Mary Bianco

<<Boston's are very smart, but then I am kinda partial! <g>>


I got bit on the butt when I was young by a Boston Terrier. The same dog
treed my older sister and bit her on the butt too. Same side!!!! I still
can't look at those dogs and not think of Ruffy!!!!! But I don't hold a
grudge. Aside from being a vet assistant, I also groomed and have been
bitten by so many it's hard to differentiate between nice and not so nice.


<<Good for her! There are some good greyhound rescues. And greyhounds are
smart, and loyal.>>


I know people who have adopted older greyhounds and they make wonderful
companions. Not very active though as one would think. They just love to be
couch potatoes!!!


There are so many breeds out there to chose from and it all depends on where
you get the dog from too. I strongly recommend that no one buys from a pet
shop. Just a personal opinion that I feel strongly about. Puppy mills do
exist and no reputable breeder would ever sell to a store or kennel.

Between my husband and myself we've had many mixes, a poodle, an Akita,
Dobermans, Collies, a Pomeranian and now the Beagle and Bullmastiff. They
were all unique and fun and interesting in their own way. I would have to
honestly admit though that the most perfect one of all was one Dobie I had.
Just more than one could ever imagine as far as companionship and loyalty.

Cute story. Phantom, the dobie was raised with my oldest. I actually had him
first. Tara grew up with him right by her side every step of the way. He
adored her and her him. She would sit and read to him from her books. (not
really reading but she thought she was) When she was two, a very precocious
two, she asked me when Phantom was going to get hands. She just didn't get
he was a dog and not her brother!!!!! We still miss him.

Mary B

_________________________________________________________________
Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com

Mary Bianco

>From: "Myranda" <myrandab@...>

>I know a lot of people don't like them, but I love chows and malamutes.>>

One big thing to consider aside from size and breed is also fur. A big one
for some people!!

Mary B




_________________________________________________________________
Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com

Mary Bianco

>From: Judy <jorganic@...>

<<I am even thinking of getting a 2nd one... I can't believe I just typed
that..>>


I hear that Jack Russells are pretty much like Sheltie's, great dogs if you
can keep them stimulated. Just dreadful if they get bored!

Mary B




_________________________________________________________________
Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com

Mary Bianco

>From: "mabeitzel" <mabeitzel@...>

<<I have to say I am terribly partial to English Mastiffs. This breed may
be a little too big for your tastes, but they are great on farms
and very loyal to families, especially children.>>

Have you had more than one mastiff before? I'm glad to hear you say such
great things as it's one half of the Bullmastiff I'm trying hard to get
through adolescence with now!!! <BG>

Mary B

_________________________________________________________________
MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos:
http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx

mabeitzel

Hi Mary,
This is our first English Mastiff. He is three years old this month
and we are in the process of having him flown over to Okinawa in a
week. We miss him so much...but had to wait for the heat
restrictions to pass. We have not had too many challenges with
Zade. He is such a great dog! What kind of challenges are you
facing? Zade is with our breeder right now in Oregon. She is a
wonderful person and we did our homework...no backyard breeders!
I've been around many Mastiffs and never encountered a negative
disposition. They of course need socialization as with any dog and
become very attached to their families. So many of these large
breeds are abandoned once people realize how big they get ...very
sad. We have 4 years and 4 months left in the military and when we
are done we plan on doing a few Mastiff rescues. We would like to
have a few more, but our current lifestyle isn't appropriate for
a "few" more. I just love Mastiffs...so sweet and gentle..except
for the tail. The kids will lie down on the floor with him and lift
his jowls to see his teeth, they look into his ears and check his
toes...he doesn't mind a bit. We did crate train Zade too for a
little over a year. That helped tremendously. Glad to see another
Mastiff owner :)
Michelle B.




--- In Unschooling-dotcom@y..., "Mary Bianco" <mummyone24@h...>
wrote:
> >From: "mabeitzel" <mabeitzel@y...>
>
> <<I have to say I am terribly partial to English Mastiffs. This
breed may
> be a little too big for your tastes, but they are great on farms
> and very loyal to families, especially children.>>
>
> Have you had more than one mastiff before? I'm glad to hear you
say such
> great things as it's one half of the Bullmastiff I'm trying hard
to get
> through adolescence with now!!! <BG>
>
> Mary B
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos:
> http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx

Mary Bianco

>From: "mabeitzel" <mabeitzel@...>

>Hi Mary,
>This is our first English Mastiff.>>


When we were shopping around 'if you will' for the breed that would suit us,
my husband wanted an English Mastiff. I just couldn't see a dog THAT big
with all that goes on around here anyway. So we compromised on the Bully. We
had him shipped in from Oklahoma. He really is a good dog and good with the
kids although we have to watch with the little one. Ozzy just doesn't
realize how big he is. Last month he was 80lbs at 6 months and he's been
putting on like 10-15lbs a month. He thinks he's the same size as our
Beagle!!! He's good with everyone and also the Beagle and the cats too. He
just gets a bit over rambunctious at times and with him being so big, well
you can imagine. He also is into chewing and the toys we have just don't
seem to be big enough. He prefers the desk and the wall, etc.!!!!! We also
crate train for now. I can't imagine going to bed and leaving two puppies in
the house!!! And with his size, there is no place to contain him. Thanks for
the good info, we have heard both breeds are great dogs, it was just a
matter of size. (yeah right!!!)

Mary B

_________________________________________________________________
Join the world�s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail.
http://www.hotmail.com

mabeitzel

My Zade never understood his size either. He always thought he was
a lap dog. Still does. If I sit on the floor he will come over and
sit his rear in my lap...mind you he is towering over me. Once when
he was sick he tried for a good 15 minutes to get in my lap...gave
up and lied down next to me. He will also back up to the couch and
sit down on it with all four feet still on the floor! What a site.
What's worse is his expression because he is not allowed on the
couch and he knows it! We had to watch him with my youngest one too
for a while because his tail could pack a punch. There was one
incident where my husband had been gone for a long time. He drove
up in the driveway (diesel truck)and the kids ran out the door
screaming for daddy. Zade was at the window whimpering like crazy,
so I let him run out too. Big mistake. He made a bee line for kid
#1 and boom...knocked him off his feet...then kid #2, same thing.
Then ran happily to dad with two kids crying in the background. As
upset as we were with him it really was funny. That only happened
once though. Zade tried to chew on a piece of furniture once and we
sprayed it with bitter apple spray and he never touched it again,
but I've heard that the spray doesn't phase some dogs. Your bully
sounds wonderful!
Michelle B.



--- In Unschooling-dotcom@y..., "Mary Bianco" <mummyone24@h...>
wrote:
> >From: "mabeitzel" <mabeitzel@y...>
>
> >Hi Mary,
> >This is our first English Mastiff.>>
>
>
> When we were shopping around 'if you will' for the breed that
would suit us,
> my husband wanted an English Mastiff. I just couldn't see a dog
THAT big
> with all that goes on around here anyway. So we compromised on the
Bully. We
> had him shipped in from Oklahoma. He really is a good dog and good
with the
> kids although we have to watch with the little one. Ozzy just
doesn't
> realize how big he is. Last month he was 80lbs at 6 months and
he's been
> putting on like 10-15lbs a month. He thinks he's the same size as
our
> Beagle!!! He's good with everyone and also the Beagle and the cats
too. He
> just gets a bit over rambunctious at times and with him being so
big, well
> you can imagine. He also is into chewing and the toys we have just
don't
> seem to be big enough. He prefers the desk and the wall, etc.!!!!!
We also
> crate train for now. I can't imagine going to bed and leaving two
puppies in
> the house!!! And with his size, there is no place to contain him.
Thanks for
> the good info, we have heard both breeds are great dogs, it was
just a
> matter of size. (yeah right!!!)
>
> Mary B
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Join the world's largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail.
> http://www.hotmail.com