Wally World - HOWL and welcome. I've enjoyed your posts thus far. And your quote and avatar are sweet. Glad to have you.

WallyWorld wrote:



Welcome back, it's good to have you here.

I am sure you will not lack for heated discussions in our forum threads... especially on ones in the "Wolves Den."

As for SILENT ABABU, there are a ton of pictures of him in various threads here in the forums, so if you go to the games it's not too tough to find the big lad.

I can't believe I didn't see this thread before:

State or Country of Residence: Minnesota (soon to be either Nebraska or Oklahoma)

Occupation: Former military (USAF) and political wonk (Senate and House). Current data consultant for a wireless company. Future intel analyst for DIA (we're in the middle of transferring jobs.)

Marital and family status: Married for 11 years with 2 lovely daughters aged 10 and 3.

Age: 32

Favorite past time: The Renaissance. Favorite pass time: guitar, reading, and b-ball.

Religion or philosophical ideal or definition of reality: Former Catholic (a religious degree will do this to you).

Goal in life: To write children's literature.

stopnpop wrote:



If that's what you want to do, you should go for it. If you ever do I'll wish the best of luck!

Thanks. I'm actually finishing up my first manuscript and I'm about to send it off to a series of publishers. I'm eagerly awaiting rejection

Writing for Canis Hoopis shoud be good practice for writing childrens literature!

One of my goals was to own a boxer. We finally got one. It was the hardest 10 years of our lives. He is now where ever dogs go when they die. What a stubborn, ornery, misbehaving, wild animal he was.

Bulldogs on the other hand are great dogs to own. They are mellow and loving and well behaved. I knew one who loved to chew ice. Give him a bowl of ice cubes and he was happy. He would crunch and crunch and then he would shake uncontrolably because he was so cold.

We have friends who have a similar story with boxers...they have a pair.

We almost had a similar situation with our Airedale. That damn dog was the orneriest little mutt for the first 2 years of its life that we almost drove it out into the country and let it go. It has since mellowed out and we now have the best dog in the world...an overgrown teddy bear that will let our 3 year old pull its ears and poke its eyes without doing a dang thing. Advice for potential Airedale owners: buy a rescue that isn't a puppy.

We're looking to get another dog and we're very interested in the bouvier des flanders. There is a breeder in Minneapolis we are looking at. They seem to be excellent dogs.

mmaland wrote:


Bulldogs are legendary animals. I liken them to a Rolls Royce or a similar high end luxury vehicle. Whenever you see one, people flock to check it out, smile etc.

I liken dogs such as Golden Retrievers to a Honda Accord. Great car, long lasting, but ultimately forgettable as everyone has one.

Howl for the Bulldog shout out.

The other night my wife and I were watching this fascinating PBS program on the evolution of dogs. One of the guys on the show called modern bulldogs "a crime against nature". I don't know if I'll be able to look at them the same ever again

Hey, I've been meaning to post here too, so thought I'd give it a whirl this time around. Granted, I've only been lurking lately, but I hope I can chip in more when I have the time. Either way, I love this forum and (especially) SG's aggregation of stories on the home page.

State or Country of Residence: Twin Cities

Occupation: I think I'm a project manager now, but I don't feel like one. I'm finding HUUUGE parallels between the Timberwolves season and my career right now, and it is freaking me out.

Marital and family status: Married, have one 6 yr old girl

Age: 37

Favorite past time: I was going to say "play basketball," but then I soberly realized I haven't played in years after I read myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-35-111/Me...e-Aging-Baller.html. I've caught the poker bug too. And of course, reading, movies and music, but who doesn't?

Religion or philosophical ideal or definition of reality: A healthy dose of agnostic holism

Goal in life: Never consider writing biographical "Goals in Life" - they're usually too morbid.

Most fun thing I currently have going: Honestly, my Pay-The-Pick season tickets. I've never bought sporting event tickets before this year.

Did I Mention: I completed a triathlon for TNT this past summer, a year after my back surgery.

Dog: Cocker Spaniel

stopnpop wrote:


Please comment on their reasoning

How did we not think of this a long time ago? Thanks, Mmaland!

State or Country of Residence: Minnesota

Occupation: Student. Soon I'll be the nurse that saves your ass when you get drunk and get in a fight with a table corner. Or just the nurse that gives the injections that make it stop hurting.

Marital and family status: I got married! Still pretty new to this, and loving every minute of it. At the beginning of the year, the last couple times I was on here, I wouldn't have ever guessed that I would be saying this now, it's crazy.

Favorite past time: Biking by the MN river with my Dad. We would go down a trail by the house I grew up in every Saturday. We would ride across the river bridge almost to Valleyfair, get some kind of treat and then ride home. Wow, it's been years since we did that.

Religion or philosophical ideal or definition of reality: Christian with mostly Lutheran values, but some tweaked interpretations.

Goal in life: To be a good Nurse and wife. And hopefully a mom someday. But, mostly I just want to enjoy the life that I've been given so far, and if I manage to make the most out of it, then bonus!

stopnpop wrote:


I watched segment 1 of that show this summer. I'd love to see the whole thing because it was one of the most fascinating shows I've seen in a long time.

I have a feeling that show will be one that pops up in school science classes with regularity going forward. My wife who would scoff at the idea of a night watching a show on the science of evolution was fully sucked in.

Sidebar: They showed Doberman's who hadn't had their the ear surgery that makes them stand up and they look 100% better without it. I guess they are somewhat more fearsome with those ears but I'm surprised people still do that.

WallyWorld wrote:


They had bred them to such a point where many pups' shoulders cannot pass beyond the birth canal. While c-sections are not uncommon with humans, in the animal kingdom it's bad ju-ju. They also talked about breeding-related skin issues and problems with bone structure. They went through the history of the bulldog and how it evolved from bull baiting to serving no other purpose but to satisfy the aesthetic tastes of their owners. I'm not making a judgment call here...just relaying info from the program. There were quite a few breeds that got some frowns on the program.

A friend of mine has a English Bulldog that has been a money pit since they day she got him. Knee surgeries, and a list of day to day medicines to keep the dog healthy.

We are staying off topic but I'd highly recommend that show to anyone who comes across it. I believe it was Nature: Dogs that Changed the World... it is on Netflix I see.