Our apartments also made this easy on us. Any dog has to be at least 1 year old. We looked at PetFinder a lot, and eventually decided to just go to a few shelters and make our decisions then. The problem with looking online is that you're really just picking a dog for it's looks, not for it's personality. And yes, there are TONS of Chis, and hopefully a few Doxies. I'm really trying to bring Erin over to the Doxie side of the fence.
New Dog, Need Help
- Thread starter Cthulhu7
- Start date
There are basenji's in Texas and BRAT is a national basenji rescue that has several dogs listed in the Texas area.
That being said before you decide on a B please go to the BRAT website and read the stories about them posted there. They have stories about what it is like to live with one of these little guys...and trust me there is good, bad, and even horrible.
Basenji's tend to be a handful...they are a challenge in some ways. They are also completely wonderful and great fun.
Like any other breed it is important to be as informed as possible before starting your life with one!
That being said before you decide on a B please go to the BRAT website and read the stories about them posted there. They have stories about what it is like to live with one of these little guys...and trust me there is good, bad, and even horrible.
Basenji's tend to be a handful...they are a challenge in some ways. They are also completely wonderful and great fun.
Like any other breed it is important to be as informed as possible before starting your life with one!
There are basenji's in Texas and BRAT is a national basenji rescue that has several dogs listed in the Texas area.
That being said before you decide on a B please go to the BRAT website and read the stories about them posted there. They have stories about what it is like to live with one of these little guys...and trust me there is good, bad, and even horrible.
Basenji's tend to be a handful...they are a challenge in some ways. They are also completely wonderful and great fun.
Like any other breed it is important to be as informed as possible before starting your life with one!
That being said before you decide on a B please go to the BRAT website and read the stories about them posted there. They have stories about what it is like to live with one of these little guys...and trust me there is good, bad, and even horrible.
Basenji's tend to be a handful...they are a challenge in some ways. They are also completely wonderful and great fun.
Like any other breed it is important to be as informed as possible before starting your life with one!
As for fostering: as much as that sounds great, it would be hell. My apartments had a hard enough time just transferring our pet deposit from our old cat to a new dog, can you imagine how much crap they'd give us if every month or so we were getting a new dog? It also means going through all the apartment's paperwork again, and they're generally useless and incompetent so I try to stay out of the main office as much as I can.
Are there any rescues in your area that have people who foster dogs? Then you can probably get a better idea of the dog's temperament before you bring one home.
Also, it's easy to get sucked in by the cute faces at shelters. I totally lucked out picking a puppy based in part on how cute he was, but I know now that it's a crapshoot.
It sounds like an easygoing, easy keeper may be best for you for now in your life, maybe two years old or older. And be sure to look into good basic obedience classes if you decide to get a new addition! Here's a good way to search for a trainer: http://www.apdt.com/petowners/ts/default.aspx
Also, it's easy to get sucked in by the cute faces at shelters.
I totally lucked out picking a puppy based in part on how cute he was, but I know now that it's a crapshoot. It sounds like an easygoing, easy keeper may be best for you for now in your life, maybe two years old or older. And be sure to look into good basic obedience classes if you decide to get a new addition! Here's a good way to search for a trainer: http://www.apdt.com/petowners/ts/default.aspx
OK I'm on my computer at home so my sentences aren't going to be as short and to the point.
It sounds like you guys are putting a LOT of emphasis on appearance. I think that's one of the things you really need to work on. I can understand seeing these great pure breed dogs and saying 'I want one that looks like THAT'. It happens to everyone on here and if they say it doesn't they are lying. If a dog fits everywhere else but you or your wife think it's too 'girlie' that to me is a pretty big issue because you are closing a door on a TON potential perfect personality/requirements.
Also you could go to a breed rescue and see if they have mixes. They might be able to locate a dog they have that hits all the breed personalities but that looks 'off' or 'different' so you end up with a dog who's breed meshes with your lifestyle but doesn't have a certain look that you don't want.
While I won't apologize for my pet rock comments since all of them just had to do with pet rocks in general and not that you should only have that as a pet. I will say saying that is the only pet suitable for you is a little out of line. But to be honest this thread didn't really start out on the right foot either.
I don't know how you want to do it if you want to try to keep getting info from this thread or if you may want to start a new one I think you'd get quite a few more replies if you included more info about what you are looking for. Because as you can see by some of the replies a lot of people just read the first post and then comment.
Some info that might help:
What city, state are you wanting to move to? For example in Tulsa I'd say about 90-95% of rental places are owned by case and associates and all of their pet policies are the same so it's pretty easy to see what you will be able to get away with and what you won't. Also while a lot of places have a weight limit I know quite a few where if your dog is over the weight limit if they are under the height limit they are still allowed.
Realistically what are your training abilities? Do you want an easy to train dog? Do you get frustrated easily by a heard headed dog? You may be able to put a lot of time in it but realistically with both of you be able to put in time to train the dog and to stay constant so that training with dad isn't different than training with mom?
How much time/effort are you able/willing to put into grooming?
Will you want a dog that you can take to a dog park or will your dog for the most part never be around other dogs?
Will younger kids be around this dog? *I'm not saying kids can't be around dogs but just like I would be nervous about my big dog playing with a toddler because of a potential accident caused by my dog not realizing how much bigger she is I'd also be nervous about a small dog possibly getting hurt by a child with the same problem*
Do you want a dog that is friendly with everyone or would you want one that is more wary of other people?
How much time/effort each day can you put into exercise?
How long do you plan to stay at your new place? If you have to/want to move again how soon do you think it would be and would the next place be another apartment/rent situation? Like I said earlier certain breeds are hard to have if you rent.
How vocal do you want/can you handle?
There's probably way more but right now there are very few posts with important info that could help identify breeds for you. I'd also go in with a totally open mind because really it shouldn't come down to which one is prettiest/coolest/manliest looking it should come down to which one clicks with your family the best.
ETA: I know a lot of people are suggesting smaller dogs if you want a larger one I know there are some out there for you but right now there isn't really too much info other than you suffer from allergies, some dogs are too loud, and you don't want a girly looking dog.
ALSO ETA *again I know but I forget stuff x.x*
You wanted to know about dogs that could do good in TX climate. What kind of outdoor stuff do you do? Yoshi get's hot super easy, like the house is 75 degrees or hotter easy, but even in OK in over 100 degree temps with super high humidity she's fine depending on what out door activities I'm doing.
It sounds like you guys are putting a LOT of emphasis on appearance. I think that's one of the things you really need to work on. I can understand seeing these great pure breed dogs and saying 'I want one that looks like THAT'. It happens to everyone on here and if they say it doesn't they are lying. If a dog fits everywhere else but you or your wife think it's too 'girlie' that to me is a pretty big issue because you are closing a door on a TON potential perfect personality/requirements.
Also you could go to a breed rescue and see if they have mixes. They might be able to locate a dog they have that hits all the breed personalities but that looks 'off' or 'different' so you end up with a dog who's breed meshes with your lifestyle but doesn't have a certain look that you don't want.
While I won't apologize for my pet rock comments since all of them just had to do with pet rocks in general and not that you should only have that as a pet. I will say saying that is the only pet suitable for you is a little out of line. But to be honest this thread didn't really start out on the right foot either.
I don't know how you want to do it if you want to try to keep getting info from this thread or if you may want to start a new one I think you'd get quite a few more replies if you included more info about what you are looking for. Because as you can see by some of the replies a lot of people just read the first post and then comment.
Some info that might help:
What city, state are you wanting to move to? For example in Tulsa I'd say about 90-95% of rental places are owned by case and associates and all of their pet policies are the same so it's pretty easy to see what you will be able to get away with and what you won't. Also while a lot of places have a weight limit I know quite a few where if your dog is over the weight limit if they are under the height limit they are still allowed.
Realistically what are your training abilities? Do you want an easy to train dog? Do you get frustrated easily by a heard headed dog? You may be able to put a lot of time in it but realistically with both of you be able to put in time to train the dog and to stay constant so that training with dad isn't different than training with mom?
How much time/effort are you able/willing to put into grooming?
Will you want a dog that you can take to a dog park or will your dog for the most part never be around other dogs?
Will younger kids be around this dog? *I'm not saying kids can't be around dogs but just like I would be nervous about my big dog playing with a toddler because of a potential accident caused by my dog not realizing how much bigger she is I'd also be nervous about a small dog possibly getting hurt by a child with the same problem*
Do you want a dog that is friendly with everyone or would you want one that is more wary of other people?
How much time/effort each day can you put into exercise?
How long do you plan to stay at your new place? If you have to/want to move again how soon do you think it would be and would the next place be another apartment/rent situation? Like I said earlier certain breeds are hard to have if you rent.
How vocal do you want/can you handle?
There's probably way more but right now there are very few posts with important info that could help identify breeds for you. I'd also go in with a totally open mind because really it shouldn't come down to which one is prettiest/coolest/manliest looking it should come down to which one clicks with your family the best.
ETA: I know a lot of people are suggesting smaller dogs if you want a larger one I know there are some out there for you but right now there isn't really too much info other than you suffer from allergies, some dogs are too loud, and you don't want a girly looking dog.
ALSO ETA *again I know but I forget stuff x.x*
You wanted to know about dogs that could do good in TX climate. What kind of outdoor stuff do you do? Yoshi get's hot super easy, like the house is 75 degrees or hotter easy, but even in OK in over 100 degree temps with super high humidity she's fine depending on what out door activities I'm doing.
I'm going to jump in and jump out, with just saying that both Chis and Dachshunds have a tendency to be timid and/or antisocial. Usually OK with other dogs, but might not welcome visitors attempting to pet. There are a million and a half antisocial chihuahuas in shelters. You might actually be best visiting your shelters and finding a friendly adult, or going with a really good breeder with say CGC/therapy dog titles on their adults.
This can be a problem especially in apartments, if you are constantly bringing them out the front door. Skye would crowd the door when I was in a smaller place with only the one door to go outside. She doesn't do that in a normal house where she is always going out the back. Training a really good stay and always going out the front door first, and then the dog, can really help this situation.
This can be a problem especially in apartments, if you are constantly bringing them out the front door. Skye would crowd the door when I was in a smaller place with only the one door to go outside. She doesn't do that in a normal house where she is always going out the back. Training a really good stay and always going out the front door first, and then the dog, can really help this situation.
Just from my experience renting in that area staying < 20 lbs and then over 1 year is by far making things easier. I also know we always had chihuahuas and dachshunds in the shelter there. It really would have been so easy to find a nice, laid back, friendly chihuahua in a shelter especially. We were overflowing and had more of them than the other small breeds combined.
If you get a dachshund and are still living there check out the Weinerfest that the Bryan/College Station shelter puts on. It's loads of fun and they also have small dog 'wanna be a weiner' races too. Mia made it to the finals when I entered my two. Summer made it in last place because she had to go say hi to everyone.
If you get a dachshund and are still living there check out the Weinerfest that the Bryan/College Station shelter puts on. It's loads of fun and they also have small dog 'wanna be a weiner' races too. Mia made it to the finals when I entered my two. Summer made it in last place because she had to go say hi to everyone.
I agree. Let's everybody put on our big-kid pants and grow up now
My gate has been left open not once.... But TWICE! Tucker escaped twice! And guess what happened? We got him back... No harm done... Twice.
The horror.
My gate has been left open not once.... But TWICE! Tucker escaped twice! And guess what happened? We got him back... No harm done... Twice.
The horror.
Judging by some of the posts on this thread, I clearly don't love my dogs, am a totally irresponsible pet owner, and should only own a pet rock or stuffed dog.
Everyone makes mistakes, the important thing is that you learn from them.
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I have met some sweet chihuahua mixes at the shelter I worked at. Usually they are one person dogs, but sometimes they love everyone. Just depends on the individual dog. Miller at the shelter I worked at is a chihuahua mix and he loves everyone. Your best bet is to get one that has been in foster care that has been socialized with people.
I think that's a bit dramatic, to say you shouldn't own a dog because it once got loose, unless I'm missing the posts.
It could all be a misunderstanding but if a dog is regularly escaping the house, with a potential for aggression, then the owners are doing something wrong.
Sometimes I think this community is exceedingly forgiving out of a fearfully guilty conscience but sometimes it's in the animals best interest to say, hey man you f'd up, you need an education before you own dogs again, these are a privilege not a right.
It could all be a misunderstanding but if a dog is regularly escaping the house, with a potential for aggression, then the owners are doing something wrong.
Sometimes I think this community is exceedingly forgiving out of a fearfully guilty conscience but sometimes it's in the animals best interest to say, hey man you f'd up, you need an education before you own dogs again, these are a privilege not a right.
I suspect that people are responding to the posts that really were OTT, and there were some.
Also, I didn't post in the thick of it, but after the points had been made and it became clear that the OP is going to go ahead and adopt another dog as soon as he can. I do agree with the bolded above, which is why I suggested a very easy adult and a trainer.
Also, I didn't post in the thick of it, but after the points had been made and it became clear that the OP is going to go ahead and adopt another dog as soon as he can. I do agree with the bolded above, which is why I suggested a very easy adult and a trainer.
LOL. I do! I do!
My next door neighbors have let their dogs (2 Dachsunds, 1 Dachshund mix, 1 Italian Greyhound) run loose on MY property since I've moved in. I've asked them nicely to adhere to the leash ordinance and keep their dogs on their own property, yet not a day goes by that they don't stand and watch their dogs come use the bathroom on MY property. I guess their 1.26 acres isn't enough room, so they need to let their dogs us my 2.1 acre horse pasture. Every single day I pick up at least 1 pile of dog poop, but usually 2 or 3. Multiply that my 365 and see how bad it truly is. On top of that, their dogs constantly growl and chase after me, they growl and run at my horses, and a few weeks ago, their dogs took off after my horse and pony, who were both lying down for naps. My pony tried to get up in a hurry, and he slipped at fell a bit before finally getting his feet under him and galloping away. $300+ later, I now have an permanently somewhat unsound pony with two bone chips and tendon sheath damage in the right hock, and a bone spavin in the left hock. He'll require daily ortho-supplements, NSAIDS and pain meds as needed, hock injections, and a $5,000+ surgery has been put on the table. And who is responsible? Ohhhh...not them, they say. I even contacted an attorney, and it seems that a judge could even rule in their favor saying that my pony's injury was an indirect injury from the dogs, meaning that the dogs themselves didn't actually injure him directly.
I've contacted animal control 6 times in the past 6 months, and they refuse to do anything saying they "can't unless they actually arrive and catch the dogs on my property". **coughcoughbullshitcoughcough**
So there you have it. I hate my neighbors. And I keep my little .410 loaded, and the dogs will get shot the next time they come onto my property. It is sad that the dogs will have pay with their lives for their owner's disrespectful refusal to keep their dogs confined/restrained on their own property, but my animals and my kids come first. And if their dogs have to die at my own hands, so be it.
I didn't read that they just dumped the dog because they didn't want to deal with it. They rehomed the dog because they had to quickly--most people just can't up and move at a moment's notice-breaking a lease, finding a new place to live, gathering a security deposit, etc, is expensive.
I absolutely believe that the OP needs to take a step back, take a deep breath, make a list of honest wants for a new dog, do some serious research, and get their ducks in a row (trainer, finances, etc) before getting a new dog. And I totally think that an adult, all around social, low shedding dog is a good place to start.
However, the fact is that everyone on here has made mistakes with their pets, mistakes that could have ended horribly (but most likely didn't). Even responsible people can fsck up and do irresponsible things. Nothing good comes of bullying someone who has come here for information. It just makes us look like a bunch of asshats.
Oh, and weenie dogs rule...
I absolutely believe that the OP needs to take a step back, take a deep breath, make a list of honest wants for a new dog, do some serious research, and get their ducks in a row (trainer, finances, etc) before getting a new dog. And I totally think that an adult, all around social, low shedding dog is a good place to start.
However, the fact is that everyone on here has made mistakes with their pets, mistakes that could have ended horribly (but most likely didn't). Even responsible people can fsck up and do irresponsible things. Nothing good comes of bullying someone who has come here for information. It just makes us look like a bunch of asshats.
Oh, and weenie dogs rule...