Hi from a Bouv lover

[Vermontlori]

Hi all-
I noticed that people tend to read posts and never post, so after reading three or so posts, I decided to introduce myself.
I was led to this forum because we have three dogs at present (a bouvier, a cockapoo and a goldendoodle----all black). My son wants a dog that he can pick up, so we're looking into a Havanese, but my husband wants our next dog to be another Bouv. My hubby has major allergies and asthma, so all our dogs are non-shedding and rather expensive, as a result!!!
When we got our Bouvier, Monk, 12 years ago, we picked the sleepiest, most unresponsive pup in the litter because we had done our research, and had never owned a dog before, so we knew what we were getting into with a Bouv. We were also a single professional couple. Monk quickly stole our hearts with his bouncy Bouvier antics and his momma-boy personality. He was also very responsive to training (both housetraining and obedience training), although he never, ever, ever took to his crate, which we quickly abandoned.
When we had our son 10 years ago, Monk had a job! He stayed with me all through the labor and delivery process and kissed our son on the top of the head as soon as he came out. Ever since then, he has kept a watchful eye on our son, and the two of them have the most incredible, loving bond.
Since the arrival of our other two dogs, Monk has been a respectful big brother after an initial dose of complete indifference to the puppies.
Anyway, he is now 12 years old, and although he can't run as fast as he once did, he is still just as frisky and just as much a puppy and momma's boy as ever.
So, although my husband said no to a Havanese because three dogs is too many, and four would be way over the top, he is now open to the idea of a Havanese, as long as he can get a second Bouvier. Are five dogs in our near future????
Oh, back to how I found this forum....we live in Vermont, so I Googled "Vermont Bouvier" and found Dalmar Bouvier's posts (she's from Vermont). It turns out that her breeding bitch comes from the same highly discriminating breeder as our Monk, Mapleridge Bouviers.
We had to visit Mapleridge a few times prior to being "approved" by herself as well as her older Bouvs, who have a way of telling her if the visitor is an acceptable Bouvier "owner" (for lack of a better term) or not.
Anyhow, sorry for the long-winded initial message, but I just wanted to let y'all know that there is a new member out there who hasn't been perusing the forum for very long before posting.

[Sue]

Glad you stopped in to visit Lori, and even introduced yourself. It sounds like Monk has enjoyed a great life in your family.

Is 5 too many? That depends on the dogs and the family. Some people have problems managing even one dog. Others do fine with more. Mike and I have had multiple dogs for years and it's worked out. The main problem we've had is traveling with the whole crew... we drove two rigs for some years and finally just bought an extended Chevy van that holds everyone.

Cheers,
Sue

[Mike]

Hi Lori, welcome. It sounds like for a change the husband is the smart one if he wants a Bouvier. ;)

As Sue said, some people can deal with muliple dogs and even multiple Bouviers. Some people should keep pet rocks (although for a few, that would even be a streach). Also as Sue said, once we got beyound the ability to carry all of our dogs in one Town and Country mini-van, it did start to limit where we could go and how long we could be gone if we both wanted to go. The extended cargo van did give us the ability to haul everyone plus all of our junk and also pull a good size trailer across country a few times. Now we have two elderly Bouvs that we haven't really wanted to subject to long travels for the last couple of years. They just turned 13.

If they all get a long the majority of the time, it can be real rewarding to have more than one or two dogs. They learn from each other as well as have their own personalities. One note about getting another Bouvier. If you haven't been doing much in the Bouvier world, do your home work very carefully. There have been a number of changes (some good some not so good) in Bouviers over the last 10 years, both in health issues and temperment. There are a lot of breeders out there that shouldn't be allowed to breed Bouviers (or any living animal at all for that matter). Like with many breeds, to many see the dollar signs of what they can sell a dog for and completely over look the commitment and dedication it takes to breed healthy and well mannered Bouviers. So do your home work.

Again, welcome to the forum, Lori. You are right, a lot of people read, but not everyone posts. It's unfortunate but many of those interested in Bouviers are not that familiar with forums like this. They are more use to the list forums that come in through your e-mail.

Mike