# Not a Small Dog Person....



## Mia (Oct 4, 2010)

Over the past summer my husband and I rescued three dogs. Long story short.. we went to get the bassethound because the person who was feeding it was telling us she had called the Humane Society, the police, and different rescue groups and no one ever came. I also called and no one would help me either. The person who we met with (we were picking the dog up that night said the dog had not been here since he ate the night before) mentioned possibly where he could be. Since the owners never fed him he would venture off to their store. Well we found the place just by chance and we barely pulled up the drive way like maybe 2 feet and all three came running. Full of fleas, worms, ticks, wounds, no shade in the hot summer, no bowls of water, no food and no one was seemingly home in the house that looked like it was on it's last leg. Serousily it looked like that of those of homes on those shows you see on hoarders.

One was a purebred bassethound, black lab pup and a small breed pup. We travelled a distance to bring the basset to my gf who owns a rescue. Best part of the whole ordeal was he went into a raw feeding home  

The lab wasn't so lucky as far as being placed in rawfed home but went to a close friend of mine who lives about an hour or so away to his rescue. He got adopted out the following week. He is doing wonderful. The lab pup has acres of land to run along with his big bro which is a golden. Both basset and lab pup are doing great! 

We tried to get an adopter for the small pup. Someone was interested but never heard back until much later. My gf didn't have enough fosters to take her so we decided to keep her. I debated much about having a third dog.

Now the whole point of the story is I don't much care for small dogs. Never have and never did. Not my thing. Not my type. I love my labs. I love their goofy personality, affection for the ball and water and high pace. I enjoy it. I kept refusing the idea. Me? Small dog? No way. 

Well we have had her since August. Five months. When we brought her into the vet they esitmated her age to be around 4-6 months. So she is just shy of a year. 10 lbs, tiny thing LOL. Did I mention she had mange. Bad. It was a good thing we rescued her she probably would have been worse if we didn't. The other dogs made a full recovery from worms and such.

We started her raw feeding right away. She is a pro. My labs they are just as affectionate and go lucky with her as they are with each other. My black puts his entire mouth around her and she just plays as if the hour has no end. My yellow steals the ball from her and plays catch me if you can!

I really enjoy having a small dog. I love her personality, her quirks, her balance and she has no problem putting those 95/75 lb boys in their place. She is such an amazing little pup.

So for all the small dog owners...wow....did my little pumpkin prove me wrong ;-)


----------



## Mondo (Dec 20, 2011)

I wanted larger dogs, but my wife is afraid of dogs, so we went with smaller ones. In retrospect, in the city, it's a good thing. Traveling with them is easier also, with our mini SUVs.


----------



## NewYorkDogue (Sep 27, 2011)

" Not a Small Dog Person...." -- that has definitely been my stance since... forever, I think. Even as a child, I was really drawn to big dogs (even though my mother always kept small dogs as pets for the family.) I couldn't wait until I could get my own dog-- and it was gonna be a big one!

Yet. There are some small dogs that I have met that have really wrapped themselves around my heart. And it's funny-- I do see this phenomenon of people having a giant breed of dog... and then getting a tiny one. 

I think that you just respond to them differently. 

Speaking of... I wouldn't mind one day getting a little French Bulldog 

By the way, bless you for taking the little one in-- and having an open mind about the little guys!


----------



## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

Given the choice, I'd have a medium breed dog. But, a small breed wouldn't be the end of the world if that was all I was allowed. I don't have anything against them at all, except when they are treated like a handbag and not as a dog. There are too many around here that are never walked, or if they are, its only 1 or 2 lots and back, because of their 'little legs get tired'. However, the few that I know that are treated like a normal dog, allowed to play in the grass and get shit all over them, that are walked and swum and expected to be just a dog, they are perfect. And, they are happy pups too.
And, thank you for rescuing those dogs, and for keeping the one you didn't really want to keep. I'm so happy she's turned out to be everything you wasn't expecting. Wish there were more people like you in this world.


----------



## Jacksons Mom (Jun 13, 2010)

What a sweet story! I, too, was a big dog person growing up. Always was interested in bigger dogs. Had a Golden Retriever and a German Shepherd through my childhood.

I got Jackson at 18 and due to my life style and future changes, etc, I knew it'd be best to have a small dog that was easy to move, easy to travel with, etc. I also needed non to low shedding due to my stepfathers allergies.

I could NOT be happier. He can and does do everything that a big dog does except he's in a small package - he's easy to pick up out of trouble if need be, he's a heck of a lot cheaper to feed, he's more welcome in my non-dog-loving family/friends homes because of the fact that he's small, non shedding and well behaved, etc, etc. 

Although I do want my large breed again someday, I have really turned into a small dog person.

He likes exploring thru the woods...










He's good with kids.









He likes to swim ALL summer long.









He likes to play frisbee.









He likes hangin' with the big dogs.


----------



## shellbeme (Dec 8, 2010)

Ugh this is so me tooo! I have always loved GSD and dreamed of haaving one. I love big dogs. Then I marry a man who is allergic to most breeds, so I am limited to a certain list of them, none of which, btw, I liked at all. Ended up with a maltese and I am completely in love. He is wonderful and he is still a dog, and he can still play fetch, go hiking, go strolling through the park, hang with me to watch tv, go camping and I have yet to meet a family member who doesnt fall in love with him too. Though we may get larger dogs in the future, I think we will always have a malt too.


----------



## Mia (Oct 4, 2010)

I agree with Moppy...I am not the hand bag, bows and all gushy no dirt on the little dog person LOL. She does have her cute little sweaters and coats because she does get cold. Gotta admit her braving -25 C temps! She gets dirty, she hikes without ever slowing down or wanting to be picked up. Heck she was afraid of water and now she splashes in it with the labs. I think she thinks she just one of the boys.

I would love to have another one of her. If I actually knew what she was (shellbeme comment about always have a malt). She seems to be a JRT mix. She is so smart! 

I love the cuddle times we have. Sometimes it's totally unexpected because my labs they do like cuddle but they like their own space. If I am reading or just watching TV she gently comes up and parks herself on my lap. I look down some time later not realizing she had even gotten on me. She is such a gentle pup. I do agree small dogs are alot easier. Just goes to show you that as much as we LOVE the big and bulky breeds the small pups do have alot to offer ...just in smaller packages ;-)


----------



## Donna Little (May 31, 2011)

Obviously from my signature photo I am a small dog person but I grew up with large dogs. We had Dobermans, Labs, mix breeds, a huge Bulldog and even a Newfie. But when I got my first small dog, (a Dachshund) I was hooked. Some of my guys are very much large dogs in small packages and I love that. A couple are more fragile but even Natalia the 3-1/2 lb Min Pin is a crazy little fearless beast! Love, love, love my wee guys!!


----------



## kathylcsw (Jul 31, 2011)

I have always been a small dog person. Wh-en I was 10 years old I got a toy poodle for Christmas and I loved her. After she died I didn't have dogs again until I was in my 30's. My family wasn't really into indoor pets. When I moved out on my own I got cats because none of my landlords allowed dogs. One day I saw a shorty JRT on the beach and knew that I had to have one. A year later I got Heidi who tipped the scales at 14 lbs. When I added another dog 19 years later she was a bit bigger around 20 lbs which was ok. My current pack is a 7 month old JRT who weighs 9lbs and a 9 week old Toy Fox Terrier who is a big 2 1/2 lbs. I don't see ever having a dog over 20 lbs. I like that small dogs can sleep with you and you still have room to be comfortable. I like that they cuddle and can be lap dogs. I like that you can easily take them anywhere. I like that they are cheaper to feed. I just like small dogs!


----------



## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

I also own my first small dog now. i got her, frankly, to tick off my husband because he refused to let me adopt the Doberman I was fostering. He couldn't deal with two big dogs.

We sure ended up crazy about our little dachshund. 

And my husband runs around behind her all day with big cartoon hearts floating over his head. 

Where are the photos?


----------



## Mia (Oct 4, 2010)

Pictures.....I have to figure how to get them off my phone and on my pc. Harder then it looks.


----------



## Mondo (Dec 20, 2011)

Not all small dogs are lap dogs. Tuffy (the black one) is aloof, always has been. Although when we adopted Toby about 9 months after Tuffy, suddenly Tuffy became more affectionate. He would never spend time on our laps, until Toby came along. Our boys don't get babied. They walk in whatever weather, well, actually if it is too hot, not so much as both have short snouts so are prone to heat stroke. But cold, wind, light rains, snow .. all without boots or clothes of any kind.

Tuffy is a big dog in a small body. Kind of stupid sometimes, no fear. Only time I saw hm somewhat frightened is at the dog park when 3 rotties were trotting up the path towards us. Even then, he just pretended there was something in the field he was interested in and turned 90 degrees to head out there ..


----------



## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

I'm right there with you OP! 

I am and always have been a medium/large dog person. Then I got this wondefuly little cherub in my life and never regret the day I brought him home :biggrin: He is everything and more in a 7 lb package. Drew was against it in the beginning but he said just the other day that Sprocket is his favorite dog :smile:

I will probably never own another small dog, however.


----------



## Maxy24 (Mar 5, 2011)

I always expected myself to be a big dog person. I liked the high activity level, rough playing, do everything, confident, affectionate nature of most common large dogs that I'd been around. The only small dogs I had met were low energy, aloof, lazy, and super touchy. My childhood dog was a 65 pounds shar pei mix and was awesome and I've become a huge APBT lover. Then my mother adopted a small dog for herself right before I went to college because she can't physically handle a large dog if it were to pull on the leash or jump up, etc. 

Tucker is nothing like the small dogs I knew. He is super happy, affectionate, high energy, athletic, has a high prey drive, loves to play, loves other dogs, is very handleable, and is just the most fun dog I've ever met. His one and only downside is he's terrified of strangers which my mom insists is a small dog thing, but it's not, it's a Tucker thing. So now I like small dogs too, just the high energy, excitable, playful ones like him.


----------



## AveryandAudrey (Sep 20, 2010)

Wow you sound much like me! My first "small dog" was my 46 pound sharpei since all of my dogs growing up were at least 80 pounds. So there I am with my sharpei and boom I get a chihuahua! She was 1 pound, 1 pound! Now I've had her a year and a half and cant believe I didnt have a tiny toots before her. Shes a whole 6 pounds now.


----------



## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

We have had Chows for 30 years now. And we've always had one Lhasa with them until we just lost Chelsy. I just have to have my one small dog in with all the big dogs. We even had a 120 pound lab mix once in with all the Chows, and then we got Chelsy as a 3 pound pup to go with them. She did great with that 120 pound dog, wrestling with it and all the Chows (my whole baby pup fit in it's mouth!)

Small dogs can be just as rough and tumble as the big guys. You can just pick them up and snuggle them easier (and put little coats on them in the winter!). They don't have to be all foo foo and dainty.

I don't know how much longer I'll be able to resist being without another little dog in the house. I've got my hands full with Shade and Rocky but if a little fuzzy girl pup happened into my life again, I wouldn't resist it!


----------



## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

I'd thought I'd share this story about a small dog. It shows exactly what they are capable of if they have to....
This is Tramp, the only other mutt on the street (besides my Mollie).
View attachment 5616

A couple of years ago, Tramps owners had bought a house at a new subdivision about 20miles from here. They were working on it and noticed a few dogs living feral on the streets, catching prey and scavenging rubbish for food. This was one of them, a little 15lb dog. Locals told them that she had been there at least a year. So, they watched her leaving out food and water and tried to gradually gain her trust enough for her to come close. It took 4 months, but once she trusted them enough to go inside the garage, they captured her, took her to the vet and adopted her. She is the most awesome dog ever. They run her a mile twice a day on the bike, she adores it, running out ahead, she is always happy, attentive, always running and rolling in the dirt, just an all round happy, thankful, adorable little dog.
This little dog managed to live by herself, find water and food, survive the heat of Southern Florida, heartworm, bugs and snakes, not bad for a small dog, huh?


----------



## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

She is adorable! Tiny and tough and smart and resourceful.

And there's alot to be said for street smarts. Personally, I think mutts often are super smart because they have a broad gene pool.

My brother and his wife brought a street dog back from Okinawa and she just died recently at about 21 years old. And she would/could eat anything - I mean most dogs eat anything but she took it to a whole new level. She was about 15 pounds also.


----------



## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

Xelil - your sig cracks me up every time :dance:

Tintin is the perfect name for the 15 lbs maltipoo I'm fostering. We hike a lot with various big dawg friends, and even the burly men go home gushing about the little guy. Tintin (who right now is wrestling with Mia and Zulu) leaps over fallen trees, jumps through branches, takes off on the scent of deer, and swims across icy rivers to get back to me. He's devoted and loyal, brave and fearless, and smart as a whip. Apparently after a hike with friends Chris and Sue, Chris (200 lbs of Canadian beefcake) went home and couldn't stop talking about how great a dog Tintin is. He's going to be hard to give up.


----------



## xchairity_casex (Oct 8, 2011)

i dont dislike small dogs but im more of a big dog person simply becuase big dogs or medium dogs are more drawn to me (or should i say not shy or nervous dogs LOL) im naturally a loud outgoing person who enjoys being hands on roughhouseing with dogs and i find that alot of little dogs are put off by my energy and avoid me a bit just do to that as do larger shy or nervous dogs but most of the larger dogs ive met are not shy and just go crazy playing wth me im not afraid to get on the floor and wrestle around 

so just due to that i will probably never go out and get a small dog purposly wouldnt want to turn it into a nervous wreck!


----------



## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

xchairity_casex said:


> i dont dislike small dogs but im more of a big dog person simply becuase big dogs or medium dogs are more drawn to me (or should i say not shy or nervous dogs LOL) im naturally a loud outgoing person who enjoys being hands on roughhouseing with dogs and i find that alot of little dogs are put off by my energy and avoid me a bit just do to that as do larger shy or nervous dogs but most of the larger dogs ive met are not shy and just go crazy playing wth me im not afraid to get on the floor and wrestle around
> 
> so just due to that i will probably never go out and get a small dog purposly wouldnt want to turn it into a nervous wreck!


Funny you say that. My brother is here visiting and he is doing things to Rebel that just make me cringe because I think he is being too rough. 

Rebel loves it - he's following him around like a magnet stuck to a fridge, begging for more.

But he doesn't quite know what to do with Snorkels. He's afraid to pick her up for fear he'll break her.


----------

