Comment to 'What dogs do you own, what breeds are they, and how do they differ? '
  • [quote1294037544=AwiBrandy] I truly enjoyed reading about your canine companions! Please keep posting about your dogs please...... I just lost my bandog day after Christmas so I'm not ready to write about him.;( I stated in another thread that with my physical problems I would never be able to share my home with another large breed dog. But oh how I love them!!! I'm seriously looking at the Bullmastiff, but not decided yet. The Bullmastiff because they don't seem to need as much exercise as all the others. Which would be great for me if this is true. I am a bit limited to short walks, definitely no running hiking etc..... [/quote1294037544] Bullmastiffs only need short walks until they are approx 2 - 3 years old (which is when they tend to hit maturity) as the soft bones and ligaments are still forming. After then they do need to be kept in shape as under exercising them they can tend to become fat/overweight which is when health problems can start to kick in. If you're looking at large breeds that only need short walks I'd seriously recommend the St Bernard, I had one though I lost him some time ago now, he lived till quite an age too as St Bernards go loosing him just before his 9th Birthday, in his prime he was just short of 17 stones but the dreaded ''C'' (Cancer) took him, having a tumor in his stomach that couldn't be removed due to it being attached to all his vital organs, I kept him comfortable until it was possible, then obviously I had to make a decision which tore my heart completely in two. He was happy with two half hour walks each day, all his energy being drained upon excitement of me producing his lead, he'd pull for about 2/3 minutes then that was him done by the time we'd reached home after half an hour, he was done - after his evening walk he'd sleep the rest of the night through until his next morning walk - obviously in between those walks he was more than happy to relieve himself in the garden - but I found he was more than happy with those two half hour walks each day - he definately wasn't a sprinter, though in saying that, nor was he lazy - he was just contented with what he had. Here he is.. I'll tell you a little more about Bruno, he was quite the watch dog...Always putting intruders off with his bark (though it was was much worse that his bite)..He was extremely loyal until the very end, attempted to bite the vet coming in, in my bid to show him my final act of kindness - though he never really did like vets, but he'd never done that before which shocked me into almost thinking he wasn't quite ready to leave me just yet, but he was in so much pain and had no quality of life. He loved children, even though I had none at the time of owning him, he was a true child magnet. The downside of owning him was he didn't at all like strange dogs and he could be prone to aggressive traits around them, the slobber and drooling was another whereever he was loose I always had never ending trails of the stuff to clean up, so kept wet wipes/mops and his towels closeby at all times, the loud snoring was another issue - used to send ripples through my house at the time, I could hear him when I was upstairs and he was down!. The grooming was another issue, I used to have to brush him outside twice a day unless I wanted everything covered in hair - which is pretty hard to remove once it starts getting everywhere, even with a good vaccume cleaner. He was a great dog and I miss him still. I've always in my own mind said I'd have another St Bernard but I admit he's left a huge hole still, he's imprinted in my life and he enriched it in more ways I thought we're possible so I've never ever felt quite ready for another St Bernard since I lost him. Bruno was also quite stubborn, but far from stupid, I'm told this by every other St Bernard owner. He was always 100% and could be trusted to keep my home safe when I wasn't there, he could be trusted around people too which gets a big fat thumbs up from me, he was super and I enjoyed every single second I had with him. See that's the thing when you choose to become a dog owner, their lives compared to ours are so short, when you do loose them the bottom of your world falls out and this huge hole is left, yet we continue to do it ourselves over and over again - they teach us so many things in such a short space of time, teach us to be better people...If that makes sense. So, every second with them makes it all completely worth it. I'm sorry you've lost you're dog at what should have been a happy time of year my heart truely goes out to you and I hope you at some point you are able to move forward and give you're love to another dog real soon. x