why did you choose the breed you did?

[sammy]

I took Sammy more in spite of the fact that he was a border collie. I had applied to adopt a 2 yr old Golden- was looking for a friendly dog that was good with people including small children, cats and who could be versatile enough to do some obedience, agility but basically would be a good family pet.
Sammy's foster Mom assured me that he was a low key, sweet, guy and didn't need as much exercise as a typical bc.
I'm glad I got him. I think I'm much more a herding dog person than anything else.
Then I got into dog sports and fell in love with aussies. They are truly my heart breed and I consider myself very lucky to have ended up with Rosie- a purebred aussie who came from rescue but has absolutely no rescue dog issues. I'll probably always have an aussie- at least as long as I am young and healthy enough to keep up with them

[ewarp]

Originally Posted by Sayuri

One day, after the same back and forth arguments, my dad said instead that if my sister and I could find a breed that fit our lifestyle, we could get a dog. I'm pretty sure he didn't think one existed.

Sayuri, that's exactly what happened with me! I was 12 years old and begging and my dad, in an effort to shut me up, told me that I could get a dog if I found one that met his requirements.

He insisted that any potential pooches must:

-be under 25 lbs, and over 15 lbs.
-have short hair.
-have upright ears.
-be 15 and 22 in inches.
-have a tail.
-be quiet.
-not shed.
-be intelligent.
-not smell.

I started doing all sorts of research- he finally agreed to basenjis and manchester terriers, though he did like the schipperkes as well (don't ask me why).

I compiled information from all sorts of sources, books, newspapers, magazines. I wish I had a copy of my final product- it was quite impressive for a 12 year old. I cited various sources and essentially wrote an 8 page paper detailing why each breed met each of his standards. He agreed, and then it was a matter of finding the dog. At that point, I didn't care which it was- whichever I found first was fine.

By some freak chance, I found the last basenji puppy of a litter listed in the paper. I called, talked the "breeder" (total BYB-er. I had no clue then.) down two hundred dollars, and handed the number and details to my dad.

By the time he called, the guy had sold the puppy, but she was returned a few days later and the guy called my dad back. They brought her home as a Christmas present for me.

Basenjis? Certainly not a great first-time dog. Certainly not a great choice for a family with 6 kids and a cat. Certainly not a great choice for a 12 year old to raise and handle. Definitely a handful.

But boy was it worth it!

[Jamila]

My kids chose me and Im glad they did!

[Winjammin]

We got married in May 2002, and by Christmas we had our first dog, Duchess. She was a perfect fit for us at the time, as we lived in an apartment, and were limited on space. I was recovering from two Achilles tendon ruptures, and Duchess proved to be a great “therapy dog” and daytime companion. (Duchess was all of 8 weeks old when we brought her home, and her “therapy” was to get us to take her outside, and then be a cuddle companion and chief ball thrower.)

In the meantime, we moved from Dallas, TX to Des Moines, IA, and bought a house. We decided the house was too quiet, and there was not enough hair on the furniture and floors, with only one dog harassing two daughters (HA HA!), so we started looking for a second.

Sherilyn had previously owned Samoyeds, and I had always wanted a big dog. Duchess was clamoring for a playmate that didn’t tire as easily as her humans. So, Christmas 2003 rolled around and Avalanche came to our family. When we got him, his breeder stated that if he turned out as nice as she thought he would, she wanted the right to show him, as she knew that we only wanted a pet. We agreed and would tag along to the dog shows as proud parents. After a few shows of being “just the parents”, we got the fever…..

We decided as a family (including Duchess and Avalanche), that if we were showing one dog we might as well show another. Much debate was made as to what breed of dog we wanted. I wanted a Newfoundland, but it is too big for the yard we have. Sherilyn toyed with the idea of another Samoyed. Duchess and Avalanche put forth their two cents for another Corgi and a Samoyed, respectively. We spoke with some of our friends, but eventually decided that we wanted a Corgi to show. Duchess can be really persuasive when she wants to be!!

We had several reasons for making this choice. Avalanche’s long double coat can be a challenge to groom, in the best of circumstances. Sherilyn's arthritis in her hands made it virtually impossible to keep up with the heavy show grooming. He is also incredibly stubborn and opinionated when he wants to be (after all, dogs are people too, right?!?). We knew from experience that although Duchess is also incredibly stubborn (as only another Corgi owner can imagine), and also has a double coat, they are about half the size of a Samoyed, and thus easier to move when needed (think dog goes one way, handler goes the other). They are also much easier to groom, or so we think, so far.

We spent many weeks and months doing our research, speaking to several wonderful Corgi owners/breeders, and debated on either a Cardigan or a Pembroke. We met a Cardigan named (now CH) PyneWoode Sophisticated Miss, “Sophie", at our first show in Vermillion, SD. Sherilyn fell in love with Sophie, but she was already spoken for. No matter how many other wonderful Corgis we saw at other shows, Sherilyn ultimately decided she wanted a Corgi just like Sophie. So, Christmas 2004, brought Ruby home to us from MN.

After showing Ruby for almost 3 months, we decided to think towards the future. The next logical step was to add to our little brood. We met Teddy of Camelot Corgis at a show and began a wonderful friendship. After many months of educating, lecturing, and answering all of our stupid questions (there ARE no stupid questions!!), she honored us by bestowing a marvelous puppy as our foundation stud (now Am/Int CH Camelot's Midnite Masquerade aka Phantom). The rest is, as they say, history in the making…….

We will never be without either Pembrokes or Cardigans in our house. Both breeds are extremely intelligent, fun-loving, lovable, loyal, stubborn, comical, and did I mention SMART?! (It's like trying to reason with a 5yr old!!) And.....they're like potato chips...you can never have just one!!

[rottielover]

My next rottweiler I will hope to show more. Harley hated the show circuit, so we opted for OB. In about a year, when I am more secure, I will be competing him in OB, or hope to do

[Novel]

My parents had always had dogs as I gerw up. When I was very very young my mom had a Great Dane mix, which I don't remember, and two Weimaraner mixes. I remember one of them, Moose, who was Chessie/Weim and he was my best friend since my birth. By the time I was 3, we had two more Weims, purebred this time, Heather and Fritz. By the time I was ten, my mother had raised multiple Weim litters. I was in love!!
My family was highly active and very outdoorsy. My father worked alot but always found time to hunt and provide guide service. The Weims could keep up with him no matter what he was hunting, and they loved to be with us. But, I know that all dogs are great, and the dogs you have as a kid always hold a special place in your heart.
Once I was out on my own I got a dog from the shelter (Lab/Springer). Sparky was insane, but I had no idea how to train him to be good. Then, Abby (Lab/Eskimo) appeared on my doorstep. Then, a friend put yet another Lab on my doorstep. I was 20, in college, with three dogs, five cats and a rabbit!! Yikes!
Well, my life kind of fell apart and lets fast forward to 2003. I had two cats and a new husband. He didn't mind the cats, but I wanted a dog. He was open to having a dog, but was hesitant. Knowing that I would love any dog, I let him decide upon the breed. We knew we wanted a purebred, but were open to rescue. My husband researched for about 6 months before he narrowed his choices down to 5 breeds. He wanted an active dog (he is extrememly active) that also wanted to be a close companion. He also wanted short hair(little grooming and little shedding), and large in stature. He wanted the dog to be intelligent, but still be very obedient.
He really enjoyed the looks of the Weimaraner, the Doberman and the Pharoah Hound. I was thrilled with his final choices. We did look into the Pharoah Hound, but we weren't all that educated about buying a purebred dog, and we couldn't find a rescue, although we didn't look all that hard.
So, we tried a Weim. A family was giving up their 10 week old Weim in South Dakota, and the rest is history!

[pitbulliest]

I didn't choose my breed..my breed chose me...my dad picked up my APBT from a truck stop..some hitchikers couldn't keep her anymore because of the travelling and the costs...

He brought her home..we didn't even know what a pit bull was...didn't have any experience with the breed..no research...only started doing that after we brought her home..and I'm glad she's a part of her family...I'm officially addicted to pit bulls.. a total fanatic..I now understand why they are so wonderful.

Of course, I can't forget about my Chihuahua...I was a small kid when I got him..unfortunately, my parents didn't know about puppymills..we're immigrants and there's no such thing in Poland...
so we bought our dog from the pet store..I know..its terrible..but we do love him so...and I'm glad now my entire family is educated on the reality of pet stores and puppy mills..in return, we try to educate others and encourage people to boycott stores that sell live animals, especially dogs and cats.

[Sayuri]

Basenjis? Certainly not a great first-time dog

That's hilarious, Ellen! As it turns out, Basenjis were our other option. We settled on Shibas after scoping out breeders and finding that there weren't many Basenji breeders to choose from - total different story today. I see senjis everywhere in my area now!

Shibas are the same deal - NOT a first time dog; but we went in prepared and new exactly how to handle it, and they've been a blessing to our lives ever since.

[roman]

why did i choose the breeds i chose?

it still remains a mystery to me

[Swiftwind]

I didn't choose my breeds either.

I have one mix breed dog, Harley (JRT x Maltese (?)), who came from a small rescue place. Abby (Chihuahua) came from a pet shop when I was about 12 years old. We didn't know the negatives of petshops when we got her, but she's been one of the sweetest dogs I've ever met, so in that respect I don't regret getting her (actually, it was my mum's choice). Now, if I was to get another dog I would either buy one from a resuce or a breeder. I also had another dog (Kelpie & Rottweiler) who was from the RSPCA. It's such a shame that around here people think (and I was once one of them) that the only place you can buy a dog is from a petshop or pound - I guess that's what living in a big city does to people.

[Sugardog]

The breed that my heart lays with is the Border Collie. I don't own one though, but hopefully will someday. I love their drive and energy. Aussies also.

Currently I have a whippet/miniature pinscher mix who was rescued from my abusive neighbors. She's an absolute doll.

My German shepherd/Akita mix did belong to my father but he couldn't handle the strong willed, dominant Akita side of her. He had her through puppyhood and used alot of old school methods and basically force and domination to get her to do what she wanted. So I "inherited" her and retrained and rehabilitated her using clicker training.

Then my purebred GSD I got from a breeder. I live in an area with very high crime ratings and alot of drug dealing and gangs so a German shepherd was the best dog for me. I originally bought her with the intention of showing, but decided later that it's not something I want to do. So she'll be spayed soon and stay a pampered pet.

She is my first and will be my last breeder bought purebred. It's shelter dogs all the way for me, or dogs from breed rescues.

[Agile PAWZ]

I have BC's and an Aussie:

I fell in love with Border Collies while living in London. I was stationed there with the Navy and the BBC was kind enough to air sheepdog trials - which I had never seen- and the show "A man and his Dog". Very civilized programing if you ask me. I watched the shows advidly read everything I could about the breed. My SO at the time bought me a puppy that was bc mixed with possible Belgian Shepherd we'll never know. He was a great dog and I was hooked on the herding breed. I love their intensity, drive, bidability, silliness, intelligence and drive. Their go go go mind set and their ability to settle when needed.

Aussies I sorta fell into when looking for my second agility partner I wanted another bc, couldnt find what I was looking for ...of course not I was looking for a clone of my 1st bc. Turned to Aussies, because I wanted to stay within the herding breed researched the breed, and went hunting. Riley came to me out of Minnesota as breeder "overstock" at 7 mos. I love his independence, his wiggle, his sense of humor, his drive and his presenting me with a shoe everytime I come in the door.

Wouldnt trade either Ashe or Meg my bc's or Riley my aussie-pup for any other breed. For me there is nothing better than a herding dog. I will be adding a new member to the family as my new agility partner as Ashe is 13 and retired, and Riley 7.5, Meg is my daughters partner and is only 6. So I will be looking for a new bc next spring already have feelers out in rescue for the right one.

[eagle12167]

I didn't choose the breed that I have. they chose to be with me. I have four APBT's and I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world.

[deebee23322]

I have two dogs...a rat terrier and a rottweiler. I had a rat terrier when I was a teenager and loved him to death. When I saw there was a breeder locally, I got her when my kids were young and 13 1/2years later, she's still with us. Three years ago, I added our rottweiler to the family. I was dating a man at the time that had one...only to have an ex-girlfriend give it away while he was out of town. The story broke my heart and I knew he wanted another one despirately. I found a breeder and bought him one for Christmas. By Valentines Day, he was cheating on me and leaving the dog crated for hours on end. He lived with his sister and her husband, and she wasn't happy with having the dog there...so.......while he was out screwing around with his new flame.....I went to his sister's house and asked for all my possesions back and for the dog since he obviously didn't care enough to come back to the house days on end to check on her. Thank God I did this!!! The poor dog probably wouldn't be alive today or would have ended up in someone elses house. She has been a total joy and I have never regretted having her at all.

[PawNclaws]

Well I chose Labradors because I fell in love ! My parents got me a Ylw Lab when I was a baby, I don't remember him to well though. When I was about 9 my parents adopted a young adult Lab mix, named Bear. He was a great dog, very obedient , smart and a great companion(very loving). He got along with every one and every one got along with him, I guess my first look into labs.(skipping ahead some years here)>> When we moved to Co. in 2002 we got Dixie, she is the spark I guess I should say.She is every thing a Lab is when it comes to their temperament ! . We then moved from Co to Idaho where we call home. We are hooked on Labs(thus the reason for my parents have 4 and my having Beau). I know It's a short story but we just fell for Labs and now I'll always have one. They are wonderful, energetic, sweet , intelligent, & great companions when matched with the right people !