Your First Dog?

[Diva]

I got my first dog when I moved out of home as a teenager, he travelled with me through share houses and rental challenges. Wherever I was he knew was home.

He was a beautiful pedigree Borzoi pup, a tricolour, a big dog but a perfect gentleman and a brilliant ambassador for the breed.

A condition of purchase was that I show him occasionally and he titled easily. We tried to train in obedience but the club wouldn't have us, after commenting on how beautifully behaved he was they told me 'those breeds can't do obedience'. I didn't know until I handled other people's dogs that some dogs pull on lead, or don't listen, he never did anything to inconvenience me if he could help it.

I loved the breed before I got him, and loved them even more afterwards, I still have them 30 years later.

Edited March 1, 2014 by Diva

[nickyp]

The first dog that became mine was Pappy, my sister's Papillon. She moved out of home and took him with her, but the yard wasn't secure and he escaped and was missing for 3 weeks. When he was found my mother decreed that he had to come back to family home. He became my little mate and was my best friend and confidant from the age of 9 until he was hit by a car when I was 17 (Dad was walking him without a lead and he ran onto a busy road).He was a nasty, snappy little bugger who would attack any dog larger than him, but he and I were devoted to each other.

The first dog that I bought for myself was Buster, a gsd x kelpie x acd. A workmate owned his mum. They had just moved back to Melbourne from Darwin and their dog had gone on heat while they were moving (they had planned to desex her once they were settled). The neighbour's gsd got over the fence the day after they moved in and the rest was history. Buster was growing into a fantastic dog - we were doing obedience and blitzing the classes - when he escaped from the yard of the rental I was living in and was hit by a tram. He was only 8 months old.

[trifecta]

I remember your Harry, huga

My first dog in Australia was a BC x Kelpie. I found her on the road near the tip in Canberra nearly 30 years ago now. I took her to the pound who recommended I take her to the RSPCA to give her more of a chance. At the RSPCA they put her in an isolation kennel as she had very little hair & they suspected mange. I couldn't help but ring a week later to see if she had been claimed. She hadn't & she was listed for euthanasia on the Monday.

So Saturday morning I went to the RSPCA & bailed her out. She seemed ecstatic to see me, not sure if she remembered me or more likely she was happy to get out :laugh: Bill Ryan, one of Canberra's foremost dog vets of that era was on duty at the RSPCA at the time & told me to attend his practice that afternoon & he would do a skin scrape for free. Well she didn't have mange, she was hypothyroid!

She taught me so much about the canine endocrine system, diet & training! She taught me more about dogs than the rest of my dogs put together! She introduced me to homoeopathy when Western veterinary medecine failed her, she introduced me to feeding raw, & she was a wizz at obedience & introduced me to trialling.

At the age of 15, going blind & deaf, she was accidentally run over by my farrier. She had a fractured tibia which was pinned & her dislocated hip was put back in place. The first week was tough, she refused to attempt to get up, we carried her out to toilet & she wouldn't stand unaided. I took her back to the vet 7 days post surgery for a review & we discussed maybe we had made the wrong decision, maybe we should have euthanised? We decided to up her pain relief & give her a few more days. I drove home with a heavy heart, parked the car in the driveway & carried her round the back of the house & laid her near the French doors. I could hear the phone ringing, so hurried into the house to answer it intending to carry her in after I had taken the call. I was only on the phone a couple of minutes, hung up & went to get her. I couldn't believe it! I think the old bitch had been foxing all the time enjoying the attention...... because she had got up & walked.... I couldn't find her! We always joke that she knew what the vet was saying & the threat of euthanasia spurred her into action :laugh:

She lived for another couple of years, but by 17 arthritis had set in & she had difficulty lying down & would whimper when she hit the cushion. I often wonder if she would have attained 19 or 20 without the trauma of the accident? She was certainly a tough old bird.

Pimm, you were 1 in 10 million...... we love & miss you still!

Edited March 1, 2014 by trifecta

[Rozzie]

A Silky called Lady. She hated my best friend. She was a funny old chook.

[cali]

Happy was "my" first dog, I was only 13, and my parents had the biggest hand in her early life, but she was technically "mine" and not a family dog, as soon as I was old enough, I had 100% responsibility for her, she was legally changed to be under my name etc.. she will be 14 this year. after her I got Misty, but that was a parental thing again, I was only 15, and my mom was the one who told me I needed another BC... the first dog I got without any parental involvement at any point was Baby, my Toller, whom I researched and purchased pretty well the moment I graduated lol(well, researched and contacted breeders, I didn't actually GET Baby till a year later). Happy is the dog who set my life on its current course though, I had no interest in doing anything animal related till I got Happy and got involved in dog sports and such..oh and I wanted toy breeds..Maltese and CKCS were my favs. now I work with dogs and have 6 high energy working dogs lol.

baby Happy

baby Misty

baby Baby dog

[rusty&biscuit]

Aw I love reading all these stories! Apart from the few sad ones with tragic endings, which I'm sorry you had to go through

Our first family dog is our rescue Cherry, we got when she was 9 months and I was 6 or 7 from a rescue. Mum was terrified of dogs and didn't like them, but I wouldn't stop going on about having one and dad missed having dogs too. So along came Cherry

She got me into the world of dogs and dog sports, and I've never looked back! But my own first dog was a Christmas present when I was 8, I called her Lassie and she was a BYB dog, your guess of breed is as good as mine!

However I my true first dog is Biscuit, as he is also financially mine. I bought him when I was 16, however I had certain breed requirements to stick to from my parents when getting him, it had to be a small breed that wasn't fluffy. Then for me it had to be a show dog also capable of doing agility, and so came along Biscuit. I will be taking him with me when I move out.

ETA, I meant to say, our stories sound very similar huski, including the first family dog name! :laugh:

Edited March 2, 2014 by rusty&biscuit

[akristin]

My first dog was when I was about 8 my family and I went on our usual trip to the local Woolworth grocery store, whilst there I was looking at some ads on a huge wall sized message board just before entering woolworths, there was about 30 ads some ontop of the other. I remembered scanning through and stumbling up[on a photo of a Jack russel litter.. I showed my parents the ad and begged them for a puppy and told them they didn't have to pay as I already had the $200 that the 'breeder' was asking for, although, when they vehemently declined I still grabbed the little tabbed copy of the phone number. On my 8th birthday as a surprise, after school I was taken to the BYB place and was told to pick a pup from the litter. Thus we gained this adorable critter her head was barely bigger than the size of my little 8 year old hands!

She is now 12 and still full of energy!

[Kirislin]

My first dog was when I was about 8 my family and I went on our usual trip to the local Woolworth grocery store, whilst there I was looking at some ads on a huge wall sized message board just before entering woolworths, there was about 30 ads some ontop of the other. I remembered scanning through and stumbling up[on a photo of a Jack russel litter.. I showed my parents the ad and begged them for a puppy and told them they didn't have to pay as I already had the $200 that the 'breeder' was asking for, although, when they vehemently declined I still grabbed the little tabbed copy of the phone number. On my 8th birthday as a surprise, after school I was taken to the BYB place and was told to pick a pup from the litter. Thus we gained this adorable critter her head was barely bigger than the size of my little 8 year old hands!

She is now 12 and still full of energy!

that's a very sweet story.

[Akayla]

Our first family dogs were a Dobe called Ali, a Rough Collie called Peter and a silky called Luke.

Ali lived a few doors down and had been attacked and mated by a group of male dogs. She accidently smothered the resulting pups so the owners put her out on a chain on the concrete. Usually no food or water. So she took to escaping and would head straight to the local school. She learnt how to unzip bags and was an expert with opening lunch boxes. My mother learnt of her after my brother and sister came home hungry. She was obviously sent to the pound repeatedly. My mum would bail her out and the owners would demand her back. Eventually mum had had enough and told them when they paid her back the fees from the pound they could have her back. So they told mum she could keep her. She was a brilliant dog. Terrified of strange dogs and you couldnt stop her going home if she saw one out. She would walk to the shops with us off lead and sit drooling at the doors. We always got her her favourite thing, jelly pythons. She would gently take it and not eat it till we got home and mum told her it was hers.

Peter and his sister were pound dogs too. His sister was seriously HA so was pts. Peter though was so soft and gentle. He was terrified when mum picked him up. He would not walk on grass. Any surface but grass. Mum eventually got him comfortable with it so long as it was under a human structure. He eventually learned to play although always gentle. He had a wicked sense of humour.

Luke was a stray at the shops. I found him eating chewing gum off the path. I showed mum but she said oh no we have enough lately. Luke followed our bike home and entered the backyard like he was home. No one claimed him and he was convinced we were his people so he stayed. He cost a fair bit in vet bills though since he was so starved.

We had lots of other but these three started it. Each time we lost one of these guys it broke my mothers heart.

[Podengo]

Lots of people here used to have Dobers :)