All About Pocket Knives

Looks like your dog is enjoying the new surroundings Wayne. What a beautiful picture too.
Jerry

Dale those are some nice looking pups - and Wayne, that is a great picture - that needs to be framed and on your wall.

Dave, everybody has their preferences in a pet, but a German Shepherd is everything a dog should be, in my opinion. They are just intelligent, noble creatures.

Never met a dog I didn't like, but I've long held that German Shepherds have the most expressive faces in the canine world. They have so many expressions which are easy to read.

This new guy.....sheesh......what a ham!

Here's my buddy Willie doing what he does best.

Another cat picture. Kimmie and Lilly. About 7 weeks old.After two years being pet free we're back in business.

When my labs want to go outside they come sit beside my chair and give me this look.

Ken

What a pair. I bet I know what happens next.

Miss Joy's dog, Flossie gets extremely nervous during thunderstorms and holidays with fireworks. She gets under the porch when we are shooting, especially big rifles. If Joy is shootin' her SR22 Ruger, the dog will sit and watch her from a distance, but let some one else raise a pistol or a rifle and she heads for the underside of the porch. She seems to comprehend the difference between just shooting and actual hunting where she tolerates the presence of a deer rifle . She will find a deer that gets out of sight after being shot, a blood trailer . She is a yard dog except during noise events like the big thunderstorm a few evenings back.
Here she is enjoying the kitchen floor during the storm.
Treefarmer

My chocolate lab had her first litter. 12!!!!!!!!! Holly *#@* 6 weeks today.

Bubbles, meanest gold fish there is, kills everything we put in the tank

My chocolate lab had her first litter. 12!!!!!!!!! Holly *#@* 6 weeks today.

Congratulations! A beautiful canine family.

ESPN - you have chocolate all over your lawn! And that is a fine looking goldfish, Roof!

Here is an update on Joshka (see previous pics above) - he is 7 months old now, and weighs in at 90+ lbs. We also picked up a little sister for him - her name is Ahter, and she is a Turkish Kangal. She is 3 months and weighs in at 30 lbs. We expect she will grow to around 90 lbs.

We picked her up from these nice folks...http://patterandairygoats.com/livestock-protection-dogs

Here's a little more about the breed, and the folks we bought her from sent some over to Africa to keep the herders from shooting the cheetah's.

http://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/20 ... e-process/

Here is an update on Joshka

Unk: As you know your breed does great work in preserving/protecting other animals. How is their temperament as a family pet when they reach maturity?

Hi Steel,

This is our first experience with a Kangal, but so far we are impressed.

Most describe them as calm, loyal, and protective of their flock, and good with children. In the absence of a flock, their human family becomes their "flock".

Tamara - the lady we purchased her from, said most of her dogs go to working farms. She requested that she be able to pick the one that we got, as she wanted us to have one with a more calm and happy demeanor, since we live in a house in a sub-division. I think she picked well for us, as Ahter is very calm. She plays with Joshka for an hour or two then sleeps for several hours. I told my wife "I thought we got a dog - not a cat". haha. Ahter sleeps so much, she could be an extra on "Hee-Haw".

I read several things where Kangals don't play with toys much, and are independent and hard to train. However Ahter loves to play with dog toys, and my wife had taught her to sit, lay down, and stay within two weeks of getting her. If you have ever tried to teach a dog to "stay" as you walk away, then you know that is a tough command to get them to do. Ahter is as smart if not smarter than our German Shepherds - and that is saying something, as they have been the smartest dogs I have ever owned. I think she is going to be a really good family dog.

I wonder if the extra daytime sleeping has become breed specific so they stay more awake and alert at night while guarding. Just a thought.

Shepherds are the greatest; my personal favorite.

My Boxer knuckleheads... they're a hoot!

Great looking boxers;great color.

Thanks! I couldn't get my big male to perk his ears up to attention, for nuthin'!! He's stubborn that way sometimes. His b&w portrait is my favorite photo of him. The female is a dark brindle that has real pretty stripes in it.

Boxers are great dogs. I've had a number of them over the years. Nice looking couple!

These are my first Boxers... and they are a riot!

I sort of had a boxer once. A few years ago, a family that lives about 2 miles from me had a neutered large brown/black brindle colored male boxer named simply "Bob". Everyone referred to him as "Bob-the-dog". After a while Bob wouldn't stay home and made the rounds, visiting all the ranches in the area, sometimes staying a day or two and sometimes just passing through. Always friendly, liked to play with your dogs, never bothered cats, chickens, or livestock, never got into the trash. Bob's owners pretty much gave up on trying to keep him home so he just became the community pet. A hobo dog looking for, and usually getting, a hand out meal.

After a few years Bob just disappeared. Folks would ask "has anyone seen Bob-the-dog lately"? Bob was big enough that it's doubtful a coyote got him.

Ken

Ken,
I enjoyed the story but have to admit, it troubles me. I would never let my two do that and take that chance of losing them prematurely. Too attached to them.

I understand what you're saying Dave. Makes even more sense if you live in town. I'm out in the country where most folks don't fence their yards nor keep dogs in pens or chained, and almost all of them stay close to the house especially if neutered. The county animal control officer picks up strays. If he encounters a roaming dog that has a collar and tags he'll contact the owner.

In the case of Bob the dog, his owners tried to keep him fenced but he either dug or jumped out. As I'm sure you know a boxer can jump a pretty high fence if it wants to. Bob was very unhappy chained. Eventually they gave up trying to keep him confined. He stayed home mostly but visited others for two or three years before he vanished. I blame at least part of it on his friendly nature, and otherwise well intentioned people that fed him. One lady even gave him cookies when he came to her place.

Ken

yep! suburbanite here. Leash ordinance, etc. But even still, I couldn't stand the thought of losing one of my Boxers due to unknown circumstances. They are family to us... fur kids. Heck! they have more standing with me, than some humans I know... and I'm sure you'll know what I mean by that.

Not my Boxer... but this is typical of the breed... and why they are so popular.