Rude words

[MarkR]

I posted a question on another board and I got what I thought was a rude response. I have been asking question on the other board for not even a month now about dachshunds. I feel I am doing all the research possible before making a decision on if I should get a dachshund or not. Pretty responsible I thought. However someone posted a reply saying that if I really wanted a dachshund by now I would have had one and maybe I should look into another breed. I almost seemed as if that person felt I should make a quick decision instead of taking my time and doing my homework. What do you experienced dachshund owners think? Should I have gotten one now if I really did want one or should I continue to do my homework. Please help, I feel like I am doing something wrong. Thanks! Mark

[Mark]

Hi Mark,

Research until you are convinced you're making the right decision. The Rescue centers & pounds are full of dogs whose owners didn't make informed decisions about getting a dog. I suspect that seeing your questions will help many current owners and others trying to make that decision. You may even decide to foster before owning.

Once you've decided . . . then make your move quickly. You'll end up as addicted as the rest of us here. http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/lol.gif

Mark

[MarkR]

Thanks for the good words Mark. I have owned and been responsible for many dogs in my life time so I am sure I can be responsible owner. My concern right now is the fact that the holidays are coming up, which can make it hard to give a dog the attention it needs. Also, I live in an apartment and I am planning on getting a house by the middle of next year. So I figured that having a house might be a better place for a dog. By the way, I plan on looking at rescue/adoption as my first option.

[isobelsmom]

MarkR,

Taking your time to make sure you are making the right decision is not wrong. You'll get a dachsie (or another breed) when you are ready.

What specific breed questions do you have that we could help you with? Have you been around dachsies? What are your interests in the breed? As a pet/companion? For show? Adult or puppy?

I fell into dachsies by accident a couple years ago and have fallen in love with the breed. My ex wanted one throughout our marriage--but I was a "big dog" person. Now, I love these little ones with hearts bigger than any other dog.

Mark may be on to something . . . have you thought about fostering? The rescues need foster homes and it will give you a good idea of what living with a dachsie is like.

We love our little dachsies and respect people who are trying to make a major decision about getting one. Again, we'll do all we can to help you.

Feel free to ask what you need to . . .

mary and isobel

[Jennifer]

MarkR,

I second the others that you are definately doing the right thing by taking your time in deciding what type of dog to get. So many people get dogs (and the breed of dog) as an impulse decision and then the dogs don't fit into their lifestyle. Responsible people understand the committment of adopting a dog and really take the time to make sure that they are making the right decision for both themselves and the dog.

We spend several months looking for the right dachsie (we were going through rescue) that would fit into our home. Because accepting a doggie into your home is a "till death do us part" committiment for us, we wanted to make sure that it was the right decision for both us and the dog. I personally felt that we were being responsible by looking for the right doggie.

I, like Mary, was a big dog person. When we got married, my husband brought Oscar to the marriage and I fell in love with Oscar and the breed as a whole. And now that we have Betty (our rescued dog), I know that we will always have dachsies. They are so intelligent, expressive, loving, and fun.

Feel free to post any questions that you have about dachsies.

[Marci]

Mark,

I saw your post to Heather on the Adoption/Rescue topic and I am also in NJ if that helps in any way.

Way back when I was about 12 yrs old (and the word "Rescue" was unknown to me in terms of dog ownership) my family adopted 2 standard dachsies from a shelter on Long Island. To make a long story short, they were never completely housebroken but we kept one in an attempt to successfully housetrain him at the suggestion of our vet. Well, it never really worked but Reggie was our love and my best friend for another 12 years!! I learned that it can be very important to get a dog as a puppy in order to properly and successfully housebreak them. I vowed to always own dachsies and finally a year and a half ago we brought home Lucy. She is the best!!! The breed is truly unique. I think every thing I read on this board shows it's true. (and I thought I was the only one who thought so!!) The personality of each dog is sooo special and they are so in tune to their humans! I know it's true of many other breeds but there's only one for me! Lucy has also made my husband a dachsie convert from a "big dog" devotee.

Having owned an adoptee years ago and now a puppy from a breeder, I can see why the concept of fostering can be so great! We didn't really know Reggie's history. The shelter said his previous owner said he was housebroken. I think back then they lied more. People seem so much more dedicated to animal rescue today than in 1972, when we got Reggie... or am I just more so since I'm older?!

You are wise in researching dachsies or any other breed and how they would fit your lifestyle, family, world... Don't let anyone on any other board tell you otherwise! Besides, as you can see, this is the ONLY board for dachsie-lovers that counts!!!

Where in NJ are you, btw?

Marci

[dutchman]

Mark,

I respect your efforts to make sure your choice of breed meets your personality and lifestyle. I also agree it would most likely be best if you wait till you get into your own home. Many apartment managers will not look kindly on your bringing a pet into the complex even if your lease allows it. Also many landlords are notorious for drumming up false additional cleaning charges if you have had a pet in an apartment even if the pet never had a single accident in the apartment. At least in my state where the laws are very much in the favor of the landlords I would advise waiting. In the mean time you are are doing the right things trying to get to know the breed or breeds you are considering. You might try to contact some local breeders and rescue groups. As if they personally would let you come visit or know of others who might let you visit so that you can get to know individual animals. Just like people each dog is an individual with their own good and bad traits.

As far as fostering rescue animals is concerned that might be a good way to bet introduced to a breed. A couple of questions crop up in my mind that those who have been more involved with rescue might be able to answer better. All of my adult life dogs have been rescues of one form or another. As far as being a foster home for dachshunds would Mark's lack of experience with the breed be considered a strike against him? I would think since he is expressing a valid concern about making the correct life long decision this would be considered a small negative. Mark you say you have owned other dogs so that is a plus. Also you need to be aware that many of the rescue animals are coming into foster care with some extra baggage and may not be the best way to judge what an average dachshund will be like. Unless of course you are planning on adopting a rescue animal yourself. Foster's may be coming out of a home that was physically abusive or where they were neglected which can cause some negative character traits that can take some extra time and effort to overcome. If you are sure to express concern about such issues with any rescue person you might contact I'm sure they would make every effort to work with you to place the proper animal in your foster care. An ideal case for your to foster might be an animal who had a loving home but had to be separated from their family for some reason unavoidable reason. I have seen animals in need of a good home after their companion passed on or had to go into a nursing home.

In any case Mark, I hope you have the best luck in locating a life long friend what ever breed it ends up being. Free free to ask questions here. We will try to give honest answers.

I'll try to give a brief history and summary of personalities of my three adult life dachshund rescue dogs. My first was Aggie. She was about 18 months old and pregnant when she was rescued for a puppy mill by Hearts United. I picked her out form a photo and brief phone description before HUA even knew she was pregnant. I waited for four months for Aggie to have her pups, wean them, and for her milk to dry up show she could be spayed before she was finally flown out to me. The poor underweight (combination of being a puppy mill dog and just having been the mother to 5 pups) was very submissive shy and had some skin and coat problems that required some extensive work to overcome. In the just under tow years I had her she became a real joy and was a good spokes dog for rescue in general. Frank came from the local humane society as an approximately six month old run away who's people refused to pay the fine. He was a happy well adjusted boy from the day I first meet him. He is outgoing with both people and other animals even house broken. Frank has been a real treasure a true gem that came along when I was really hurting after my loss of Aggie. A couple of months after I got Frank he finally convinced me he needed a companion and that is when we added Tanner who I acquired from my Colorado Dachshund rescue Friends. Due to some shyness aggression problems he was considered hard to place and had been in foster care for 2.5 months. His age was estimated at between 15 months and two years. He has proven to be a very longing dog who has bonded very strongly with me. For the most part he plays well with Frank and has been a good addition to our household. I'm not too sure if we will ever get him over his fears to the point where he will be a good dog to take to public gatherings. He seems especially aggressive towards other men and many large dogs. We are working on his problems and even if he must remain a home dog and not get to attend many public events I will continue to love him and provide him with a good home.

I grew up with smooth coat tweenie females. Memories can be dangerous (we tend to remember the good and forget the bad) but here is what I remember about these girls. The first was aggressive toward us younger kids when we first got her and at one point my folks feared we might have to giver her up. With a little work she overcame those problems and loved to play with us kids. In reality she was my dad's dog as that was the person she choose to form the strongest bond with. She could hardly wait for my dad to get home from work so that she could snuggle with him in the evenings. Our second female was a clown from day one outgoing and loving to all. She seemed to pick me out as the one in the family to form her tightest bond with. This little lady could be trusted to have the run of the house all day even if you would be gone for 12 hours and would never have an accident. She may meet you at the front door but then she would run to back door to be let out before coming back in to give you a proper greeting. Our third was basically a good dog she bonded with my mom. The only major problem with this little girl was that we made the mistake of letting her become the alpha after one particularly vicious nail trimming episode. All in all they were valued members of the households. The last at times I feared we might have to put down because she was becoming increasing untrustworthy but as nature often has it's ways she passed on before we were forced to make what would have been a devastating decision.

I hope sharing my stories with you has helped you come to a decision in some small way. You may have noted how I mentioned how each dog picked out a family member to bond with. There appears to be no ryme or reason as to which family member they choose to bond with and I don't know that you could force them to bond with a particular individual. Whey they choose to bond most closely with one family member they do enjoy the comapanionship of the whole family and tend to be very loing animals.

Good luck,

Tom and the boys (Frank and Tanner)

[Owen's Mom]

I read her post to you on the other board... I'll comment over there a little later <IMG SRC="http://dachsie.org/ubb/cwmsmilies/cwm1.gif" border=0>

Anywho... I'd rather see you take 5 years researching the right dog for you and have you ask tons of questions rather than have you walk by a petshop and buy a dog, anydog, on impulse, and then have you come here in a panic, having made the wrong decision, or ending up with an agressive, awful little dog!!

I live in an apt. and have a dachsie, as do many. As long as it's OK with your Apt. Manager, and you understand you have to take the pupster out on a potty schedule, leash and collar on everytime... You'll be fine http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/biggrin.gif

Also, when I was ready for a dog, I narrowed it down to several breeds, researched them, etc.. then starting calling rescue organizations and answering posts on rescue boards, that's how I found Owen. I decided on Boston Terrier, Cairn Terrier, Pem Corgi or Dachsie. I ended up at a local dog show, plopped myself down next to a friendly looking breeder and she gave SO much info on each dachsie, standard, mini, coats etc. It was invaluable!! I strongly suggest it.

Keep asking questions, and remember... Opinions are like ummmm NOSES... everyone has one!! And when you post on public boards, you're going to get lots of differing ones, you just have to blow away the chaff from the wheat when you go through them



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~~Amy & Owen~~
22.8 lbs of Black and Tan Standard Muscle!!
www.dachshundrescue.org

[dutchman]

Hi Mark,

Just another quick idea. Why not join the Monday night dachshund chat (see the posting "Monday night dachshund chat" under this section. Or join the Wednesday night chats on this board. I think it's safe to say you would be welcome by either group. You can just listen or ask question either one.

Tom

[wireweiners]

MarkR, as a breeder, I would prefer to sell to someone who has taken the time to research the breed and who has thought long and hard about when is the best time in their life to get a dog. I agree that this time of year is not the best time to take on a new pet. The holidays do take a great deal of time and make it hard to get a new dog on a schedule. In my experience, dogs are creatures of habit and need to have some sort of stable routine in their life to be happy. This is especially true of puppies and rescue dogs. Once they are settled and secure, they can tolerate deviation from their routine much better.

Depending on your climate, you may want to put off getting a puppy or unhousebroke adult until spring. I live in the south, so except for rain, the weather isn't usually a problem but I would hate to have to housetrain a puppy in Minnesota in January for example.

I have had dogs in apartments with no problems and know of many people who keep dogs in apartments and rental houses. Whether to wait until you get a house to get a dog depends on your schedule, the temperment of the pet, and your landlord. If you do get a dog while in an apartment, crate training is a must.

Keep asking questions and comparing breeds. Go to some local shows, find some breeds that interest you and talk to breeders and exhibitors about them. Most dog people are happy to talk about their dogs as long as they aren't in the middle of grooming or about to go in the ring. Also, responsible breeders usually don't have puppies constantly available and if you decide to buy a pup, there may be a waiting period. Talk to some rescue groups about their programs and what they expect from you as an owner. You will and your dog will be much happier if you take your time to make your choice. <IMG SRC="http://dachsie.org/ubb/cwmsmilies/cwm12.gif" border=0>

<FONT COLOR="#00FFFF" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">This message has been edited by wireweiners on October 23, 2000 at 03:46 PM</font>

[TessieMom]

Mark R., I agree with everything that has been said. You are much wiser for waiting and selecting carefully. The following link goes to a site that helps you select the right dog based on a survey that you take. So far, all the dachsie owners I know have come up with dachsies as one of their selections. You might try it. Rena
http://www.petnet.com.au/selectapet/dogselectapet.html

[Oscar's Mom]

Mark - you are doing the right thing. My husband & I spent months researching the right dog for us and narrowed it down to 2 kinds, then when we decided on a doxie, spent another another month or so getting more info on them. We own a 2 family home and live on the 2nd floor. We carry Oscar outside every time, our stairs are a little steep and he would never make it down. So you might want to think about that if you have alot of stairs. We are working on a ramp down the stairs since we want to get another, cant carry out 2 dogs. My husband was big dog person, but is very happy with Oscar. Doxies are like big dogs in little dog bodies. When ever I'm on the phone and Oscar is barking people always think I have a big dog!

[MarkR]

I want to thank everyone for all of the support. I also want to thank everyone that went to acmepet and stood up for me. I doubt that I will be getting a dog anytime soon due to the upcoming holiday season. Also, my lease says I need to get written permission for a pet. Soooooooooo, I may just wait. Me and my girlfriend are looking for a house and should be moving by April or May. I will keep everyone's advice in mind and will definitly keep asking questions. I do feel this will be a good dog for me. I have had some exposure to the breed and I enjoyed this dog. I will probably go with rescue/adoption of a dog that was seperated from its original family. I have received a ton of offers for help from rescue/adoption people in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. I also plan on eventually having a second dog, but I may go with something a little bigger. But definitly no rush decisions at this time. Thanks again for all of the help, it is very much appreciated. Mark

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MarkR

[Wotan, Shakti & Gaudi Inc]

Originally posted by dutchman:
Why not join the Monday night dachshund chat (see the posting "Monday night dachshund chat" under this section. Or join the Wednesday night chats on this board

<FONT COLOR="Yellow">Yes, we would enjoy answering any questions you might have Mark if you stop by during the Monday night chat we have about doxies (6pm PCT ...9pm EST is when it starts). </FONT c> Dogs - About.com Chat room (http://dogs.about.com/pets/dogs/mpchat.htm)

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Bridget, Wotan, Shakti & Gaudi
stop by and see Dachshund stories and photos (http://members.nbci.com/dachsielove/stories.htm)

[Wienergal]

MarkR, just another vote of confidence in your approach from me. Think of all those abandoned dalmatians that appeared not long after the Disney movie came out and thousands of ignorant people ran right out and got themselves one without having a CLUE about the true nature of the breed!

As with most things, going with what your gut tells you is the best idea. I hope you DO decide on a dachshund--a rescue dachsie would be lucky to have you as a dad!

--Pamela

[Roxane]

Congatulations, Mark, for your sound thinking and intelligent decisions!http://dachsie.org/ubb/smilies/bounce.gif
Most importantly, Hat's Off to you for being open to advice and suggestions. As you can see from the replies you've gotten this is the right place for all the answers to your questions.
Someday, in the not too distant future, some lucky little dog will find a wonderful home with you.
Roxane & our rescues Greta and Baylea

[crock]

Mark,
What a smart way to find your furkid. I have been a dachsie owner since I was 4 years old (some 46 yrs ago). We have had other breeds too thru the years. We have 5 dachsies now and 2 queensland heelers. Find out as much as you can about a breed is important, especially dachsies. They have their own special idiosyncrasies- trust me. However, they make our lives so special and fun. Once one owns you that will be it forever!
Char