iamshack

Just to reiterate, there is nothing wrong with the concept of paying for a pet. The best breeders rarely make tons of profits off of the animals they sell; they merely love raising well-bred animals and improving the quality of the breed.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Feb 3, 2012 -> 07:52 PM) Despite whatever was just said...please consider a rescue if you're even remotely willing. Rescues can be fantastic dogs, and I would never recommend against getting one. I have one now. However, find out as much information as possible about any rescue or shelter dog and be very careful about selecting one. Secondly, there is nothing wrong and nothing to feel guilty about in buying a purebred dog from a breeder. Most breeders do a very solid job at what they do - mating the most healthy, well-tempered, intelligent, and pleasant dogs to one another in an attempt to produce the best dogs possible. While this is never full-proof, this is the best chance you have of obtaining a fantastic dog in the breed of your choice, and there is nothing wrong with doing so. This rescue rescue rescue mantra can sometimes imply that selecting a purebred dog or paying for a dog is wrong, when it is not. What is wrong is puppy mills, ignorant backyard breeding, and people allowing their intact dogs to roam the neighborhood to breed to anyone they can find. Often times THIS is where rescue and shelter dogs come from, and by feeling as though it is necessary to select ONLY one of these dogs, this sort of irresponsible behavior is enabled or even encouraged.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Feb 3, 2012 -> 08:15 PM) Those dogs looks awesome, but I would assume they shed a ton. What do you feed your dog? http://www.soxtalk.com/forums/index.php?s=...t&p=2544800

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Feb 3, 2012 -> 08:11 PM) I want an Alaskan Malamute so bad. The dog I adopted from my local shelter is a golden retriever/siberian husky...obviously not quite a malamute, but from that same family of breeds...I must say, he is one athletic, agile, smart little bastard...

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Feb 3, 2012 -> 08:06 PM) Ok, well I am not going to make arguments FOR commercial dog foods. Some people buy reg. dog food, some people buy.... actually, I have no idea what the alternative is.....meat from a butcher? I have no idea, but anyway, whatever people want to feed their pets is fine with me. But also, I don't know a single person DOESN'T feed their dog dogfood from a store, and I bet that's true for almost all the dog owners on this site. Again, not saying what's best, just saying I am not crazy evil dude because my dog eats commercial dog foods; it's what most people do. Just glad we can get off the automatic dog feeder topic, because I was about to start pulling my hair out in confusion/frustration. Honestly, the only argument for commercial dog food is cost and convenience. I don't blame people for feeding that since that is what their veterinarians (who should be a very trustworthy source of information on your dog) tell them to feed. However, if you do the research, or even try feeding dogs an alternative diet, it is painstakingly obvious how much more nutritious and natural it is for your dog.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Feb 3, 2012 -> 06:28 PM) So if you ENTIRE argument has been about COMMERCIAL DOG FOOD, then what does it matter whether we put it in a bowl and set it out twice a day, or dump it in to a dispenser? You seemed to be arguing the wrong thing. I'm not going to get in an argument about what is better, commercial dog food vs. .....whatever you feed your dog, because it doesn't really matter to me, and there is actually valid reasons against commercial dog food. But the whole thing about using a dispenser was ridiculous. You seemed to be focusing your beef (no pun intended) on the wrong part of the conversation. It's like a vegetarian yelling at a meat-eater for using a fork to eat his steak, and saying telling how dumb forks are and how lazy he is for using the fork, when the person SHOULD be directing the anger towards the person eating meat, not the fact that a fork is being used. The two things are linked, and I explained why a few posts ago. The ONLY reason this thing works for your dogs is because what you put into it is crap. Your dog doesn't really want to eat what comes out of it, and that is why it has "self-control" or whatever you are calling it. If you put anything in there that the dog actually enjoyed eating, it would not "control itself." It would eat until it was entirely full, then rest, then eat again. It would not slowly free feed throughout the day. The reason your dogs do that is because they do not enjoy eating the crappy food you give them. They know that is all they will get, however, and they also have a survival instinct, so they eat what they must to survive. They also know they don't need to do anything at all to get this food, other than simply stand in front of it and eat. Additionally, IT IS NOT BIOLOGICALLY HEALTHY FOR YOUR DOG TO EAT IN THIS MANNER. His GI system does not work the way a human's does, so stop feeding him as a human would eat! Your dog's stomach needs time to rest. And when his stomach is resting, his liver needs to be functioning to transform fats into carbs. Without performing this function, your dog's GI system is not working correctly and your dog cannot properly metabolize its energy.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Feb 3, 2012 -> 06:13 PM) For those of you who were interested, and didn't have some sort of irrational, weird hate towards dog feeders, I asked my brother how he is planning on getting his puppy to use it and he said she is already using it, and has been since the day he got her. He said he just had to push the little door open and show her that there was food in it, and after a couple times she remembered and has been doing it for a couple weeks now. No over-eating or anything, at 3-months old she has learned to control herself. Joe, it's not weird or irrational. It's called science.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Feb 3, 2012 -> 06:10 PM) I don't think people really trust that their dogs won't over-eat, which is understandable. But you won't know unless you try. And as for the second paragraph, lol, where the hell do you get this stuff? How does the container in which the food is held change it from normal Iams/Pedigree (whatever we buy) dogfood, to "heated, compressed mystery materials" and "sawdust"? Are you under the impression that this thing somehow MAKES food too? I'm talking about how your dog food is made. How do you think it ends up in those little nifty pellets? They put all kinds of horrible s*** in these mass-produced foods, including cheap crap fillers and they have even found other dead animal carcasses in them before. Go to the website Iamscruelty.com to see how P&G operates as a company. As for "trusting your dog," you are asking your dog to go against basically 20,000 years of evolution to eat this way. Wolves and later, domesticated dogs, hunted prey animals; they did not evolve to eat out of a "food dispenser." Additionally, their GI systems are not equipped to work this way. See my earlier post on liver functions.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Feb 3, 2012 -> 06:01 PM) With my daughter It is hers, we discussed how it will get upwards of 80-110 lbs and she knows it will live for a long time. She wanted it, she got it. WOW...that is one big turtle! How old is your daughter?

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Feb 3, 2012 -> 05:56 PM) Soooooooooooo, besides the dogs my daughter has a Sulcata(African Spur-thigh) Tortoise. It is going to get rather big, but by that time it will be out of my house. Where is it going?

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Feb 3, 2012 -> 06:16 PM) Well I certainly got a ton of information that I was seeking. My current goal isn't really gain, it's primarily to be more focused and workout with greater intensity. It was so much easier for me to workout like I wanted when I was an athlete but now it just seems like I'm missing the focus that I once had. I mean, I'm still motivated to get into better shape but I'm missing that "I want to add 3mph on my fastball and throw 7 innings" goal. Well, in the past, you motivated yourself through the desire to compete and perform at sports...now that you don't play sports competitively anymore, you can try shifting your motivation, right? What are some other things men enjoy besides kicking the s*** out of other men at sports? I have often used women as motivating tools...

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Feb 3, 2012 -> 06:32 PM) Yeah, this is going no where. I just can't understand where you are even coming from. And to use your logic of argument, if you hate your dog so much that you won't let it eat when it wants, might as well just own some fish. Joe, there is a reason that people don't use these things...of all the people you know that have dogs, how many have employed this stupid f***ing device? The reason this contraption works with your dogs is because you are feeding your dogs heated, compressed mystery materials. If you were feeding your dog something it actually enjoyed eating, it would show some life and enthusiasm towards eating it. Instead, you feed it some Old Yeller sawdust that comes out of a sheet metal contraption and all your dogs do is sadly eat the bare minimum required to subsist.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Feb 3, 2012 -> 06:12 PM) Lol, you argument is ALL OVER THE PLACE. How is this is any way like feeding children? But just for s***s and giggles, yeah, it is kind of like that anyway. You keep food in your house, and your kids will go get some when they are feeling hungry. You don't put out a plate of food twice a day for your kids and if they are hungry at any other point, OH WELL. And how does having an automatic dog feeder produce s***ty results? That makes no sense. And I like how you liken having an automatic dog feeder to "not caring about my dog's eating habits", and acting like this is some sort of barbaric thing to do. How many other people have you seen with this sort of contraption, Joe? And honestly, our beliefs on this topic are so far apart it's really not even worth carrying on about it anymore. If you're too lazy to put a freaking bowl down once or twice a day you should probably have gerbils, not dogs.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Feb 3, 2012 -> 03:54 PM) Again, why do it twice a day when you could NOT do it......ever? You are making it seem like the only reason someone gets a dog is so they can feed the dog. It's called a convenience. Many things are invented because it's a convenience, not because "it's too hard" to do. It's a convenience for the owner, it's a convenience for the dog. \\ It's like saying "Hairdryers are dumb. It takes, what, 5-10 minutes to dry your hair with a towel? What's the point of even having hair then?" So let me ask you this, would you feed your kids this way? There are a lot of things that could be done in an easier way, but they aren't because the easier way produces s***ty results. And with some things, you're just being downright lazy. Your dogs are domesticated animals that I am assuming live in your house? They are not farm animals that you own for the purpose of slaughtering them. I'm not telling you how to feed your dogs, but my guess is most people are a bit more concerned about their dog's eating habits than just dumping a 40 pound bag in some sheet metal contraption and calling it a day.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Feb 3, 2012 -> 03:39 PM) Who buys a dog so they can feed it twice a day?? I don't understand you argument. This solution works out great for both the dog and the owners. Arguing just to argue? The argument is really simple. You act like having a dog is a necessary fact of life or something...if it's too much work to feed a dog once or twice a day (what does this take, honestly, 5 minutes tops??), why even bother to even have a dog?

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Feb 3, 2012 -> 03:26 PM) ?????? I mean, it should be obvious, so the dog can eat when it wants, and you never have to put food out? ?????? If it's so much work to feed your dog once or twice a day, why bother getting a dog in the first place?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 3, 2012 -> 04:01 PM) We've got cats too. Dogs are too damned high maintenance. We don't have the time they should get. What is the Jack Nicholson line from Good as it Gets? Something like a dog gives his affection freely, but you have to EARN a cat's affection?

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Feb 3, 2012 -> 02:04 PM) Wait, you are using a self feeder for your dogs, and you call others lazy for not teaching their dogs self control? What is good for the goose is not always good for the gander. Many dogs will completely gorge themselves until food is not available, you can't just teach them to eat until their stomachs are full. It is great it works for you, doesn't mean it would work for me. And I know it wouldn't. Besides the fact that a dog's gastrointestinal system does not work the same way as a human's. A dog needs to eat once or at most, twice a day once it reaches maturity. Not constantly or several times a day. Most of the dog's digestion occurs in the stomach, and that muscle needs time to rest because it works very hard to break down the food dogs digest for energy. Once the stomach stops working and rests, the liver begins to transform fats from the body into carbohydrates. However, if the stomach is always busy digesting, the liver never undertakes this function. Without this function, the dog isn't able to sustain efficient use of its fat reserves for its energy.

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Feb 3, 2012 -> 02:00 PM) Geez Shack, you better get to breeding those dogs and get a return on your investment! 24-30 bucks a day is no joke! I know...right now it costs me about half that and I just paid it rather than deal with the disgusting poultry parts and what not...but with another dog on the way I just refuse to spend that kind of money, and yet I don't want the dogs to suffer for it. So disgusting chicken backs and turkey necks, here I come!

I think most people overcomplicate things to no end. Just use common sense when eating, and you'll be fine. Like Y2H mentioned, unless you are an Olympic athlete or something, you don't need to trim every last gram of fat from your diet or eat some synthetic crap to avoid eating regular foods.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 3, 2012 -> 01:46 PM) Another Zimmer fave of mine: Backdraft. Got some pretty inspiring tracks on it. And if you like big soundtrack scores like that, also look for Klaus Bedalt (who actually did POTC - not Zimmer). And try the Tron soundtrack, which is a mix of techno and orchestral stuff from Daft Punk. The soundtrack from The Saint is also great for workouts, same with The Matrix (both albums). Klaus Badelt composed the song that was in POTC and remixed into the song they played during the WS montage prior to games. The Saint soundtrack is indeed a good one.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Feb 3, 2012 -> 01:45 PM) I don't remember what our dog gets. IAMS maybe? My brother just got a golden retriever puppy a couple weeks ago, and I am so excited to go home next weekend and play with her! Also, if you guys don't use an auto-matic feeder for your pets, you NEED to start doing this when you get a new pet (your current animal might flip out and eat itself in to a coma). This looks like the one we have for dog food. We've had it my whole life with both the dogs we have had. And then they drink from a similar thing, but smaller, and obviously for water. It's the best. No one has ever had to "feed the dog", just refill the feeder every couple weeks or so. I have never been to anyone's house who has one of these, and I don't understand why. People too lazy to train their dog to have self control? What is the benefit of doing this?

QUOTE (KyYlE23 @ Feb 3, 2012 -> 12:33 PM) I have fed my dogs Nutro Natural Choice for the past 12 years. It doesnt have filler(read: corn) that other major brands have(Pedigree, Purina, Iams, Eukanuba), so there is less stool and more compact stool, easier to clean and easier to notice when your dog isnt feeling well. No rawhide for my dogs either, i have read too many horror stories about intestinal blockage from dogs swallowing whole pieces of rawhide. So i just get Mammoth bones(cow femurs) and pig ears for my dogs to chew. Before my basset Clark passed away he went to the vet for a checkup last year and i was told that his teeth were remarkable for a dog his age(he was 13). Im sticking with what I do, it has worked so far. There are other really good dog food brands that i would consider though, Royal Canin is one of them. I have never tried the raw food diet, but I did watch a Dog Whisperer episode with a family that did with their great danes. It seemed incredibly expensive to me, but its your money and if you think your dog is worth it go for it. I feed mine a raw diet and it costs me an arm and a leg. You can actually do it for a similar cost to the quality dry foods, but you have to be willing to deal with a lot of disgusting raw meats and organs and stuff. I feed them a chicken or turkey with vegetables and ground bone from a company called Darwin's out of Seattle. It's the best and most reasonably (still ridiculous) priced balanced raw diet I can find. I also feed them green tripe from a supplier out of Hollister, CA, which they go absolutely bonkers for. I supplement these with sweet potatoes and carrots when they are available in bulk in my area. I am getting another GD pup in a month or so, and so I have realized I need to figure out a cheaper way to do this, but I don't want to lower the quality of their food. I am just going to have to work a bit harder, by getting things from my local butcher and doing the dirty work myself, rather than having some hipster company do all of it for me. I found a butcher that will sell me chicken backs in 40 lb packages for about .50 a pound. This is going to become a main staple of their diet, to be supplemented with the other products I mentioned above. A few months from now, I'm going to be looking at feeding 8-10 pounds a day, so $3/lb isn't going to work so well anymore.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Feb 3, 2012 -> 12:25 PM) And fish obviously. Tuna + a tiny bit of fat free mayo and add some green pepper, celery and onion, delicious tuna salad for dinner, I've become obsessed with that meal. I've given up on using the fat-free and "light" products and have gone back to the regular stuff. I think the crap they replace the fat with is actually worse than the fat itself. Besides, a little fat helps you digest everything else more easily.

The thing about the veterinary clinics is they understand what their livelihood depends upon, which is you bringing your pet into them with all kinds of annoying allergy problems that cost you thousands of dollars over the life of your pet. They also understand what causes these same allergy problems is the crappy foods they recommend you feed your pet (which is why they recommend them instead of common sense things like, umm, real vegetables and meats). If you actually invest the money you waste at the vet on silly allergies or other maladies related to diet, on the actual diet, you will find your pet enjoys eating more, has more energy, has a cleaner, softer, shinier coat, brighter eyes, is at his ideal weight, and will age much better. Oh, and you hardly ever have to take him back to the vet.