vanillasky11

LOL, I am blonde ya know.. after a second edit.. I think I actually got it.. "You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky." -- Amelia Earhart

ok..I think I got it this time.. "You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky." -- Amelia Earhart

There is a great joke in there somewhere... You mean you can't see it? "You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky." -- Amelia Earhart

It is hard for me to post this, but, heres mine.... *edited to add..apperantly harder than I thought..need to resize the pic..* "You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky." -- Amelia Earhart

LMAO...Heywood Jablowme "You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky." -- Amelia Earhart

Great story. Im glad you got the chance to see first hand, some of the things being a vet has to offer. For the last 9 years I have been a vet tech, and I love the job. I sometimes don't like the people, and you are faced with very difficult decisions on a regular basis, but, if you can take anything from it, its a constant learning experience. It's not a regular job with repetition, you get to see many things, and meet many great animals and people. You make lasting friends with longtime clients, and you become very attached to some animals as if they are your own. I started from nowhere and have built my experience level up, to the point where I can go to many places and be hired as a tech, because good ones with good experience are hard to find. There are pros and cons to every job, and this field certainly has a lot of both. But I find it very rewarding. No matter how bad of a day I have, I don't lose site of why I do it, and what makes me so good at it.--Because I love it.

Congrats on your new friend. I bet she is far happier now. Your other dog is named Bart, so if you appreciate the show- The Simpsons, why not name her Lisa? Or if you don't want something that corny.. She kind of has exotic looking eyes, I think she looks like a Jasmine also. (Jazz or Jazzy for short) "You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky." -- Amelia Earhart

How the F*&K do you sleep through something like that?? That poor little boy. This is defintly owner responsibility... "You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky." -- Amelia Earhart

Most rescues of pittys won't adopt to same sex dog homes, and always stress that you NEVER leave the dogs unattended together, because of thier original purpose. And for as long as certain breeders have been trying to breed it out of them, chances are, somewhere down the line, it's still there. They have a very high prey drive. Owning pitbull may mean more responsibilities with training and socializing, but they are worth the work. A well trained pit is an extremely loyal, and caring pet, who usually isn't found far behind thier owner's feet. "You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky." -- Amelia Earhart

I completely agree. Children need to be taught that they cannot just walk up to any cute puppy and pet it. I have had a couple of cases where my son asked someone to pet thier dog, and reached out to let the dogs smell his hand, and they snapped. They people were completely shocked, and very apologetic. My son didn't get bitten, but I am very cautious to let him pet another dog, and I always follow the dogs body language. If I'm not comfortable with it, we keep on walking. "You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky." -- Amelia Earhart

I completely agree with you that no breed should be banned, and that we can minimize the possibilty of alot of things happening with proper training. But sometimes, the training stops, at puppyhood. Once the puppy graduates from Grade 1 or 2, they think they are done. My dogs are always in training, always being socialized, and are expected to follow certain rules. They are both higher drive, working breeds, and at times can be very stubborn. They also can think for themselves, which is why I refuse to leave a child alone with them. Don't get me wrong. They are both amazing with kids. The neighborhood kids are always coming over to play with them, and dote on them, and I know for a fact that they would both protect my son with thier lives. But.. how responsible would I feel if something did happen? I'd rather take precautions to prevent it, than just hope it doesn't happen. "You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky." -- Amelia Earhart

I completely disagree with this. Of Course it depends on the Dog, Certain DOGS should not be left with Children But not just because of their Breed. I grew up with a Pitt Bull. She was my constant Companion as a child. The dog followed me everywhere I could take it and always slept in the same bed with me. I had two much younger Siblings that were also constantly around my dog. As children tend to do, they would try to ride her, Pull her ears and even occasionally slap at her. My Pitt Bull NEVER even showed her teeth. The Dog was EXTREMELY protective of us. The only time it caused problems was if I had done something to get into trouble, My Mother would have tell me to take the dog outside for a while because she knew better than to raise her voice at me with the dog still in the house. We also had several other dogs at different times. A German Shepard we had snapped at one of brothers once. The Pitt Bull killed it right then. As Children, We were NEVER any safer than when we were with that Dog. Every Dog is different. The entire PITT BULL thing is blown out of proportion by the media. Most All dogs will bite if provoked and can hurt or Kill a Human (especially a Child). Pitt Bulls are a great Breed if they are raised properly and can be trusted around Children as much as any other dog if they have been properly raised. You are entitled to disagree, but I am not willing to take the chance that an accident CAN happen. At ANY time. Most attacks come as complete suprises, especially when they are made by the family pet. My mastiff follows my son around, and doesn't leave his side when they are playing in the backyard. But in no way would I leave her to babysit him. She is a gentle giant. But she is also very large and if provoked in some way, could do very serious damage. I also really don't feel it matters what kind of dog it is. A man who was once babysitting his newborn baby neice, left the baby lying on the bed with his pomeranian, and when he came back, the baby had been mauled to death. Totally unprovoked, as it was a new born baby. Never had this dog showed signs of aggression prior to this. I too grew up with dogs (german shepherds) who never did harm to me, even though my parents weren't around. But it doesn't mean it couldn't have happened. Most dogs look at children as "lower pack animals", and rarely show them the same respect they show thier owners, who are usually the pack leader. Even if they are protective over the children. In a pack, fights can happen. A child could stumble upon his dog eating a bone, and the dog just wants to protect it, etc. He would do the same if he was in a pack of dogs. There are just far too many cases of children being attacked, when the attacks really could have been prevented. Resposible dog ownership AND parenting are mostly all it takes. "You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky." -- Amelia Earhart

Well we will have to agree to disagree then. I have been around Cockers at least 10 times to the amount of Pit bulls. That is not to say I have not been around plenty of Pit bulls. I have never seen someone suffer an injury from a Cocker yet have seen several form Pit Bulls. Mabey it is a difference in our culture, enviroment, whatever. You responded to my reply to Ron where he claimed a Pit bull was no more dangerous than any other dog. I called bullshit. This was never meant to be a Cocker vs pit bull debate. I just used it as an example because I currently own one and they are well known for being great with kids. Now I never said I preffered a Cocker over anything, although at this time in my life/lifestyle, a cocker or any other well tempered Gun dog is a more sensible choice for me and my Pregnant Wife. I may own a pit or rott someday. More likely the rottweiler though Have a happy new year Its true pitbulls can inflict more damage than a chihuaua, but I don't think it is more likely to attack. So I guess I agree with Ron. I didn't see a problem with having a simple debate of breeds. Just as you have had experience with pitbulls causing more injury, I have personally seen more injury caused by a cocker. But like you said, I think we should agree to disagree. Everyone has thier breed preferences, which usually comes from a dog they have owned. I don't currently own a pitbull, but have owned one, and have worked with many. And I will continue to defend them. Congratulations to you and your wife. I wish you both luck. "You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky." -- Amelia Earhart

Actually if you had read any of my previous posts, I admitted that pitbulls can be dangerous, especially in the wrong hands. I still however stand on trusting them over cocker spaniels. I say that from 14 years of dog/training experience. Cocker Spaniels are fear biters. And although you can minimize that by purchasing from a breeder who breeds for stability in temperament, I have still seen far too many cases to convince me. I never said you were talking about my dogs. I like the work ethic of my dogs, and I also like the work ethic and loyalty of a pitbull. If someone who buys a pitbull doesn't take the time to educate themselves on the training and socializing needs of this breed, then I feel they should be held soley responsible if thier dog reacts poorly. You have your reasons for prefering a cocker, and I have my reasons for prefering a pit, rott, etc. But having experience for so long, as being a "stanger" to these dogs, I feel that pitbulls are extremely misunderstood. And I truely wish there was a way to regulate owning one, without banning them. "You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky." -- Amelia Earhart

Mabey not, but if you had, I'd think you would leave him in a room with small spaniel before you would the Pitbull. My dog is alone with kids quite frequently. Neighbors come over to play when he is in the front yard, my niece's, ect. No way in Hell I would even let a pitbull roam free in my front yard. You just can't do that with that type of dog. On the contrary, I would trust a pitbull over a spaniel. I also own a rottweiler and a mastiff, whom I would trust over a spaniel. But I know how to handle my dogs. They also know what I expect from them, but I would never leave them to babysit my son, ever. Dogs are living, thinking creatures, and even if I feel my dogs would never ever harm my son, it's not something I am willing to trust completely. "You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky." -- Amelia Earhart

I wouldn't leave any dog alone with any child. Pitbull or not. "You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky." -- Amelia Earhart

Don't you think it's both? I mean, certain breeds were bred for certain traits. The trait that pitbulls were bred for is fighting and killing ability. Sure, they can be raised to be gentle, nice dogs. But they weren't bred with that intention. Its true pitbulls were bred to fight, but they were not bred to be aggressive towards humans. Infact, they were culled in the fighting ring if they ever showed any signs of aggression towards people. Taken as a whole, pitbulls have proven themselves as therapy dogs, canine good citizens, and search and rescue dogs. Yes they can be dangerous because of thier power and instinct to not back down, however, I feel that this should soley be the responsibility of the owner, and not the breed in itself. If an person owned a dog knowing that if that dog bites someone, they would face heavy fines and jail time, they might be more aprehensive about A) Owning a dog best handled by people who are more likely to put in the training and socializing, and B) Owning the dog for the purpose of making him a "guard dog". I don't feel banning is the answer. Stricter dog ownership laws are the answer.That includes all breeds. Thats just my 2 cents. "You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky." -- Amelia Earhart

Rosa, Thank you for the nice words, I really just want to help lift some spirits over the holidays.

I don't live in US, but I adopted a Soldier. I wanted to pass this along, incase anyone else wanted to show appreciation by adopting one and maybe send them some goodies.

I am just wondering if any of you donate (blood or money) to disaster relief, especially now with all of the hurricanes ripping through and taking so many lives and homes. "You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky." -- Amelia Earhart

Here is a pic of my girl Zene. I also have a 9 year old rottie, but her pictures are too big to post. "You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky." -- Amelia Earhart

We had 2 teens here, both friends, went to the same high school, killed on the same day in 2 different accidents. One was run over by a bulldozer, and the other dove of a cliff into shallow water. when its your time, it's definetly your time. "You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky." -- Amelia Earhart

Building up your alcohol tolerance--my 13 year old nephew arrived today for a 3 week vacation. "You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky." -- Amelia Earhart

Pop's birthday was yesterday. Happy BIRTHDAY Mike!!!! I know this is a day late, I hope its better late than never.