Blah Blah Blahg: My next pet

Sunday, January 18, 2009

My next pet

I spend a ton of time thinking about what pet I want when I'm a real adult and have the time, money and space to have a real pet. So here are the top choices.

Pug:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-PsfHllMtA
Pros of Pug Life:

hilarious
incredibly loving
small, portable
happy
has a strong community of pug lovers

Cons of Pug Life:

high maintenance, must clean out face wrinkles
clean out anal glands
loud snoring
overheating

Flat-Coated Retriever

see how cute the flat-coat puppies are: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyTN1O36C5U&feature=related
Pros of Flat-Coats:

handsome
intelligent
quiet
rare
forms strong bonds with family

Cons of Flat-Coats

Aloof with strangers
require intense obedience training and constant mental stimulation
require lots of space
has a propensity to get cancer (more so than most other dogs)

Greater Swiss Mountain Dog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYkxGElmkEg&feature=related
Swissie Pros:

Big (150 lbs)
not aggressive with other dogs
like cool climates
good for apartment living (lazy)
10 year life expectancy

Swissie cons:

Prone to separation anxiety
require lots of food

Newfoundlands

Newfie blowing bubbles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbQU_H4hDsI

Newfie Pros

HUGE
good swimmer
protective, good with kids
easily trained
"A man is not a good man to me because he will feed me if I should be starving, or warm me if I should be freezing, or pull me out of a ditch if I should ever fall into one. I can find you a Newfoundland dog that will do as much." H.D. Thoreau, Walden
Presidents Hayes, Grant, and Buchanan all had Newfies
good for apartments (lazy)

Newfie Cons

Lots of health problems due to size
DROOL
massive shedding
aloof

Boston Terrier

boston terrier vs butterfly http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpZCRt8ivDg
Boston Pros:

don't need a lot of space
high energy
crazy looking
highly regarded as the best dog ever
at one point was popular with the upper echelons of society
lovable personalities

Boston Cons

allergies
something called "cherry eye"
skittish
too small and "girlie"
vocal

French Bulldog

Dogs 101: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5KIqlISk9Y
Frenchie Pros:

small but badass looking
low energy
requires little space
happy-go-lucky

Frenchie Cons"

can't live outdoors
incredibly expensive because it can't reproduce (requires c-section and artificial insemination)
make horrible noises
can have cleft palate
breathing issues
can be really ugly if you get a bad one
top heavy

Bloodhound