[sabrina]

Rascal has now been with us a year today. At the moment he is sound asleep but the minute I put my boots on to go out and work he will be bouncing all over the place. He is a super dog, great with the kids, clever, very loving and good with the ponies and chickens. Can be a pest with the cats who he thinks they should play with him. Gets a paw across the nose and looks so hurt.Evenings are spent with both dogs cuddled into us as while we watch TV and on a Sunday morning when I go out and feed everything OH makes pancakes, we go back to bed and both dogs join us as we watch the news and share our breakfast.Nothing like having a dog in the house to make your day better.

[Bionic]

Awww, Sabrina that sounds just lovely. I am also jealous that he gets on well with your chickens. My dog just wants to chase them so I can't let him off the lead when they are out.
Sally

[jaykay]

Ha, love the sound of that heap of dogs, OH and pancakes 

[Alistair]

Awe, they're the best dogs are, and just think of the money your saving on heating through the winter, I remember a good quote from clarrissa One of the fat ladies, we use it when we are cold at night,

Me "I'm cold"
OH "oh go on then, put another dog on the bed"

We have 3 on ( and sometimes in) the bed at breakfast   

[doganjo]

I love Sunday mornings when I have no dog shows - out in my dressing gown to let chooks out, feed everybody, back to bed with the dogs and my cornflakes and coffee, and my kindle.  Can stretch to almost midday in winter! 

[Hermit]

Agghhh you lot make me cringe. Dogs are for kennels. I have one in the house but he stays in the utility and conservatory but goes with me everywhere outside. The rest are in kennels. Saying that mine are workers , pet dogs are not for me.

[SteveHants]

I have two dogs - one lives in kennels and the other used to...


It seems since meeting a girl, getting married and having a daughter, the terrier has gone from a kennel dog and a fairly useful sort to some sort of living stuffed toy.


He loves it, naturally. I'm not so keen, especially now he comes upstairs, I just know by the time my girl turns seven or so, he'll be in her room at night.


Although, show this post to my wife and she'll show you photos of me pre-marriage and kids asleep, drunk on the sofa with the terrier I 'forgot' to kick out cwtched up under my arm.....

[doganjo]

Agghhh you lot make me cringe. Dogs are for kennels. I have one in the house but he stays in the utility and conservatory but goes with me everywhere outside. The rest are in kennels. Saying that mine are workers , pet dogs are not for me.

Yup, mine work too

[jaykay]

It's good for a kid to have a laal dog sleeping with them 

My dogs have to stay downstairs, in the dogroom if very filthy, allowed in the kitchen if only averagely filthy.

There's a door in my house that divides it in half. On the clean side, I can come in the front door in a suit and go upstairs to change into work clothes. Only then do I go through the door into the other side - which is where I live, in the kitchen, me, three dogs, two cats and occasional waifs and strays from outside that need the Aga and tlc.

[Sylvia]

My favourite whippet, Sybil, shares my bed, she is my friend and my comfort. When the grandchildren came to stay they would have a bedful of dogs.
Dogs are for friendship, not just for work.

[lachlanandmarcus]

You can have a middle way - my dogs are pets and only pets but they dont come upstairs nor in the kitchen. That way I get some hair free areas and they still get to live in the warm and sleep in front of the fire. Does mean you def need two tho, for company for each other.
Its all horses for courses tho. Its no more or less wrong having a dog that sleeps on the bed  than it is having a dog that lives in a kennel, its about your needs for the dog and about what the dog is accustomed to - I dont think one is 'better' than the other.

[jaykay]

I agree completely. My dogs are only downstairs cos they're such muddy, hairy things. I'd love them on my bed with me but they're too mucky 

[SteveHants]

You can have a middle way - my dogs are pets and only pets but they dont come upstairs nor in the kitchen. That way I get some hair free areas and they still get to live in the warm and sleep in front of the fire. Does mean you def need two tho, for company for each other.
Its all horses for courses tho. Its no more or less wrong having a dog that sleeps on the bed  than it is having a dog that lives in a kennel, its about your needs for the dog and about what the dog is accustomed to - I dont think one is 'better' than the other.

Well, one keeps muddy pawprints, hair and general dogstink outside and ergo is clearly 'better'. 

[jaykay]

Better in the cleanliness stakes, less so in the keeping-you-company-indoors ones?

[SteveHants]

by 'keeping me company' do you mean sleeping on my sofa, punctuating the eveining with suitable offerings from his backside?