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Springer spaniels, Brittany, dachshund. All were great dogs. The spaniels need to be able to what they were meant to do, so as we slow down, our dogs are smaller and slower.
Cocker spaniel. Yes.
Beagle. Yes.
Corgi. Yes.
Black lab/malemute mix. No; too big, dumb as a post. Should have been smart, but wasn't.
Toy poodle. No. Yappy, too small. BUT, great for allergic kids!
Pomeranian. No. Yappy.
Dachshund. Maybe. they are prone to back problems, though
We've had seven Aussies, two of them Mini Aussies on the large end of the Mini size range. Love Aussies. Adore Aussies. Smart, high energy breed with a sense of humor. But their temperaments are not always reliable even when the dogs have good lines behind them and have been well socialized. So we are switching to Icelandic Sheepdogs. But we will prolly always have at least one Mini Aussie in foster.
There have been lots of dogs, mutts, purebreds, great dogs all of them. German Shepherds are wonderful dogs, Toy Poodles, Labs, Cocker Spainel, Bichon, Rat Terrier, Wolf Hybrid, to name a few. There have always been a few dogs around, from the time my dad used to bring home mutts. When I did fostering, there were still more puppies and dogs coming and going.
Current dogs are two adorable tiny, bossy Yorkies, a Bouvier, Olde English Bulldog. They are all wonderful dogs. My Bulldog is extremely stubborn, more than any dog I've ever had. I would not recommend a Wolf Hybrid, they are not for everyone, and challenging to keep. Our Aussie/Dalmation/Jack Russell passed recently. Of all the dog breeds I've had, might rethink her. She attacked my little female Yorkie and cost thousands of dollars in after hours vet bills.
Some of the best dogs were found on the street, or like the starving puppy I picked up off the highway, grew into sweet, docile dogs. Buying from a breeder can be tricky, like the one who said a male Bouvier will be around 80 Pounds, he weighs in at close to 160. Flying dogs in from other states is stressful, like the same breeder who called and said the puppy was routed last minute, for a layover in Chicago, and arrived many hours after his scheduled flight.
It's probably best to get a dog locally, these days, a shelter or rescue would be the first place I'd look for a puppy.
I have two Great Danes now. I have had seven total starting when I was 16 and moved away from home. They are my love. I plan on having them as long as I live. Funny story: I volunteered at my local SPCA when I was 13, taking care of the homeless animals there. My mom had a small dog kennel at the time and raised Scottish Terriers and Cocker Spaniels. I hated the skittish, yappy things and couldn't understand why she liked them so much.
While I was at the SPCA, someone brought in two starving fawn Great Dane brothers. I fell in love with them right away. I knew I could make them better! I asked the shelter manager if I could take them and she told me I could have them free with my mom's permission because of my service at the shelter. After all, we had plenty of room for them with our kennel setup, big yard, and dog friendly house. I begged my mom to let me have the Danes. She told me no, they were too big; my love for Danes was just a phase and I would outgrow it. Three years later, when I moved away from home, I got my first Great Dane, a blue female. This "phase" has lasted 23 years so far
1. dachshund/beagle mix - sweet with people, super dog aggressive. I remember my mom trying every which way to train her and it was impossible, no way to get her to get along with dogs. We did get her when she was already 3/4 years old so some of her baggage as a rescue definitely came with her (she had a few homes before us that didn't stick)
2. husky/malamute mix - my dad's dog, intelligent, noble, but a Houdini dog!! he could get out of any tight spot. great dog though
Adult -
1. french bulldog - amazing dog, always off lead, well trained, highly intelligent, he really seemed like he was human to me in his expressions and intelligence.
2. lab - my dog now, pretty crazy, we also rescued her and the training has been a lot of work. she's got mild hip dysplasia which we're already dealing with, but besides that, i just love her!
Bought a keeshond mix puppy from outside a grocery store when I was 15. We had the same birthday. She was awesome. Wish I knew then what I know now about dogs. I'd do a lot of things differently with her.
Adopted a shelter dog that looked eerily like my keeshond mix, but had a polar-opposite personality. She was too smart and beautiful, and she was with us until September 2014.
Bought a lab/golden mix "accident" puppy from a neighbor. He came from excellent bloodlines -- both parents were papered, and mom had been a show dog -- but he was a mutt! He was regal looking, and huge, and a bit autistic I think. Lovely boy, but full of health issues.
Adopted a shelter dog whose breed we are about to have tested. Probably a cattle dog mixed with husky? She was so not right for us. It's taken time and tremendous effort and patience, but she's turning into a wonderful girl. She adores my husband.
Adopted a shelter dog who looks like a border collie mix, but breed testing tells us is mostly a lab/Australian shepherd mix. He's naughty and so awesome. Entirely food-motivated. So calm. Love him to pieces. Such a love bug.
Like most dog people, I can talk about my dogs all day!!
We had a pit bull/staffordshire X possibly lab female adopted at age 1 from a high kill shelter. She had been microchipped twice, so we were her third owners. She died of cancer at age 13 or so. Wonderful dog, we lost a family member when she died. She was brilliant, funny, exhuberant, gentle with and tolerant of kids, sensitive to all our family dynamics and moods, active and ready for any adventure, snuggly. The night we adopted her she woke up three times and licked us all over our faces with happiness. The first couple months she tore all of the stuffing out of our couch, completely ruining it, ate shoes, and chewed holes in our underwear. She was caught eating poop a few times...but we got through the puppy stage and behavioral stuff and fell madly in love with her. She had an awareness that was almost humanlike at times. She would sit on the couch and put her arm around her golden retriever buddy Piper, just like a human would. She would proudly sit on outdoor cafe chairs at our table just like a person, drinking cappucinos (she loved lattes and bowls of whip cream). She would herd our kids and gently but consistently guide other dogs away from our kids at the dog parks, in order to protect them. She made her body very low around little kids so they wouldn't feel threatened, and she let little young strangers pet and hug her. She learned tricks quickly. She would round up the bassett hound Jake if he got lost from our trail in the woods, and she would do this by challenging him to a game of chase (with the "chase" ending at our location, thus bringing Jake back to our location every time). She also did normal dog stuff that we found endlessly fascinating and adored. She caught popcorn in the air, chased balls and sticks, hated baths, loved to swim in lakes, made throaty noises that sounded like garbled words in an attempt to copy our speech, loved belly rubs, chased squirrels, love nibbled stuffed animals, begged for chicken, and hid from fireworks. God, we miss that dog.
Wonderful story about that baby, west seattle gal. She sounds like a very intelligent pup. Glad you guys enjoyed her and took such great care of her. I love the enthusiasm dogs show and how they're so eager to please. It's absolutely heartwarming.
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