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Erika *control freak* Shupe getting a dog????


Queen Of Hearts

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This is just so offensive on so many levels! First of all, now The Lord wants her to have a Shi Tzu? Seriously?!?!! To what end? Will the puppy minister to the ill? Carry tracts in its mouth?

This woman is cruel to her own babies, who speak a "language" she can understand. She has no business having any other living being. ARGH.

Also, I know this is a rant and not directed at her -- but, really? There's no excuse to buy from a bad breeder -- and any breeder that will sell her a Shi Tzu in her price range (or, frankly, at any price!!) is a bad breeder. But there is also nothing inferior -- at all -- about rescue dogs. Mine is my heart dog. I know I'm a little sensitive, but his "purchase price" has no bearing on his worth.

And, to echo others' comments, dogs are -- or at least can be -- crazy expensive. There are no guarantees, whether you get a dog from a pound or from a fantastic breeder, that you won't have health issues. Not to mention the every day stuff; my guys have a line item in my budget (which probably exceeds a lot of fundie food budgets!).

QFT! Our shelter rescue dog has tons of allergies. She is allergic to GRASS! :pull-hair: I finally found one brand of totally grain free food she can tolerate - to the tune of $100 a month. That sounds bad until you realize it is better than the almost $150 a month I was paying for the prescription dog food. Yes, prescription. dog. food.

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I have one that's allergic to gluten--flippin' gluten! I love her to death, but for a shelter dog she's cost me a pretty penny in fancy-schmancy dog food and medication for her ears, which frequently get infected because of the aforementioned gluten intolerance. I joke that she's a hipster and is only faking it because it's in fashion. :lol:

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She doesn't seem to know anything about the Shih Tzu. Why that breed? Because it's tiny and she thinks it will make a cute and easy accessory? She's nuts.

Puppies are difficult, but I wouldn't trade the fourteen years we had with our dog for anything. Even those puppy days were worth the loyalty and love she gave us. She was a lab mix we rescued from a shelter when she was just six weeks old. Erika needs to remember not all shelter dogs are senior dogs that have bad habits. Some are puppies. Some are older dogs that are nice and calm and ready to spend their days taking quiet walks and napping. Our sweet dog was so wonderful in her last few years. She did have a routine - nap in the living room; have a snack, nap in the kitchen, take a walk, nap by the fire place, greet the kids at the door, have a snack, take a walk, turn in for the night on the loveseat. The loveseat I banned her from ten years ago, but yet was her bed every night for most of her life. Oh gosh, I miss that sweet dog and it makes me sick to think any dog might end up in Shupe-a-palooza crazy land.

I have two neighbors who each kept a dog for about six months before giving it away because they couldn't handle the mess and work. The kids were heartbroken. I see that happening to the Shupe family.

I hope someone talks Erika out of this crazy plan.

This is why puppies are cute, so you overlook their bad habits.

How long do little dogs like this go through a puppy-hood? My lab/rottie mix started to settle after a year, our GSD/Akita was very chill when we got him, at 13 months. Our husky was quite the handful still at a year, but we developed a routine of exercise, training, and independent toys that have kept him happy and occupied. He's over 2 now, and is pretty well behaved. Our St. Bernard is 13 months, we've had her for only a few months, and it'll be probably about another 6 to get her where we want her to be routine and behavior-wise.

Little dogs can be a total PITA if she thinks it's like a cat that needs no training, like our neighbors thought. They have the worst behaved little dogs I've ever seen.

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This is why puppies are cute, so you overlook their bad habits.

How long do little dogs like this go through a puppy-hood? My lab/rottie mix started to settle after a year, our GSD/Akita was very chill when we got him, at 13 months. Our husky was quite the handful still at a year, but we developed a routine of exercise, training, and independent toys that have kept him happy and occupied. He's over 2 now, and is pretty well behaved. Our St. Bernard is 13 months, we've had her for only a few months, and it'll be probably about another 6 to get her where we want her to be routine and behavior-wise.

Little dogs can be a total PITA if she thinks it's like a cat that needs no training, like our neighbors thought. They have the worst behaved little dogs I've ever seen.

My golden is two and a half and I still call her "the puppy." She still kind of looks like one, and she really still acts like one, and it makes me feel a tiny bit better offer up this (sorry) excuse when she's obnoxiously overexcited when we have guests!

Anyway, the health issues others mention are part of really what gets to me about someone like Erika getting a dog. She's so oblivious -- how likely is she going to be to tune into a health issue? I'm officially a Crazy Dog Lady, but I don't think someone who wasn't paying attention would necessarily have figured out that my boy needed thyroid testing or a different food (lots of restrictions here, too!). [Or to go to a chiropractor -- which is probably something only someone with the aforementioned title would decide. ;)]

And, let's be real, how is this woman going to read a dog's body language? With a bunch of kids and clueless adults, that could be a recipe for disaster. I'm actually not sure that a rescue would let her adopt -- it just doesn't seem safe. Hopefully she'll give up then rather than turn to CL or the like.

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QFT! Our shelter rescue dog has tons of allergies. She is allergic to GRASS! :pull-hair: I finally found one brand of totally grain free food she can tolerate - to the tune of $100 a month. That sounds bad until you realize it is better than the almost $150 a month I was paying for the prescription dog food. Yes, prescription. dog. food.

If you have a dog that is allergic to the planet, I highly recommend checking into allergy shots. They are not cheap, but after the initial phase, they aren't *too* bad. We use varl for our allergy guy, who is allergic to so many things we had to just pick the ones we thought he would have the most exposure to for his shots and hope (they make the vaccine with either 6 or 12 things, I can't recall off the top of my head). It took a while to make a difference for him, which they do tell you will be the case, but it's made SO much difference in his quality of life it's well worth the expense.

In fact, I think I'm going to have him retested this coming year and have a new vaccine made with some of the other things he still tests high for and see if we can help him a bit more because I'd like to get him off prednisone completely if possible. We have him down to 1/4 pill a day during his bad times of year and 1/4 every other day during the better times of year, but I'd like to get him off before he gets either addisons or cushings.

He's allergic to cats, btw ;)

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The backs on the other two GSDs may be too level for competition. I can't stand to see GSDs competing in the ring. Those dogs look like they're in pain, practically walking on their pasterns.

I dogsat a Cavalier a few years ago that suffered from Syringomelia. She constantly snapped at flies that weren't there.

I am so much against dog shows because of this crap. The low back of a GSD is to make the dog look about ready to run, but it's not healthy. Something is very wrong when the standards for a show dog are unhealthy and dangerous. I don't know if you can really have a healthy GSD or Cavalier when the breed standards call for physically harmful qualities.

To me, the idea GSD is smart, independent, loyal, and agile, which is every police dog, and no police dog would stand a chance in the ring. Shows aren't about getting dogs to a good point for the breed, but about what some stupid people decide is how dogs should look, even if it's not healthy. I'd rather see people breeding straight-bad GSDs and larger-skulled Cavaliers that wouldn't win shows than to tell people to only breed show-quality dogs, when the standards are debilitating.

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Washington state, specifically Skagit Valley.

I've got some calls to make tomorrow. There's a rescue and a humane society, and I'm going to watch their Craigslist ads and email people selling shih pups for a little while.

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If you have a dog that is allergic to the planet, I highly recommend checking into allergy shots. They are not cheap, but after the initial phase, they aren't *too* bad. We use varl for our allergy guy, who is allergic to so many things we had to just pick the ones we thought he would have the most exposure to for his shots and hope (they make the vaccine with either 6 or 12 things, I can't recall off the top of my head). It took a while to make a difference for him, which they do tell you will be the case, but it's made SO much difference in his quality of life it's well worth the expense.

In fact, I think I'm going to have him retested this coming year and have a new vaccine made with some of the other things he still tests high for and see if we can help him a bit more because I'd like to get him off prednisone completely if possible. We have him down to 1/4 pill a day during his bad times of year and 1/4 every other day during the better times of year, but I'd like to get him off before he gets either addisons or cushings.

He's allergic to cats, btw ;)

That's good to know. The vet has mentioned it before, but not really pushed it. I'll need to look into it (and then break it to my husband that we need to spend MORE money on the dog who already costs more than the kids most months).

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I purchased a shih tzu for my daughter's 9th birthday. She had been begging for a "little" dog for years...I did my research, found a great breeder about 3 hours from home and the rest is history. BUT--my great breeder would not sell me a puppy without first seeing how my daughter interacted with her. Shih tzu can be a bit high strung and prone to anxiety and can be snappers. My breeder wouldn't even CONSIDER a home with children under 8, and for families with children under 12 she required a visit with the children to ensure they understood how to treat a puppy. Hopefully the breeders in Erica's 'hood will have the same requirements!

As for the hair issue...one of the reasons that we settled on a shih tzu is because they don't shed. Because they have more human like hair, and not the traditional fur the shedding is minimal. This was GREAT because my lab shed enough for about a dozen dogs! But, on the other side, the constant brushing and monthly trips to the groomer are A LOT to keep up with! It is a trade off--but one that I had researched fully before committing to!

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"*sigh* I know that logic...hopefully the Lord will move on our behalf since this was His idea. We can only afford what He has provided for us to be able to afford."

Translation: "Hopefully the Lord will tell one of our Fundy Followers to give us a dog for free. We can't afford it otherwise."

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I purchased a shih tzu for my daughter's 9th birthday. She had been begging for a "little" dog for years...I did my research, found a great breeder about 3 hours from home and the rest is history. BUT--my great breeder would not sell me a puppy without first seeing how my daughter interacted with her. Shih tzu can be a bit high strung and prone to anxiety and can be snappers. My breeder wouldn't even CONSIDER a home with children under 8, and for families with children under 12 she required a visit with the children to ensure they understood how to treat a puppy. Hopefully the breeders in Erica's 'hood will have the same requirements!

As for the hair issue...one of the reasons that we settled on a shih tzu is because they don't shed. Because they have more human like hair, and not the traditional fur the shedding is minimal. This was GREAT because my lab shed enough for about a dozen dogs! But, on the other side, the constant brushing and monthly trips to the groomer are A LOT to keep up with! It is a trade off--but one that I had researched fully before committing to!

maybe something happened to Erika to get her to loosen up. Is weed legal in their state? :lol: She posted a photo on fb of all her kids looking wild for crazy hairdo day and the boys are in sleeveless athletic shirts and there's a mess of books on the floor. Still don't think a high maintenance dog is right for them, but they looked pretty normal in that photo. They need a dog that can handle lots of running around and keeping up with kids. Crazy that she picked that breed, totally wrong for them imo. :roll: I hope a breeder does a home visit and interview for the dog's sake!

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Shit. She did it.

Meet the newest member of the Shupe Family! *cheer!* =D We're going to change his hair cut though to a longer, fluffier hair on his torso and top of his head. He's 5 years old, and we bought him from our friends who could no longer keep all 3 of their Shih Tzu's.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 597&type=1

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This pic

https://www.facebook.com/LargeFamiliesO ... =3&theater

is captioned:

Training to stay in his bed during meals so he doesn't eat the food the kids still drop.

I hate to judge from one still picture, but it looks like they are tempting the dog with food in reach, and "training" him by putting a hand on his head to hold him in place. It looks like the child is being gentle with him, but that's not a good way to train that behavior. I'm hoping I'm wrong, and the training method is giving him petting and attention for staying, but it's hard to imagine Erika using reward-based training.

Not to mention that she had to get in a dig at her kids for "still" dropping food.

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This pic

https://www.facebook.com/LargeFamiliesO ... =3&theater

is captioned:

I hate to judge from one still picture, but it looks like they are tempting the dog with food in reach, and "training" him by putting a hand on his head to hold him in place. It looks like the child is being gentle with him, but that's not a good way to train that behavior. I'm hoping I'm wrong, and the training method is giving him petting and attention for staying, but it's hard to imagine Erika using reward-based training.

Not to mention that she had to get in a dig at her kids for "still" dropping food.

It's blanket training for dogs. :shock:

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This pic

https://www.facebook.com/LargeFamiliesO ... =3&theater

is captioned:

I hate to judge from one still picture, but it looks like they are tempting the dog with food in reach, and "training" him by putting a hand on his head to hold him in place. It looks like the child is being gentle with him, but that's not a good way to train that behavior. I'm hoping I'm wrong, and the training method is giving him petting and attention for staying, but it's hard to imagine Erika using reward-based training.

Not to mention that she had to get in a dig at her kids for "still" dropping food.

Definitely baiting the dog. You should train a dog to stay where told without temptations, and then start training the dog to hold the company when you're eating dinner where you usually do, instead of training the dog from the start with the food right there.

I feel bad for this dog. He's going to get beaten a lot.

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they *bought* him from someone who couldn't keep their pet? that's... kinda odd.

We almost had to rehome out dog for reasons beyond our control (stupid landlord got hard up for money, and decided to charge a pet rent fee of $250/mo when our lease was up for renewal, and we didn't have the money to move right away when we didn't even have $250 to spare in a month and were already eating on less than a food stamp budget), and we were more concerned with finding a home among our friends that would treat her well instead of selling her. In the end we managed to keep our dog.

I'm calling bull shit on the friends rehoming their dog to a friend with a price tag attached. Rehoming fees make sense if you're having to use Craigslist, but not when a dog is going to a friend!!

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Awwwww its soooo cute!!!!!

Its sad that they are pretty much blanket training it though :( If they train dogs the same way as they "train" kids, they are doing it wrong. For both.

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I remember now why I don't like Schi Tzuh/Carlin/chihuahua. I just can't find them beautifull or cute. Too little :?

But poor dog being hit in blanket training and put on a schedule...

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At least it's a 5-year-old dog, and, judging by the other pictures, seems very mellow and willing to be still and calm around the children.

I don't want to assume the dog will be hit.

But, as DGayle said, the way they are doing the training is backwards, regardless of how gently it is done. First you get the behavior with reward (while using management to prevent unwanted mistakes), then get it on cue, then make it habit, then you test it with real-life temptations.

It's painless, pleasant, efficient, lets the animal make the right choices voluntarily, and lets the human see and enjoy the animal's personality while training, instead of feeling like they are in a head-to-head confrontation with a "misbehaving" pet. But I don't know if someone like Erika would think that way.

This is one of the reasons I see so much correlation between bad dog training and the way some of the people we discuss see their children, and, in some cases, their spouses. They see what is being done "wrong" and try a direct way to "fix" it. So much energy and focus is directed to that unpleasant view and the unpleasant actions that follow, that I think they stop seeing the person as a person.

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