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#12
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Scariest LOOKING breeds, public perception?
wrote in
ups.com: Good grief. Good grief, indeed. With the exception of the Mastiff/Great Dane recommendation, what was the point of most of those other replies? I don't know about anyone else, but I'm not about to recommend a breed or type of dog to someone who has provided absolutely no information about what their lifestyle is like, or what traits they do and do not want in a dog. Dogs are not automatons, so breed X might suit you while breed Y would be a disastrous fit. Don't you people think that perhaps I'm wanting another dog because first and foremost I WANT ANOTHER DOG, love dogs, and figure while I'm AT it I might get one that "looks intimidating"? Not as a "lock replacement"? Benefit of the doubt, please? I'd rather not assume too much. The dogs are in/out at their leisure and it's not feasible with six people in the family and someone coming/going at all times to constantly be locking/unlocking the gate. Why not? You don't leave your front door unlocked, do you? I work from home and while it's not possible to always lock it up because someone else will be home soon or is just running to the store, when I'm home alone I'd still like to feel a bit better about the likelihood of someone walking in the gate. A large, "scary" looking dog isn't necessarily going to make you any safer. An alarm system might. Locking the gate might. However, there's no accounting for what sort of dog might or might not deter a potential trespasser. There is also no way to predict what a potential trespasser who is intent on doing you harm might do to any dog who got in his way. In an unsecured yard, your dogs are vulnerable. We currently rent so we are unable to modify to have the type of lock(s) we'd really prefer. That will change in the near future (buying a house most likely). I was not thinking of getting another dog until then. If that's the case, and you will be waiting to resolve the issue until after you move, then why are you looking to fix the problem by adding a "scary" looking dog when you could just as easily--and more cheaply--resolve it in other ways (e.g. an alarm system). As for the example of the Great Danes that the poster was not fearful of... well if I'd been hired to go to someone's home and they felt totally comfy with me walking in to their yard and didn't warn me to the contrary, I'd *assume* there was no need to fear the dogs either. That's quite different from approaching a stranger's house. The dogs didn't know me from Adam, and put on quite a display of barking. Quickly accompanied--as soon as I was inside the house-- by slobbery tongues applied liberally to every available inch of my skin. I'd like to think I'm pretty good at reading dog body language, so a large "scary" looking dog isn't likely to deter me if I can clearly see that it has no interest in acting aggressively toward me. If I were intent on doing someone harm, and such a dog were in their yard, do you really think its presence would make me think twice about entering? If they have no appointment, no invitation, no suitable business purpose (i.e. meter reading), then they have no business in my yard. Call me territorial. Having a large "scary" looking dog (I'm still not even sure what that *means*) is still no insurance against those folks gaining entry to your property. Also, consider that if someone does enter your yard, and your dogs are out there unsupervised, there is a risk of them hurting your dogs or of your dogs hurting them. Leaving an open gate, even if it has a sign on it to ring a bell, may not relieve you of legal responsibility if your dog bites someone. Worse, what if a kid enters your yard and is hurt? In the instances I mentioned this year about people in the yard, all three "violators" had my phone number, had access to a perfectly working doorbell, could have rang the bell or called or both and I would have gladly met them and escorted them in. It was just rudeness and stupidity that caused them to just waltz on in. None had appointments or anything like that. Having had unfortunate experience related to stalking and domestic violence in the past, this sort of rudeness sends my anxiety levels through the roof and it's unnecessary. I dunno. If I had had that sort of experience, I'd lock my damned gate. What I would *not* do is count on my dogs to protect me either by their actions or by their appearance or even by their mere presence. A *combination* of fences/locks/security AND a dog who happens to look "menacing", when the dog is outside of course, would accomplish this purpose. But there is no "of course" about it. If folks are entering your property when there are already dogs present, then adding another dog to the mix is unlikely to change anything. -- Shelly http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship) http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther) I would prefer not to. -- Bartleby the Scrivener |
#13
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Scariest LOOKING breeds, public perception?
On Tue, 02 Jan 2007 02:20:09 GMT, Paula
wrote: People who come to our house are always leery of our GSD's. Oddly enough, they tend to be more afraid of Gunther than Molly even though Molly is very protective while Gunther has never met a person he didn't want to walk right up and talk into petting him. Is Gunther darker, or perhaps have a darker muzzle? ________________________ Whatever it takes. |
#14
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Scariest LOOKING breeds, public perception?
Lynne wrote in
m: I think about how I will manage a large dog when he gets near the end of his life and might need physical assistance from me so even an 80 lb dog might be tough. That's a serious consideration. There are several large breeds I really adore, but I don't think I'll ever have any of them because I couldn't shift their dead weight. I had enough trouble getting 60-odd pound Elliott in and out of my car when he got sick. I think the 50lb range is about as big as I'm willing to realistically go. -- Shelly http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship) http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther) When the namecalling starts, we're right there for we love the throw down of a good backbiting. -- Melora Creager |
#15
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Scariest LOOKING breeds, public perception?
In article ,
Suja wrote: I realize that you said to omit dogs of certain breeds, but I don't know very many people who'd mess with German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Dobermans, etc., all of which can be wonderful companion animals and deterrents because of their breeds. Really, nearly any big black mutt is going to look intimidating regardless of its disposition. I don't see why a purebred is necessary here. -- Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis - Sending more troops into a war is properly called an "escalation." |
#16
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Scariest LOOKING breeds, public perception?
(Melinda Shore) wrote in news:encho2$26o$1
@panix3.panix.com: Really, nearly any big black mutt is going to look intimidating regardless of its disposition. I don't see why a purebred is necessary here. I would think so. I think the OP said they already have a large black mutt, though, and that it's not enough of a deterrant. It seems to me that if a large black mutt isn't doing the trick, not much else is likely to. -- Shelly http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship) http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther) Pancakes! -- Dennis, Cabin Fever |
#17
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Scariest LOOKING breeds, public perception?
wrote in message: With the exception of the Mastiff/Great Dane recommendation, what was the point of most of those other replies? Mine anyway, was to dispute the assertion that a Dane would be a deterrent, since my dog that even kids fearlessly approach is a Great Dane. The other, that most people seem afraid of is a German Shepherd mix. I realize that you said to omit dogs of certain breeds, but I don't know very many people who'd mess with German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Dobermans, etc., all of which can be wonderful companion animals and deterrents because of their breeds. When someone broke into my brother's apartment and SIL was looking for a doggie deterrent (similar to yours, should look scary enough but not actually be scary), I suggested a big, black dog, which is what they ended up with. The dog is a total goofball, but people cross the street when they are walking him. Suja |
#18
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Scariest LOOKING breeds, public perception?
on Tue, 02 Jan 2007 02:51:53 GMT, Shelly wrote:
That's a serious consideration. There are several large breeds I really adore, but I don't think I'll ever have any of them because I couldn't shift their dead weight. I had enough trouble getting 60-odd pound Elliott in and out of my car when he got sick. I think the 50lb range is about as big as I'm willing to realistically go. Did you use anything to help transport him, such as a sling under his belly? or was he completely helpless? 60 lbs of a dog who cannot help you at all would be pretty tough to manuever. I wonder if 80 lbs is too high of a goal. I'm a pretty small person. Thinking about these kinds of issues is terribly sad, but I don't want to find myself in a situation where I cannot care for my dog due to poor planning on my part. Of course I have friends who can help me with a phone call, but some emergencies simply can't wait. -- Lynne http://picasaweb.google.com/what.the.hell.is.it/ "First get your facts; then you may distort them at your leisure." -- Mark Twain |
#19
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Scariest LOOKING breeds, public perception?
Lynne wrote in
: Did you use anything to help transport him, such as a sling under his belly? or was he completely helpless? He was able to get into the car fine for the trip to the vet, but I had a difficult time getting him back into it for the trip home. 60 lbs of a dog who cannot help you at all would be pretty tough to manuever. I wonder if 80 lbs is too high of a goal. I'm a pretty small person. I know there's no way I could hoist 80lbs of limp dog, no way, no how. Sixty was nearly impossible. It probably wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't been trying to get him into the back of a very small car without hurting him. Even so, I had to have help carrying him out to be buried. If I didn't know better, I'd swear he gained 20 pounds after he died! Thinking about these kinds of issues is terribly sad, but I don't want to find myself in a situation where I cannot care for my dog due to poor planning on my part. It's one of those things that probably would never have occurred to me, but now that I've had that particular experience with a not-so- big dog, it's a lesson well learned. Knowing the limits of what you can physically handle is a good idea! Of course I have friends who can help me with a phone call, but some emergencies simply can't wait. That's what happened in my case. It was a sudden-onset emergency, so even though there was someone nearby who could have helped, I didn't even have time to call her. -- Shelly http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship) http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther) Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. -- Antoine de Saint-Exupery |
#20
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Scariest LOOKING breeds, public perception?
on Tue, 02 Jan 2007 03:18:11 GMT, Shelly wrote:
I know there's no way I could hoist 80lbs of limp dog, no way, no how. Sixty was nearly impossible. It probably wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't been trying to get him into the back of a very small car without hurting him. Even so, I had to have help carrying him out to be buried. If I didn't know better, I'd swear he gained 20 pounds after he died! Oh, Shelly, I'm sorry. That all must have been terribly difficult. When our LabXShep, Raven died, my husband struggled to carry her up the hill to bury her. He's a big strong guy but Raven weighed over 100 lbs. So that's why I think about these things when I think about these things. (How's that for beautiful grammar?) Some kind of lift wouldn't be a bad idea to have on hand for a small person with a large dog, just in case. I just can't picture exactly what... -- Lynne http://picasaweb.google.com/what.the.hell.is.it/ "First get your facts; then you may distort them at your leisure." -- Mark Twain |
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