Wednesday, November 10, 2010

I Pick Heart...

I started out all motivated to blog about something that has really been bothering me lately...It's hearing people talking about puppies.

NO, I don't have puppy fever...TRUST ME on this :) But I hear this sentence all the time when I hear people talk about puppies "as long as it has wonderful structure I will take it"...

That bugs me...What about other parts of a dog...heart, willingness, etc? Can you put that into a dog through training only? I mean, don't get me wrong, I think structure IS important...but is it the be all to end all? Then I thought...who cares that I care about that...and the motivation went down the crapper...We probably only have this ONE DAY to enjoy sunshine before it is gone for 6 months. Screw that and bring on the puppy pictures! SO I was in the mood to do weird shit with pictures...why not? The sun will be GONE FOREVER (insert ominous music here...maybe even a lightening crack...some thunder....da da da DUM) and we will all turn into pasty white figures...devoid of all color... And I would be wasting it away on some rant on structure...blah blah blah... What if you had to choose between a dog with perfect structure or heart? Which would you pick? I am all about heart...my favorite part of a dog...well...I really like their feet too... I think their muzzles are also really cute... And yes Crackers is cute...I know this...EVERYONE TELLS ME ALL THE TIME...GOT IT...K? Squinty eyed puppies are also cute...I suppose you can get that in the winter from the glare off the snow... As are crazy eyed puppies...
And random pictures of dogs backs :)

This is proof for Andy that the dog DOES have ears and CAN HEAR YOU when you call his name...PROMISE Andy...promise...
Lynn always looks like she just smoked a bag of weed...(although I have never smoked weed, but I have friends that do...and they look JUST LIKE THIS...oh wait...)
There...that's more realistic...
And sometimes Gator just stares into space...for no reason...and it's weird...but I won't be able to see him stare into the sun for 6 MORE MONTHS so WHO CARES!?!??!
Um yeah...so structure isn't everything...K? Thanks...

11 comments:

D said...

I think that structure is certainly important. However, I have found through personal experience, that it is extremely hard to "install" work ethic and a biddable personality into a dog. So, I pick heart, from now on at least!

PS..my favorite photo in this group is the one of Cracker's tail!

Unknown said...

I think each dog I have is in my life for a reason, and each dog I have in the future will be there for a reason. I pick everything, good or bad. I just love dogs. :)

And Florida has sunshine ALL THE TIME. hehe ;)

Loretta Mueller said...

AMEN Tori...exactly. Sometimes you just have to let things happen so you can experience life. And dogs for sure fit in that category for me :)

Sunshine...all...the...time...Can you adopt me?? LOL

Sarah said...

Structure AKA Conformation .....

i find these conversations interesting too, some people put far too much into this. The dog is crap unless is has a perfect shoulder layback. Even though they have the body, do they have the brain? Overall balance is important - some dogs just look comfortable in their skin. i am ALL about heart too, some dogs have it, some dogs have nice toplines and pretty markings.

to me it is the same as when "show" people i know talk about that breeds conformation above all else. i do have a dog that has finished a championship - he is well built all round, has faults, but the breeder picked him as #2 show prospect and #1 working prospect ... and 40 working titles later we have the right dog, even his feet are easty-westy - he has never been lame, nearly 9 still going.

NO DOG IS PERFECTLY BUILT!!

i know people who would pick a puppy because it has a prettier head etc. than the dog that won't quit tugging or trying to please, meanwhile the pretty dog is napping. I'll take the one that never stops please and thanks.

not really sure what my entire point is, but i agree it gets to be a little much and i try to distance myself from the obsessiveness of it all.

Brush Creek Farm said...

Yep, heart is at the heart of it all. And I let dogs pick me too as well as me picking them. When I feel a connection to a dog, we can cover for each other and we will strive to be together as much as possible. I love a beautiful dog as much as the next person but in that sentence the word love comes before the word beautiful. First I choose the dog whose got a ton of heart and do anything to get to me, and then it makes them beautiful to me.

Hillcrest Border Collies said...

I can honestly say that every dog I have picked to be part of my family has not been picked on structure. Actually it is something that I end up looking at as they grow up. I pick a puppy for what they are.....attitude, personality, character etc. Most of the pups I have picked I have chosen when they are about 5 or so weeks old. I tend to pick the naughty ones. Hence Fusion, the one who was the escape artist and also Rave for that reason. I picked Kate (my heart dog) because she was in the corner of the barn with a tiny rock and playing fetch by herself.
Structure is important, but it is not the first thing one should look at when choosing their puppy.

Monique said...

The person who has a dog without faults... will be the first to do so. I want a dog I can live with and love with, and work with. I'd like the dog to be able to be happily sound into old age as well. We can have both, but not if we only select for ONE.

KLW @ Dog.Nerd.101 said...

Ha - I LOVE this post.. particularly because I have a 7 month old Mudi puppy and have been thinking about this structure debate quite a bit lately! So here's the deal, he's not perfect (gasp, shock, ahh) not enough angle in the shoulder, maybe not enough reach on the front end.. great power in the rear, but upright structure..blah, blah, blah... does that mean that he won't be an awesome dog? No way, no how. As one of your other readers wrote, dogs come into our lives for certain reasons... and Griff has a reason to be with me. He is a wonderful little dog, smart as all get out, fast, quick, hopelessly devoted... and maybe a little weak on the front end. Seabiscuit was short strided, Smarty Jones has a short neck and Allen Iverson was told he was too short to ever play professional basketball. Bottom line, structure is just one piece of the puzzle. Balance is key and for me too, it's all about heart!

Knotty Dogs said...

Echo wants Crackers. Now.

Anonymous said...

I agree that I'll take heart over structure any day. At one point I was all worked up about structure and all that stuff, but it really comes down to some connection, what ever it is, that calls you to that dog.

JRT ears don't work like BC ears. They seem to get plugged every once in a while and they can't hear you:) Evil white dogs anyway!

Anonymous said...

Late coming to this conversation. I saw it last week, but my brain was fried ;-)

I think there is something to be said about making sure that the dog's structure is balanced, and that he moves balanced. What can I say balanced is? Don't know if I can articulate it, but I can tell you when I see it. And when I don't.

My Em is cobby, has no legs or a tail, but she moves gracefully. When she's running, it looks good. Speck might have a bit of roachy back, but he's as graceful a dog as I have seen. A natural athlete, and Meri's front end might be a bit far back, she's just stunning when she moves.

And heart, all of my dogs have it.

I am really not sure why people are so concerned over structure, the perfect lay back of the shoulder, maybe because they can't see what's inside that's way more important.

nice post!