French Bulldogs. These are dogs that i love but, would never want to own. They are also cuter when seen in groups. There is nothing cuter than a group of 5 French bulldogs fighting over a soccer ball. then they all cme running up to you snorting and huffing. really cute in a sorta alien way. Anyone else think so?
The intelligent, loyal, energetic, playful, obedient, and clever Jack Russell Terrier.
The enormous, slobbery, happy, loving and cuddly Rottweiler.
These are my favorite dogs. One of each, and I would be a happy man.
I agree with aenea that buying a dog from a breeder is practically a garuntee that the dog was raised in a safe and clean environment with the love it needed as it grew up, not to mention the companionship of it’s litter mates and/or other relatives. Speaking as the daughter of an Old English Sheepdog breeder, we want to put pet stores out of business! Usually breeders have some kind of a “guarantee” on their dogs so that you can return the dog to them if you don’t want them/ can no longer take care of them. This saves many dogs from being left on the street, but is not foolproof by any means.
I do love my OES, but I do like other breeds as well. I think that Australian Sheepherds are great, too. One thing I have to say about lots of breeds is that they shead all the time. OES don’t shead like that; they are like people that way, it only comes out a few hairs at a time. I agree that OES can be a high maintenence breed, but that’s why you keep them shaved down when they are finished showing 
The dogs are more comfortable in the heat that way and you can admire the shape of the dog without “going over” the dog as we say in show lingo. OES have great temperments and are great with all kinds of people including kids. They are not extremely intelligent, but they are very loving and can learn to be obiedient nonetheless.
All this powder used and not one person has mentioned Greyhounds as their favorites?!?!?!?
What better dog than one who can run 45 miles per hour and simply chooses to sit at home on the couch?
I mean our dogs are my totems. We lay around. If ordered we get off the couch and do something.
What more could anyone ask?
Jonathan, forgive us- we weren’t thinking!
AndYrAStar- no apologies necessary for the hijack, I loved hearing your story (you heard a bit of one of ours, about Tristan our 4 yr old Newf). Anyone can feel free to hijack with a dog story.
Ricepad- I too had a Dobie/Shepard mix, what a great dog! She was an abandoned runt, not expected to live much past 4 or 5. Well, she lived to be 12, she was smart, loving and relatively obedient. She had VERY minor health problems for a runt, and went quickly from a heart attack while digging in my mom’s flower beds. Yes, she dug a hole then fell into it. That’s my Taj!
Bull Mastiff - you can see a photo of Magnus with me on the SD People Page. He’s affectionate, funny, smart, loyal and tires quickly.
Beagle - I grew up with a Beagle and this dog had the funniest personality. She learned how to walk without jangling her tags so we couldn’t hear her going into the kitchen.
mutts - Shephard/Collie mix is one of the best mixes (I’ve noticed some others mentioned). Sensational dogs in temperment, looks and personality.
No vote yet for goldens? Man, in the burbs where I live, they won’t let you move in unless you have either an SUV or a golden, (maybe they’ll let you slip by with a lab.) Actually they’d prefer the vehicle AND the dog.
My old dog was a golden mix, and now I have a 3 year old golden.
I also love labs, but having to choose between the two I was biased by the fact that I have known several of both breeds, and a couple of the labs were pretty much pains in the ass, but none of the goldens have been. I readily acknowledge that certain if not all of the problems may have been attributable to the owners. Some of the labs I have known have been somewhat more, shall I say, destructive for a slightly longer period in the 1st 2 years than goldens I’ve known and heard about. I know, not scientific in any way, but had to make the decision somehow.
I have a friend who has a golden/lab cross - what a wonderful, beautiful dog. And maybe the cross might lessen the chances of dysplasia. Also, part of my choice may come down to plain aesthetics - I personally like the way goldens look slightly better than labs. (Note I said SLIGHTLY.) Can’t imagine going wrong with either choice. Now, to start a battle, if you say labs, is it chocolate, yellow, or black?
Both labs and goldens give affection on demand, and are extremely trainable. They respond very well to allowing even kids to exert dominance, pack-style, over them. My dogs have probably both been pretty miserable as watch dogs, if that is a concern of yours. I also love working the dogs, either by running or fetch. And I love swimming with the dogs.
One problem with both of these breeds is their size. IMO we lucked out - our current golden is only about 55 pounds - probably below the standard which I believe is around 65-70# for bitches. I consider it a much more manageable size than the 100# monsters some people like. I mean, my old dog ran 85# or so, and it was near impossible for my wife to bathe it. And just before we had to put him down he slipped down some stairs, and my wife was unable to pick him up. Also, people who aren’t thrilled with dogs will tolerate a 55# dog better than the best behaved 100 pounder.
Re Brittanies: I had one for a couple of years a while back. The size really appealed to me. Man, it was great bathing her in the slop sink. She was an incredibly impressive beast. Tho I don’t hunt, she pointed instinctively. Also, you could not wear her out. She would run all day! She was an awesome hunter, too. Often caught and ate mice, rabbits, even a possum once. (I got a little tired of hearing those bunnies scream during walks in the woods behind our house, tho.) Incredibly beautiful, as well. The problems were, tho she loved me when I was working her, she didn’t give a shit about me if I wasn’t. We’d be at home, watching t.v. or reading, and we’d realize the damn dog was in some completely different part of the house. Not exactly what you’d call affectionate. Hell, if that’s what I wanted, I’d get a g.d. cat! Also, she was an incredibly dominant bitch, and did not accept a subordinate position to my kids, who were quite young at the time. Accordingly, my kids did not develop tight feelings for her.
We gave her to a no kill shelter, and they told us she was taken by a farmer who hunts. (Either that or a Vietnamese family took her for a wok.) I could not imagine a better dog for such a person. But for a nonhunting suburbanite with a family desiring affection, my experience would keep me from recommending a Brittany.
Re Danes: one strike against them in my book would be the life expectancy. I have known some really cool danes in my life, but I remember one had a heart attack at 8, and am not sure any of them made it past 10. Also, you can’t ignore the food bill. Also, you will have people who are irrationally terrified of your dog simply because of it’s size, no matter how sweet you know it is. In college we shared a yard with a couple who had 2 danes, fawn bitch and a massive black male. My dog, Bowser, at 85#, used to run with other dogs, and smaller dogs would always be able to dodge and turn faster than he. It was funny how the tables turned when he was playing with these 2 pony sized beasts. He would run circles around them, and seeemed to realize that he was enjoying relative maneuverability like all the smaller dogs enjoyed against him.
(In case you didn’t get the message, I really like dogs.)
Dinsdale
Black, of course. Actually, the latest and greatest is Montana and she is a mix between Black and Chocolate parents. You can see kind of a chocolate hue when the sun catches her coat just right.
I agree on the hue choice, sledman. But I’ve often wondered:
Why chocolate, instead of brown?
Or why not butterscotch and licorice, stead of black and yeller?
Let’s have some consistency, man!
We have a border collie/lab mix from the pound who’s just too cool. She has the intelligence and looks of a border collie, but the laid-back attitude of a lab. She’s incredibly gentle and sweet. She’s a cuddler, a puddle-splasher, a rabbit-chaser, and loves to snuggle up on the couch with us and watch tv. She thinks my husband and I are sheep and tries to herd us so that we’re near each other. Once she accomplishes this, she wants to jump right in and kiss us both. She has webbed feet and has no fear of any body of water…she jumps right in and starts swimming. She loves other dogs (her best friend is a golden retriever) and makes herself shorter for kids (she sort of lowers herself to the ground and starts wagging her tail). She’s only 30 lbs, so she looks sort of like a miniature border collie. She doesn’t shed. She was housebroken within the first week we had her.
We just had her in to be spayed and the vet techs asked if they could have her. They said she was the best dog they’ve ever met.
I’m definitely giving my vote for this particular mix of breeds.
Dinsdale
I can suffer the inconsistency but it really rubs me when someone who owns a lab says they have a Golden Lab. This usually results in a rant as follows
What the hell are you talking about smores for brains. There is no such freakin’ thing as a Golden Lab. Yellow… can you say yellow…
Whoo… ok I’m back now.
As far as destructive, Montana inflicted far more damage on my Fiancee’s stuff than mine and miraculously that only lasted for about 4 months. Of course now at 5 years of age she seems to have discovered the garbage. One downfall to Labs, they are smart enough to know better and will flat out do things just to spite you at times.
Ever seen a lab smile?
Sledman:
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=12906&a=1304403
Here are several pictures of my baby, Ladybug (lab mix). She is smiling the famous lab smile in several of them.
Do you have pictures of yours somewhere?
One of my favorites is the Samoyed. Their striking white color really gets attention. And I really like the way their hair gets into everything: the carpet, the vents, my salad.
And they’re really particular about their bathroom habits. My Sammy never pooped in the backyard, just in someone else’s front yard.
They are wonderful doggies.
Someone earlier had mentioned about getting purebred Great Danes. Don’t forget to check your local Humane Society. 6 months ago, the HS in St Louis received 4 or 5 grey purebred Great Dane puppies. Of course, they were gone in no time.
Mike
Sled, maybe they are talking about Golden Retrivers. I have noticed a lot of people do that, an honest mistake.
Popokis5
No they meant yellow labs. Fools to the left of me, fools to the right of me……and here I am…
TroubleAgain
Cute dog. Labs have more personality than any other dog.
I regrettably have no pictures scanned in of my lab.
Tons of pictures, none of them scanned. I should do that as I have a friend with a scanner.
If your dog is a hunter I have a really cool story I could send you entitled Black Dogs. It is still cool if your dog isn’t used for hunting but it loses some of the meaning. Anyway, if you want it let me know.
I’d vote for the English Springer Spaniel-I just adopted a 14-month old male (Buddy) and he’s awesome. Really smart and loves people! My oly compaints:
-he wakes us up at 6 AM (needs his morning walk)
-he is a “mouthy” dog-meaning that he likes to grab your hands/arms etc, with his mouth. He doesn’t really bite, but exerts enough pressure to hurt.
Other than this, he is just great!
Hey what’s up here? No other Weimaraner owners? My 3-1/2 yr old Weimar - Floyd - is a good ol’ buddy. (Shhhhhh–secretly, he’s 1/4 German Shorthair, but he looks pure Weimar).
He’s bright and alert, smooth, silky and lean. He’s is nutty, obsessed, wacky about people–loves everybody, but I heard he put on a threatening show to a utility guy when I wasn’t at home once. He’s very graceful and can run like the wind. Also, very affectionate and sticks close to Bigfoodguy.
Loves playing a game we made up where I try to grab a paw and he tries to bite (mouth) my hand. It has rules that he follows: 1) No mouthing anything but hands. 2) No rough stuff or escalation 3) No getting mad or being a poor sport and 4) It’s immediately over when I say ‘OK’ and we have a little hug. I score if I get his paw first, he scores if he gets my hand first.
To me, Weimars are the ideal size and temperment and are just beautiful–especially after a bath, with coat shining. Finally, they are the cutest, heart-breaking, sweetest puppies you’ve ever seen. They grow FAST, though.
<dog owner talk>
At the bottom of my webpage are the best dogs in the world. Period.
</dog owner talk>
Seriously, I love retrievers (Kita and Kulta). And my spitz/cattle dog cross (Ursula). Their size posed no difficulties in a small apartment. They were quiet (most of my neighbors didn’t realize I had dogs) and easily trained. Travelling with them was also easy (Red Roof Inn accepts dogs at most places). Their love and devotion was a balm for my soul.
They were all free. They are gone now and I still miss them. When this field season is over, I’ll start looking for a golden pup.
Well, speaking as the daughter of a breeder of Old English Sheepdogs, I can say that most reputable breeders breed for just this purpose. Mostly breeders do not advertise in newspapers, but in American Kennel Club (AKC) publications, or in breed specific publications. If you want to buy your dog from a breeder, this is a good place to start. Also, contacting breeders at a dog show is a good idea. You can also search for breedres on the AKC website: http://www.akc.org/breeds/breederinfo/breeder_search.cfm
Hope this helps some of you out there to find dogs raised in better conditions.
Eskies!
American Eskimo Dogs are in the spitz family with Pomeranians, Siberian Huskies, and Alaskan Malamutes. Eskies are the size of a beagle, with a stubborn streak a mile wide but a big grin that’s even wider.
Ours is a mix, Eskie and traveling salesman. We got him at an animal shelter, where he’d been deposited with his 3 littermates by the person who found his pregnant mother on the side of the road and nursed her through whelping and weaning the pups. The mother must have been purebred because all of the pups but ours were within breed standards. Ours was one of the last 2 to go.