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comment by thenewgreen
thenewgreen  ·  4366 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Sled Dogs
For years I would see the same thin, grey haired man in downtown Ann Arbor walking with 3-4 dogs off leash. They would sit at the edge of a busy main street and wouldn't dare cross until he gave the okay. They were so well behaved it was unbelievable. I must have seen this occur 3 times a week for years. I never spoke to the man, it seemed like his zen moment and I didn't want to mess with that.

Dogs are amazing animals, I take my two dogs to the park 1-2 times a week and I really enjoy it. It's therapeutic for them and for me.

Here's a picture of my boys: Harrison on the left and Hemingway on the right I wish I could say they were as well behaved. They are great though.





smoorman1024  ·  4365 days ago  ·  link  ·  
Those are great dogs. Harrison and Hemingway, lol. I don't have a dog but its been on my mind to get one since I graduated. Since then I have lived in Chicago and New York for a few months each. I've been torn justifying getting a dog with the amount of time and space I could offer it.
b_b  ·  4365 days ago  ·  link  ·  
Agreed. I work too much or else I would definitely have a german shepard or a collie (or really whatever looked like a smart dog at the shelter). I don't feel right working 10 hours a lot of days keeping the dog all cooped up. In the future when I have a more forgiving job, I'll definitely get one.
smoorman1024  ·  4365 days ago  ·  link  ·  
Recently I have been thinking about a dog swap collaboration between multiple city dwellers. Something like two or three people take turns walking the dogs mid day. You could get away with not paying the cost of a daycare for the dog. It would be improvement for the dogs over being let out just in the morning and night. You would also have a comfortable place for the dog to stay if one of the owners is gone for the weekend. If you could find 3 people in the same building or neighborhood this could be really convenient. Just putting it on the table for all NY hubski wannabe dog owners.
thenewgreen  ·  4365 days ago  ·  link  ·  
I think it's a good idea. Not only would the dogs get daily exercise but they get the socialization from being around others. Dogs crave this just like we do. My sister had a Boston Terrier when she lived in the city and it worked out well. She was only a 1.5 blocks from the park so she would just walk there in the AM and then she paid a dog walker in the afternoon and she walked the dog again when she got home. The dog was happy. But it's ALL ABOUT THE BREED. You shouldn't get a high energy pointer if you're going to live in an apartment in the city. Just not cool.
smoorman1024  ·  4365 days ago  ·  link  ·  
I'm open to breed. I've had a lot of interest in whippits although their probably high energy. My family got their first dog a few years ago and its a maltese. That guy is awesome. I also know two great westies. A final small dog that comes to mind is a yorky I knew a while back.
thenewgreen  ·  4365 days ago  ·  link  ·  
I had a yorky when I was a kid. Kind of a "yapper". I'd go with the whippit but they do need to be run pretty regularly. Great dogs though, really beautiful imo.
smoorman1024  ·  4365 days ago  ·  link  ·  
Slightly tangential, did you guys know they can fucking clone dogs now Pet cloning. This blew my mind. If its available, please clone me when I die.
thenewgreen  ·  4365 days ago  ·  link  ·  
My wife told me about this a while back. I can't imagine forking over 50k to clone either of my dogs or even myself. That's one of the reasons we have children, right? So that we can pass on a bit of ourselves -hopefully the parts of ourselves we like (sense of humor, love of nature) but avoid passing on our faults. Though, it would be interesting to see your genetic twin, creepy as hell too. Can you imagine being a parent to your doppelgänger? Bizarre.
thenewgreen  ·  4365 days ago  ·  link  ·  
To both you and smoorman1024, I'd give the advice nobody gave me. Get a small dog or at the very least get a dog that can be active when you want it to be but the rest of the time, pretty chill. I love my dogs but they need constant attention and exercise. This was great until our lives got busy and now I find myself struggling to have time to take them to the park or on a run.

It's much easier to get someone to watch a small dog while you go out of town and a good kennel is expensive. You're both right to wait until you have enough time to dedicate. If we ever get another dog in the future, it will be a small, scruffy rescue with a good temperament and a love for naps in our lap and the occasional walk.

thenewgreen  ·  4366 days ago  ·  link  ·  
sounds_sound, do you remember the guy I'm talking about?
sounds_sound  ·  4365 days ago  ·  link  ·  
I do remember him. The coolest thing he did is he would walk down a block with four dogs and make each one sit in different locations along the sidewalk. He would start and drop one off, continue with three, then drop another off like 40 feet from the first and so on until they were all sitting along one city block. Then he would call them all together and they would come back to him very leisurely. It was pretty amazing.
thenewgreen  ·  4365 days ago  ·  link  ·  
Glad you remember. He was an interesting character, a part of the city imo.