The official SD.N Dog Thread......

[Knife]

My friend had a dog that got car sick once and threw up all over his lap. Right in the middle of a 2 hour long trip to the cottage.

Fuzzy threw up in the car the first few times we took him with us. Now he's used to it. It seems to help if he can see where we're going; he likes to lie on the ledge under the rear window so he can see the road (of course, he also loves to stick his head out the window, but that's a universal dog thing).

Heh. Diamond (my dog) was scared of the car. Know, she'll bolt to it if you let her outside.

Both of my dogs do not really mind going somewhere in the truck, but any time they get out of the house(kids tend to leave door open no matter how many times I yell about it) they the dogs go right for the truck. I do not think they like being left behind when we the people leave. A couple times that I was out working on the truck or washing it, and the dogs got out, the ran right to the truck and jumped in the back with a look of "your not leaving us this time motherfucker." Both are well behaved and do not run around the neiborhood or anything, they just want to be with the rest of the family.

[Robert Treder]

My dog's just always gotten sick in the car, and nothing, it seems, can help her. Needless to say, she does not like sticking her head out the window.
We got her from a rescue program in Davis (home of UC Davis, several hours by car from the South Bay, where I am), and driving back home late at night in the middle of a big storm, she was throwing up constantly. It was pretty interesting.

Incidentally, I used to be terrified of dogs too. When we got our dog, I was about eleven years old, and still terrified of dogs.
The first night we had her, my sister and my father slept in the family room downstairs with her, to monitor her and keep her company in the strange new environment. Terrified but curious about the new addition to the family, I insisted on sleeping in there too.
I kept my distance the entire night, and then, at about three in the morning, I woke up to find the dog sleeping on my chest. As she was only a puppy, she was quite small, but so was I, so lying down, she was of a comparable size to me.
I was scared out of my mind, too scared to move or say anything. I just lay there for several hours, not moving at all. I finally fell asleep, and the next day, I was completely removed of my fear of dogs, this dog in particular.
Just seeing how harmless she was, and how quickly she had taken to me, I learned to love her, and subsequently, all dogs.
</sappy anecdote>

[Tsyroc]

My family has had 5 dogs.

One was a mutt that my parent got from the pound when I was 1 year old so I don't remember her too well

We've had two Lhasa Apsos. One was extremely outgoing and liked all people and other dogs. He used to wait for the mailman because he liked to play with him (it sort of freaked out the people who subbed for our normal mailman though). He used to love to play with our neighbor's Doberman (Shark). He ended up dieing of renal failure, a common problem with Lhasas because of inbreeding.

The other Lhasa was much more grumpy towards people and other dogs. Although, I still remember her as a puppy chasing my cousin around the house and nipping holes in his diaper.

The other two dogs we've had are Dalmations. One we got as a puppy and he has been great. He likes almost all other dogs and pretty much all people. It makes him a little bit of a pain because if he gets out he has to go see everyone. In my parents neighborhood everyone knows him (Remi short for Remington after the gun company)by name even if they don't know me or my parents.

We had a second Dalmation for awhile. We got her from a lady that was going to take her to the pound because she was too much work. Dalmations are very active and like lots of attention so Duh!. Anyway, this dog was very good around people but wasn't too keen on other dogs. In both cases this was probably because of how she was socialized. She'd had obedience training by a trainer and it showed, but she'd also been bumped around to various homes with other dogs. With that she learned to not like other dogs much. If they gave her space she was okay but she didn't like them getting close to her until she got to know them. She was also jumpy with people sneaking up on her and came close to biting a kid that was used to our other dog who let's kids climb all over him.

She ended up dying from Valley Fever, an internal fungal infection found in Arizona and Southern California.

Both Dalmations loved to chase things, including cats. Neither of them ever seemed interested in chasing cars though. Luckily they both seemed to know enough to say away from snakes, especially rattlesnakes. Gila Monsters on the other hand, are just lizards to them so in the few instances I encountered Gila Monsters with them I had to pretty much drag Remi away from it.

[Tsyroc]

Remington, my parent's current dog has done a lot of traveling. He's been to Iowa, California,Texas, and Colorado with my parents. He usually goes camping with them too. If he doesn't go I either watch him at "his" house or the neighbors do while I drop in from time to time.

[Joe]

I'd love a labrador, or golden retriver. I've never heard anything wrong about their temperment, plus they're gorgeous dogs, and seem bright enough.

My Dad had an alsatian/labrador cross-breed, with the appearance of an alsatian, yet the temperment of a labrador. Prince, his name was. He was incredibly loyal, and very protective of women and children (to the point where he even bit my Dad whilst he was goofing off around my Mum).

Sadly, I can't remember Prince. He died when I was still a baby. Apparently I used to dangle biscuits over my high chair, and he'd jump up and eat them.

I guess I'd be happy to have an alsatian as a pet, one or two concerns about their temperment though, which means I'd not have one around young children.

The only problem with labradors and retrievers is that they get absolutely terrified during thunderstorms. My poor girl runs for shelter when she hears even the tiniest rumble off in the distance. It's kind of funny that she dislikes thunder, too, because she absolutely loves much-louder fireworks...

Other than that, they are perfect dogs. Best friends you'll ever have.

[victorhadin]

Tell me about it. Taking Toby out on Bonfire (Guy Fawke's) night is a solid impossibility because the tiniest distant rocket will terrify him and he will refuse to move any further.