Anyone care about this topic?

These are my muttsters,Girl is the brown GSD,Snookie is the Alaskan Husky mix,both rescue dogs.




Here Girl tries on her new BOB,a horse saddle bag.She took right to it.




Snookie is the real protection dog here,fearless,takes no carp from man or beast,PERIOD.




Girl may look ferocious at times but it takes a real threat to get her into action.Very sweet personality,LOVES kids (Taste like chicken,LOL)






She is a beautiful example of the American line of GSD,tho saddle not dark enough for Kennel Clubs liking.Had a guy come to gate yesterday and ask if she had puppies.Nope. Well,if she does I want one.

She is fixed,all rescue dogs here are.

My rescue dog was a GSD mix with (we think) rottweiler. The story told us by the shelter was that he was found at two months old, adopted out almost immediately, and returned to the shelter at ten months old. He was absolutely terrified of everything; a moving shrubbery on our first walk together almost made it our last as he bolted, almost taking the leash out of my hand. I doubt he'd have stopped before swimming to China. The family who had adopted him before us had probably beat him every day they had him.

It took two good years of patience and training but he turned into an outstanding dog. He was great with the children and protective of my family. On two occasions I know of his fierce bark persuaded men that this wasn't the right house for them to victimize.

When he was eight we got a black lab puppy. We had some concern that he wouldn't be pleased that we introduced another animal into our house, but the puppy immediately became his dog and they got along famously. More than once when I called them both to me and the puppy was being obstreperous, the senior dog would grab him by the collar and drag him over. "Get it together, the boss is calling!"

At the age of ten he had been fit as a fiddle but started to be a bit lethargic for reasons unknown. It was less than twenty-four hours from when the tumor was found until he died in his sleep.

We love our pups on ETS. Mine's a Samoyed, 10 years old.

And she is Equipped to Survive, replete with her own backpacks, booties, and preps, including:

-- two month supply of food (she's on a dehydrated raw food unavailable at big chains)

-- water supply (factor pets into your preps!), including in the car

-- First Aid kit (prescription meds, OTC like Benadryl and Zyrtec and wound care, including Vetericyn)

-- and I have a dog trailer/stroller for her which functions as dog ambulance on outings with our bikejoring-dogscootering group.


http://www.ready.gov/animals


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Major cool guys.

We had the same problem with Girl,she would bolt,added Snookie to team and snooks is a stay at home yard type,broke Girl of running real quick.LOL,Snookie is Girls little sister too.Very aware of where she is at at all times.

Love your dog preps Dagny,very nice.Good link.

Got mine chipped too,sure dont want to lose em.2 collars each with ID tags.

Glad to hear ETS is pet friendly.They do make life fun for many.

Hard to believe,this is Snooks when I got her,she was on LAST DAY at shelter,terrified and lifeless...

Hard to believe how we went from this....




to this sooo fast! 26 days!!




Best Friends.... Snookie taught Girl to play,I got her for that reason,Girl never knew how to be a dog,unsocialized in all aspects,They are a perfect team making each other soar




Girl says Hi! This is her cute pose.

For several years, Gidget worked as a certified therapy dog (pediatric oncology, high-rish perinatal, psyche and a veterans nursing home).

If your dogs are friendly with peops and pups, highly recommend doing therapy visits as a volunteer activity.

Highly obedient dogs can be certified with TDI or Delta Society or other therapy dog organizations. And there are many more casual volunteer opportunities, such as through local nursing homes.


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Not therapy level dogs but Girl has done some as an amateur,one was a little girl,dad wanted her to not be afraid of Dogs. About 2-3 years old,touched Girl on face and she gave her a big wet slow slurp across her whole face,kid loved it.Big smile and giggles.

Another time at dog park a 5 year old boy,Girl fascinated by him (Human puppy).He crawled all over her,grabs ear and looks deep inside,opens her mouth and takes a big look,Girl thought it was great,then she played catch with him and actually dropped ball at his feet,something she NEVER does for us.LOVES kids.

Snookie I dont trust,I watch her like a hawk....she can be startled and nips without thinking or warning on dogs in her face,very reflexive.Girl is like modeling clay,you can squish her all over and she just molds to the flow.

LOL,snooks at dog park,giant GSD is in LOOOOVE,snooks wants no part of him.After,should we say,several amorous advances....like a shot Snooks grabs him by his lip.His eyes popped out...then he tried to pull away,very firmly she pulled him right back,staring DEEP into his bugged out eyes all the while,then released him.

Romeo was done,the folks at the park roared,it was hilarious.No harm,no foul.....

But if she ever did that to a person,would not be amusing,so I keep a tight reign on her.

Just kickin' back,all she needs is a brew.

HEE Hee,Mr photoshop on that eyeball I am not.

Lets see ... we have:

3 horses - two Arabians and a Appi-Paint mix
2 dogs - an old diaper-wearing Somoyed and a young Keeshond
2 barn cats (I'm allergic so they live in the barn but get lots of love)
2 cocketiels (both males causing too much squabling)
1 Guinea pig (female)
1 rabbit (intact male - the pig and the rabbit live together and love each other even though they come from two different worlds ... no Guinea rabbits to date)
1 Russian tortoise named Ralph (my son's)

All of my daughter's fish have died now. Maybe hundreds of them over the years. I think they are haunting our house, but they don't say much since the fish never could talk.

we have 2 dogs and 5 working ponies in our family.

for the first 8 years of her life, Casey was a working cowdog.

recently she slowly went blind, so now she enjoys being home around the fire and going for walks.

a smarter more loving creature doesn't exist.

this was taken of her just a few weeks ago:

My gosh what a sweet girl Wiley.

This is my walking buddy, Ziggy, He's mostly Jack Russel Terrier (or Jack Russel Terrorist to our two cats). He's nearly 11 and still as feisty as he was as a pup. His pack carries a couple of meals, booties, spare collection bags and an extra lease. I learned through this forum that dogs shouldn't carry more than about 10% of their body weight. (Think ETS regular Susan taught me that, where has she gone to?)




We keep a week or two of dry food in 5 gal plastic tubs for both the cats and the dog, usually have some pet meds on hand (our vet trusts my wife's instincts for recognizing when they aren't feeling well). My first aid kits include vet wrap and gauze for them. We do need another cat carrier for a bug out situation but we could get all of them with food into the car in an emergency in just a few minutes.

Both the cats are neighborhood rescues. I think cats must have the ability to sense which houses are feline friendly, all of our cats have adopted us!

My brother has been working with his guard dog. Looks pretty buff to me.......

thanks spuds. casey really is special, much as you describe Girl.

I really like the saddlebags on the dogs. I may have to pick up one of those sometime.

Thats some smile Izzy,gotta love it! He looks like one happy dog!


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Ziggy, He's mostly Jack Russel Terrier (or Jack Russel Terrorist
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Yup,that about covers it,they sure are active.Grew up with a lot of terrier mixes,fine animals,smart as a whip.Great for kids with all that energy too.


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All of my daughter's fish have died now. Maybe hundreds of them over the years. I think they are haunting our house, but they don't say much since the fish never could talk.
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LOL Ken,thats funny! Wife got a big chuckle too!

I've been thinking about getting an animal for survival. I'm not a cold, heartless person but just thought it would be more trouble than its worth. Rolling the idea around in the noodle some, my first thought was well if it comes down to it, I am keeping a food source close by. I know I know...that's pretty cold, but honestly it's true if it gets bad enough. Now on to much warmer and happier thoughts.

I've had a lab before and he was a great dog. Now, due to apartment living, the YL (my girl in ham speak) and I have a cat. I'm not sure what a cat can do in a survival situation lol other than the aforementioned food supply. Of course, I'd go the dog route. My question is, can you train your dog to ACTUALLY protect you adequately? Every time I go on a maintenance hike, I see runners, usually female, running with a big huge dog. I can't help to ask myself, is the dog just psychological protection or actual protection. I asked a co-worker of mine who matches the dog/jogger description and she said it's just more psychologically comforting than anything and if anybody didn't have her best interests in mind, that the dog probably wouldn't do anything other than think somebody was playing with it. I know there are other points besides the protection factor when it comes to dogs, like an early warning system, warmth, hunting, and many more. Doesn't the extra time and money invested in an animal have a pay off better than not having one at all?

Protection varies. Girl has stopped 2 people in their tracks out with Mrs,she has slime-oid radar,as she perceives,homeless smelly types are NOT encouraged.Had a guy in dirty camo step on to trail from hill as Mrs entered,She was up on hind legs and lunged towards him,Mrs hadnt seen him.

Another was a homeless guy she passed that Girl just didnt like and got into offensive mode.I think she judges by smell a LOT.

Snookie has a different philosophy.NOBODY is trusted so she is always wary of strangers.And makes that clear,she doesnt do happy smiley puppy actions,more slinking and wary showing you arent welcome until introduced and still....she is tense for a good while.

Snookie will CHARGE ANY threat,Fearless of everything....Girl holds back and see's what Snookie is into before making her move.She used to charge too,until Snookie grabbed a skunk and sprayed Girl with it! Boy was Girl PO'ed! Knocked Snookie around but good for that!

Girl will standby quietly and watch and assess a threat down the street,thats a good thing,doesnt alert them they are being watched. Not Snookie,Its here I am,come get me!

Nobody,including family,comes thru our gate,snookie goes wild dog,all you see are noses and teeth and serious barking at gate.

Both just their normal personalities. Both very home/vehicle defensive,both great appearance deterrents.In fact if I dont like the look of something I make sure they see the mutts,and the mutts get a good smell of them.

So Yes,to a degree they will defend. Both also will meet other animals as we walk and if its a problem put themselves between us and threat.Happened to me and Girl twice,and she is such a sweetie I was surprised she went out to meet the threat,and did.She took a bite for the home team,but got one back and coulda kicked dogs behind had I let her.

Ive spent thousands over the years in health costs on mutts,I too believe they are to be treated as well as finances allow,how I was raised.

Along these lines,an internet friend on the other side of town was just burglarized a couple days ago.

They had left their home for less than 24 hours. They used a ladder from their garage to get to a second story window.The guns not in a safe were stolen,along with other things,and 'the house was trashed'

No,they dont have dogs.

Last night we had people skulking around on street in the fog.Fools,they dont realize sound travels blocks here at night.So I think it was the local meth trade types/customers out there,I hadnt seen guy before.HOWEVER,he DID get to see 2 wild dogs acting like they would like nothing more than to eat him for a night time snack.And dogs filed him away as THREAT,so they are for-armed should he return.

BTW,next couple times dogs alerted in house,I slipped out first and dogs didnt make a peep alongside me,I LIKE that,and its something they just learned,to follow my lead.They are amazing animals dogs are.

Up here,for most part,its the druggy crowd that is the threat,dogs are the answer to a large degree IMO,we havent been victimized in yard or home.

Not to say thats all encompassing,Ive had a car stolen off the street when I first moved here,turned out my new next door neighbors were skin head drug dealers (and Baja Bug car thieves too),they are gone and we own that property now,but thats another story.

So thats one of my Deterrent stories.....I really believe thats valid.

A day at the dog park


Snooky in foreground is my Ferrari,Girl the GSD is a freight train




Always a pushover for a ball or squeeky toy.Young couple were throwing it for their young GSD who wouldnt chase it,Girl ran off with it,he said we could keep it,his wont chase it anyhow,Christmas and Secret Santa for Girl.




Freight train coming!!!




This fellow has a GSD named Nana,very shy and timid,right until she perceives a possible danger than she leans on Dads leg and assumes the position,ears up....good girl Nana!

Here's my mutt. Sierra was supposed to be my hiking/camping buddy when I was single, but she can't go more than 1/2 mile on a good day, at a stretch.

Mrs takes dogs for a walk....at least I think thats Snookie and Girl

[quote=MDinana]Here's my mutt. Sierra was supposed to be my hiking/camping buddy when I was single, but she can't go more than 1/2 mile on a good day, at a stretch.

ahhhhwwwwwwwwww! Poor puppy! What happened?

It breaks my heart to see and animal hurt.

I grew up with a "tripod" dog. I guess somebody forgot to tell him he was gimped. Had some GS in him, from the colour and the attitude. He could clear a page-wire fence as tall as he was, no problem, and loved it. Don't sell a tripod short: what they lack in paws, they make up for in heart.

Definitely true. People all over the neighborhood know her, but no one knows my wife or I. She is quite the snuggle dog, unless you're a kid, then she's not real great. In fact, she's had the hair go up a couple times on kids and I've had to pull her back before she snapped. I worry a LOT when the neighborhood kids try and flock her. She also nipped our next door neighbor kid once, though he was taking a toy out of her mouth. I pulled just in time that it was a light graze, and mom was surprisingly calm about it. (thank God).

She gets along pretty well - being the front leg, it's a bit more problematic than a back leg. The vet told us the front legs hold about 70% of the body weight, so you can imagine how difficult that gets, plus her head bobs up and down pretty good at low speed. She levels out nicely at about a trot. I also worry that she'll sprain that ankle (wrist?) and be SOL one day.

She had a chondrosarcoma in the left shoulder blade. By the time we got her to a vet it had taken up enough that they couldn't just take the tumor out. Since the shoulder blade had to come out, there was no where for the humerus or attached muscles to attach, hence the leg coming off.

"can you train your dog to ACTUALLY protect you adequately?"

Of course, but training a dog capable of protecting you is not a skill everyone has. Before he died, my last GSD would:
1) Step to the side of the trail, and "down" if a bike or jogger approached. Would thus notify me if I hadn't seen the person approaching... and would stay respectfully out of the way until told o.k.
2) Would attack, seriously, on command or without command (if I were struck, went down, and said nothing further). Would cease instantly on command.
3) Would "bluff" on verbal command or hand signal: he would stare at you, bark and slobber, and LOOKED like he wanted to eat you... but this was not an attack command.
4) Would carry his own food and water in a saddle bag on hikes.
5) Would "find some sticks" drag fire wood into camp all night if I let him.
6) Would track (found a lost child once, in a campgrounds) on command.
7) Would point a squirrel, retrieve a duck from the water, or follow a blood trail.

So YEP. I wish he were still with me. A better woods companion than any human I ever go out with.

Heres one of the better ones I have of my old dog, sadly no longer here.



Nothing like a good GSD for keeping your knees warm in a cold basher

I've had dogs all my life. I can't really imagine life without one. The only thing I regret is when they reach the end of their life.

Great pics and stories MD and K9,yup,tripods,how they compensate sure is amazing.