What level dog lover are you?

Question

If you had to rate yourself on a level of 1 through 10, 1 being I own a dog, I take care of it but it's JUST a dog and 10 being I think of my dog as my child and would do anything for my baby, what would you rate yourself. Be sure to include your dogs breed and age. I have a 4 year old Bichon Frise and a 1 year old Shih Tzu and I would rate myself as an 11 lol :).
REMEMBER NO RUDE COMMENTS PLEASE, SUCH AS I DON'T LIKE THAT DOG BREED, JUST YOUR OPINIONS. THANK YOU! :) stories about your dog are more than welcome.

I treat my dogs like children and they are wonderful, happy and well ajusted puppies. They do service work and love children, I always say they are spoiled NOT spoiled rotten. There is a differece, but as for saying treating them like children makes them "unstable" I would STRONGLY disagree, I think a dog is unhappy and unstable when they are not properlly socialized.

In fact I feel doggie children are better then real kids in a lot of ways, they never grow up to tell you how much they dislike you or judge you on your bad days, they never say "mom your embarrasing me stop it".

My mother is my dogs "grammie", I say wheres grammie and they get so excited, my sisters are their "aunties" and I am "mommy" :)

Answer 1

i would consider myself a 10+ i love all animals and have compassion for all animals COMPASSION is the magic word more people should have it

Answer 2

I'd say a 9. These are my babies, all 3 of them. But I'm not baking any cakes, or stuffing stockings. They're spoiled enough as it is. They got one present under the tree to share. I can't speak for large breeds, as I don't have any, but I can honestly say, my babies are some of the happiest I've ever seen, and that's simply because I understand they aren't "just dogs". They are special individuals, with individual personalities, likes and dislikes, and wants and needs. Having 3 small dogs is similiar to having 3 preschoolers running around!

I have Joey, he's 4, Momma's boy, all the way. 7lb Chi. He can be grumpy, or playful, depending on his mood, but he always needs to be near Momma.

Cindy is 8 months. Chi, What a brat! She cracks me up. She loves to tease and play, and roughhouse! Oh, and her new favorite game is "dominating" her stuffed cat! lmao, that use of that word still cracks me up. I have finally broken her from riding my arm, she has transferred her amorous affections to her stuffed kitty! She also likes playing tag with the other kids. And at the end of the day, and several times inbetween, she needs to cuddle up in my lap for a well deserved nap!

And then there is WooWoo, she's 5, a dachsund, who has been very educational for me. She came with my husband 2 yrs ago. They were a package deal. We are currently having a disagreement over where poo and pee belongs, ie, not in my house! I'm winning though! She's very playful, and quite demure. She's also not as openly affectionate. You can feel quite honored if you receive one of her kisses, as she only gives them out very sparingly every few days or so, per kiss. And that's on the nose! If you get one even close to the mouth!Wow, you should feel very special. She just doesn't give alot of kisses, and never on the mouth! It's a nice change from my overlydemonstrative chi's.

I love all my babies, and as someone said earlier, they are my babies. No more children for me. Hubby said so! So I can spoil these babies, feed that need, and make sure they have the best I can provide for them.

Answer 3

I have a 12 yr old border collie/cavalier king charles spaniel mix. She is my everything. I have spent THOUSANDS to keep her healthy and it's all worth it. She was quite ill a few years ago. Many people said she'll never come out of it, but thanks to a great vet and great care, she came out of it with flying colors. She now has a lyphoma on her side that is scheduled to be removed in January. I have no problems spending the money to remove it. We undersand the risks and rewards and feel that it is well worth the risk to have it removed. Hopefully she will live quite a few more years.

Max came to us through the rescue I work with. He's been with us for 2 years. He was severly abused. By the time he came to us at the ripe old age of 13 months he had broken his front left paw, broken his tail twice, and had a FHO (hip removal, due to hip dysplasia). He loves kids, but doens't care for men. It takes him a while to warm up to any man. He depends on his "sister" to determine the character of people before he approaches them. Good thing she judges well. He weighed 52 lbs when we received him. Obviously he was emmaciated. We have nursed him back to his healthy weight of 65 lbs. He's full of life and loves his squeaker bones, and is always up for a game of frisbee. He is my cuddle bug.


I call Murphy my baby, but I also understand that she is a dog. If I had kids, my kids would come first. But, since I have no kids, my "kids" are my dogs. If dogs are allowed, they are there. They are a huge part of our family. I do border collie rescue because of them. So, my rating is off the charts... 20 woudln't be high enough.

Answer 4

I have a male 8 mo. old German Shepherd, named Kojak and a female 4 mo. old English Staffordshire Bull Terrier, named Suka. I would probably rate myself a 9 as they are not my kids per say but are a close family pack with the occasional spoiling, like with toys and such. I love these two dog more then any I have ever owned and would do anything for them. I have already been through parvo with Kojak and some kind of allergy problem with Suka and will continue to give them my best.

Answer 5

I have a 10 yr old yellow lab, and she means the world to me.
I would rate myself a 10, I would do anything for her.
Because I dont have children, she is like my child. She is very well behaved and well trained, and even though I say she is like my child, I do know the difference between a human and dog.
I bought my dog from a crack head for $10, ten years ago (because he would not "give" her to me). She was a small scared puppy and was being kicked and left out in the rain. It took me a while, but I stayed outside with her until she trusted me. We have been inseparable ever since. The best $10 investment I have ever made!

Answer 6

Labrador girl... turns 2 years in 2 weeks.

Rating 10... I do a lot for my dog. I work from home so I'm with her all day. We hike almost every day. We play around with agility. I take her places. I've done every obedience class known to man. I often buy her toys to cheer myself up (which may be a mental problem, I'm not sure... lol). I don't look at it as being spoiled though because I expect a lot from her in return, and she delivers. I expect appropriate behavior. She tries to "help" in almost everything I do, many times without being trained to do it. She even helps with the yard work. When I was cleaning up fallen branches, I was sawing them smaller, and she was chewing them smaller, and then I put them in a pile and she started bring her pieces to the pile too. It was too funny.

I think a lot of people view a spoiled dog as one who gets everything they want and is also undisciplined. But if your dog knows your rules and follows your commands, I think you can give them anything you want. It just has to be a reciprocal relationship.

Also, it seems a lot of people don't like to think of dogs as children. I think they worry that if a dog is not seen as a dog, the doggie needs (such as exercise and training) will not be met. I think it's okay to view your dog as a kid, as long as you realize they have different needs than that of a human child! As long as you meet their needs as a canine and expect appropriate behavior, I think it's okay to say they're your babies (it's just like calling your girlfriend/boyfriend "poopsy" or some other stupid endearment). It's just that many people who say their dogs are their babies, are not the type of person who trains their dog well! But who really cares what you call them if you are doing the right things?

Answer 7

10! I absolutely LOVE dogs. If I was allergic to dogs (like I am to every other animal) my life would be pointless. I have a 1 year old Chihuahua right now. I had a pomeranian for 9 years, but she sadly passed away in October. I'm thinking about getting a Maltese or a Yorkie now, because having one dog is just not right.
Anyway, I don't think of my chihuahua as a little human baby, but he's my doggie. He has lots of different beds and sweaters. (Because people who dress their chi's up don't do it just because it's cute. They DO get cold very easily.) I know people say dogs don't care if something's fancy or not, but to me, my dog deserves the best of the best. He has tons of toys he plays with, and I mean TONS. His toy basket is actually overflowing. lol!

Answer 8

I'm not really sure. that not for me to judge, please ask my dogs, dogs have been a huge part of my life for more than 25 years, ive trained dogs,all my life, rescued them, treated them better than they were ,been treated before.
ive given a lot of time to my dogs, because i choose too,
dog lovers, go far and beyond, the normal pet lover,
i believe this is due to the dogs in question, they give so much back to us... i own 5 gsd, one Dane, one mixed terrier .
two of my dogs are trained, in drug work, one is trained, for attack work/drug, but when all is said, they still my dogs
my Dane was ripped to bits by two pittsbulls last year.
this gentle puppy, was one i rescued,only three weeks before, i stayed all nigth with him at the vets, all 8 hours, he healed, and very spoiled, after tearing up my new sofa, i bought him a new one, there not many people i would do that for lol
if i had to choose ,human or dogs, there no point asking me,which one i would choose lol

Answer 9

Rate 10. I don't have kids so they fill the void. My mom and dad refer to themselves as mawmaw and pawpaw. If that says anything. But I still try to remember that they have k-9 instincts. I just try to put myself in their shoes. You can't say,"Don't do that you might get hurt" like you would a child so I try to teach them by showing them what I want. I have people say that they are the best behaved dogs they have ever seen. And I got them when they were older ( 4 yrs. and 1yr.) because they were rescued dogs. I have a Shiloh Shepherd (looks like a German long-haired Shepherd) and a Doberman Pinscher.

Answer 10

a 10 i have a 7 yr old husky,3 1/2 border collie and a 4 mth poochi.we have always had dogs and i can't ever see myself with out one. my kids are grown and moved away from home but they bring their dogs when they come for visits.my dogs are part of my family too and i believe they think they are my kids at times.they wait for their meals and if they are not on time my 100 lb husky barks until he gets fed.the collie protects me constantly and is always almost glued to me and the little poochi has picked up her habits and the 2 of them follow me everywhere.as long as the husky has his treats and a few pets through the day he prefers to lay up stairs on the couch and look out the window dreaming about his next meal.they go for a run everyday and sleep in our bed right next to me hogging all the blankets and barking and growling at my hubby when he gets in.yes i worry about them when i'm out or if they are sad when i have to work for a few hrs through the week.they are a constant care with walking, feeding,grooming etc and i wouldn't have it any other way.

Answer 11

I have been with dogs full time for over 25 years.
I bred and showed for 12 years.
I trained for over 20 years for personal protection, law enforcement, search and rescue, disabled companion and military.
I've only had 5 "personal" dogs in that time period but have fostered many through breed rescue and humane society.
My wife swears (at me alot)--not really, that I have become part dog.
I would be totally lost without a dog in the house.
They are loyal companions and friends, but and as a trainer this is an important issue, they are dogs and they have their place in the world and our lives.
They are happy and healthy when they have firm guidance, training, and boundaries. (just like well behaved children).
Never physical abuse/discipline as they do not understand.

I had serious surgery a few years past. My Shar Pei female sat in my bedroom for 10 days until I was up and moving again. She only left for brief moments to eat and go outside to do her business. Even when I was drugged and asleep, she kept her watch.
She was quiet and behaved but she knew I was not well and wanted to keep me company.
That is a true friend. Asking nothing but your presence in return.