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Quorra

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I have two dogs that I adopted with my ex about 5-6 years ago. The first one we got was a rott/hound mix and we adopted her at 18 months. Her name is Joni and she's a handful. I've pretty much given up on taking her out on a leash because she's so aggressive with other dogs while on it. She's absolutely wonderful at the dog park though. The second dog we got about 6 months later as a puppy that turned out to be a shar-pei/lab mix. Her name is Janis and is a weird looking dog. Lanky like a lab, but with a head like a pitt and lots of wrinkles around the face. She is a fetch machine and LOVES to play with dogs, cats, and humans.... though she still thinks she's a puppy (she's 5) and is clumsy as hell.



I was convinced to adopt these dogs, as I never had dogs growing up, and now I couldn't imagine not having them. When they go it's going to leave a huge hole in my heart.


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In European cities, of course they do. People who keep big dogs in apartments are selfishly putting their own desire for a big dog over the needs of said big dog, IMO. Unfortunately that doesn't stop some people from trying to keep German Shepherds and Bernese mountain dogs :/



Outside of the cities, though, from what I've seen there are plenty of big dogs in Europe.


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In European cities, of course they do. People who keep big dogs in apartments are selfishly putting their own desire for a big dog over the needs of said big dog, IMO. Unfortunately that doesn't stop some people from trying to keep German Shepherds and Bernese mountain dogs :/

Outside of the cities, though, from what I've seen there are plenty of big dogs in Europe.

There's nothing wrong w/ having a big dog in a city or an apartment. To call someone selfish for doing so is.... weird. Big dogs don't have any kind of special needs.

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I remember when I went to Russia the tour guide was complaining that after the fall of communism people were suddenly allowed to keep dogs in their apartments so many went out and bought big guard-dog breeds. However because they all had to go out to work all day the task of walking the dog was left to their 4 foot tall granny. This meant whenever he went to the park he kept being chased by massive, aggressive dogs dragging a little old lady by a lead behind them.


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I'm clearly on the defensive here given that I own a dog and have lived in apartments all my life ( You sort of have to in places like Singapore, unless you're filthy rich). I've had said golden retriever for the last decade, she's only ever lived in an apartment.

We've tried to ensure that she gets plenty of free space - moved to a place recently where we let her off the leash for about an hour at night. Though we've let her off the leash during her walks at night since be took her in. Take her for long walks as much as possible, even in the morning. Singapore *does* have some sort of restriction regarding big dogs in apartments, thankfully, our apartment is big enough for us to pass those restrictions pretty easily.

Maybe it was selfish? I dunno. When people say that, I don't feel great about it. The last thing you want to feel as a pet owner is that you're not good for your pet. She was abandoned by her previous owner and was in the SPCA for weeks - yes, we took her in. I don't think blanket statements, like the ones made by Arkhangel are fair, but I'm obviously coming at it from the other side of the argument.

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There's nothing wrong w/ having a big dog in a city or an apartment. To call someone selfish for doing so is.... weird. Big dogs don't have any kind of special needs.

I would've said you're wrong even a year ago, but I've since learned that small dogs can, depending on the breed, need as much activity as some large dogs do. Giving an activity-loving dog like, say, a Jack Russell terrier or a border collie a small space to live with nothing to burn off their energy or satisfy their need for stimulation is every bit as cruel as caging a Great Dane 20 hours out of 24. Well, maybe not EVERY bit as cruel, but you get the gist. If the dog is given a brisk walk each day - again, depending on the breed - it can go a long way toward getting a happier, less-destructive dog. And some houses aren't much bigger than an apartment, so you can't really generalize.

Our daughter married a guy who had a Jack Russell, a small house, and an unfenced yard. One of the first things we've helped them with is giving them the money for a perimeter fence so their dog can go outside and run without fear of being hit by a car or stolen.

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I am a dog lover but currently am not sharing my life with any due to not having the time and sedentary lifestyle required to provide the life a dog should have. In the near future I hope to again. My family lived with shih-tzus in the past. They were a riot. I still chuckle when I remember how they used to chase each other under the couch when they were puppies and destroyed a brand new bedroom set when they were teething.



I now get my canine fix by dog-sitting my sister's golden retriever roughly one weekend a month. Thankfully he usually behaves when he stays with me. My sister has a very large scrapbook of his exploits. He counter surfs and has ingested some of the most bizarre and disgusting things like my nephews bacteria culture science project.


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I'm clearly on the defensive here given that I own a dog and have lived in apartments all my life ( You sort of have to in places like Singapore, unless you're filthy rich). I've had said golden retriever for the last decade, she's only ever lived in an apartment.

We've tried to ensure that she gets plenty of free space - moved to a place recently where we let her off the leash for about an hour at night. Though we've let her off the leash during her walks at night since be took her in. Take her for long walks as much as possible, even in the morning. Singapore *does* have some sort of restriction regarding big dogs in apartments, thankfully, our apartment is big enough for us to pass those restrictions pretty easily.

Maybe it was selfish? I dunno. When people say that, I don't feel great about it. The last thing you want to feel as a pet owner is that you're not good for your pet. She was abandoned by her previous owner and was in the SPCA for weeks - yes, we took her in. I don't think blanket statements, like the ones made by Arkhangel are fair, but I'm obviously coming at it from the other side of the argument.

Selfish? You took a dog living in a terrible situation and have provided an excellent home for it. You sound like a great dog owner, there's absolutely nothing you should be ashamed about in this situation. At all. You've actually made the world a better place for that dog.

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My jake is a border collie but we have always suspected he may have Lab in him.



Look how handsome he is!!!!!!!



He is honestly one of the MOST handsome dogs I've ever come across in real life and I'm not only saying that because he's family and I'm bias LOL.



I honestly love this guy so MUCH. I miss him terribly as I don't live with my parents anymore and live about 4 hrs away by car. Grew up with him.


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There's nothing wrong w/ having a big dog in a city or an apartment. To call someone selfish for doing so is.... weird. Big dogs don't have any kind of special needs.

Would you say that a German Shepherd and a Chihuahua have the same exercise needs?

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My jake is a border collie but we have always suspected he may have Lab in him.

Look how handsome he is!!!!!!!

He is honestly one of the MOST handsome dogs I've ever come across in real life and I'm not only saying that because he's family and I'm bias LOL.

I honestly love this guy so MUCH. I miss him terribly as I don't live with my parents anymore and live about 4 hrs away by car. Grew up with him.

I NEED this dog!
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Would you say that a German Shepherd and a Chihuahua have the same exercise needs?

Oh geez. Living in an apartment doesn't prevent one from exercising their dogs. And sorry, but a house, no matter the size, isn't going to be any different. If an apartment dweller doesn't properly exercise their dog, they aren't going to do it just because they live in a house.

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