What has the forum....

I have been on various message boards and next to a Boston Terrier board, Dog.com is my favorite all breed board. The reason it's my favorite is because it's frequented by extremely knowledgeable people in all different areas. You have people who are knowledgeable about nutrition, training, breeding and different dog breeds. If you have a question, you are bound to get a good answer. I also love that this board promotes responsible breeding and responsible dog ownership. There's a lot to be learned here and I highly recommend this board to newbies to the dog world as this board is a wealth of information. []

To not really have any friends in my life that are as nuts about dogs or animals in general as I am, this place has become a haven for me.  Its also a good opportunity for me to interact with other women (all of my friends have always been guys) and to talk on a more sophisticated level than I can with my friends, about kcals and mgs and IUs and all that fun stuff that you just know my guy friends would love to chit chat about every day.[]
 
Aside from the social benefits, I have learned a ton of information and that list continues to grow each time I or anyone else has a question.  I cannot tell you how satisfying it is to ask a question and have someone else go google it, provide the links and their opinion on the info.  Where else can you get that?   One the same token for me to read a question which I have no clue about and go google it myself and provide them the links and my opinion.  I learn when I ask and when I answer.
 
The information I have learned regarding my pets nutrition in itself is something I am so so grateful for.
 
I enjoy the family feeling, the helping, the bickering, the support, the friendship.  I enjoy it, what can I say.[]

Being a trainer, I know about behavior, but when I needed advice about nutritional support for my old girl with CRF, I found it here.  Between Lilian (now on another forum), Callie, and others, I learned how to extend my dog's life using natural and alternative means.  She was diagnosed at 14, and is now 17+.  I often think that though my time with her is limited, it was help from this gang that gave me some of these precious days that I would not have had otherwise.  I couldn't be more grateful - this is my dog of a lifetime...

This forum is awesome.  I can't think of something it hasn't helped me with.  I have gotten nutrition adivice, training support, health suggestions.  I have gained tons of knowledge on all sorts of subjects that will help me be a better owner.  And with our puppy coming home in less than 2 weeks, its invaluable to me.
 
Thank you Dog.com members! Your the Best!
 
Regards,
Brian and the furry gang.

I have learned so much and I am so happy I found this site, i have grown a little addicted as I know a few others that have as well, hehe! I have learned that there are a lot of people out there that love their pups as much as I do and I'm am glad to share the same interest with a lot of people! Thank you everyone!


-Melaney

I came here for nutrition advice - Thank you Becca/brookcove, and others.  I continue to learn something new in that avenue by reading the nutrition and health threads.  Because the "audience" is so wide-spread here, I've learned that there are dozens of ways to interpret what someone writes, so it's best to choose words that convey your message clearly without inspiring more confusion.

I am very comfortable with message boards as I use them for my hobbies.  So, it was natural to find a board for my first dog away from family dogs.  I found dog.com from a google search.  I liked that it was frequented by many people, everyone seemed friendly and active and the physical site was easy to navigate.
 
I have gained so much by coming here for the last couple of months.  I discovered that there is a better way to feed my dog and I am passing that info onto others.  My fears were calmed when I thought I had an aggressive dog, but in actuality he was just being a puppy; an active puppy.  lol  I have laughed at stories, cried at stories and oohed and ahhed over puppies.  It has just been great.  Thank you so much!
 
Sue and Buddy

After reading what everyone else has already posted, it seems that everything I'd like to say has already been said. 
 
I found this site just over a year ago when we were faced with a surgery for our senior dog (I think as a result of a Google search).  The info and advice I received was so valuable, both when we were deciding about the surgery, as well as afterward when other issues arose.  But most importantly, this forum has provided me with tremendous support after the death of our dog in January.  While we have lots of family and friends who mourned with us, my grief period has extended well beyond theirs, and this forum allows me to find others who understand.
 
On a lighter note, it's simply a fun place to "visit" with like-minded dog nuts!  While I'm carrying around a heavy heart adjusting to life without Tonka, it does my heart good to read the funny posts people write about their dogs or families, see photos that make me smile, etc.  And no matter what, I'm learning lots of new things to help all the dogs in my life, whether those belonging to friends/family or any others that may cross my path!

Tracy - I also think you sharing stories of your dog, his passing, and how you dealt with it has meant a lot to many others here who can relate to your situationm, too.  You can express in meaningful words what others cannot, so we're lucky to have you among us, too.

Although I have a training background and extensive experience working with dogs, I am intrigued by the opportunity to connect with people who use different training methodologies, as I'm a big believer in the idea that there is value in understanding as many training philosophies as possible. Even when I don't agree with things others are doing, I sometimes learn something new that broadens my base of knowledge, or pick up some tips that are breed specific for breeds I'm less familiar with, or acquire some interesting tidbit that comes in handy in my non-dots-and-pixels dog dealings.

I also enjoy the sense of community, the nutrition info, product info, clean up tips and the fun dog stories (it's always nice to go someplace where I'm not the only "crazy dog person!").

Finally, as a writer, I also find this a great place to "eavesdrop" on conversations between the kind of people I hope to be selling my work to (I'm an author in another field, and recently started pitching my first dog book), and to get a sense of what does/doesn't strike a chord in dog owners. This helps me get a sense of which ideas I'm pitching to go forward with, and which ones to table.

It's a wonderful forum, and my only real complaint with it is that it takes up WAY too much of my time!! : )

Thanks so much for hosting it!

Jan

This place is great.  It's one of the first sites I read in the morning and one of the last before going home.  It has helped me these last few months survive one of the most boring jobs I've had in a long time.

I learned about clicker training and +R training.  I've learned to examine the foods I feed my dogs and about liver treats!!!

I love the photos section and really enjoy looking at pictures of people's dogs.

And I wanted to add that I love how the forum is moderated.  Spammers are shut down swiftly, curses and bashing of people is not permitted and it makes it a much nicer place to read and post to.

Thanks Dog.com!

I found this forum right at a year ago when I was looking for help with the Small Dog's UTI's. Wasn't too long after that that I needed help learning about arthritis and holistic ways to care for Ginger and ease her pain - and manage it for the long term. This forum, and the people on it, were (as someone else said) a life-line towards getting a handle on that. Not only did I get help on the board, but two very wonderful members (you know who you are) emailed me off-board and helped me with their vast and valuable knowlege.

I went on to learn more about nutrition, and some of the things I had already learned were reinforced or understood better because of the folks here.

I think that this board is a very supportive, knowlegeable, helpful place to be. I think that the culture encourages responsible breeding, responsible buying, responsible care, and just plain responsibility for our animals in general. Sometimes these things can be a hard thing for folks to hear, but necessary IMO.

I've made some new friends here, and brought some old friends with me. This is one of my favorite boards.

Thank you for having us.

Wow - so many people have taken the words right out of my mouth [].
 
I "lurked" here for about 4 months before I even worked up the courage to post.  I was a first time puppy owner and had no clue on proper nutrition, treats, behavior, etc.  I read anything and everything and was hungry for more.  {The beginning of my addiction.}
 
The people here are wonderful, and I also feel as though we are family.  It's nice to know that if I don't know something, you can bet someone here will know the answer and get to you right away.  I also love watching all the fur kids grow up right before my eyes. 
 
Thank you Jaime for providing a place where the uninformed can go and get educated.  You have made the world a little better for the furkids []

I have come out of here learning how important it is to have your dog spayed. I have been given wonderful adivice and it has pushed me to the point where I want to make a difference. I want to help animals stuck in shelters I want to educate other around me all that I have learnt. The importance of where you get your dog, to the importance of what you feed your dog.
 
This place is wonderful.

I stumbled over this forum while looking for more information on rescue groups and shelters in my area. I have to say that I have become a quick fan, I finally found a place where I can rant and rave about my dog (and cats, must not forget the cats and people won't think I need therepy.
 
My husband and I moved to Louisville from northern Illinois over 4 years ago with no support system. I have wonderful friends and neighbors now but none of them are as crazy about their pets as we are, we have no children so channel all our love in their direction.
 
Thank you for a wonderful site.
 
Tru