How did you pick your breed or dog?

I  have always loved bull breeds and have owned them since 1982. Sasha, my previous dog, was a Lab/Boxer/Pit mix.  She was smart and my shadow. She and one of our cats were buddies until her dying day.

When she died, I wanted another bull breed, but wanted a purebred this time.  I spent a year and a half researching breeds and then bloodlines and  decided on a Rangler Am Staff. I then spent three months convincing Lynne I was right for one of her babies!

I like Am Staffs because they have  everything I need an a relatively compact package. They are scarily smart, tenacious and love kids. They are doers who don't always wait for direction; they often have the problem solved before one even knows there IS a problem! They are energetic, yet can lie at your feet for hours, snoring like small pigs and then jump to their feet, ready to roll at a moment's notice. Will we have another Am Staff? I suspect so!

As for Radar,  DH wanted a small dog as a second pack member--I was going to get another Am Staff! I mentioned I had a "project" dog at the shelter who had been abused. As soon as I said he was a Chi, DH's ears perked up and I thought, "This is a done deal". Will there be another Chi in our future?  I am not sure yet, but Radar is a very sweet little guy!

 My current dogs nearly literally fell into my lap. Bean was a babysitting job that failed, miserably, and Jewel was a weekend foster that never left.

 

Next puppy has been chosen, and is in the works. I have chosen a breed based first on appearance. I'm shallow. So shoot me. A dog HAS to be aesthetically pleasing, for me to choose it.  I like elegance and grace, in appearance.

 I have also strongly considered temperament, health, and longevity. I don't want a dog that's going to die at 5-7 years of age. I don't like heavy shedders. I don't have ANY desire, whatsoever, for another trainwreck of a dog, so I have chosen my breeder extremely carefully. The new puppy MUST be sound, all around. I'm very pleased with my choice, and it will be revealed in due time

I forgot to tell how Rex and Belle became part of our family. lol   Rex is from a shelter.  He was not what I thought I wanted but he's proved me wrong.  Belle was a stray that I found and turned into AC.  She had five days to be claimed before being euthed.  I most decidedly did not want a dog at that time but I couldn't get her eyes out of my head. I knew her chances of adoption were slim to none.  I rarely make emotional decisions about adopting dogs but my last two have been chosen by my heart and not my head. lol   Not what I normally recommend to people wanting to adopt but sometimes you just gotta go with your heart.

I'm not into any specific breed (I don't even know for sure what Max is) and I didn't pick him ... he picked me.  About a month before I got him I lost a dog that was coming up on 16 and on the day I got Max I went to the shelter to donate a bag of unopened senior dog food. He was doing the happy dog dance in the kennel there and licking my hand through the bars, so I took him outside in back for a few minutes, then came in and filled out the adoption application.  The shelter sent him off to a local vet for the *big snip* and I picked him up at the vets the following afternoon.  That was six years ago. 

Joyce

 Cheyanne I got 9 years ago. Long story short I was 15 wanting a dog badly and my friend's neighbor had a pup he didnt want so he was going to "take care of the problem" if no one took her. I took her home and was "looking" for her a home, so I told my Grandma but never did. She was mine! Lol. And here we are 9 years later.

Kujo I got for Samantha. Wanted a small dog and it was between the minpins in the paper or the chihuahuas. The Chihuahuas happened to be 5 minutes away from my house and here she is. Samantha loves Kujo. And Kujo uses Samantha. 

Fell in love with the Vizsla after getting Joker. Lost Joker in December to anitfreeze. I had contacted his breeder a few months before he had died and told her I was love to get a brother if she ever bred again. She did and the original people that she had lined up for Rueben fell through and he came to live with me.

I think I rushed into adopting Grady.  I saw a picture of a different dog, same rescue that I was interested in.  Someone else adopted him.  The rescue group said that they had another dog coming in on the same flight from Little Rock would I possibly be interested in him?  They TOLD me he was 40 pounds.  That was a weight that DH & I agreed on.  He wanted large toy size which is pretty funny since he's 6'6" and generally a big man.  I wanted a dog more in the 40 poundish range.  I saw his picture & general description & thought he was cute.  I went to get him at the airport.  He was so sweet & well mannered.  He turned out to be 50 pounds & more of a dog than I had bargainsed for but I adopted him & a promise had been made to him.  I realized now that his over all size didn't matter.  What mattered was his heart which was a good one & he was funny as all get out.  I needed laughter in my life & he provided it.  Still does.

Aspen was a house sitting job.  Yeah, I know many of you have heard this story so I'll try to give the short version.  I was not a toy dog person........until I met The Peanut..  He was so full of life & confidence I just loved him.  Word came to me that his owners had gotten 2 new Goldens over time & Aspen was NOT pleased with this new change.  I heard how he was spending his days in his crate & was being ignored.  I had to get him out of there.  Some of you may remember this.  Y'all gave me the confidence to talk to his former family & express my interest in him.  Thank you!  My little peanut has been with me through some very tough times and has made them easier to handle. He's my therapy dog.

Never have adopted a dog because of breed.  I am, honestly, more a small dog person at heart and my physical limitations mean I *gotta* do smaller dogs cos I can't pick a big one up.

Our dogs typically find us because they need US. 

Billy was actually *chosen* by Foxy the Mostie Sheltie (*sniff* RIP buddy).  We'd had another cocker previously (Muffin the Intrepid) and we did NOT want a cocker just cos ... "been there done that let's do something different".  But nope -- Foxy PICKED him and INSISTED on him ... his ears were already swelled shut and we figured we knew how to do the cocker ear ablation thing so .... ok.  (got his ears cleaned up -- which is funny - we thot he was deaf already!)

Luna -- I found her on PetFinder and something about this pathetic little scared doggie just got me.  We adopted her and I thot it was the biggest mistake of MY life.  It took Luna and I a LONG time to bond.  And the "hound" thing still makes me nuts.  That whine ... sheesh -- it can go right thru me!!  But she's an awesome therapy dog and I love her to pieces.  But we CHOSE to love her -- it didn't come easily there.

 Tink?  Go to my photos and see the ones of her just before we got her.  She had massive demodex and infections -- she was a neglect case that a friend of mine (an online friend) took and then she was SO sick they thot she wouldn't survive.  David and I flew to Texas to get her and drive her back to Florida (she was too sick to fly).

 common denominator is that usually there is a physical or behavioral problem that we're good at.

We spent three years researching breeds before we choose a Rottweiler.  A Rottweiler was our first choice anyway, but we had considered other breeds, we considered Bernese Mountain Dogs, Am. Bulldogs, Bullmastiffs, and En. Mastiffs.  All the others, we just found issues we didn't want to deal with though, and it all came back to a combination of looks, temperment, and health.  I honestly can't ever see not having a Rottweiler.  They are just the perfect dog (for us).  We also searched very hard to find the right breeder, who oddly enough, was the first breeder we met.  Her dogs were gorgeous, she was completely down to earth, and she raised her dogs with her two small children - their temperments HAD to be good. 

Sadie - well I absolutely LOVE her, but I can't say that I will ever have another beagle/hound mix, whatever she is.  She was our first dog, and we found her advertised in the paper.  We went to see her and fell in love with her sweet little beagle face.  She was from a nice farm, who had for whatever reason, bred their dogs.  I know - I know - I would never go this route again to get a puppy, but at least she came from a "good" backyard breeder - and I use the term "good" very very loosely here.  She was 16 weeks when we got her, raised in the house with the family and was up to date on her vet visits.  

Sioux chose me.  The last of her litter to be adopted, she was in a little pen at the shelter and when I took her out and plunked her on the ground, she ran into my lap and stayed there ever since.  Mike was smitten with her immediately, too.  I've never regretted that decision even for a millisecond - she is the most awesome of dogs.  Therapy dog extraordinaire, community ambassador, and friend...

Maska, well, he needed a hound savvy home, and he chose me, too.  I probably should never have adopted the big lugnut, but I have never regretted that decision either.  He is the consummate kid's therapy dog, was basically a service dog for Mike when they were still able to take their walks (he got Mike up from a fall more than once - the dog is 70 lbs., Mike was 250), and a great pillow for Red Sox games on TV;-)

I've always loved the herding breeds, and I've always wanted a red merle girl from working lines.  I chose Sequoyah because I wanted a dog from Pincie Creek lines, and I wanted agile, smart, affectionate, and athletic.  Got them all.  She just has one flaw and that is that, while she loves me and I love her, she picks and chooses her friends and rejects all others.  Of course, no one will ever get the silverware out of the house with her in here, so, especially since Mike died, she's not only my fun dog, she's my security guard.  An ancient and honorable task among Aussie farm dogs.

jennie_c_d

Next puppy has been chosen, and is in the works. I have chosen a breed based first on appearance. I'm shallow. So shoot me. A dog HAS to be aesthetically pleasing, for me to choose it.  I like elegance and grace, in appearance.

 I have also strongly considered temperament, health, and longevity. I don't want a dog that's going to die at 5-7 years of age. I don't like heavy shedders. I don't have ANY desire, whatsoever, for another trainwreck of a dog, so I have chosen my breeder extremely carefully. The new puppy MUST be sound, all around. I'm very pleased with my choice, and it will be revealed in due time

Oh, you must tell!  So cruel .  I wanna know.

I grew up with a black chihuahua, who was clever, affectionate, and fun.  When I saw Kya, she stole me back to that special girl I grew up with.  Don't be concerned, Kya is definitely her very own girl.  She's my heart dog.

I was long drawn to the look of the crested, and I did alot of research and met the breed when possible.  My mom got one of her own, and I fell in love with the breed.  Now, I have River and Chloe.  Wonderful little dogs.

 I've always owned Lab mixes of some sort or another.. When a "friend" said his dog was pregnant, I expressed in a puppy.  I said I wanted a black female, thinking cuz the mother is black and tan and the father was a pure black lab, I'd be able to pick the pup I wanted.. Well was I wrong!! Maze turned out to be the only black female!  Everything was wrong in getting her. We were in the middle of a move, she was too young (4 weeks), had no supplies, ect. But we made it work. Through h*ll and high water, I worked hard to over come behavior issues. It's thanks to her, I became a dog trainer. However!! I am done with lab mixes for a bit. LOL! After dealing with behavior issues in both my dogs, I'm ready for an easy, sound, well bred dog. Lol.

Sandy... Ah Sandy Sandy Sandy. The dog I didn't want.  I was in the market for a GSD. I had researched the breed, bugged Liesje to no end (lol), was on a GSD forum, picked and got approved by the breeder of my choice. Heck! I even had the down payment ready to sent out.... Then my training partner said if I was interested in a JRT... I said no but I'd take a look since the breeder wanted his dogs to go to sports homes.   Everything I had heard about the JRT as that they're pushy, big dogs in little bodies, very active and not for everyone.. Sandy was the complete opposite. Her brothers picked on her, beat her up. She was the smallest. I walked into the house and saw this little brown and white puppy hiding behind a corner, peering at me. But remember, I wanted a GSD, not some little dog with confidence issues... I sat on the floor, she came running around the corner and FLEW into my lap.. I knew then I couldn't leave her there so I set up a payment plan, called Alex and brought her home.  It took months to build Sandy's confidence but in the end, the hard work was worth it. She's my therapy dog, my agility partner, and the demo dog for puppy classes.   I'm happy with the decision I made that day. Oh I still want a GSD, but my landlord changed his mind about the breed so it's a good thing I didn't get the pup I wanted..

Misha's mother had 3 litters back to back, the first and last litters were the same pairing. (All accidental, the owners couldn't be bothered to spay her or keep her contained.) Papa had Misha's brother from the first litter, Mutt. Mutt was HUGE and playful, a little mouthy, but was gorgeous and had a great temperament. When she was about to have her last litter I started asking my parents if I could get a dog, and they ultimately said that "it was my mistake to make", so I went and looked at the puppies when they were 3 weeks old. For me, I wanted a dog like Mutt, who was orange with a perfect black mask, and only two of the puppies were tan. I sat on the ground and watched them play and played with them, and Misha crawled about halfway into my lap and fell asleep. I said that I wanted him, and no one else had claimed him, so he was mine. His tan sister (Lassie) was too aggressive, and ended up being kind of wild and rough, while Misha is very sensitive. I suppose I went to pick my puppy with a specific sort of look in mind, and a name already picked out, but I knew I was looking for personality and when I looked at the other puppies, he and Lassie were the only two I'd have considered anyway.

jennie_c_d

I'm very pleased with my choice, and it will be revealed in due time

So. Mean.

Frisby and I found each other when I was looking to add a second dog to the household. She was an adult, fully potty trained "pure mutt" but no one wanted her because she was an adult. I went back three times to visit, take her to the play yard, etc. She didn't know any commands and hadn't done any leash work, didn't know a name, etc, but she was a love at first sight and we knew she would come home with me!  (My English Springer Cecilia disagreed with the decision for 8 days--then, they became absolute best buddies. Friz really took care of Celilia when she was sick and dying.)

My Springer--I wanted a dog who loved to work and loved water, but I didn't want a dog as big as a lab (always had chocolate labs growing up), so I met and feel in love with the 12 week old Cecilia-a black and white springer. She was so easy to train and loved spending her last years by the ocean when I moved back up to New England.

 I am cruel, but it won't be long. Puppies are due in 3 weeks, and decisions will be made when they are 7-8 weeks. Just think, I've been waiting YEARS for this to happen! LOL You guys just have to wait a couple of months!