I'm totally with amych in the humorless get a puppy for something other than looks bench.

Ditto. Although, sometimes, all the research and finding a good breeder in the world doesn't keep a bad puppy/owner match up from happening. First dog I had as an adult was a Newfoundland. Only seriously dominant/alpha Newf I've ever seen in my life. Also, the only Newf I've ever seen who bonded with one person (me) to the exclusion of everyone else and being super dominant over everyone else. HATED Lewis, even though Lewis did everything he could to mellow the dog out. Finally, after nearly a year, we had to give the dog back to the breeder because I'd found out I was pregnant with Nate. Kind of didn't make sense to have a dog we'd gotten with the expectation of being a family dog, who would in all likelihood hate the rest of the family.

We got a Lab after that.

"How can I get my Beagle to stop barking."

My DH and I have this discussion all the time:

DH: Sass' barking is a big problem.

Me: No, it's the beagle in her.

DH: But she can't keep doing it to people!

Me: She can't stop doing it to people, dear.

Only seriously dominant/alpha Newf I've ever seen in my life. Also, the only Newf I've ever seen who bonded with one person

I've never heard of a Newf doing that. My parents had to get rid of our Newf when I was a child because she never quite knew where she was in relation to me, thus causing me to be knocked down stairs, sat on, and generally treated like a piece of furniture by the dog. Not out of any malice, just out of inattention.

Seriously. Who expects ANY pet to be "self-maintaining"?

It's like a social disorder. Or a plague.

I guess people raised by people who were raised by people in rural environments or cultures where animals are part of the landscape just don't know any better.

When I have to suggest that someone might want to wash their dog's bowl every now and then, I have to wonder.

I hate Disney for many reasons, the travesty against Dalmatians not the least of them. Overbreeding to satisfy image-driven appetites has exacerbated every problem the troubled breed ever (and always) had. It really is a crime.

They couldn't have bypassed that particular book and written an original script about kid-loving mutts? Noooo. Let's pick the least kid friendly breed in popular rotation and exploit them!

But I digress.

Tep, just this morning I ran into the thing I sent you about your girl's anxiety and wondered if anything had improved for you.

Shiba's are not only a doublecoated breed but also kind of stubborn and probably not the best choice for first time dog owners.

But really, really cute.

They think that they are Akitas.

A friend of mine rescue-adopted a Papillon (notoriously barky breed) who had been debarked. I would have thought the procedure cruel before encountering him, because he was just as enthusiastic as you could want, but significantly less loud about it without annoying the neighbors. I do honestly believe now that if it comes down to having to rehome a dog because training has failed, a surgical option is humanely valid.

oh my ... people get pets because they're cute and then - horrors! - realize they actually need care beyond petting them and maybe playing with them when the mood strikes. I know lots of dalmatians were turned in to shelters not too long after the movie. Not to mention the chicks and bunnies that are Easter presents whose charm fades when they grow up. Michelle Obama, in the 60 Minutes interview said that they're not getting the puppy until after they're settled in the White House, so it'll be moved into a settled situation, rather than have to go through the move (the girls know this, so they expect to wait).

In other news, has anyone seen this?

Only seriously dominant/alpha Newf

Anomalies do happen. You definitely made the right decision.

I've got some dog park friends whose puppy ended up with a rage disorder that they could not control. They did EVERYthing imaginable to cope but ultimately had to get the breeder to take him back. They were heart-broken.

Weirdly enough, they fostered another dog of the same breed (Bully) at the same time and ended up keeping her with good results. Just like people, expected traits aren't always predictable.

I do blame bad breeding for a lot of the struggles we've seen over the last 20 years and strongly advocate for adopting from a reputable agency that does temperament testing.

They think that they are Akitas.

A friend of mine who did both Shiba and Akita rescue for many years used to say that it wasn't so much that they think they're Akitas -- it's that they actually are, just super-concentrated, like the detergent that does just as many loads with a smaller bottle.

Oh, if any animal-lovers were planning to watch last night's L&O:SVU -- don't. Seriously. It was the first time I've ever had to turn off an SVU episode because I just couldn't handle watching it.