Time for a new dog

[gsganzer]

I finally think I'm ready to look for a new dog. I had to put my old yellow lab, Dually, down back in July. We had a wonderful 14.5 years together and he was a great companion in every sense. Dually considered everyone in the neighborhood his "family" and he had a daily ritual to visit each one. I had casually mentioned to a neighbor that the time had come to put him down in the coming days. To my surprise, for a solid day, I had a steady stream of neighbors coming by to visit him and tell stories about his life. Each said he was like their family dog and held a special place in their lives.

One of the stories was pretty funny. Dually was real protective of all the neighbor kids and could usually be found close to where they were playing. We have a neighbor that has two Rottweiler's in a fenced yard. These are some mean, snarling, spit flying dogs if you get too close to their fence. One day the neighbor boy ran close to the fence retrieving a ball and those Rott's came to the fence in full teeth gnashing mode. Dually, who was a pretty big lab at 100lbs saw this and ran to protect the kid. Dually had puffed himself up to twice his size with hair bristling and teeth bared, he got between the kid and the dogs and gave it back to them full force. In the animal world, size matters, so finally the Rott's turned and ran off. Dually, feeling triumphant about warding off the threat and protecting his property, then walked over to the little boy, hiked it and pee'd down the boys pant leg. Solidifying to those dogs that he considered the boy his.

Anyway, I miss my buddy, so I had to delve down memory lane for a bit. It's amazing how much you can grieve a pet. Sooo... I'm ready for a new dog and I think I'm most interested in getting a Black Mouthed Cur puppy. From the one's I've met, they seem like really smart loyal dogs that can learn to do a multitude of things if properly trained. I think one would fit perfectly with our lifestyle. I'm starting to look for breeders and see if I can find any litters coming up.

Anyone else have a cur or know any breeders in North or East TX?

Black Mouthed Cur

 

[Gem99ultra]

gsganzer, thanks for your post. Memory lane is often painful. And we share your pain.

Both of my little doggies are approaching 14. And just the thought of losing either or both of them is very sad. One can only enjoy the time we have with them. And it appears that your certainly did.

 

[dickfoster]

I know how tough it is to lose a dog. You might want to try Petfinder to see if you can find a good match. I've had good success with it.
Celebrating 2 Years of Pet Adoption - Petfinder

Put in the breed, ***, age, area and distance you're willing to travel etc. and see what happens. A little patience and rechecking helps to get just exactly what you're looking for. You'll typically save a lot of money over going the breeder route. I got a 5 month old pure bred puppy for $400 and that included all the vet stuff, shots and chipping etc. I had to pay twice the normal rate because he was a pure breed but that was less than half what a breeder would have charged without all the vet stuff and chipping. We couldn't be any happier with the dog we have.

 

[vlcakc]

Labs are hard to top. When our Black Lab died during surgery 4 years ago, we replaced her with another breed. The replacement is a great dog, but we still miss the lab! Vic

 

[Threepoint]

gsganzer, can't help on that particular breed, but that's a great story about Dually! Thanks for sharing it. Sorry about your loss. Probably most of us know from personal experience how you feel, and how deep the grief can be. Those critters really get into your heart.

Not just dogs. Wife and I had to say goodbye this past week to our little tabby cat that we got as a stray over 21 yrs ago!

 

[dickfoster]

Meet Dakota, a Petfinder adoptable Black Labrador Retriever Dog | Denton, TX
He's not a pure breed but looks mostly black lab. A young male puppy. Figured you'd be looking for another male dog and young but there are lots of females out there too. Right there in Denton too.

Never mind I see you had a yellow lab guess I was thrown off by another post and looked for a black.

Here's a yellow but it's two years old and a little further away in either Tyler or Carthage.
Meet A-Hank, a Petfinder adoptable Yellow Labrador Retriever Dog | Tyler, TX

 

[skipperbrown]

I recommend you start here Home Page and find a breeder who is routinely showing dogs and doing health testing. Your breed is not in the akc but is in the ukc. This means there isn't a lot of interest in the breed and finding a good breeder will require more work on your part. They are high drive dogs that will require a lot of exercise and training. Good luck!

 

[johneic]

Sorry for your loss, since you had a lab a Boykin Spaniel is similar. Here are pics of my Leda and Jazzy, UKC/HRC SHR titled. I am not familiar with the breed you mentioned but these are great home/hunting companions. Leda=21 pounds, Jazzy 32 pounds,

Boykin Spaniel Dog Breed Information - American Kennel Club

I know of at least two breeders in Texas

John

 

[MF283]

I've had Retrievers all my life, a great all around breed, there's one here now that belongs to my son along with his Blue Heeler, then there's the Border/Heeler from my sons dog & daughter's Border Collie along with the Australian Shepherd that she got.
They all seem to belong to the the wife & me being we're with them more than the kids, go figure.
Of all the dogs i've had & been around, this Aussie has stolen my heart big time, acts like a Retriever, loyal, won't knock a toddler over, goes to work daily with me unless he finds the pond before i leave or my daughter demands a day with him, loves wading streams & fishing, everyone else & actually can be turned off with just a single command.
Dually sounds like a dog we've all had, i'm glad you got to spend that time with him, i know your life is better from the experience & the memories will never cease. I catch myself looking at pics of the dogs that have been in my life, laugh, smile, shed a tear as well & i'm 58 years old. We've always had a dog in the retail store where i manage the Flyshop & encourage other's to bring their dogs in & they do, they'll get hugs, treats, pic taken, chase a ball or soft frisbee & a drink of water, how can you not love a dog.
Sorry for the rambling & i hope all the best in your search for your new best friend.

Ronnie

 

[GregbkH]

We got a BMC by accident from a shelter. They said it was a mastiff/ shepherd mix. We eventually found out it was a BMC. This is the best dog I've ever had. Very intelligent and super loyal. I hope you have enough "work" for one to do because these are super energetic dogs. No people or animals will enter his domain without him OKing it. Very good at protecting and patrolling. Will hunt anything also. Here's ours... MF Jones.

 

[GLyford]

Nice looking dogs, I see you have met some and know what they are like, that is an excellent start. Just keep in mind any individual dog's temperament can trump breed characteristics.

Some rescues want you to agree to adopt a dog without meeting it first, but I just can't operate that way. So my advice is always meet the dog, and trust your own judgement. If the chemistry isn't working, keep going.

I've had two rescues, an Akita and my current Lab. I was working with a Lab rescue organization meeting their dogs, none of which quite "clicked" with us (their requirement too, great group) when a chance remark from my cousin led us to the guy looking to rehome her, and at the meeting it just felt right for all involved.

My wife has had two heelers and an Aussie from breeders. One of the heelers was from working lines and could be cold to strangers (good for salesmen, not so much for guests). So she researched extensively and was sure to meet the dogs first when she got the Aussie. She went with the one who was most people oriented and came up to her first, and pretty much got exactly what she wanted in both breed and individual.

So my advice is keep looking, and keep letting people know you are looking, and keep meeting dogs. The right one will be out there.

 

[CountryB]

Some rescues want you to agree to adopt a dog without meeting it first, but I just can't operate that way. So my advice is always meet the dog, and trust your own judgement. If the chemistry isn't working, keep going.

So my advice is keep looking, and keep letting people know you are looking, and keep meeting dogs. The right one will be out there.

I have a couple of Dobbies now, the last one was from a rescue. He has a little bit of attitude. All the others (all Dobies)I've had over the past 30 years, I got from breeders and was able to train and socialize them properly. In hindsight, I wouldn't recommend a Rescue dog if it's a big dog.

Little one is not mine - but looks like he has some attitude too. The other is mine.

 

[coldsteelva]

I have a 15 year old senior Corgi (acquired at 3 mos), an 11 year old rescued Border Collie-Corgi (acquired at 6 mos), and a recently rescued, 11-ish year old Redbone Coonhound; they are all senior-senior as their breeds go, but I cannot advocate more strongly for a rescue/shelter dog regardless of breed size.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I really dread the day we have to part with our German Shepherd. He is the first large dog the wife and I have had and I couldn't ask for a better dog even if he does cater to the wife. He does not ever meet a stranger even though he will bark like crazy if someone is approaching the house (even starting when they approach the fenceline). He wakes me every morning at or close to 6 am. I don't know where he got that from but he starts nuzzling me at approximately 6 am every day. When I get up, he leave the bedroom and goes back to his sleeping area but he wont leave till I get out of bed. He has never been aggressive with any other dog even if that dog get aggressive with him. He is a huge 125# dog but he is super gentle. I don't know what we will do when he passes which hopefully will be many years from now (he if 4 1/2 now).

 

[dickfoster]

Nice looking dogs, I see you have met some and know what they are like, that is an excellent start. Just keep in mind any individual dog's temperament can trump breed characteristics.

Some rescues want you to agree to adopt a dog without meeting it first, but I just can't operate that way. So my advice is always meet the dog, and trust your own judgement. If the chemistry isn't working, keep going.

I've had two rescues, an Akita and my current Lab. I was working with a Lab rescue organization meeting their dogs, none of which quite "clicked" with us (their requirement too, great group) when a chance remark from my cousin led us to the guy looking to rehome her, and at the meeting it just felt right for all involved.

My wife has had two heelers and an Aussie from breeders. One of the heelers was from working lines and could be cold to strangers (good for salesmen, not so much for guests). So she researched extensively and was sure to meet the dogs first when she got the Aussie. She went with the one who was most people oriented and came up to her first, and pretty much got exactly what she wanted in both breed and individual.

So my advice is keep looking, and keep letting people know you are looking, and keep meeting dogs. The right one will be out there.

At least that hasn't been my experence. The rescue groups I've dealt with what you and the dog to get together first and get on well before you commit. Mine was a pup so much of his personality had yet to develop but he showed the right traits and has worked out just great. I would never take a dog sight unseen unless maybe it was a puppy even then I'd rather have some contact with it. Many breeders I've seen are just the opposite, selling you the puppy before you can take it home so you're almost getting a pig in a poke and for much more money. My pup was a 100% pure breed so I had to pay double but that was still much less than the breeders who charged about a grand for a pup and that included nothing while mine came with all the shots, all the vet work, chipping etc. I paid 400 for a pure breed while the normal muts went for 200.

 

[KubotainNH]

We had to put our beagle/GS mix dog of 11 years down in the spring too. It's very tough thing to do and she was a great watch dog. Our 3 year old yellow lab was mopy after the older dog was gone, she's never had a day without her. Our lab is the sweetest dog you could ever have but she's not a guard dog. I wouldn't trade her demeanor for anything though. It just meant we needed another dog for her to play with and to hopefully take up guard duty. We wanted a puppy to make sure it would gel well with the lab, our son's rescue dog does not so it was a concern. We really wanted a lab/GS mix (Sheprador) rescue puppy but kept having issues finding one young enough and they seem to be all from the South. We eventually settled on a purebred GS, she has been great so far and the 2 dogs play very well together. She's coming up on 4 months old, very smart dog. Good luck with whatever you do.

 

[95XL883]

Gregbkh, beautiful dog. Certainly looks intelligent and loyal, and a hunter to boot. Congrats.

As far as large rescue dogs, I suspect any dog, large or small, needs a firm, loving, consistent master as well as lots of socialization. We've had our GSD 14 months (she's a rescue). We routinely get comments on how well behaved and trained she is. Luckily we had very good instruction from the rescuer. For the life of me, I can't understand why somebody gave her up. She just wants to make her owners happy.

To the OP, good luck with finding a BMC. They certainly look like a great dog.

 

[gsganzer]

Well, I found a 5mo BMC pup the other week. He didn't come from a breeder, just a cowboy that bred his working dog with another, so there's no established lineage. He already thinks he's one of the kids and he's a goofy little guy. He seems pretty smart and I see him leading with his nose wherever he goes. He's been a little on the timid side, but I think that's just because of all the new things. He's definitely partnered up with our oldest daughter.

The BMC's an interesting breed and you can see the various working dog qualities that were bred into them. He has the webbed feet of a lab, long toes of a running dog, short coat of a mastiff, muzzle and jowls of a hound and a long whippy tail like a greyhound.

We named him Mason. The dog Ol' yeller was a BMC from Mason Texas. I also have a deer lease in Mason, so we felt the name was fitting.

Here's the little buffoon being loved on.