admin answers:

Any of a wide variety of dogs would work for you. The only real constraint you have is that you aren’t there for a long stretch every day, so you should steer clear of dogs that are particularly attached to people, as you might have real trouble with separation anxiety. You probably also want to avoid really smart type A dogs like border collies, because they get bored more quickly and will find things around the house to entertain themselves. So you want an independent dog, but one that is content to lie around if you’re not there. And you might want to avoid dogs that have been bred at least in part to be guard dogs, because these tend to be territorial and become barky if they hear anyone nearby – like your neighbors – if you want to leave him outdoors in good weather, on a dog run or cable tie or in that fenced area.

The only real problem I see is that, to raise a young puppy, you really need to be able to come home for lunch, because they really shouldn’t be left for 9 hours at a stretch. That leaves you plenty of options, though.

Right now, the shelters and breed rescue societies in many areas are full of much loved socialized and trained family dogs that people had to give up due to foreclosure, moving into a place that doesn’t allow dogs, moving back with family members and can’t take the dog, etc. I’d say your best bet is to see if you and one of these dogs ‘click.’

One thing you didn’t mention is climate. You might want to steer clear of dogs that have quite a short coat if you live in a cold climate, though they can wear coats for walks; obviously the reverse holds for long haired breeds (no huskies or samoyeds) and dogs with pushed in noses if you live in Arizona or Louisiana.

How far do you want to walk your dog every day? That’s probably the main consideration, because many breeds need quite a lot of exercise, whereas others don’t need much at all. If you’re willing to walk 45 minutes a day or more, you might love a greyhound. They’re very sweet dogs, are happy to lie around ALL day, not destroying your house, as long as they get a long walk, and have very little separation anxiety. If you train them, you can take advantage of that big yard for a good run when you’re home, too, if you’re not really up for a walk some days. And, of course, being retired racing dogs, they’re already grown up and healthy.

A lot depends, too, on what YOU like in a dog. I’m fond of really smart dogs, because I like to talk to them and have them understand, but I’m around all day. I’m also fond of smaller dogs, but I don’t want to worry that my dog is too small when meeting any other dog, and where I live is the land of big dogs (Boulder) – so I got a Corgi, a small but sturdy cattle herding breed. You might think that big dogs are just the thing, or you might be more fond of smaller ones, like me.

You’ll also want to consider how much grooming you’re willing to do, and if anyone who’s likely to come by often is allergic to dogs. Also, how much cuddling you like.

Whether you get a big or small dog, you are likely, eventually, to want to fence off the whole yard, unless you get a real couch potato like a pug or a really small dog like a yorkie, and even pugs like to be able to explore.

I’m assuming, despite the outdoor dog run you describe, that the dog will live indoors with you for the most part. If that’s the case, you could do a lot worse than the classic black or yellow lab. There’s a reason they’re so popular. If you want to walk him quite a lot, at least an hour every day, or throw tennis balls in addition to the walk, go for a youngish one; if not, a slightly more mature one might be a great starter dog, say 5 or 6 or a bit older. That way, if you ever do end up getting a puppy, your well trained, mellow but playful, mature dog can do much of the work raising, and entertaining, the new pup! You’d really need to be home more to raise a pup without a steadying older dog (I know, I already said that.)

I’m assuming by ‘big yard’ you mean something at least 75 feet long? ‘Big yard’ could mean a lot of different things, depending on your area. If it’s smaller, you might want to check out the local dog parks before you get a retriever who’s really into retrieving. Also, it sounds like you’re single now, but you might not be forever, and you might get anklebiters one day; it might not be a bad idea to pick a breed that’s reasonably good with small kids, and socialize him to kids once you get him, just to avoid a hard decision down the road.

There are a LOT of dog breed selector guides on the Web; just google ‘dog breed selector’ and you’ll have a couple of dozen to choose from. Try those, and you’ll learn a lot about the tradeoffs of different breeds relative to your preferences.

admin answers:

Try exercising or yoga for your back pain. Your parents are right that you do not need a medical card. Your need is to respect your body. As far as your anxiety, watch the Dog Whisperer and try to find a way to do what Cesar Milan does to relax and reduce stress. If you are about to say he trains dogs, forget it, he trains people to get their dog to respect them! How about respecting yourself to solve your problems.

admin answers:

“The Night Mail” by WH Auden but attributed to John Betjeman.
The LMS made a film about it. It was about the night mail train from London to Glasgow.

This is the Night Mail crossing the border,
Bringing the cheque and the postal order,
Letters for the rich, letters for the poor,
The shop at the corner and the girl next door.
Pulling up Beattock, a steady climb:
The gradient’s against her, but she’s on time.
Past cotton-grass and moorland boulder
Shovelling white steam over her shoulder,
Snorting noisily as she passes
Silent miles of wind-bent grasses.

Birds turn their heads as she approaches,
Stare from the bushes at her blank-faced coaches.
Sheep-dogs cannot turn her course;
They slumber on with paws across.
In the farm she passes no one wakes,
But a jug in the bedroom gently shakes.

Dawn freshens, the climb is done.
Down towards Glasgow she descends
Towards the steam tugs yelping down the glade of cranes,
Towards the fields of apparatus, the furnaces
Set on the dark plain like gigantic chessmen.
All Scotland waits for her:
In the dark glens, beside the pale-green sea lochs
Men long for news.

Letters of thanks, letters from banks,
Letters of joy from the girl and the boy,
Receipted bills and invitations
To inspect new stock or visit relations,
And applications for situations
And timid lovers’ declarations
And gossip, gossip from all the nations,
News circumstantial, news financial,
Letters with holiday snaps to enlarge in,
Letters with faces scrawled in the margin,
Letters from uncles, cousins, and aunts,
Letters to Scotland from the South of France,
Letters of condolence to Highlands and Lowlands
Notes from overseas to Hebrides
Written on paper of every hue,
The pink, the violet, the white and the blue,
The chatty, the catty, the boring, adoring,
The cold and official and the heart’s outpouring,
Clever, stupid, short and long,
The typed and the printed and the spelt all wrong.

Thousands are still asleep
Dreaming of terrifying monsters,
Or of friendly tea beside the band at Cranston’s or Crawford’s:
Asleep in working Glasgow, asleep in well-set Edinburgh,
Asleep in granite Aberdeen,
They continue their dreams,
And shall wake soon and long for letters,
And none will hear the postman’s knock
Without a quickening of the heart,
For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?