How did you realize your dog was a keeper?

Most of our dogs were pound/shelter dogs that we only took to foster xD

We took Rocky and a lab/basset mix from the pound with the intention to find them both homes.  At the time, I was 11 or so, and had a couple hundred saved for a show manchester.  Rocky stunk horribly from the kennel, so I asked if I could give him a bath, and my mom had to watch to make sure he didn't bite me xD  Thinking about that now makes me laugh, because I don't think Rocky would ever THINK about biting anyone for anything.  I fell in love with him and his silly dumbness and asked if I could keep him instead of getting my show dog. 

We were driving by the now no-kill (wasn't back then) shelter about 5 years ago so my mom and I decided to go in and see what they had.  Walking around, we didn't see anything that would make us take it home (we had two dogs already, after all!  again, funny to think about now) until the last row of dogs, where this scared dobie girl was sitting in the back of her cage.  My mom went up to the cage and she came up and pushed herself up against the front for petting, but everytime I moved close she'd bark at me hahah.  We work/ed with a doberman rescue in michigan so decided to take her to give to them, but I sat with her outside for most of the day talking to her, and there was no letting her go after that.  Now, almost 7 years old, she's still my best friend and heart dog.  I hate to see her getting older because I can't imagine living without her  

My sister went to the pound looking for a rescue dog for 4H, and (somehow) fell in love with this scrawny scared rat terrier.  She's a total spazz and I'm not sure I would have picked her, but it wasn't my choice xD

After I failed to work through Jade's fear aggression in public with both dogs and people and decided she wouldn't be suitable for 4H anymore, I wanted a dog I could show (Anna used Rocky while I used Jade, and after that we decided he was too old to keep doing it).  My mom talked to our 10 year old dobe Alex's breeder, and she said they were planning to breed a litter within the next month or so and if we wanted on the list, she'd put us there.  My mom agreed and so we were waiting, when we checked the pound website and saw a terribly skinny, ugly, TINY 6 month old female doberman.  My mom went in the morning to pick her up, and about 3 other people were there waiting for her, too, including Alex's breeder, the michigan rescue people, and another rescue group.  They had a lottery and we lost, but the other rescue group gave her to my mom anyway because she'd overheard her saying how her daughter wanted to train her for 4H and etc.  Also, that TINY (for her age as shown by her teeth) puppy turned into our largest dog, about an inch taller than Jade and 1.5-2 inches taller than Alex hahah.

So, they all came in one way or another and I didn't really choose any of them xD

Ahh this brings back so many memories.  My Dal chose me.  I was 7 at the time I had been doing odd jobs for my parents to "earn" as puppy for 2 years. Finally my mom decided I was ready to the responsibility.  I still remember the date July 9th 1994 There was a dog show in town.  My mom thought we just might be able to find a puppy there...I was hoping for a Dal puppy...what can I say it's in my blood my grandpa had several my mom showed her 3 for a while.  Up it was in my blood.  Well there was a breeder there she had two 12 week old pups and a 2 year old.  So I go in there run and sit down.  The 2 year old was all over me jumping, licking, nipping at me she was just being just a bit to wilded.  Well up comes this little boy pup he got in front of the 2 year old and started growling.  Which sent the 2 year old over to the other side of the run.  Patch as I named him then came and curled up on my lap and fell asleep.  I know then we were meant for each other.  My mom even tried to talk me out of getting him since he growled at the other dog, but I would hear none of it it was him or else.  We got him home and he loved our other dogs never had any problems with him.  I believe he knew just as much as I did that we were meant to be with each other.  I lost my wonderful boy Sep 27 2004 I miss him everyday.  I still cry when I think about my precious boy.   

Bevo walked through the door of our clinic on August 13, 2003.  I was up in the reception area visiting when he came in.  I was instantly envious becaus I was actively searching for a dobie, but after a 6 month search, I was just about ready to give up.  The owners checked in with the receptionist and informed her that they were here for euthanasia.  I walked out of the front absolutely livid!  I went to the back, spoke to my boss for all of about 5 seconds, and went back up front to try to claim my dog.  After speaking with these people, I learned that "Puppy" (yeah someone actually named him that) had some serious behavior/aggression problems, that they could simply not handle.  They turned "Puppy" over to me with a simple "Good Luck". 
 
There were many moments, in the beginning, that I asked myself, what have I done?  Then on December 23, 2003 at about 2 in the morning, a man tried to break into my house.  He broke out a glass window next to the front door, and reached in to unlock the door.  He did get the door open and was met by a 50 pound, 6 month old dobie pup who knew that he was not a welcomed visitor.  The man turned and tried to run, but he didn't make it very far.  Bevo tackled him from behind and held him on the ground, by the back of the guy's throat, until the police got there.  After all was said and done all I could think to myself was "Wow, he's a keeper"
 
Bevo is now obedience titled, and works as a therapy dog through the Delta Society.  I'm gratefull everyday that his previous owners couldn't handle him, as I am not sure how I ever lived without him.

Here's the first day I ever met Xerxes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4Ls5Gkrrww

I knew he was the one because he bit my nose and I bit his nose back and that was it. 

I knew Gaia was the one because from the day she got home, she has always acted like she and Xerxes belong together.

That was neat. He already knew he was your dog.
 

Yeah he did, and he keeps rubbing my nose in it all the time too![]

Sasha, my previous dog, was in a horrible place.  We answered and ad for Lab mix puppies--10.00.  We came to this house that had six grown dogs, ten puppies and a calf in the back yard.  There were also junk cars, an old washing machine and NO grass or dog/cow poop anywhere--the dogs had eaten all of it[:'(]. Sasha was the only puppy who came out with the adults to meet us.  She had plenty of confidence from day 1! The people were amazed that I wanted a bitch. I guess they must have been having a hard time getting rid of the girls. She was with us for one month shy of sixteen years.  She protected us with every fiber of her being from weird neighbors (she HATED one of them with a passion), anyone in uniform and pizza delivery people![]

Sasha went to the Bridge in September, 1998. I was dogless for a year and a half.  During this time, I researched Am Staff and Pit bloodlines and finally called the Responsible Dog Breeders of Oregon.  I had had a breast cancer scare and DH knew just how much another dog (this time a purebred girl I could show) would mean to me. I called Lynne in December, 1999.  Luckily for me, Belle, Gypsy's mom, had just come into season and Lynne was going to breed her (a rare thing--she only breeds a litter about every two years) that month. I spoke with her for forty five minutes the very first time we talked and she had me bring the entire family out to meet Belle and the other dogs  a few weeks later.  Gypsy was born February 21, 2000 and was the only pied bitch (EXACTLY what I had wanted!) in the litter. She was my dog the second day she was alive.  It was very funny because when Lynne posted the baby pictures on her kennel site, many people enquired about her--more than for the red littermates. She was the first one sold!

I first saw her in person two weeks after she was born.  We went back to Lynne's house to meet our girl.  Lynne put Belle in a crate and we got to meet the puppies.  She put Gypsy in my hand (she fit into my hand, which is one of the few small things on my body![]), I looked at her face and was HOOKED. Those little eyes stared at me and I was instantly in love.

I brought her home in late April and was besotted from day one.  My mother was visitng and was thrilled to be able to come with me to pick her up.  My mom, who isn't a dog person, was a little leery of me getting a  "Pit Bull".  However, after meeting Lynne and the little fat bundle of joy, she was won over.  Shge spent the week watching us become a team and has enjoyed my stories over the phone (she lives in Oklahoma, I live in Oregon) every time I call.

Gypsy has been a joy to be with and she loves my entire family without reservation. She takes her house guarding seriously, but, once someone is deemed a friend, she greets them wth tail whipping enthusiasm each time we see said person.  She is a true joy and, since her mother is now 13 and still going strong, I hope to have her around for many more years!

I think this one one of the best threads ever.  I knew I had the right dog for me the 2nd day I had Abbi, I had left for a few minutes to buy her a collar and when I came back she was jumping around happy to see me.  She spent the rest of the day following me around and everytime I sat down she rested her head in my lap.
One day I took her for a walk wearing brown work-out pants and a white t-shirt, evryone commented on how well matched we were.
 
My DH took a bit longer to fall in love with her, but now he can't walk into a store without buying her treats, yet he complains everytime I buy another toy (yes, she has more than she needs).

When I picked Shaq in July of 2002 I was excited to be getting a new puppy, but sad at the same time. I had lost my pyr Sampson in Feb, and was unsure if I was ready for a new dog yet. I was so bonded to Sampson, and it was hard to open my heart to a new dog. DH sensed that getting a new dog for me before we moved to the country (aka the boonies) would be the best thing for me, as I would be leaving my friends behind to move to the middle of no-where. We had discussed getting an saint, and had already chosen a breeder, but when the time came to pick a puppy I was still unsure. DH had called ahead, and arranged a time with the breeder for me to come out and pick a puppy.
 
When I arrived at the breeders I met Shaq's parents which I enjoyed, then it was time to see the puppies. Our breeder had 2 litters at the time, so there was lots of puppies to choose from. Seriously it took me hours. Shaq was from a very small litter, while the other litter was very large. All the puppies were very young (under 4 weeks) so it was double-hard to choose. They were all so little, and at that age did not have much for personalities. The puppies from the larger litter did not even have their eyes open yet. I went back and forth between several puppies, and looking back I realize my heart was just not in it. It was too soon for me to heal yet. I kept playing with the adults, but was just at a loss with the puppies.Finally after discussing with our breeder exactly what I was looking for in a dog, she basically selected Shaq for me. When Connie handed Shaq too me he gave me this little lick on the ear and I think my heart started to open again. Later as I was sitting in the kitchen looking over contracts, and looking at pictures of past litters, Shaq was sitting on my lap, and he was soooo tiny, but he struggled to sit up, and then leaned against my chest. I gave our breeder the deposite and told her I thought Shaq was the one, but would bring DH out with me in a few days so he could meet Shaq too.
 
When I got home I called DH at work to tell him about Shaq, and we agreed that when DH came home from work in a few days we would return to the breeders together to see Shaq, as well as look at the other puppies.
 
A week later when we returned to the breeders, Shaq was much bigger, and I have to say he bonded with DH from the first second. Shaq went crazy licking DH all over the face, and DH did not want to even look at the other puppies. Our breeder took pictures of us with Shaq, we told her what we would be naming him, and agreed on a date to pick Shaq up in a few weeks. I kept that picture of us with Shaq on my computer at work for the next several weeks and started to look forward to bringing Shaq home. In the meantime I was busy packing for our move, and making sure I had plenty of puppy supplies at the new house.
 
The evening we picked Shaq up was so exciting. DH's cousin (who also owns saints) was visiting from Georgia, and we had just finished dinner together. Afterwards we all went to the breeders house to pick Shaq up. I could not believe how much our little guy had grown! He sat on my lap and grunted all the way home and I started to fall in love. DH and his cousin dropped me off at our house, and went to pick up a few last minute supplies as we were moving the next morning. Our house was completly packed and moved already except for the last few boxes. I took  Shaq out in the backyard so he could potty, and even though it was getting dark and he had to be tired out and lonely, Shaq put his little butt up in the air and started to pounce and frolic around. That was the moment when Shaq melted my hard heart. Here was this little fluffy guy, and he wanted to play with me. It was hard because we were in Sampson's old yard and I still missed my big dog, but at that moment I was finally ready to love a new dog.
 
The next morning we woke up very early, loaded up our last belongings, and left for our move to the country. Shaq cried almost the entire way, but when we arrived at our new house, he layed down on my flip flops in the kitchen and slept all afternoon as I put our things away. Looking back, I realize that bringing a new puppy home the day before we moved was probably not the best plan, but I am so glad that I had Shaq with me those first few weeks after we moved. It was hard to say goodbye to my old friends and old job, but having this little puppy to be with and take care of everyday really helped me to adjust to our new life. DH and our breeder really did know what they were doing when they picked Shaq for me, it just took me a little longer to realize they were right.