Have You Been Converted By Dol?

[moosepup]

We have always had family dogs but Moose is the first dog that is my very own. When I was thinking about getting him I signed up on here to get some information because I hadn't had a puppy in a long time (nearly 11 years ago when I was 15). Well it BLEW MY MIND!

1. SOURCE - we have always got our dogs from pet shops. I didn't really know about buying from a breeder/adopting from rescue until this site. I was able to source a great breeder and now have a super little dog because of it.

2. FOOD - we have always fed our dogs supermarket food (PAL, My Dog, dog roll etc). Since getting Moose, they now eat BARF and RMB's. Also, their treats are all natural.

3. COLLARS - our dogs have always worn collars 24/7. I didn't know they could be a choke hazzard, so now because they are unsupervised during the day, they only wear collars when we go out. I much prefer them this one anyway, easier to do a full body stroke :p and no collar marks.

4. CRATE TRAINING - okay so I failed at this but I like the concept.

There's lots of other things but these are the main ones.

Have you read about/discussed something on DOL that has changed the way you raise/look after your dog?

[JulesP]

Not really I have always been a 'crazy dog lady'. It is just nice to hang out with other people that are also crazy

[Monah]

Not really I have always been a 'crazy dog lady'. It is just nice to hang out with other people that are also crazy :p

;) Me too (and cat woman!) We have had purebred dogs and cats for 50 years and used to show. And have also studied animal science.

I have learnt a fair bit about dog 'problems' on here though as I had never had any 'probs' until about 3 years ago. All sorted with some help and contacts through Dol. I'm also a useless dog sports trainer so love all the info on this stuff :D

I'm actually the opposite re knowledge, I had NO idea there were so many people out there who didn't know the basics. I guess that's because I only knew/know those that class such knowledge under normal common sense as they have always been in the 'animal' headspace.

The photos and funny stories are my favourites, I can't go into Rainbow Bridge(unless I personally know the dog) or rescue or bsl as they are too sad and confronting for me. I donate to our local refuges every week and that has to count as my input.

[newfsie]

No.....Pet shops have never sat easy with me...........I have always liked pure breeds, but i do take on rescues. I have always hated preservative, also for the humans, so I do not like bought food.

And we have always had lots of animals at home, horses and dogs. And my parents must have been good animal owners, because we have not made many changes.

[addy001]

all pretty much the same as me, family got our 2 family dogs we had through byb's (tradingpost), fed them on pedigree or wat was the cheapest at the time, collars on 24/7 and i had never heard of crate training..

am getting a dog later this year from a breeder i found on this site, will be trying out the barf/rmb's diet when i do as this is wat the breeder feeds their dogs

collar will only be on when he/she is walked and will deffinantly be crate training

honestly before i found this site i didnt really no much about registered breeders and the differance between them and byb's

[Monah]

addy001 what sort of dog? wonderful.

We have had 'rescues' too, cats and dogs, lovely :D

[GSDowner]

I love this Forum, it is a big part of my life.

I don't know what I would do without it - I have learnt so much from forum members

and am forever grateful

I learnt about barf diet and whe my dog was so sick I got so much help

Edited February 6, 2010 by GSDowner

[moosepup]

I'm actually the opposite re knowledge, I had NO idea there were so many people out there who didn't know the basics. I guess that's because I only knew/know those that class such knowledge under normal common sense as they have always been in the 'animal' headspace.

I thought I knew everything, turns out I knew nothing.

[FD26]

DOL's been a wealth of information for me. Mostly for information I was seeking out already, but I have learned some new things along the way. I think the main thing it will change when I get my new pup is socialisation. I think I used to think I was doing this correctly because I always had pretty balanced dogs...but now I realise there was so much more I could have done, and that my 'fairly balanced' dogs could have been a lot more balanced than they were!

Oh goodness, I'm glad it's converted some people on food! When I read what was in the cat food I was buying in the supermarket I started wondering why I would treat my pets as anything less than the members of my family that they are. I'll tell you what, the day I read what was in their food I was off to the pet supplies shop to buy something better, their old food is still in the cupboad I think. And they've absolutely thrived since then! But for years I was feeding my (previous) cats that crap...and would have probably fed it to dogs as well. I'm really glad it occured to me to acutally stop and think about it.

[FD26]

The photos and funny stories are my favourites, I can't go into Rainbow Bridge(unless I personally know the dog) or rescue or bsl as they are too sad and confronting for me. I donate to our local refuges every week and that has to count as my input.

I've been lurking around the rescue area a bit lately, and it's doing my head in. I want to be able to do something to help, but I have no idea what. I knew all of that was going on before, I suppose...but not in the magnitude that it is. It makes me feel really bad, like I should be fostering 20 cats or something but because my older cat doesn't adjust well to newcomers, I just can't do it.

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

And I truly hope that a visit to the rescue section will also have DOL members turning away from petshops.

If you are reading this and aren't sure - try Googling "puppy farms" - they supply pet shops.

Petshops also continue to inappropriately rehome their stock so it sometimes gets dumped, somewhere down the track.

Edited February 6, 2010 by dogmad

[Tiggy]

Simple answer - Yes! So glad I found DOL and so are my dogs I'm sure .

[addy001]

addy001 what sort of dog? wonderful.

We have had 'rescues' too, cats and dogs, lovely :D

a Dogue De Bordeaux later this year, i came here ages ago before i had settled on the DDB and learned tons of things i had never really heard or thought about before, was going to get one from a byb but after easily 1 & a half or so years of research now relise what a big mistake that couldve been ie: with health problems, temperment and such

Edited February 6, 2010 by addy001

[WoofnHoof]

DOL has been an eye-opener for me into the world of dogs, some good, some bad but always fascinating

[Kissindra]

I was already set on finding a good breeder and feeding barf, I had researched breeds and already decided a cavalier was right for me when I started posting but there have been plenty of times, especially in the early days when it served such a great resource for all the myriad of questions. Being able to get feedback from others who had tried things you were considering, or whose dogs had faced the same health issues or just people offering support and encouragement is great!

If It wasn't for DOL it might have been longer before I actually started fostering, and I may not have had the same opportunities to help others or individual dogs. I certainly would not find it so easy to find such interesting debates and information all in the one place.

Dol makes so many doggy related things more accessable, because you have people willing to chat about their hobbies and passions. People willing to share those things with you in real life too, which makes taking on new interests and hobbies that much less daunting

[Jetty]

I'm actually the opposite re knowledge, I had NO idea there were so many people out there who didn't know the basics. I guess that's because I only knew/know those that class such knowledge under normal common sense as they have always been in the 'animal' headspace.

I thought I knew everything, turns out I knew nothing.

I never knew anything about the pet shop dogs and many other things until i became a member here. I think its to do with the people you grow up with and get your knowledge from (eg my parents never knew about the stuff I found out on here)

[dee lee]

Dont know about converted, probably, but it will definitely be the reason I will have to get a new kitchen.

Thats twice now I have left the sink filling to check on DOL... *sigh*

and still I am on here rather than cleaning it up.

Maybe I need to post this in the crazy dog lady thread.

[OSoSwift]

I was already converted but have learnt lot of new things and it is great to have such a wealth of knowledge

[~*Shell*~]

Food is a big one for us - Zero always had bones and fish etc but I probably never would have thought of feeding him a grain free kibble if it wasn't for DOL. It's helped me discover Zero's wheat allergies and because of that, he's a lot happier!

[Bilbo Baggins]

My friend Kadbury was suggested DOL from the Ebay forum, and then she told me.

I started in the Cav thread and went on from there.

Then my daughter joined.

From there we got back into showing and have met many DOLers at shows which makes it all the more enjoyable.

I love being able to talk non stop about my dogs and dog related things without peoples eyes glazing over. :drink:

We have also become friends with people in other states.

And became involved in setting up a breed rescue.