nice to meet you gus.what a pretty boy you are..

sunfrogger. you have some pretty fur babies too. sorry to hear about your golden passing . very beautiful dogs

Old English Sheepdogs! I've had 4 of them to date, have two right now but my old guy, Shag E. Bagafur, 15 1/2 years old, is going to the bridge very soon and Sis will be our only one. I can't say enough about how great this breed of dog is! Loyal, loving, great with kids, other dogs and cats, perfect! Well, not always, Shag has always loved to waste basket dive when he gets a chance! These last two were rescues and no different than the first two!

My favorite is a Kuvasz though I am not nearly dominant enough to parent one. I think they are drop-dead gorgeous. If I am going to end up looking like my dog, I want to look like a Kuvasz. However, my other favorite breed is Labrador Retriever (aka Labradorables). I now have two as they love companionship. My last three were rescues (I lost one to breast cancer; she had been used as a breeder before going to a shelter for euthanization). My Maddy is the smartest dog I've ever had. She does nothing wrong because she wants us to be happy. We can even leave her in the car (of course not on a hot day) with steak and she won't touch it. She has a large vocabulary and she also speaks to me. If I don't understand what she wants, I'll ask her to say it differently and she does (goes from barking, say, to whining). If she were to have a tattoo, it would read "born to play." She loves swimming, especially playing "Maddy in the middle" where she swims back and forth between two people who are tossing her pool toy. She is also fabulous with other people. Sadly, she has a huge tumor in her abdomen (inoperable) and bladder, so I don't know how much longer she will be on this side of the rainbow bridge. She survived cancer 3-1/2 years ago and it's back.

Shepherds are my favorite. They are such smart, loyal, and loving dogs. The down side being my female is too protective and another thing she does is she releases her anal glands if she gets scared! Thank goodness that happens not to often. I would post a picture of my three but don't know how to add them.

I have two miniature schnauzers and two mixed breeds. I have a white schnauzer and a salt and pepper. One is three years old and the other is nine months. They do like to be heard. They are very protective of home and family. My two mixed breeds are layed back and very loyal. They are easy going and I think just glad to have a home since I picked them up along the road nearly starved to death. They complete my home.

1. Basenjis
2. They have a mind of their own. Not why I chose this breed, but when they get wet, they smell like a wet wool blanket, not a dog. There is a very dedicated core group of breeders whose goal is to have the breed retain its original traits that allowed it to survive in Africa, and responsibly deal with the health issues in the breed
3. One has to be one step ahead of them at ALL times. Sometimes training them to do anything is a matter of convincing them to do that something is what they wanted to do in the first place
4. This was a pot WITH FLOWERS on my deck at one point

Boy, we did have a Basenji mix years ago, and she ruled the roost! Loved her, but they are a TAD stubborn. Our favorite now would be Border Collies. We have had two, and they are the smartest, most loyal, sensitive, intuitive dog - they'll do anything for you. However, I did read an article in a quilting magazine that a Border Collie would be one of the worst breeds to own if you are a quilter, because they need a job, or they'll find their own! True...

When i was raising kids i raised Boxers. Babies and puppies it was. When I lost my last girl i tried a few puppies people were giving away. None of them worked out.

Then I found a mini Schnauzer! Now there is Max, Fritz and that ArkanSaSS Lizzie. She is my rescue puppy.
All three are very different.

Max is an aristocrat, bed decorator, and cringes when he does something wrong. His job is to keep our laps warm.
Fritz, is my D_O_GEE. A hunter, quiet, my fishing dog and constant companion. He has been sick a couple of years now. Beating all odds of his cancer. I cherish every day he is still with me.
ArkaSaSS Lizzie is a rescue from Arkansas. She arrived to cheer us all up with the cancer diagnosis of Fritz. She has done that and more. her favorite is Max, but heads outside with Fritz to cheer his hunting on. She is head strong and bit barky for us. She is the one who needs to be constantly reminded of what 'no barking" means. She knows, but pushes the issue. It took her only a few months to tell the boys she is Alpha around here.

I love the breed. No shedding, those family members who have allergies are not bothered by these guys. they are loyal, loving, and protect too. Great with the grands too. they love people and I frequently refer to them as my "Walmart greeters". They travel well too.

the downside, grooming. Especially x3. they have hair and not animal fur so they need grooming as much as you or I. Now I trim in between my professional groomer.

My DH said, one more dog and everyone moves out. So I guess I am stuck with three!

I'm more of a cat person, but I did own a teacup chihuahua for 4 yrs. She weighed only 2 lbs. She never got completely house trained, couldn't whip her- you'd kill her! It was like having a newborn baby 24-7!!