Gordon R

30 years a vet??? Well just passing on my comments - just exactly how do you attach a syringe to a broom handle, find a vein in a dog that has turned nasty and then press the plunger? Obviously - practice over 30 years. I will carry on plaiting sawdust whilst the vet continues his work. I would appreciate a blow by blow account of how this, seemingly stupid and impossible, task was completed. I have a broom handle - I think I will become a vet. You don't seem to need much else. I had previously thought vets were highly qualified - the question is - in what?

Your cousin worries me. He should finish his training before he does anything so stupid again. My cousin. who is also a vet, said Akitas were smashing dogs who inserted the hypodermic on their own, with minimal instruction.

Toka - my wife just read your post and commented on its accuracy. Nice to see D Brian Plummer is appreciated.

Another photo of both.

Virtually all of the list I published have been bred to fight / guard, whatever label you want. GSDs have had bad press, as have Rotties. Currently terriers are the target. Nothing will be settled by this thread. Vampire - I have owned 4 well trained and large GSDs - they were more agressive than any Akita I have met. I don't expect a flood of posts saying that I should have trained them differently. I have owned both breeds - 7 dogs in all - that is my experience. That said, someone else's dogs could be different again. That is why I dislike generalisations. Below are my current two - the dog is slightly rare - being long-haired. They were both one year old in the photos.

I am less amused with the constant drip feed of tales about bad Akitas. The same would apply to any large dog:- Rottweiller Doberman Dog de Bordeaux Mastiff Tibetan Mastiff Rhodesian Ridgeback Irish Wolfhound Great Dane Kangal Dog Scottish Deerhound Newfoundland English Mastiff Saint Bernard Great Pyrenees Neapolitan Mastiff Greater Swiss Mountain Dog Leonberger Caucasian Shepherd Dog Anatolian Shepherd Beauceron Karelian Bear Dog Polish Maremma Alaskan Malumute. Greenland Dog Husky All the above would take more than one "power lifter" to remove. There must be hundreds more. When everyone gets fed up with bad mouthing Akitas, perhaps they might publish the breed of their own dogs. I will happily proceed to dish the dirt on them. I remember well the Labrador that killed a French woman. Perhaps it had once met an Akita.

Paul - I'm not totally sure that is the correct way to deal with an angry Akita. All a bit melodramatic - . I once saw a hamster attack a Labrador. It was a veritable monster - vicious and mean, with a sly look in it's eye.

Mungler - mystery solved. I thought I was being accused of starting an uprising. Perish the thought.

Each to his own. My dogs are better behaved than 99.99% of dogs we come across. al4x I am not sure that is valid. Ideally, neither should be biting anyone. I have never been bitten by an Akita, but a Collie - yes. Mungler - I presume that is a legal term?

I never cease to be amazed at just how quickly some people put the boot in certain breeds. Sometimes it's Staffies - another time it will be Rotties. I have posted honestly just as I see my own dogs. I have had years of training GSDs, before we got Akitas. My dogs have been to training classes and I have spent a considerable amount of time with them. I don't have untrained dogs. They are not small and a certain amount of responsibility goes with owning large dogs. I take it seriously. If I wanted to be as quick to judge, I would be putting the boot in to Collies and Labradors - which represent the dogs which have attacked my current dog and my GSDs years ago. I have also been attacked by a Collie. I despair of the non- Akita, dog owning public who let their dogs wander around creating havoc, with those immortal words about - my dog has never bitten anyone or another dog before, which is always true until it does. Then it is too late. Akitas are dogs - not robots. They have their little foibles, but they are genuinely excellent dogs. For every horror story printed about Akitas, I will dig up one for just about any breed on the planet. The original poster asked for opinions about them, with a view to owning one. I stand by the advice - by all means get one, but accept that they are large dogs.

I think they have been around for over 15 years.

We are on our second and third Akitas. We previously had a number of German Shepherd dogs. They are not small - our bitch is 90 pounds, the dog 140 pounds, but they are very good temperamentally. They are not as affectionate as GSDs - I would describe them as slightly aloof. I would never leave them alone with a child or adult, but then again, I would never leave any dog alone with a stranger. You just don't know. They are the least aggressive dogs we have owned - they ignore other dogs and people. The only exception is when strangers start grabbing them to stroke them. They object. Having said that, I totally agree with Trousers Too . My dog has been attacked whilst on a lead about 7 or 8 times. It has invariably made a mess of the other dog. I would also describe them as slightly stubborn and very protective. I was surprised about the comments about shedding hair. Ours shed very little and do not have a doggy smell. Overall, I love them to bits, but make sure these are the dogs for you. Nice and cuddly when young, but they grow up.

My daughter-in- law owns a nursery, with a fair sized car park. Nice visitors to the pub up the road occasionally decide to park on her land. More than one has threatened her and been verbally abusive, when she has asked them to park elsewhere. This has resulted in them getting a swift encounter and chat from my eldest son, which has rapidly solved the problem. Now he is a very handy lad, but it should never have to come to that. I have advised them to hire a clamping firm. There are some cowboy firms about, but there are more ignorant parkers.

Welcome to the forum from all, especially those of us up "t'north west".

Neither inspires confidence. http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/nissa...02/?section=bad http://www.knackerednavara.co.uk/

Miroku MK 38.

I still await the photos from the original poster. Put up or shut up - the challenge is there. Where do these people come from?

sernv99 - nasty little turn of phrase you have there. It troubles me that you might actually own a shotgun, as opposed to making posts about a gun you may or may not have. Some photos might help - see the Landrover that never was thread. Sadly, I am still of the opinion that you are a schoolboy, with too much time on your hands, who has delusions of being somebody. Don't worry - it won't happen. Have a nice day.

He was selling it for the same as a Browning 525 sporter. Looked pretty good to me. I have shot one - impressed - shoots better than it looks. It might take a long time, but when the action wears loose - that's it. No tightening possible - as far as I am aware.

Bought a fair bit of Snap On and MAC tools in last few weeks - some new - some slightly used - ratchets, sockets, Torx, extensions, screwdrivers, hammers. Bought a top box and middle section yesterday, plus a MAC air chisel set. Looks almost unused, but one chisel missing.

Have no fear - Kent will come back at you with a researched answer.

It might be my memory, but didn't sernv99 indicate that only the very rich could afford an annual service and the repeated repairs. I feel so disadvantaged, by my lowly Miroku MK38 Grade 5, Winchester 23 and Beretta 682E Gold. Never mind, if I win on the lottery I will buy a very expensive gun, but not a Krieghoff.

Krieghoffs are an improved, direct copy of the old Remington 3200 - think more durable and better put together. That said, they cost an arm and a leg. I am totally unclear as to why the cost is so high. No problem - good luck to anyone who buys one - but occasionally you get the odd absolute **** who boasts about how much they cost and how only they could afford one. Example - read the first post in this thread.

I think they will be pleasantly surprised. Shame you are so far away. Good luck.

Hello and welcome. Where do you do your clay shooting?