There isn’t any way this could not be fun :).
When I used to live in Virginia Beach, there was a group of folks with Bassett Hounds that got together a couple times a year for picnics. So many ears to scratch, so little time …
Thank you! She’s faded to more of an apricot color now but her ears still have the darker red shades. If you want to see the mpg smaller you could save it off to disk then open it with Windows media player.
I know we’re getting off topic but mastiffs are great dogs.
My dad bought his first mastiff when he was 29 years old, to this very day (he’s 80 years old now) he still keeps a mastiff, and it’s descended directly from the one he bought 50+ years ago.
Of course a mastiff isn’t exactly a “small dog” like you’re looking for though, the old saying goes, “Comparing a dog to a mastiff is like comparing a house cat to a lion.”
They are huge but very friendly dogs. None of the ones my dad ever owned slobbered much at all (only when they were hungry or eating) but I’ve seen ones that do so profusely.
It can be sad owning a mastiff though. While most of the ones my dad owned lived a little over 10 years, the average life span is shorter than for most dogs. And he had two die at a very young age (under 4 years) due to medical problems(bloat). In fact my saddest memory of my earlier childhood is when we lost one of the mastiffs to bloat, it was so sad because she went from being a cute little puppy to being a big dog but then was struck down well before her prime.
The biggest one we had was Patton IV, who weighed 215 lbs. or so. Of course a bullmastiff is smaller and I don’t have much experience with them.
Amazingly the mastiff actually doesn’t need as much room as one might think. But they still definitely need a yard and they need regular exercise to keep fit. A mastiff is very much a family dog, tying them out back or leaving them in a dog house certainly does not maximize their happiness. They are very prone to becoming lap dogs so you have to decide at a very young age if you’re going to allow it (because it’s unfair to allow them to get up on the couch when they are tiny and only weigh 10 pounds but disallow it when they get up to 150+.)
Also, as a lifetime dog owner I can tell you that a well trained dog does not chew things in the house. I’ve never had a dog that consistently chews up household items. Puppies will invariably chew so you need to provide them with chew toys and train them not to chew on household objects.
A dog is an extremely intelligent animal, some recent tests I read about on CNN reveal that canines are actually smarter than we ever believed, and they were put very high on the mammalian intellectual hierarchy.
Dogs are also all naturally curious and prone to investigating things. That’s why an untrained dog becomes an extremely big problem, they’ll dig, tear things up, run away et cetera. A cat is happy with a fairly sedentary life. They’ll sometimes probably dream of getting bigger and eating their owners (something I think my cat would probably do if he was big enough), hunting the occasional micey intruder, and playing with string while they lay on their backs.
Dogs are pack animals and need a lot more attention and discipline than cats. Like their wild relatives a dog has a natural desire to move up in the pack. As long as the dog realizes from a young age he is not going to be the alpha (that’s you) male he will be very well behaved, and I say alpha here and “he” but bitches exhibit this type of pack behavior as well (just not as much necessarily.)
But that’s why you cannot allow a dog to grow up undisciplined, they will think of you as their inferiors and be quite unmanageable. For a first time dog owner I might recommend you buy some training videos, a choke collar, and/or obedience school lessons.
I think emotionally I get more from a dog that any other animal (and I’m a huge softie for animals, and a huge animal lover, and have owned virtually every type of domestic pet you can imagine) but they tend to be more work than virtually any other animal if you want to raise them right.
A puppy is probably the biggest household commitment you will have ever had unless you have kids. Puppies are also cuter than human children ;).
As for dog smell, I’ve never had much problem with it. My dad always taught me to bathe the dogs regularily and I’ve found that keeps the smell out. Avoid having a dog that spends lots of time roaming outside by itself (only really applies to people living in a rural area) because that’s how they tend to pick up a lot of smells.
Dogs will bathe themselves in the short term, but a dog needs a bath probably once every 1.5-2 weeks, and most of them need some form of grooming.
Max Torque , that is one adorable pug!!
I live just outside of Columbus . . . you can come play with my Chihuahuas!!! 
Ain’t she, though? She has one of the best thumbprints I’ve ever seen.
The thumbprint is the dark spot on the center of their forehead. Jaz’s is very dark and distinct. Even the pugs I’ve seen on dog shows usually don’t have one that good.
Did someone say Bostons?!
I have two and here is my 2 cents:
a) I would advise an older Boston. This way you know their personality. They will be older and more likely more mellow. The only catch is to get one that likes cats.
b) the negative to adopting is that you have no idea of their breeding.
I have one of each. My boy was from a breeder and the girl from a rescue.
Dngle, the boy, is as healthy as an ox. Never have had a single health issue.
Georgie, the girl, get allergies hard core. I hear allergies are a more female thing, though.
Dongle, when people are around, is a total spazz. A complete hyper spazz. Georgie yips to let me know people are there, but then goes immediately on her back for belly rubs.
One thing though, they don’t need a lot of exercise at all. During the day all the do is sleep, sleep and sleep. I’m home during the day so this is a fact! Even when walking them, neither cares much for long walks.Dongle will go for a short while, but Georgie will drop on her back,refusing to walk, after a block or two.
I have a cat and they all get along well. D&G like to chase her sometimes, but I see that she likes to tease them, too.
Boston’s nickname is “American gentleman” and they do live up to that. They are huge into family and love being with you. Sharp words will depress them and even make them cry (I swear I am not lying!).
Most people I know have more than one, so beware!
I don’t know if anyone wanted pictures, but here are two pictures of Cherry. They were taken this past August when my family and I went some park.
Well, I found these, so here are two pictures of Cherry. They were taken last August at this park my family and I went to. Enjoy. 
Erm…what the hell happened with my computer?? Argh, stupid Internet. This is the second time this has happened to me!!
Mods??
::Insert embarrassed smiley here::
Awwwwwwwwww… she’s cute, dare_devil !
She says, “Thank you” in Korean-Dog speak. 