I’m sitting here at my desk and wedged in between my chair and the wall is the most cowardly golden retriever on the face of the planet. I’ve written before about Sasha, my parents’ neurotic dog. She accompanied my parents here for my sister’s graduation and she’s been staying with me for the last week. I came home from work today and found her curled up in a ball under my bed. I think the thunder from a passing storm freaked her out. She’s definitely not happy here; she goes outside only after much coaxing and never after the sun goes down. I think she misses my parents’ yard and quiet neighborhood. But having her around makes me wonder if I should get my own dog. Nothing big; maybe a terrier or something. Are there any small dogs that aren’t also incredibly stupid? Because I don’t want a stupid dog. And I don’t really need a Helping Paws kind of dog. With a nurse always accompanying me, a trained dog might be a little superfluous.
Terriers – yappy.
How big is not big? My dog is, of course, perfect, but she’s 45 pounds and very high energy (so somebody else has to walk her, I mean run her). Very smart, too, because she’s a Vizsla.
I have about a five pound papillon that would qualify. Very bright, a little neurotic. very small turds. What more could you want?
Rob
Terriers ARE yappy and high-energy and sometimes border on schizophrenic! Have thought about a pug? Good personalities and everybody loves them!
Suggest some kind of smallish collie cross. Border collies are the cleverest dogs on the planet, although they’re also the most energetic, so a collie crossed with something less… manic tends to produce a gorgeous, gorgeous dog.
The smaller they are, the smaller their brains are. Just a thought worth holding on to. You also don’t want one so small that you’ll run the bloody thing over the first time it falls asleep behind your chair while you’re working.
Well, golden retrievers are the BEST dogs, in my opinion, although your parents’ dog seems to defy my theory. Don’t get a collie mix…they’re smart, but they’re HERDERS…the last thing you need is a dog following a half step behind your chair. And pugs are dumb, although cute. What about a beagle? Smart, cute, not too yappy…
Cats are best though. They clean themselves, you don’t have to walk them, and they don’t mind not getting attention. Unlike I, who gets royally pissed off if you don’t pay attention to me…hint hint.
Having had a poodle and a German shepherd and having been around enough border collies I have the opinion that a poodle is the most civilized and the German shepherd is the most instinctively loyal and attendant and the border collie is the most neurotic.
Know that getting a dog will change your life: you will be getting outside for walks every day and you will have more social interactions, especially if you have an especially intersting or handsome dog.
I would suggest a dog small enough to sit on your lap like an accessory for then a greater number of women are likely do some petting there.
With the switching of nurse thrice daily, it is important to estabish a routine where the dog learns to respond primarily to you as the source of sustinance and authority even as you have established with your nurses.