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My last dog (a Lab) I got at 18 months. In fact she was my favorite of all my labs that I have ever owned. She was my running partner,aand my stress relief. Intellegent and fun to be around. But she had some issues too. Skin problems and some hip issues. Behavior problems took a good while to resolve. Barking at guests, killing the neighborhood cats that wondered into our yard and she just hated any dog that came into our yard. Needless to say that my neighbors liked her less than I did. I spent more on vet bills with her than all my previous dogs combined. No regrets I loved that dog. I loved her so much that 5 years after her death I still can't seem to work it up to get another. It feels like betrayal to me.
She died after being bitten by a copperhead snake. We were hiking,one of our marathon type hikes. I sat down on a fallen tree and Baily exploded into a frenzy and attacked the snake that I had not noticed under the tree I sat on. No doubt about it she saved me from being bitten. She was bitten several times in the face. I didnt notice at first but as she began to stumble I noticed her face swelling up. 5 miles in the woods is a long carry out for a dog who went 90 pounds. In the end too long and good old baily didn't survive. She loved a grey hoody I had. No matter where I put it she seemed to find it and it would be in her bed. I buried her with that hoody under the tree in my yard where she liked to lay in the shade. She was my good dog.
My friends used to ask Tinman why is your dog just like you? I would ask what do you mean? LOL They would say she is an azzhole just like you.
LOL she might tolerate a guest in the house but she never stopped watching your every move. I loved this dog more than any I ever had.
I can agree with 5horses in this regard. In the end its about the dog.
My last dog (a Lab) I got at 18 months. In fact she was my favorite of all my labs that I have ever owned. She was my running partner,aand my stress relief. Intellegent and fun to be around. But she had some issues too. Skin problems and some hip issues. Behavior problems took a good while to resolve. Barking at guests, killing the neighborhood cats that wondered into our yard and she just hated any dog that came into our yard. Needless to say that my neighbors liked her less than I did. I spent more on vet bills with her than all my previous dogs combined. No regrets I loved that dog. I loved her so much that 5 years after her death I still can't seem to work it up to get another. It feels like betrayal to me.
She died after being bitten by a copperhead snake. We were hiking,one of our marathon type hikes. I sat down on a fallen tree and Baily exploded into a frenzy and attacked the snake that I had not noticed under the tree I sat on. No doubt about it she saved me from being bitten. She was bitten several times in the face. I didnt notice at first but as she began to stumble I noticed her face swelling up. 5 miles in the woods is a long carry out for a dog who went 90 pounds. In the end too long and good old baily didn't survive. She loved a grey hoody I had. No matter where I put it she seemed to find it and it would be in her bed. I buried her with that hoody under the tree in my yard where she liked to lay in the shade. She was my good dog.
My friends used to ask Tinman why is your dog just like you? I would ask what do you mean? LOL They would say she is an azzhole just like you.
LOL she might tolerate a guest in the house but she never stopped watching your every move. I loved this dog more than any I ever had.
I can agree with 5horses in this regard. In the end its about the dog.
Would be hard to get another dog after she saved your life. Would not be betraying her as not replacing her as never can replace one as they all so different. She be waiting over rainbow bridge for you to hike again. When time is right you will find another and she will send you a sign saying it is ok as this new friend needs you also.
aw, tinman, i'm sorry about your dog. that is so sad. i also appreciate that my dog likes me more than other people (although she's less extreme about it than it sounds like your dog was).
aw, tinman, i'm sorry about your dog. that is so sad. i also appreciate that my dog likes me more than other people (although she's less extreme about it than it sounds like your dog was).
LOL Baily liked to tease people she would stare at them and growl that deep big dog growl. Sometimes the hackles would be on display. It was all show. She would go get 1 of her toys and walk up the guest as if to invite them to play, when they reached for the toy she would growl. My god that made me laugh at how many times the same person fell for it. I have an inground pool. Baily was not allowed to go swimming in the pool. For a lab that had to be torture. So she would play fetch with herself and sooner or later the ball would accidently fall into the pool. Well what is any self respecting lab supposed to do? Better jump in there and get it of course.
Sometimes I think about getting another, I even called a few breeders, checked out the local shelters etc. In the end I always decide that I just don't have the time for a dog anymore. The reality is after a dog like baily almost no dog will measure up.
I've owned dogs of all ages (from 8 weeks to 5 years old and up)...the bonding really depends on the personality of the dog and owner. I've only ever owned one dog who I did not bond well with and it was simply because he had an intense aggression toward people from abuse he suffered at the hands of the idiot who owned him before me.
Personally I prefer an adult dog over a pup - less work!
I think the bond can be the same with either. Jazz I got as a young puppy and she is very bonded to me , Dash was 1 yr and he was bonded to me almost from day one, Dazzle at 8 months bonded fast, A previous dog I got at age 4 also seemed to form an instant strong bond. Phoenix was 2 and it took months for me to adopt because we had to work with her and Jazz before the humane society would OK it. She seemed to bond to me the first time we met. Being deaf and limited vision she was very shy and that was part of her problem and why others were not interested in her but when I met her she came right up to me as if she knew me as I sat on the ground and used what calming signals I knew .Any time I came to work with her or just visit her at the humane society she was super excited to see me. The kennel staff and volunters all told me how much they hoped we could work out the issue with Jazz and Phoenix as they had never seen her take to some one like she did to me. So I have never noticed a difference in bonding related to age and my bond with all the dogs I have owned has been strong enough that others even comment on it.
I think the bond can be the same with either. Jazz I got as a young puppy and she is very bonded to me , Dash was 1 yr and he was bonded to me almost from day one, Dazzle at 8 months bonded fast, A previous dog I got at age 4 also seemed to form an instant strong bond. Phoenix was 2 and it took months for me to adopt because we had to work with her and Jazz before the humane society would OK it. She seemed to bond to me the first time we met. Being deaf and limited vision she was very shy and that was part of her problem and why others were not interested in her but when I met her she came right up to me as if she knew me as I sat on the ground and used what calming signals I knew .Any time I came to work with her or just visit her at the humane society she was super excited to see me. The kennel staff and volunters all told me how much they hoped we could work out the issue with Jazz and Phoenix as they had never seen her take to some one like she did to me. So I have never noticed a difference in bonding related to age and my bond with all the dogs I have owned has been strong enough that others even comment on it.
Good post. I agree. Age has nothing to do with the bond. I love those names too! Jazz and Phoneix lol
Bonding is individual.......not the same for all dogs and people.....breeds may have something to do with it.....but dogs are not cookie cutter predictable. My experience has been that mutual bonds of affection and loyalty grow and become strong based on experience and consistancy. I did rescue one dog who walked into my heart and vice versa instantly......we were both gentle souls who had been hurt and found one another.....it was magical. My dear sweet Hannah is gone now.....but that was the purest love I have ever know. Hannah's mom was a golden retriever and Hannah looked more like an English Setter.....beautiful and classy and soulful.
My first girl, I adopted when she was 4-months-old. She'd been abused and was terrified of human touch. My second was 3-years-old when I adopted him. His owner loved him dearly, but had to give him up due to medical issues of her own. And, just over a year ago, I brought home an abandoned 4-week-old pup who, obviously, was taken away from her mom much too soon. They each have such a different story that the bonding process was certainly different with each of them. However, the bond is equally strong with all three. Not only are they bonded to me, but they've forged unbreakable bonds with one another.
Another thing I have noticed it also depends on the dogs breed/s Some breeds are just clingy others are independant.
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