boxer puppy
bassett hound puppyHF wants a boxer and I want a basset hound. It probably has something to do with the fact that a boxer (Lady) was his childhood dog, and a basset hound (Flash-yes, just like the basset on Dukes of Hazard) was my mine. After researching online, they are both good dogs to have around children. The boxer is more distrusting of strangers which is good. Basset hounds shed a lot and I won't tolerate that inside my house, but they are so much cuter than boxers in my opinion. I think I will do a pros and cons list.
It also seems that more and more pets are being given away or abandoned because of the economy. People can't afford to take care of their animals anymore. But after feeding our 3 year old, Luke, I figure what's another mouth to feed? This kid eats us out of house and home everyday. But yes, being able to care for another family member is something to consider.
Another thing I need to remember is that I was raised country and our pets just roamed our property. They didn't come in the house, we didn't really bathe them that often, they got a lot of their food from "hunting" in the orchards. It was very low maintenance. Given my personality now, and the fact that we live in the city, and the fact that we iz poor, would I be able to have them cleaned and groomed regularly, and I don't want animal hair in the house. I think we'll think about this some more.
But knowing me, I will go for the boxer to please HF, and he'll go for the basset to please me.
4 comments:
Ahh--you all will make the right decision and be happy with the new addition. I would go with the boxer. The ones I have been around love to chase balls and I enjoy throwing. In contrast, the bh's that I have known were nice dogs, but they barked and barked.
We will be having the dog of an elderly relative stay with us for a few weeks--so our house will be a bit more rowdy than usual. Have not had a furry friend around since our Springer Spaniel died a couple of years ago.
Well here are some objectives for you to possibly help with your decision. We have a dog which is half terrier and half hound of some sort. We adopted him from a shelter when he was less than a year old. We thought there would be less hair with the shorter hair but that is not the case. The hair is everywhere which really gets gross and depressing. I stay home and do all the cleaning and my son is terrified of the vacuum. Needless to say there was often dog hair everywhere and stuck all over whoever is on the floor, etc. For my birthday a bunch of my family just went in on a Roomba and I have never felt so hairlessly happy. Anyway, the dog needs fenced room to roam, a childless area because it gets overwhelming for them no matter how nice they are, and it does get hard to stay on top of the grooming. After all they are inside and around kids and furniture and they get stinky, etc. It is definitely an added expense. We can wash him in the tub but then there's water everywhere and the tub is all nasty plus we don't trim his nails. In the summer time my husband will hook our hose up to the kitchen faucet (with a little adapter we bought) and bathe him on the deck and then let him run in the backyard and dry off. You have to be REALLY careful to make sure the dog is child friendly. If they are but are food aggressive then that will be an issue if kids are around when they eat.
Lastly, I would highly recommend more of a watch dog type dog for a cop's family. They are superior burglar alarms. There bark will scare anyone away when your husband is not home better than any Brinks or ACT type alarm. I can;t tell you how secure and glad I am to have our dog with all the OT, weird hours, etc. that my husband is not at home. Some times we get some thugs at our door for soliciting and they are usually pretty scared when they see our dog. He looks a lot like a pit bull (but is not). Good luck with your decision. HTH :)
I don't know much about boxers but I grew up with basset hounds. They are so loveable!
My (unsolicited) advice is to keep the dog's energy level in mind so it fits your lifestyle. We have a very high energy level German Shepard and we take him out to a gravel road and let him run about 3 or 4 miles almost every day. In the summer sometimes we take him swimming instead or also. He goes nuts without it.
Dogs living in town need daily exercise, meaning walks, throwing a ball, ect. Personally, I think many "bad" dogs, hyper with behavioral problems, are just bored and under exercised.
If that sounds overwhelming, basset hounds are lower level energy dogs, which is not to say they don't need daily walks. We had a basset hound that was very active, not sleepy like the stereotype, but she still didn't need the kind of exercise our current dog does. On the other hand, daily walks aren't a total bad thing, I read somewhere that people that walk their dogs 20 minutes a day lose an average of 14 pounds a year.
Another thing to keep in mind is that it should be a dog everybody can connect with. If your husband really doesn't want a basset, it will be easier for him to say, but it's not my dog, when it's time to do the walks, ect.
Hope I didn't sound too preachy! This is one of my big things - I'm a big fan of the dog whisperer, exercise, discipline and affection!
Whoah guys-Lots of good info to think about that I NEVER even considered before! This will all go into our next dog discussion.
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