My Story
Welcome to EssentialsofDogs.com. It is a website to help you, as a dog owner, find and choose different items that will bring more joy and fulfillment to your relationship with your dog. I have owned several dogs and have found that as I get older, I like a dog that is more laid back and behaved. What about you? There are many dog breeds with different energy levels and needs. You need to pick a dog breed, if you already haven’t that matches your personality, energy levels, and needs.
My wife and I had owned a chocolate, American, female lab when we were dating. We knew we both liked labs. Many years later, when we were thinking about owning another dog, I went to some dog shows and looked at all the breeds. I was drawn toward the Chocolate, English lab. I liked their look and personality.
I talked with my wife and we decided to find a female, retired, English, Chocolate lab and adopt her into our forever home. I visited a local English lab breeder and he did not have any for retirement. I made a list of all the English Lab Breeders in the country and started calling them to see if they had what we were looking for. I found a breeder up North, that said she had heard on Facebook about a lady in North Carolina who had a champion Chocolate, English Lab female that she was seeking to place. I got her number and called her. We drove up from Georgia to North Carolina to visit this dog and to meet Sue, the owner.
To make a long story short, we bought the dog and took her home with us that day, under a trial period for both of us. The time together was great and we decided to keep her. Her name is Tina and she is pictured on this website to this day. This site is about having a love relationship with your dog and making your time together most meaningful.
WHY YOU WANT TO HELP PEOPLE
I want to help you find the perfect dog for you. If you don’t want to go through having to raise and potty train a puppy, I would suggest getting a retired, show dog like I did. I did try to rescue a dog from the Animal Shelter, but they did not tell me that the dog was dog aggressive. I could not go on walks without the dog trying to attach another dog that was walking near us. I eventually took that dog back.
I don’t want you to have to go through that experience like I did. It was heart breaking to take a dog back. I even hired a trainer who used shock collars to make the dog quit being aggressive towards other dogs, but that did not work either. I want you to have a great experience in getting a dog for you and for your family.
Retired show dogs are the way to go. They are push button easy. They are already trained, have great manners and get along well with most other dogs. I want your complete experience with dogs to be great, because I believe that they are a blessing from God that teaches us about unconditional love. Your dog will love you, no matter what. I want you to pick the dog that’s right for you and shower it with your time and love. That’s the only way to have a pet in my opinion.
THE GOAL OF YOUR SITE
The purpose or goal of this site is to assist you with your selection of a dog as a pet, to offer supplies and solutions to make your dog experience a great one, and to inform you of a way to get a dog that is already trained, house broken and has good manners, namely a retired show dog. I hope I can be a useful resource as you work on your relationship with your dog.
If you ever need a hand or have any questions, feel free to leave them below and I will be more than happy to help you out.
All the best,
Conley Ingram
essentialsofdogs.com