What WAS your limit?

[K9karen]

Anna..I can't believe how much Malone looks like my Cody..and yes indeedy..I described him as a golden lab too!!! (And he was so smart we called him "little man"..he never knew he was a K9 )I'd have at least 3 dogs if I could, but I think my personality and training abilities allows me 1 at a time..

[wolf_Q]

Excellent post Tracy! I have never had any doubt your dogs were your beloved pets, not just "athletes." I think flyball and agililty would be very fun sports to participate in. If I can find a place that teaches it, I'd definitely give it a try. However, it would be a hobby only and Nebo will always be considered a pet (well, actually, he's my furry child ). I do, of course, keep him at a healthy weight. Notice I said HEALTHY. Keeping your dogs ridiculously thin is NOT healthy...and of course, them being overweight is not healthy either.

Dogs should be members of the family. I think it's wonderful if you want to find some sport to participate, and it can be beneficial to both you and your pet. But to say your dogs are just "athletes" is just sad IMO. I have the same feelings about how most mushing/sled dogs are treated.

[aly]

I don't have a specific limit because it depends on my living situation and other circumstances at the time. Right now with all my fosters, I am very much at my limit of animals (above and beyond my limit). Down the road when I'm married and in a house, I'd ideally like to have 3 or 4 dogs and 3 cats maybe.

As far as the other topic of this thread, my dogs are family members to me, not objects. They'd get last place in any flyball or agility competition, but the love I receive from them more than makes up for any trophy

[Twisterdog]

It's like your parents saying "Oh yeah my daughter? She's a maid first and my daughter second." or something like that...not a really nice thing to hear now is it?

Hey, I like it! My son plays soccer, so he is now to be an athlete only, not my son. Next time he is hungry, I'll tell him, "Sorry, only half a cup of green beans for you today, you have to stay, "thin, light, agile, and bought, received, or adopted for sports." I'm sure he'll understand.

Hey, and as long as they are "athletes", then there is no limit to the number of kids I could have "bought, received, or adopted for sports", right? Even if I don't have the time to spend with them or love them, and I can't afford proper care for them if they get sick or want to go to college ... hey, they're just athletes, not children, so who cares? I think I'll get about twenty ... one of them is bound to be something wonderful, right? And who cares about the inferior ones, they're just athletes. What a deal!

none, as in we dont have a limit never have,

The definition of which, by the way, is "collector" or "hoarder".

[shais_mom]

I must say again
"Well said Twisterdog!"
So since there are so many drug addicted babies being born and taken away from their mom's so they can have more. So they don't have a limit either. So That they can just keep having more and more and more babies. As long as they are light, and for sports, that's cool! Right!?!

[Tonya]

First, one cat. Then, one dog and he could never come in the house. That lasted like 2 days.

[robinh]

5 is it!

Dick and I have had three dogs since I met him. Over the years as we've lost one friend, we've found new. When we got to four dogs, he said "NO MORE" but when the gal said she couldn't keep Kirby would I please take him, Dick caved.

But he did say "NO MORE DOGS!" again. This time, I'll listen. Five is a handful. Can't imagine how those with more do it.

[cali]

huh? you guys are mad because I dont have a limit as for the skinny thing, I meant that they are an athletic weight, they are certainly not underfed, or too thin, for heaven sakes they get more food then shadow, misty ate just about an entire chicken carcuss for supper yesterday. also I dont play the sports with that dog if they dont enjoy it, happy was not enjoying flyball before, so I retired her from it, and focased on things she liked better, agility and frisbee, and what she enjoys most in agility in jumpers, so that is what I do, its not like we force them do play the sport if they dont like it! we got perky for flyball, she does not enjoy so she was found a new sport that she is both good at and enjoys so much that when its time to practice she runs to my mom and starts dancing(freestyle is what she does) perky has been to a fun match, she took 2nd place, lost by 1 point to a dog with nearly every title in the book, perky has no titles. the judges comments were that perky seemed to love it. happy now plays flyball again, because I still took her to flyball for fun just for recreation, it was there that she figerd out the game, and became obbsessed. misty loves flyball and so does Ripley. there is no way in h*ll we would force them to play in something they dont enjoy!
oh yes and as I said they are NOT underweight! all my dogs have been described as being a perfect weight. and if I think they are getting too thin, I have them fed more to fatten them up a little. what I meant by more normal weight is that just about every dog that is a pet that I have met is fat, not obese just fat. also they are members of the family and are treated as such, we find dogs with structers etc.. for sport yes, we look for speed such yes, but that does NOT mean that our dogs are not pets, I said they are treated like pets, heck they are treated better then pets! I dont know where on earth you get the idea that my dogs being athletes means were abusing them?

[micki76]

Cali - I don't think your dogs look too skinny. I've seen a lot of pictures of yours and I think they look just fine.

As for the athleticism - I think my dogs would really enjoy flyball and dirtdog and I wish I had the time to dedicate to them that your family has.

I personally found nothing wrong with your post, but I think you maybe didn't word it the way you meant it. Sometimes your posts sound kind of harsh or blunt and I don't think you're expressing yourself quite the way you mean to. Perhaps you should read your posts aloud and see how they sound then. Sometimes it’s hard to write what you have in your head and have it come out right once you've typed it.

I think that you probably meant that your dogs are treated as family pets and as athletes as well. That the “athletes” are on a different diet than Shadow since they need the energy and need to be in top form to do what they enjoy doing. I also think that by the phrase "they were adopted for sports not pets", that you may have meant that you wanted dogs that needed a job to do, not just play around the house and lay on the couch like mine.

I hope that I'm correct in my assumptions.

[shais_mom]

Originally posted by cali
, misty ate just about an entire chicken carcuss for supper yesterday.

We are not 'mad' at you for NOT having a limit. But your post certainly did NOT SAY that your dogs were pets. You said they were athletes. That is what upset some of us, at least me.
And Misty eating an entire chicken carcass is NOTHING to brag about. That's disgusting. And if it was cooked, that could kill her.
Never ever ever give a dog poultry bones, they are to fragile and splinter.
I know you get upset with a lot of us for expressing our opinions, but I also think that you don't understand where WE are coming from either. Maybe we don't want to understand where you are coming from, but I also think the opposite rings true, You don't care to hear about our opinions either.
IMHO

[shais_mom]

Good post Micki!
That pretty much sums it up also!

[cali]

micki, yes, you are right in what I meant. and your right I dont have a way with words, either that or there are a lot of people here, who dont like me and choose to interpret my posts to make me sound like a bad person, well I sure hope thats not the case anyway..

shais_mom my dogs are on the BARF diet. hence the chicken. we dont feed kibble, we feed only human grade products that we will gladly eat ourselves(we share, the dogs get the bones we get the parts like chicken breast) but lets not get into what we feed.

[Logan]

I voted 3, when in actuality, my limit was 2, but then I met Scott, and of course, we added Murphy to our bunch. Zipper was an unexpected surprise, totally unplanned, as he was supposed to be a foster until he was adopted. Only we all fell in love with him, as did our 3 canine girls! So, we have four, and are definitely setting a new limit. But it is fun (except for all the poop scooping that I end up having to do!).

[Linda York]

I will say that 4 is my limit. Limit means..... can you care for the amount you have.. love them, feed them, keep them clean and EXCERSISED. Have time to spend with them. If you have a huge home with a huge yard, your limit will be differant than someone with an apartment, small home or lives at home with parents. I have to agree with Cali, her dogs sounds as though they are properly taken care of, healthy, excersised, fed well and loved. Sounds as though she has it all in control and enjoys "sports" with them too. My friend has three Great Danes, that she shows. These dogs are loved like no other. They are her babies, her pets.... they are well trained and at the times when she shows them, they are on a "differant" type schedule. But at home they are just pets. Same as my friends hunting dogs, or police dogs. At home they are pets. I agree with Cali. And I beleive that "No limit" does not mean "hoarder or collector". No limit means having the space, time, money, and love to care for the amount you are able. I don't believe that 10 dogs in an apartment is right but 10 dogs on a farm.............

[lv4dogs]

I am at my max. limit for all my animals right now, so the answer would be 2 dogs. It may change IF I should find more time, make more money, &/or maybe a significant other.