Bahamas
Originaldutch
I grew up with two dogs (one spotted Dalmatian and a mutt) and two cats, which we rescued from an Italian restaurant. After they lived out their lives, we adopted a big black lab and, once again, a mutt of uncertain origin.
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 and he is a dog with a story. <br><br>When I first got him, it was as a result of a sort-of rescue mission: We took him out of simply atrocious circumstances, where we had been beaten, kicked and starved, and we tried to turn him back into a normal dog, eventually.<br><br>It turned out to be a task which was nearly impossible, but not quite ...<br><br>The brutal way in which he had been treated during the first part of his life, had made him completely distrustful of humans (can't blame him), so, we first had to socialize him, and make him get used to having us around, to come to the realization that not all humans are the enemy any longer...<br><br>It was a long and arduous task, and yes, I did get bitten more than once.<br>To begin with, he was completely de-socialized, which means that he, for instance, had a huge problem with others (people or dogs) touching his food bowl, had a huge problem with strangers (such as the mailman) walking by the door, had a habit of barking and howling in the middle of the night, running all over the furniture and tearing it up, and so on. And, this was only after he had gotten used to us!<br><br>But there was one crucial point that led us to somehow succeed to resocialize this dog (beyond the refusal to simply give up on this hard luck case) and that was my other dog which I had at the time, which was a big, black Labrador called Floortje. She was a sweet, stubborn, energetic, completely loyal soul, and from day one these two dogs were totally devoted to each other.<br><br>We were lucky that this little multi-colored mutt and this big, muscular black haired Lab complemented each other: She stabilized him when he went crazy, got him back into line and taught him how to act like a normal dog raised by normal people, and he taught her how to be a bit naughty now and then, and how to connect to her "inner wolf" ... <br><br>Of course, this review is not enough space to give a complete blow-by-blow (or bite-by-bite) account of how we managed to bring Kai back into the normal world of dogs, but there are a few general recommendations I can make:<br><br>- Dogs are social animals! Never underestimate the need of a lone dog to be with its own kind. Therefore, if you want to try and resocialize a neglected dog, it might help tremendously to introduce him/her to another dog. If you can, make sure that this other dog is of a breed which is both emotionally stable and physically strong (such as a Lab), because this way the more emotionally stable dog can assert its dominance when necessary and "level out" the bad behavior of the other dog.<br>- Be prepared to get bit, scratched and mangled! A desocialized dog will not consider you its friend, not at first, at least. Even after he's gotten used to you, his antisocial behavior might still lead to the occasional little accident with fingers in teeth ... And even after he has learned to love you for who you are, for all the effort you have put in, he's still a dog, after all, and getting scratched and bit is part of the fun!<br>- As a result of this, a mutt like this is generally not a dog to be left alone with little children or other animals (although Kai was always very good with little kids), simply because dogs like this are always a bit unpredictable because of their backgrounds. You never know, after all, with a dog that's psychologically fractured ...<br>- But most of all: Never give up! A broken dog can be saved, but it takes an awful lot of effort and dedication. Just be prepared for the long haul!<br><br>All in all, rescued dogs can be an incredible amount of work, but you do get a big return, which is the knowledge that you saved a hard luck case, and ended up with a hugely characterful dog which loves you for the change in his life that you brought him.<br><br>If you can bring it up, saving a mutt is definitely worth the effort!){kind=link}
 - when she was about 1 year old. This was essentially as a result of a rescue mission, sort of, as the owner was a little old lady living at the 8th floor of an apartment building, and this little furry ball of electricity was essentially tearing up the furniture, also because the little old lady was unable, due to her advanced age, to go outside and walk the dog.<br><br>So, I took Floortje off her hands, as a big, energetic hunting dog like a Labrador requires a LOT of room to run around in, and an owner who is equally willing to spend a lot of time going for walkies ... <br><br>Which is the point with Labradors: To keep a Lab healthy and happy, they need lots of exercise. A Lab is, after all, a dog bred to chase and retrieve waterfowl, such as ducks. As a result of this, the instinct to hunt and chase and, more than anything, jump into any body of water, is very strong in this breed of dogs. Think of it this way: How many overweight retrievers have you seen in your lifetime? Because retrievers need a lot of daily exercise.<br><br>Which is, of course, both a good and a bad thing, depending on your angle: If you are looking for a low-maintenance dog that can make do with a walk around the block every day, than a retriever is not for you ... Under the other hand, if you love to go out every day and walk and run and bike and go exploring and just be active, than you can find not better companion than a Lab.<br><br>A few things that you need to be aware of though:<br>- Labradors have a generally elevated risk of suffering from hip dysplasia and other joint related issues. This congenital condition simply means that their hip joints are not all that they are supposed to be. This can lead to high medical bills for medication, and even (if you are willing to go that far) hip replacement surgery. My dog also suffered from this condition. However, one thing that was recommended by my vet (and which also worked quite effectively) was to make the dog run at a steady and continuous pace for a prolonged period of time. I found that the best way of doing this was by getting on my bike, and simply biking around town with Floortje running next to the bike. The point of this exercise is simply to grow muscles around the affected joints, which keep it all together and essentially force the joints into their proper place. If your dog suffers from hip dysplasia or another kind of joint issue, I do recommended this kind of doggy "body building" (but still check it out with your vet first, just to be on the safe side).<br><br>Beyond the potential medical issues, however, I would say that Labs are pretty ideal dogs: Very friendly and emotionally stable, which makes them perfect around children or other animals. Also fairly intelligent, without being prone to bad behavior. <br><br>Really, the main CONS for this breed are:<br>1) they need lots of exercise, so, if you are not an active person yourself, don't get this breed!<br>2) they are prone to some medical issues, which may end up in high bills from the vet (and a potentially sad ending).<br>3) They like to hunt and chase, which means that they might just run out after a real or imagined rabbit one day and not return until three days later ...<br>4) They LOVE to swim, in pretty much any kind of water, which mean you will spend a lot of time with a garden hose or dog shampoo trying to get that muck off.<br><br>Beyond that though, they are truly a lovely kind of dog ...){kind=link}