Snipped and Chipped

You are so right--it IS like raising another child!

You may recall, we were given a 6 mo. old Great Pyrenees shortly after we came home with our girls. Oh my!!!! While it was great "therapy" for our girls--affection, care, kindness, etc.--it just about sent mom to the "funny farm" (which in my case would be a VERY short trip!!).

I'm glad to say that dad, mom, daughters, and dog (and indoor kitties) all survived and enjoy each other very much these days!

Hey Connie,

"Funny Farm"... :-D

That's what it feels like around here with 6 kids, 2 dogs, and all these renovations projects.... aaaaahhhhhh.

Laugh Lest I Cry should be the title of my book. ha.

We will be going through with altering our male Chesapeake Bay Retriever in a few weeks. He is right at 3.5 months, and is driving ME bonkers with all that excess testosterone!

Suz,regular reader, non-commenter (usually)

Suzanne,
That's a gorgeous breed. They usually have stunning eyes. Also, very intelligent and perfect dogs to teach sign language commands... whether he will be a hunting companion or just a companion. Great choice!!! Getting this breed snipped typically helps with that crazy testosterone behaviour. However, there are some breeds that are naturally aggressive regardless of whether or not they are "snipped"
Have you considered micro-chipping??? I highly recommend it. Especially for your valued breed of dog. If you decide to micro chip him, do it at the same time you get him neutered. The needle is quite large and they do not charge extra to do it then because it makes it easier for the vet anyway.

Thanks for commenting. Oh... and I popped over to your blog. Excellent. I love your personal intro on your right sidebar. Especially the part about being adept with the handling and application of the Remington .308, loaded with 168 grain BTHP Federal Match load at up to (but not necessarily not beyond) 400 yards bullseye... and the fact that you were not kidding!!! Golly... I only have a black belt. FBI training sounds much more fun!!!

Whoa!! Think I might need to get some training myself--this is getting to be a "tough" crowd! Ha! But, since we have a "horse" in our backyard maybe that will suffice. :-)

I saw Suzanne's blog recently too (thanks to Carla) and quickly grew to "admire" her. :-)

Whow, thanks ladies! Thank you very much for your comments! I'm brand new to writing on a blog, and not just a little self-conscious.

We are going to have our naughty canine chipped, but I found out yesterday at his last shots visit that they don't like to alter until the male is SIX MONTHS. I just about cried.

Lisa, I do love your blog, and I read at Practicing Theology as well.

My FBI training was simply sniper school; I was a police sniper for about 6 years before I left Law Enforcement to pursue FULL TIME mommiehood! Never looked back! (Of course, I am still surrounded by it! ;)

Hey Suzanne,
I noticed you are "strongly post-mil"... That is the view I have the hardest time comprehending. What draws you to that view, if you don't mind me asking?

Sniper school sounds FUN!!! And yep!!! about no regrets on full-time mommiehood!!!

Connie, I was wondering how things were going with your horse...uhh, dog. Glad to hear you are still sane. Wait a minute, wouldn't you have to be there in order to STAY there?! ;-)

I can also heartily recommend Golden Retrievers and Labradors. Our Golden has been the best counselor our kids could ever have wished for and our Black Lab is the most fun and goofiest dog around.

I understand what you are saying about back yard breeders, Lisa, but don't discount mixed breed dogs. They can often be the most even tempered and smartest dogs on the block! It is hard to know what they will be like as adult dogs when you see them as puppies, though. We got one at the Humane Society and had to take it back when it became aggressive after a few weeks. My personal theory is that you should get a dog who is a little older and look deep into its eyes to see what its personality is really like. Crazy, huh? ;-)

Hey Sheshe,
You wrote: My personal theory is that you should get a dog who is a little older and look deep into its eyes to see what its personality is really like. Crazy, huh?

That, actually, is not crazy. As a matter of fact that really does work. Whether it be pure breed or mixed, the eyes (like in humans) reveal much about their personality. Even as pups. The reason why a lot of mixed breeds tend to be more even tempered is often because of the inhumane breeding methods used to maintain pure breeds. Such as over breeding dogs that are too close in relation or breeding for mass production and profit in deplorable conditions, without proper medical care often resulting in intensified genetic disorders. arrrgh.

I agree, those are all great breeds you mentioned.

Lisa asks:
What draws you to that view, if you don't mind me asking?

No, of course I don't mind! I don't want to take over your comment section, so let me synopsize it.

Eschatology was the last hill I climbed, but was never a hill I wanted to die on. It still isn't. After I came to embrace Reformed Theology, I shed my dispensational background and was happily amill. A few years ago I began to study Christian economics, which led me to Greg Bahnsen, No Other Standard and finally to Kenneth L. Gentry, He Shall Have Dominion. That was the route. As for what draws me? The simplest explanation is its optimistic outlook for the future of Christ's kingdom in time and on earth.

As for which of the two types of postmillennialism I cling? I have one foot in the Pietistic door (ala Johnathan Edwards)and one foot in the Theonomic door(colonial American Puritans), although I am leaning heavily in this direction.