However, the description of the dog is quite appealing.
"Temperament is one of the main characteristics of the breed. They are happy, stable and sociable with humans as well as other dogs. It has been said that they are Labrador Retrievers in a small package."
They've also been described as "miniature sheepdogs" which, if you take a look at the picture, is pretty easy to see.
Yeah, it's a little smaller and cuter than I might have gone for. But I would have been perfectly happy with a retriever of some sort. But I just don't think that's a realistic breed to have here given the size of our accommodations, the weather and our lifestyles. I have met far too many well meaning dog owners that have terribly misbehaving or miserable dogs. Dad meets them all the time when he's delivering mail.
Get the dog you can handle and fits in with your lifestyle. Otherwise you and the dog are going to be pretty miserable. The Coton looks like it would be a good match for our lifestyle.
This is by no means a certainty yet. There is a breeder in Ottawa, which is encouraging. We're going to contact them to see if there is going to be a litter ready for around the middle of August. We also have to see about the price. They can be expensive, however since we have little interest in the papers and would likely be willing to have the dog fixed right away, hopefully that will curb some of the price.
We shall see. Cathy might end up popping into the SPCA when in Ottawa and getting a mutt, which will probably do just fine.
Here's hoping if we do get this kind of dog, the ravens don't carry him away some evening. They weight about 12 pounds. A bit heavy for one raven to make off with. Maybe two working together though...
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7 comments:
The coton looks big enough not to be insane, the 12lber is likely nuts. The smallest dogs are seriously fucked in the head.
I'm kinda with Cathy on this SPCA thing unless you can find an ethical breeder. Didn't you once say dog breeders were fascists? The poor animals are often inbred, which is why they have so many problems: Collies are bred for long noses and can have breathing problems; german sheperds are bred for the low sloping back so have problems with their lower back and hind legs...etc.
What was that other thing you said, about vampires not sucking the blood of british royalty because it was just like drinking water.
Ethical breeders won't let you (a non-dog breeder) have a dog unless you sign papers to the effect that you intend to have the dog as a family pet only and will neuter him/her ASAP. I don't think you'll get a reduced price because of it. And the dog will have papers regardless so again no reduction in price. Be prepared to undergo a complete pet-owning background check too if the breeder is a good one (and yes, that might include references)with questions about your current living circumstances and a letter from your future landlord to the effect that dogs are allowed in the apartment etc., etc..
BTW, there is a breeder in Toronto who has a litter available in May....hee-hee-hee
I'm not sure if I ever said anything bad about dog breeders. I might have, lord knows I'm fond enough of shooting off my mouth.
I have spoken disparaging at length about pet stores, however. This dog is going to be Cathy's, so it's her decision on what kind it will be and where she will get it, because she's the one that's going to be walking it at 6 a.m. when it's -30. But we will have a small racket if she buys one from a pet store. She knows how much I hate them and puppy mills.
Colette, the breeder in Ottawa has a puppy he can hold for us until August. I just have to break the price to Cathy.
And Mireille, the quote about vampires and British royality, while dead funny, is alas not mine. It's by Garth Ennis and from the comic book "Hellblazer."
You could always go the rescue route. There should be a rescue club for the Cotons somewhere.
BTW, I was serious in my email--if you get a coton puppy, I am the dog's official godbitch. And I want a webcam so I can visit the little cutie frequently.
"Godbitch" is both the funniest, and yet most disturbing word I've heard in many, many days. I'm almost at a loss. I need Pat to respond to this.
Oh, another point about the SPCA that I hadn't thought of: Cathy does have allergies to dogs. She actually has adopted a dog in the past and then had to give it away several weeks later because she simply couldn't cope with the allergic reaction.
So getting a dog you know to be hyopallergenic going in does make a degree of sense.
Is the coton "hypo-allergenic"? (It's extremely cute.)
We just got rid of the cat, and already I'm on a kick to get a dog that won't bother Holly so much.
No dog is entirely free of the things that make people allergic to dogs, really. The "hypo" dogs are only non-shedders. They still have dander and saliva and other doggy allergens. The lack of shedding does mean that there are fewer particles around and that the dog probably doesn't self-groom as much (less saliva), but you will still get allergens in some form.
They are, after all, dogs.
The hypo-allergenic dogs are simply possessing of fewer allergens. If your daughter is seriously, potentially anaphalactically, allergic, don't get a dog. It's not fair to her (or the dog).
My husband is allergic to cats and dogs. Cats bother him more, although he has lived with them happily. Dogs are only a mild allergen for him, so we have three..... He actually finds that other people's dogs bother him much more than ours. There is something to be said for building up a tolerance to certain triggers.
Craig - be wary of a breeder who cuts you a deal by not selling a dog with pedigree and CKC or breed registration papers. Not only is it a sign that the breeder is more concerned about making a few bucks off the dog (and possibly has not had the parents screened for all the breed-appropriate defects) than finding a good home, but it's against the law (Federal Pedigree Act). Now if they offer you a deal because you look like a super-good home, that's another story (and a compliment).
There may not be enough Cotons for there to be a rescue association yet, but most breeders will take back a dog if the situation just isn't working and most of those dogs are perfectly fine. The sitution sometimes just doesn't work (divorce, death of owner, etc.). You might get a better deal there, and you'd get an adult dog to boot. Trust me. Puppies are a headache, nuisance and worry that far exceeds the cuteness quotient. It's like having a child.....
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