"Donal" wrote in message

I'd love to have a pet dog, however, we don't have the necessary space.
When I was a boy, we had pets but, we also had space.

Yup... our family has always had a dog... up to 4 ata atime. All big dogs...
Shepards and Dobermans. I ran a pack of 15 Beagles at the club.


Nowadays, many people who live in confined spaces have a dog. I don't
believe that one should have a dog unless one has at least 4 acres of land
for the dog to run around in. I see many people with pet dogs who do not
have the necessary space for the dog. Most of them are childless, and I
get
the impression that the pet dogs are substitutes for children.

Whoa Donal..... this ain't a Lhaso Apso what ever. My dog is a Staffordshire
Bull Terrier. I'm certain you are familiar with the breed since it
originated in Britain. Nice dog, smart and good company. I have seven
nieces/nephews that come over to hang out. I don't need a substitute for
kids. We also just got a Schipperke for the house and barn guarding duty.
It's not viable to have a large dog around elderly people.... and we have 7
acres for them to run on.

CM