labsrule

I don't think you can educate anyone by calling their dogs 'ugly cross mutts'. I think you start making a rod for your own back when you refer to someone else's dog (which in all probability, they love) as ugly.

I am all for education but I don't think the 'if people want to be educated they will be' argument really cuts it. It's the way the information is presented that counts as well.

Yes you are right Emm and I will alter my post accordingly and remove the word "ugly".

Oh please, get over it Labsrule. Not everyone has to like the way your dog looks - everyone appreciates a different thing in their dogs, or else we would all own labradors. And it's not "insensitive" to say that the look of a particular breed doesn't appeal to you.

There's no point throwing a tanty whenever someone says they don't personally find your dog attractive. Heck, if I threw a tanty every time someone had called my stafford ugly or funny looking, I'd have thrown a lot of tanties over the years.

You're right, as a vet I will need to be polite to any dog owner and breeder that comes in my door - whether they are breeding mutts, crossbreeds, oodles, or purebreds...

No I won't get over it and yes it is insensitive and I will throw as many tanties as I want to!!!

meh, not everyone likes mini schnauzers, I'm fine with that. Couldn't care less, I love them and that is all that matters. If my vet said that he didn't find them asthetically pleasing I wouldn't bat an eye lid.

The world would be a very boring place if we all liked the same thing.

What Staranais said is hardly lab bashing. Adain's comment was about breeders, not breeds. Calm down.

Don't tell me to calm down, I will defend my beautiful breed at all costs. I don't care if you don't feel the same.

I'm not fussed if they exist and people want to waste their money buying something that is inconsistent in type, temperament and structure, but that is the very reason they shouldn't be recognised.

The designer dogs serve no purpose and whilst the Lab x Poodle was concieved with the intention of providing an alternative guide dog, that failed.

Exactly and these mutts should be given no promotion whatsoever on this forum!!!!!

If you are such a great fan of crossbred mutts why did you join a Purebred Forum and denigrate our beautiful purebreeds any chance you get.

And John Q Public just turns away and walks off, with his opinion of purebred dog breeders confirmed once again...

You know what, who cares, I don't. I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sick of the denigration of our purebred dogs on a purbred forum

No idea how you could pick a scruffy mutt over this

LOL, it's a good thing everyone's different. I've got to say, I don't find either the labrador or the poodle aesthetically appealing at all. But apparently people exist that don't think staffords are handsome either (!)

I find your comments insulting to our beloved breed and very insensitive to us Labrador owners and just more Lab bashing :D and I am sure the Poodle owners amongst us are probably equally incensed. Given the Labrador worldwide popularity (i.e. No. 1 most popular dog in the world!!!! including NZ :p ), you are obviously in the minority.

There are a few breeds that I don't find aesthetically appealing, but I sure as hell am not about to insult those breeds or their owners by making such insensitive comments public, particularly when this is a PURBRED FORUM of dog owners who are very PASSIONATE about their breeds. Pity you couldn't do the same. : Given you are a vet in training, guess who will be the majority of your client base ;) and I am sure you will have some very upset clients if you dared mention your feelings about our beloved breed. They would be exiting your practice in droves, and rightfully so .

I am not really a fan of poodles or labradors...but to be honest, based on looks alone (of the lab/poodle x's I have met) I quite like the mix.

Obviously they are all different so not all are going to look like the ones I have met, but if I had to choose a dog out of those 3 based on looks alone, I would choose the x.

*looks apologetically at the big boofy headed lab x in the lounge who looks just like a lab - love you bumbum* LOL

and I am not a fan of DD's nor crossbreeds or any form of promotion of these mutts for that matter. Give me beautiful Labrador or Poodle over the cross mutts any day.

If you are such a great fan of crossbred mutts why did you join a Purebred Forum and denigrate our beautiful purebreeds any chance you get. as this is not the first time you have done this go away and join a mutts forum instead

How terrible, poor Yogi How scary for you Sending lots of healing vibes his way and lots of best wishes for a speedy recovery

I have been biting my tongue on this thread as the subject matters sh!ts me big time . However I need to correct the misinformation about the Labrador's temperament by quoting the "OFFICIAL DESCRIPTION" of the Labrador Temperament:

Temperament: Intelligent, keen and biddable, with a strong will to please. Kindly nature, with no trace of aggression or undue shyness

This is why they are so popular and the No. 1 most popular dog in Australia, U.S., U.K. and many other countries, in fact they are reportedly the No.1 most popular dog in the world.

Yes unfortunately, many people expect our wonderful breed to be born a perfectly trained "guide dog" , and shock horror they end up with over the top out of control youngsters that they abandon/rehome as they have not put in the required effort to meet their Labs needs . However, these owners are far far far outnumbered by the owners that have been able to meet their Labs needs and both owners and labs live very happy and fulfilled lives together .

I will refrain from commenting on the LD as I will probably be kicked off the forum

I am so pleased that your friend has decided to step up to the plate and do the right thing by Gemma. She looks like she had a lot of fun in the puddle and is looking very pleased with herself, wearing the mud like a badge of honour Her coat seems to be too long for a Lab though, she looks more like a Lab x GR ;)

Ok, from another perspective and taking everything discussed into account, how can the dog park situation be fixed so that every dog who enters is safe???

What's the plan of action in an area that can be accessed freely by anyone???

Fiona

This thread is now bordering on the ridiculous, it's like asking how can we make everyone safe in the world - it aint going to happen. I don't know why you want to prolong this discussion as you don't even take your perfect dogs to a dog park/unleashed area and let them play with other dogs, so why bother asking for the impossible :D

Awww how adorable, the gorgeous Scout with her blankie

Why does it always have to be someone's fault? She was in an off-leash area, mistakes happen.

Of course it is someone's fault you should know there can never be any mistakes/accidents with dogs, particularly at offleash areas ;) - these type of threads always deteriorate

Its the evil Labs I tell ya! Someway, somewhere, sometime an evil bouncing lab managed to cause this incident, all the other incidents and global warming!!!

;) Just as well our poor evil labbies have big shoulders , they have to bear the burden of causing so many problems bouncing around the dog parks greeting all those unfriendlies Just think how boring the dog parks would be without one of our evil labbies in it stirring up trouble let alone how quiet these type of threads would be without a Lab being mentioned

Why does it always have to be someone's fault? She was in an off-leash area, mistakes happen.

Of course it is someone's fault you should know there can never be any mistakes/accidents with dogs, particularly at offleash areas :D - these type of threads always deteriorate ;)

Does anyone know where does Hugh Gent reside? Accepting the invitation and attending the even are two different things, especailly if large distances are involved.

Sorry to sound pessimistic....

Theresa Park, NSW

I am 18 and have been looking very hard at getting a job in Industry (I am currently studying a Cert III in companion animal services)

I refuse to buy products from petstores that sell puppies, highly against it.

There is an opening at the petstore at my local shopping centre, it would be a great opportunity because I know what I am talking about and I can learn more and more

Only problem is, there is puppies and other animals sold from this petshop. I am trying to think, if I just try for the job and get it and keep it until I can find something else or stand by what I believe

I am desperate for a new job, because my other one is horrible and I have been trying for a few months.

I am going to try and see what happens, its convenient and I'll kind of be doing something I enjoy =S

So according to your original post you are highly against petstores that sell puppies and in the next breathe you are going to try it and see what happens Don't understand why you bothered posting in the first place as you seem to have already made your mind up. Start off as you mean to go on - compromising values/morals/ethics should never be taken lightly as you are essentially undermining your own conscience and there are consequences of doing this.

LOL Must have been one hell of a good-loooking bone!!

Sorry - shouldn't laugh. I would be a little concerned about it too if I was you. I have no idea what went on there.

;) ;) Sorry nothing useful to add - the above post gave me a good laugh

You need to get yourself a Labrador and you won't have that problem and no mess will be left, the place, including the mats will be licked clean

There is another thread about this in the News Forum which I posted to previously and in reading some updates this morning, one of which I replied to and have copied below, as the link darlingdog provided and I read has some interesting posts identifying this despicable psychopath and evidence of previous animal abuse and cruelty on her FB page and I have quoted one of the posts below. ;) ;) . I refuse to watch the video

http://www.ecorazzi.com/2010/09/01/michael...-throwing-girl/

Thought you might be interested in this article.

Interesting link and I read some of the posts by some people in response to Michael Bay's reward and this post says it all

Her name is Antonia Miskic – she has a FB page – there are MANY disturbing pics of ANIMAL ABUSE in her page :D it is HORRIBLE!

Another psychopath and oxygen thief in the making and the act itself was despicable and horrific enough but to record the act and then post it online shows what a sick psychopath she really is :o

http://www.ecorazzi.com/2010/09/01/michael...-throwing-girl/

Thought you might be interested in this article.

Interesting link and I read some of the posts by some people in response to Michael Bay's reward and this post says it all

Her name is Antonia Miskic – she has a FB page – there are MANY disturbing pics of ANIMAL ABUSE in her page ;) it is HORRIBLE!

Another psychopath and oxygen thief in the making and the act itself was despicable and horrific enough but to record the act and then post it online shows what a sick psychopath she really is ;)

Another day and another sickening story of puppy cruelty and murder in this case :rofl: Sick cruel b@stards and hope the internet mob track em down I too couldn't bring myself to watch the sick video

Agree with labsrule - Labs can be HIGH energy and HIGH drive and destructive while puppies.

And they shed A LOT.

Greyhounds and whippets have a very short coat that I don't think sheds much.

I haven't met many Ridgies so don't know much about them.

ETA: Secretkei - give me a Vizsla over a Lab any day! Labs are solid!

Yep a Lab in full flight barrelling towards you at a very fast speed is not for the faint hearted :D

Some breeds that might suit (going on the fact that you said you wanted a larger dog and looking at the shorter coated breeds):

higher energy breeds (would need lots of training sessions + excercise)

GSP

Vizsla

Dobermann

Pharaoh Hound

lower energy breeds (need less excercise and happy with general obedience type training)

Greyhound

Great Dane

Happy medium? (needs a reasonable amount of training and excercise)

Dalmation

Amstaff

Labrador

Whippet

Ridgeback

Bloodhound

English Pointer

Rottweiler

A bit smaller but perhaps suitable:

Beagle

SBT

*Keeping in mind though that depending on the lines you could just as easily end up with a laid back Dobe, as a through the roof energy, needs constant stimulation dally or even dane

Sorry but Labradors should be under the "Higher Energy" category - they certainly are not for an owner that it is not willing to put in a lot of effort into both training and exercise as they are definitely high energy dogs. An untrained and bored labrador is a recipe for disaster :D

If its primarily socialising you are after, I am not sure Obedience is the best place to do this as my Obedience club in Sydney and I am sure others as well discourage socialising between the dogs and I struggle with my 11month old Lab pup when we first arrive at the Obedience ground as he goes ballistic trying to socialise with the other dogs :D . A few of us let our dogs say hello to each other but control their interaction very carefully, particularly my boy who is a big strong exciteable youngster Why not try and attend some of the Melbourne Dolers get togethers as I note they meet at Kepala and maybe there are other get togethers for the Melbourne dolers.

I chose a Goldie over a Lab because Ive found that Goldies are much softer and more forgiving than Labs, I already had a very bossy top dog (JRT) so I had to make sure I got a puppy that might not snap back when Tess told the pup off lol, no incidents so far lol

I agree that Goldies are "softer" than Labs. Labradors are not known for being delicate However you are way off the mark in thinking that Labs are not "forgiving" or that a Lab puppy will snap back if told off by an older dog :D . You obviously don't know Labs well at all.

I love Goldies, I think they are an awesome breed and I have met some beautiful Goldies over the years who have got on extremely well with my Labs. I am not going to get into a debate of Goldies vs Labs as both us Lab and Goldie owners love our breed with a passion and both our fantastic breeds have awesome temperaments, but I will comment on incorrect statements about my beloved breed :D

I absolutely adore the Labrador exhuberance and sheer joy of life that they have for most of their life and yes they can be absolute rascals and scallywags but boy they are such a fun dog to own with so many hilarious moments and so much laugher during their lifetime Never a dull moment in the life of a Labrador and I wouldn't have it any other way