Why do pekinese (sp?) dog's eyes keep falling off their sockets?

Yes. It happens in nature. Some dogs’ eyes FALL off their sockets, and hamsters DO drink their urine. Blame God, not me.

: I don’t think I would ever buy a purebred dog, there are
: just too many mutts that are looking for a good home. No
: offense meant to people who own purebreds, I just prefer
: the mutts.

I agree that the mutts need homes too. However, before I plunked down some serious dough on a Portuguese Water Dog puppy, I looked through every animal shelter in the metro area (about eight of them) once a week for two months. Lots of Lab mixes, Chow mixes, and Border Collie mixes, but no medium sized non-shedding dogs. The shelters say they rarely, if ever, get KBTs, SCWTs, PWDs, PONs, or standard Poodles, and if by chance they do, they’re gone the next day to a breed rescue group – whose waiting lists are already very long.

BTW, a Portuguese Water Dog may look like a Poodle, but they’re definitely not foo-foo dogs in the least. Today, Bailey ( http://www.cyburbia.org/bailey/bailey.jpg ) had the upper hand on a huge Doberman when they played off-leash at a local park. She takes on Pit Bulls, German Shepherds, and Rottweilers – but gets submissive when faced with a Cairn Terrier, Yorkie or Jack Russell. (Those little terriers are tough.) As far as eyes go, Portie eyes ( http://www.infive.com/resources/000June/BigRocky.jpg ) don’t pop out of their sockets, but they do secrete more glop than other breeds.

I cannot resist puppy dog’s eyes. They’re too damn cute. Pity I only have two.

Ah…she’s so cute!

Not ALL the dogs have this problem.
Do you want a dog? I suggest a collie. Like Lassie. They’re too dang smart. And there are the siberian huskies; cute, playful, never bark and very amiable.

As far as domestic dogs surviving in the wild, what about the urban jungle? I have seen many dogs without owners running around, occasionally in packs. They scavange for food. A quick smallish or medium sized short-haired dog would have the best chance of surviving in the city on its own.

Cities cannot be compared to jungles. In a REAL jungle, you have to fight for food; in a “city jungle” there’s food everywhere (trashcans, city dumps, etc). And there’s always some animal lover who feeds stray dogs and cats.

Where I live, there are dozens of stray cats in the street. Me and a neighbour take turns leaving food and water for em.