I plan to get a dog

[unbeliever]

I've never had a dog, I've allways had cats. But I think I'm gonna get one. I need the exercise of walking the dog, I need the motivation to get out of the house more. I want to take the dog to the park and teach it to catch frisbees that I throw. I want the companionship and the hobby like aspect of training the dog.

Im leaning tword a yellow lab pup, they run about $350 - $500 and there seem to always be a few in the paper. I might name it Raja, or just call it Dog. Im worried tho by some of the things i read, all the breads i have looked up seem each to be prone to various illnesses and defects. The lab may have some hip disorder, or may be extremely aggressive or prone to destroy my apartment.

I have no experience with dogs, and the things i read almost lead me to believe that healthy well adjusted labs are very rare. Same for any breed I look up. Now, I suppose to some degree this is because many people look on the web for information about dealing with their problem pooches and so the sites offer such very prominently. But what have you guys found? assuming some of you have dogs.

All the dog people i know seem to have stories about dogs that suffered terrible illnesses or were completely unmanageable. But i want a dog. So, post here if you have a good dog, or if you have tips for me in selecting a dog, or other thoughts.

 

[dogboy]

Well who should know better than Dogboy! The labs are a great breed. They are very friendly, and very loyal. They also are great with kids. Our first dog was a black lab. She was wonderful. She was never destructive, and she was like a second mother to our young children. Labs can get very large, and you really have to make sure they don't become over weight or they will have hip problems.

All the retrievers make great companions. Our daughter and son in law have a chocolate lab. She's remarkably smart. We have our second Golden retriever. Once out of the puppy stage (chewing) she has caused no damage. The only thing is that they will break your heart when they become old and ill. I have always made a spiritual connection to my dogs, so when they died, I was devastated. But that's the price for loving.

 

[Valentine]

There are no bad dogs, only bad dog owners.