Emily's Pet Parade

  Rusty was my Beagle, and even though we didn't have Rusty for as long as most of our other dogs, I still loved him. Of course, I loved pretty much all my pets, especially my dogs. The only pet I can safely say I didn't care too much about was my second hamster, Mitch (see my post about my 2 hamsters for more on Mitch). Anyway, this post is about Rusty, not Mitch. Like all of our dogs, we got Rusty as a puppy, and let me tell you, Beagle puppies are one of the most adorable puppies ever! All puppies are cute, of course, but there are some breeds that are just the epitome of adorableness as puppies, and Beagle puppies are one of them.  Beagles are generally a very friendly, happy-go-lucky breed. They also happen to be one of the healthiest purebred dogs out there, and by that, I mean that they have very few genetic health issues, if any at all. The main thing you have to worry about with Beagles is that they are hound dogs. What do I mean by that? Well, hound dogs are bred for...

  In my last blog post, I talked about Labrador Retrievers, including a bit about the breed (and how awesome the breed is!) and also introduced you to Lu Jack, a black Labrador that belonged to my dad, and also to Lucky, whom I considered my first Labrador Retriever because like I mentioned before (maybe even several times before), I loved Lu Jack, but he wasn't my dog, technically speaking. Anyway, back to Lucky. In part one of this 2-part post, I told you that Lucky was possibly the smartest Lab I've ever met. Not only did he learn things quickly as a puppy, but that ability also followed him into adulthood...and even into his old age. Not to say that old dogs can't learn new tricks, because they can. It just takes a lot more effort, time, and patience to teach them when they've hit their senior years. Not with Lucky.  I remember this one time when there was a thunderstorm going on, and let me tell you, Lucky HATED thunderstorms! He was absolutely terrified of them! A...

To say that Labrador Retrievers are awesome dogs would be an understatement to say the least. Trust me when I tell you this: Labradors are one of the best, if not the best  dogs in the world (and maybe the universe!). I'm serious, too. If I could think of why dogs are called "man's best friend," it would be because of the Labrador Retriever. They have almost everything one could want in a family pet: intelligence, eagerness to please their family, they're easy to train, and they have a friendly, kind, and loving personality...towards just about anyone, not just their owners. Labradors want to be friends with just about everybody.  Labradors are also very gentle and tolerant. VERY tolerant, in fact. I remember the first Labrador my family had, Lu Jack. I loved Lu Jack. He wasn't my dog, he was my dad's, but I still loved him. I had a good time with him, too. Of course, my dad got Lu before I was born, so Lu was already senior-aged when I was a toddler. Boy,...