[Wondergirl]

I remember when we decided to buy Owen. We were going to spend money on a purebred rare dog and use him to stud out and make loads of money so we could buy a house with land. We were full of dreams. What could go wrong? He was a male, so we did not have to worry about money for vets during a pregnancy if anything went wrong.

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It helped that he was so cute and cuddly. We are animal lovers so there were no worries about him being abused or neglected. He went to the vets for shots and checkups. I walked him when I could (when I did not have excuses for not walking him). He suffered for that in his behaviour. We did buy good quality dog food, toys, etc. for him. He was spoiled in every other way. No correction for him at all. Then one day my niece told me about this website where I could ask dog questions. She said they know their stuff and so I asked a question about Owen and his pooping so much. I don't remember the advice, but just that other members helped.

I don't remember how many threads I posted, but I do know I posted lots and lots. I started talking about breeding Owen and asked for advice. He was still under a year old. I believe now the experts were rolling their eyes at me. They asked me some good questions that I had no answers for. I was still finding out info about studding him out. About this time, I also started being aware of how many dogs are put to sleep daily due to no homes, how many dogs are abused and made to fight, how backyard breeders operate. I cried myself to sleep some nights thinking of them, cry even to this day.

The next biggest threat for me was when Owen developed a limp in his front paw. I got advice saying to rest it, no walks, no exercise. I obeyed that for one day, then felt bad and took him out. That night he was worse…a lot worse. One person’s advice stood out when I admitted what I had done. She went up one side of me and down the other. It opened my eyes to how I had to listen and follow instructions and could not just love Owen. He ended up at the vet and got diagnosed with allergies and elbow dysplasia. Owen is a short-nosed dog and at this point, my husband and I decided on the spot not to put him under sedation twice. It can be dangerous for short-nosed dogs to undergo sedation. He needed x-rays to make sure it was elbow dysplasia, and it was. I did take flak from some people for making the decision since he is a purebred.

Later on Owen developed a limp in his hind leg because his ligaments were not supporting it right. He had a partial tear. I remembered the advice from AMHD for the first limp and followed it to the tee. We did take him to the vet and he was put on eight weeks of no exercise, leash when he went out for pee or poop, no jumping, and medication. If it went to a full tear, he would need expensive surgery.

What I recommend if you want a dog--research what you need to do for behaviour, food, exercise, training, grooming, vet bills. Do this even before you look for a dog. Then go to the pound and look at the dogs there and ask questions. Consider if you want a puppy or an adult or senior dog. How much time will you be able to walk your dog and spend the time to teach him how to be a good dog? Be realistic with yourself!

I think Owen was a year old before I finally got it. It was not enough to love him and feed him. I had to walk him daily and train him. He relies on me to teach him proper behaviour. I have learned so much from the experts on AMHD--and sometimes I did not like hearing what they had to say. I’ve said this over and over: I am grateful they care for the dogs more than the poster’s feelings.

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