folks too, I'll pick him up on the 23rd.

So right now we have 5 dogs although we are resigned to the fact it will be 3 by the end of January. I was worried the pup would be overwhelmed but she is already owning everyone here. She is completely fearless and built like a little tank.

Oh, wow. What a sweet face!

Margie

You suck man! My wife has been on me to let her adopt an english bulldog, and she just saw this. "He got his wife one!" LOL I keep telling her we need to thin down the herd some not add to it. Current count is 8 dogs and a kitty. May have found the kitty a home today, and if I can find a home for the hound mix, I found (as in picked him up out of the middle of the road on state road in the middle of the country, our vet estimated him at 7 weeks old when I picked him up) in May earlier this year, things will calm down QUITE a bit at home.

And yeah, I can see how you lost the fight at "woof", very nice looking pup. This one whips me almost every time with the same muffled "urf".

This picture wasn't posed, he was sitting like this on his own.

This follows an old family tradition, get the puppy right before you put down the old dog, helps ease the transition. So tell your wife that and see if it still sounds like a good idea.

8 Dogs? Dang, I thought we had it rough with 4 (now 5) but we also have 4 cats and 2 parrots. We've given up on calm, although this little girl seems like a couch potato, just like my sharpei (the other healthy dog) so they may gel.

Right now our min pin (very sick) is in love with her and she with him. They've been alternating between playing (the min pin hasnt walked in 4 months and now he's playing with a puppy, go figger) and sleeping together.

Spinout007 wrote: And yeah, I can see how you lost the fight at "woof", very nice looking pup. This one whips me almost every time with the same muffled "urf". This picture wasn't posed, he was sitting like this on his own.

Yeah, there's just no denying that face :)

We've got two that are getting up there in years, one is starting to experience bladder control problems, and one is developing "highly selective hearing" of coarse the second one is a husky and has always had a mind of her own, they're both about the same age, I had the husky before my wife and I got together and she had the old man long before. I sincerely feel for you guys and knowing what's coming, it helps, but you still gotta deal with the hurt, we've gotten to where we take TONS of pictures of our "kids", so we'll always remember them. My wife is dreading what's to come, but as long as the old man is willing to jump and play and have a good life with the other pups I'm willing to put up with the bladder issues.

In reply to Spinout007:

Our 2 "old men" have always been sick. The German Shepherd is now 13 and his back end has failed him. Cant control the legs or um...other orafices. He has EPI which means his pancreas doesn't make enzymes to digest food and he's allergic to well...everything, we moved out of our last house because he was allergic to cedar, which the house was sided in.

The min pin is diabetic and now blind and has cushings which in the last 6 months has destroyed all his muscle tissue, he looks like a walking skeleton (except he cant walk due to the lack of muscle tissue)

Its hard but I just have to look at their quality of life and realize they are both in pain and hope we are doing right by them. The min pin has spent so much time at the vet that everyone in the office wells up with tears knowing his time is near, they are all as attached to him as we are.

We've given up on carpet, hard surfaces that can be mopped, its the best we can do. Im almost embarrassed to have visitors because of how the place can smell some days but we do the best we can. They all drive me nuts but I couldnt imagine my life without them either.

And my wife is a huge photo buff,we have literally hundereds of photos of all of them, good to remember some of the better days.

Dogs are our 4 legged children, except they are never nasty, always love us, and don't care if we are not perfect.

Yes they are! especially when I'm fighting the old man for the heating pad in bed....

Yeah, I've gotta agree. They are my kids, no matter how crappy the day gets, I can come home and they are sincerely happy to see me. I've got a chi mix that we rescued from a puppy mill a few years back that will literally try to lick your face off! You can be screaming your head off, and he's still trying to lick you, and he steal's the heating pad according to my wife. yeah I finally convinced my wife to create her own handle!!! And then the husky that yells at me when I walk in the door, AAAARRRROOOOWOOWOOOWOOOO translation "where the #$%$#% have you been so long? can we go for a walk now?" BTW she's taught the above pictured Boston how to howl as well, there's nothing as funny as listening to a Boston Terrier try to howl along with a Husky.

this is bandit and he approves this thread.

hes my son, and Im his daddy. the funny thing is he views me as direct competition for the attention of my wife, and sadly, I am constanly finishing 2nd . And the howl thing is the greatest. Theres certain commercials he hates, and he lets us know it. The funniest thing is that he howls to the theme song to Star Trek, the Next Generation. thats a solid minute of howling right there. Hilarious. And when its over, he knows hes being a ham. He will look right at me and smile like " I know I sing better than the TV daddy, you dont have to tell me".

BD (Black Dog) is my daughter. The Aussie is my idiot purebred boy. We just added dog #3: Sammy is a Lab-thing. This makes 3 dogs that are all around 9 years of age. All are rescues from local shelters.

We used to have a husky/shepherd mix that we could get to howl in a group/family kind of thing. That was very cool.

4cylndrfury wrote: this is bandit and he approves this thread.

Those eye's are cool!

Well, little bit is settling in well, she's pretty fearless and has everyone else catering to her will. She has her own kennel (all our smaller dogs get kennels to be their "safe place" and sleeping quarters) but she's not good at sleeping alone yet. But she and the min pin are sharing his kennel, he loves the company and its the first time we've had a puppy and been able to sleep through the night because she's so happy to be with him.

I got a pic of my parents new pup too, I'll pick him up on the 22nd and take him to their house for Christmas. Dad has already named him, their first Schnauzer was named Angel. The next one was Archie (short for Arch Angel) so this next one is Gabriel. I guess its good to have a theme.

Grtechguy wrote:

4cylndrfury wrote: this is bandit and he approves this thread.

Those eye's are cool!

Those eyes say to me "I cant belive I must go thru this life as a dog"

AWWW PUPPIES!

Um...I mean...very cute dogs.

My daughter is banned from this post. She has been asking for a standard bulldog or french bulldog for quite some time. I have sternly been reminding her how we have a dog and two cats and can't handle a dog right now. If she saw that picture, she would never let it go.

(Trouble is, I want one worse than she does. I have run into bulldog puppies 5 times in the past few months and each one is better than the last. You people are NOT helping!)

FYI for your daughter, French bulldogs are terrible with other pets. That was our "compromise" dog, because I wanted to keep the dogs smaller. But after research and talking to owners they would have been terrible in our multi-dog/cat house. They are cute as heck though.

Just show her the ads for what some high end breeders want (upwards of 3000 bux, and no I didnt spend that) and tell her when she saves up the money you can talk :)

Now...since you want one (daughter is out of the thread right?) The standard is a great fit. She wants to play with everyone and is just a little comedian. Took her for her first vet visit tonite and the whole place let out a collective "awww" when she came in. She was just the little clown for all.

Of course being that cute takes alot out of her