A Pet is for life not just for Christmas

Just like to add that although my Rottie was a gentle giant Rottweilers are known to attack without giving any growl or bark warning which is quite a scary thought when you come to think of it!
Helen.xxx.

 

Something to really think about then Helen, if anyones going to get a rottie, if thats is the case, then I wouldn't touch one with a barge pole.
But the ones I have met have always seemed friendly, but maybe that cant be trusted then?

 

Helen, dogs are hunter animals by nature. If you here a dog growl, it's probably that it does not want a confrontaion. Most dogs will atack without warning if they feel the need arises, not just Rotties. The dog wouldn't be a very good hunter if it first warned it's prey it was going to attack.

 

There is a difference between attack and defense, in most domestic situations the dog warns, as a form of defense as its warning off others in the pack.
Attack only occurs outside the pack, and if your not part of the pack beware.
Blimey, I'm out of my depth now.
:D

 

Just putting my penny in ... in the very early 80s we lived in a situation of four cottages where we had a cat, Penguin (a black and white moggy) and the other three had dogs ... a golden retriever, a rottie and a whippet. Penguin ruled the roost and the rottie would come every evening (we all worked and the pets were kept indoors in the daytime) and sat outside our back door waiting for us to let her out to play. She used to walk all over them if they were lying down, sleep next ot them in the sun, beat them up if need be and I think had a scratched nose once. This went on for nearly five years ... a very strange situation. Penguin even chased off a German Shephard that came onto the "site" of the cottages on one occasion whereas the dogs stood like stone soldiers looking at it!

In saying the above, the rottie mauled a sheep nearby once on a "spur of the moment" thing and the whippet attacked one of the other dogs! So, I agree, you can never tell with dogs, even after years.

 

I bet we could maintain an entertaining thread with anecdotes about strange liasons between our different pets. Years ago we had a collie dog who was befriended by one of our cats. The cat(who we still have living with us)would follow the collie around all the time and we quite often found them cuddled up together in some sunny corner of the yard.