[flash]

selective breeding - trying to get one aesthetic trait to come out has brought about a weakening of the animal

we've really screwed up with animals, giving them all these vaccinations and antibiotics that work in the short term, but actually weaken their natural immunities, and special foods that do much the same thing, and worst of all, breeding the crap out of them - they are not nearly as genetically stable as they used to be - all this happened over a VERY short span of time too

allergies are a pet peeve of mine (pardon the pun) we have gotten very lazy about dealing with allergies and stuff - vets want you to remove the allergen from the animal's environment, and give them quick fix drugs - this only weakens the animal - instead of that, we should be desensitizing the animal so they build a natural immunity to the allergen

as long as this is a rant, and i have no answers here, but ............

this is also happening to people - we have a lot more diseases and problems than we used to - i have to think we are to blame - for thousands of years things were the same, but now that we are messing around, it changes - nature weeds out the weaker animals - why should this be any different for people? how come we have to keep expending resources to save genetically weak specimens? if we have all this great technology, why don't we screen that out instead? or, failing that, why don't we at least just let nature take its course?

of course, then you get into the whole philosophical area of "who made you god?" and "where do you draw the line?".................

another rant for another day - i'm going back out to reenforce my electric fence to keep the rabbits out of my strawberries, because i can't seem to shoot them all - they seem to be breeding like, well, rabbits

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[Fox944]

i agree with flash about animals 100%

With that being said, i love my 2 German Shepherds.

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[flash]

i had wolves for years, and they had no issues, and could eat anything - i now have a bernese mountain dog, and she can only eat certain stuff, and constantly gets ear infections - really messed up

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[ebarone968]

I like how this thread went from humidifiers all the way to wolves.................. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif[/img]

Hope everyone enjoys their Memorial Day Weekend !!!

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[ds968]

LOL, when we start discussing pet food and meds on a car forum you know we've bonded way beyond the commonality of our 968s ! I for one, think this is great ( and free ) therapy !

+ 1 on the Memorial weekend wishes . [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.gif[/img]

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[flash]

lol - we started with house stuff getting burdonsome - then we went to the pet issue as a part of bio's house issues - then we got onto pets and breeding - then................

i'm off shortly to an angel's game (got a suite) - let the weekend drinking begin

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[gryphon]

I have a very affluent friend who has chosen to rent instead of own his primary residence all of his life simply because he hates to cost of home ownership in terms of time and money. And he can change neighborhoods for the cost of a local move.

Tom

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[flash]

there is a certain wisdom to that - given that my "weekend off" will be mostly spent on household projects, i can appreciate the concept

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[Monstrous4Banger]

Its really more an issue of not selectively breeding enough. Too many people breed for look, and money. Linebreeding is more specific to breed for phenotype(look), both linebreeding, and selective breeding can be used to breed for health. People just arent selective enough about what they cross with what. They select for looks, and how much money they can get. A real breeder selects by health/genotype first. Ive seen too many dogs bred who had allergies, like it was no big deal. Cant stand it! I have American pit bull terriers. I wont breed them any more tho. Good blood is just too hard to find. The best food for allergies Ive found is Dick Van Pattens natural balance. The venison and brown rice has cleared up every allergy Ive seen so far. My blue pit has a corn allergy, and some other grains. I went through many different foods, drugs, money, and misdiagnosis, before I found this food, and it seemed like miracle food at the time LOL.

All the weakening of dogs in todays society really frustrated me for a while. Im a huge fan of bully breeds. I love my APBTs, but the gene pool has been very watered down. Due to improper breeding, not mention other horrible things. I dont feel right throwing more dogs back into that pool. My frustration led to research, and scouring any info on breeding, specifically bully breeds, all the research led to these dogs, and this man http://leavittbulldogassociation.com/ . They are very selective about what dogs are crossed. Its the only registry that has to pre-approve your cross, in order to recognize, and register the pups. Leavitt bulldogs are a recreation of the original working bulldog. Mr Leavitt had the line stabilized by the mid 80's. They are 1/2 english bulldog, 1/2 APBT/bullmastiff/american bulldog. Originally he called them olde english bulldogges. Too many people have capitalized on the name, and havent had lines from Leavitt's original stock. This led to him creating the LBA. These dogs are health screened, and have health guarantees! I plan to get foundation stock soon.


One thing to remember is that the food we give dogs has changed a whole lot. Dogs have only been living on kibble for the last 30-50 years or so. Dogs primarily lived on scraps back then. Mostly parts of the animals people didnt want to eat. At least from what Ive gathered Im only 32. 90% of kibble is garbage. You want a kibble that is mostly meat, and some carbohydrate. Like rice, or a potato. A raw diet is ideal. In general stay away from lamb. I hate to see people go through what I have with allergies, this is a bit of what ive experienced, and what has worked for me. Hope it helps. Most of the vets arent even much help in this department. They love rescheduling visits, procedures, and selling you more drugs, and over priced "prescription" food.

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[Fox944]

The German Shepherd breed has been butchered more then any other imo. There are 3 main types of GSD's and dozens more that don't fall under any of the 3 main catagories. American Show Line, German Show Line, & Eastern European Work line are the 3 primary types. The American Show Line dogs are bred through selective breeding for looks. They are more prone to having issues associated with GSD's (such has Hip dysplacia), they are not as smart, they arnt as strong, they dont have the same work drive as the others. Eastern European Work line is the closest you will get to what Max Von Stephanitz created when he created the breed.

I got both my dogs from breeders who linebreed for health.

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[flash]

we got ours from a well known breeder - so far so good on the big red flag things, but food allergies have been a problem - we are already on the van patten stuff - lol

now if we could just figure out how to breed out stupidity in humans, we might be onto something..........oops - there i go again with that philosophical stuff

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[biotechee]

Culling of the human herd notwithstanding, I should have kept my mouth shut, and here's why:

So last night, the family and I set out to the local pond for some fishing. All was well. AC fan was running when we left. We get home, get the girls cleaned up and ready for bed and I do my nightly thermostat check - in order to fine tune for the evening if necessary. I notice the temp is 3 degrees above the set point. Hmmm. My bat senses tingle... Normally, the temp differential is no more than 2 degrees. So I shut off the T-stat and turn it back on thinking I will hear the lovely sound of the unit roar to life. No go. I check the circuit breaker. I replace the batteries in the T-stat. I try to turn on the heat. All to no avail. Luckily, last night was not bad, but the forecast for today is nearly 90 with tomorrow the same!!! Yuk. The circuit board controller crapped out on me 2 years ago. So I figure perhaps it's that again. We stop at the local K-mart and grab some fans so we can weather the rest of the weekend. Man, I was pissed. I don't like sleeping in warm, humid weather. If I had my druthers, I'd have the window in our bedroom open in the Winter....

So I email my coworker (whose husband is an HVAC guy) and ask her if her hubby can order a new board for me, and to let me know the price and I will bring money to work on Tuesday. The last repair man had to wait three days for the board to come in.

Now for the slightly tarnished silver lining... She replies and has me call her hubby. He has me check a few things, like supply voltage to board and the fuse on the board. All is well, and no change. So, he says stop on over and pick up a brand new spare board that he has in his truck! Woo-freakin-hoo!

Long story short- new board installed, AC working like a charm (for now)!!!! Crisis averted! And, instead of having to wait and possibly spend $5-700 for an emergency visit from one of the local HVAC gougers, I'll make out much better with my coworker's husband. They're good people to say the least.

A little more silver lining: gave in and got a new dehumidifier Friday. Humidity level is now under control in the basement (as it should be) and no more condensation on the HVAC humidifier. It killed me to get another dehumidifier as pretty much they all suck and have bazillions of problems. So, I committed the cardinal sin and ponied up for the extended warranty. 5 year coverage and it includes yearly preventative maintenance as long as I bring it in. Knowing my luck, I'll never need to use it!!!

So why, you ask, is my silver lining slightly tarnished?? Well, the new cat crapped and ruined another of the dricore boards this morning. I am close to getting a rubber mallet and a cork stopper. Fix that problem in a jiffy I will!!!! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ohmy.gif[/img] [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif[/img]

You win some and you lose some I suppose!

Wonder what the cosmos will throw at me next?! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.gif[/img]

Back to the dog thing real quick- all very good info. If and when the time comes to search out a suitable dobe breeder, my utmost priority will be health, followed by temperment/husbandry situation, and lastly adherence to the standard. I've made a good contact within the local dobe scene and have begun amassing lots of info. We also went to the local dog show a few weekends back - over 2000 dogs! We got there when the great danes were in one of the rings! Impressive animals to say the least.

Hope everyone has a relaxing rest of weekend... And to those who served, my heart-felt thanks. Now where's that beer....

[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif[/img]

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[raydog]

Bio, lay off the HVAC guys. We don't "gouge"... maybe some do. But I got my sorry ass working this weekend, believe me, I would rather be at home with my family instead of working, but I am one of the those that have to get called out because people can't stand to have a drop of sweat on them while they entertain their friends and the kids are inside playing video games. You get no pity from me. How did we get by in the "old days"? Suck it up big guy! How is that for a rant?

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[biotechee]

Lay off the HVAC guys? Go back and read what I wrote. I wrote, "local HVAC guys." Kudos to you if you don't gouge your customers 3-400% for parts like the wonderful HVAC guys do in our area. That's a fact. I wasn't generalizing to the rest of the industry.... Wish I could get that kind of markup in my line of work. I'd never have to worry about anything breaking ever again....

Never asked for your pity, I'll be just fine without it....

Try not to take things you read in a forum so seriously.

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[flash]

wow - this was a rant thread, but it sure got tense

the HVAC guys i have found here are pretty crazy too - they won't support this or that brand, or won't install this or that brand - they won't let me go out and buy what i want, and them install it, even if it is the same model they would sell me at twice the price - still searching

i don't think anybody has the right to bitch about their job - you chose it - deal with it or get another one - it's never too late to change careers, and nobody should be unhappy at their work - i've done it twice, and in major directions - best things i ever did

that being said, when it comes to home repair, often i find that the problem is the owner and their tendency to let things go, and then suddenly they seemed surprised when something fails and is expensive - i do it myself all the time too, so i'm not singling anybody out

now, everybody go burn some dead animal flesh and have a beer

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[raydog]

Dude time for a chill pill, that was just my rant. You struck a cord. Just a crap weekend with customers who are a bunch of babies if they can't get service right here and now. All hell breaks loose if they have to wait a couple of hours. Then have the balls to bitch about how they are being charged. My appologies if necessary. I was replying to you not at you. I am done with call of the week so it is time to enjoy what is left of the holiday weekend. Peace out

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[raydog]

Flash, It is really difficult to be able to support all brands. It doesn't work... to many differant parts to carry. Inventory is money tied up. The company I work for tries to do that so I see it first hand. People can also buy there own parts but they must deal with their own warranty issues. Sometimes they supply the part and it is not what solves the problem. It sometimes cost them more in the end. It sucks that some mark up that high. Have you tried looking at other service companies? And yes I can bitch about my job, it usualy goes well, but I live in a resort area, many out of state, tourists, second homes, you get the picture. Only their time is important, unfortortunately I am not at liberty to choose my customers.

Isn't it a little early to be thinking about beer and dead animal flesh? It is what 6-6:30am?

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[flash]

i understand all too well the interface issues, but still, what i mean is that they will not install what i want installed, even if give them all the parts - all i want is their labor, not their parts markup

you live in a resort area and you want to complain? hmmm - perhaps a re-evaluation is in order - i recommend a sit down with a beer to mull that over - might change that perspective a bit to think about what you have, and not the downsides of what it takes to have it

just a thought

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[raydog]

Ummmmmm, I am not complaining about where I live or my lifestyle. The rant I have is about the people who only care about themselves and can't see beyond their inner circle. It is the self centeredness that is becoming all too common with some. You will probably see this in any type of service orientated career. Don't need to "mull it over", I know what I have how I got there and how I got it. Just like I said in my previous point... Suck it up...If you don't like the price either shop around or pay the price, and remember convenience costs money.

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[flash]

lol - i guess the difference is that i apply the "suck it up" philosophy to everything - i do pay for convenience a lot - i find it much more convenient to pay somebody to wash my car, mow my lawn, bathe my dog, yada yada

but, i also apply it to the job - suck it up - if you don't like it, get another gig - it's pretty simple - complaining about selfish customers is like saying "i love would love gardening, if only it weren't for the dirt" - lol - or more to the point, it would be like me saying "i love producing shows, but i hate the audience" (actually i do say that, but i also know they go with the territory, and if it were not for them, i wouldn't have a gig)

too many people get into a service industry with the expectation that they will be treated as more than the hired help - not everybody is built that way, and they should not be in the industry - from a customer stand point, when i hire somebody to do something, i hire them to do it on MY schedule, not at their convenience - that is why i am paying them - all too often the service person tries to put the cart before the horse

like it or not, this is a class-based society - there are those who do the hiring, and those who get hired and work for them - often people forget that when you are in the latter role, you have to suck it up - those in the former role also tend to forget that sometimes they will be in the latter role

rofmlao - and there is our socio-philosophy lesson for the day

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