why did you choose the breed you did?

[TribalRats]

We chose Rat Terriers after meeting with a few different breeders and their chosen breeds we wanted a small intelligent breed that could travel with us who was good with kids (when raised with them) who had a high prey drive, a hearty dog....the Rats just fit.

When we chose the Labs it was after after much research and consideration. We wanted a larger breed dog who was good with kids, SAR, and who was once again able to travel with us.

The dynamic of the Rat Terrier and the Labs is wonderful. That little 15lb Rattie runs my back yard.

[fancychicken]

I choose my Newfoundland Molly because I knew I wanted a giant breed. But because I didn't have much experience with dogs, I did TONS of research on temperament, personality and intelligence. Newfoundlands kept coming up over and over. The more I researched the more I fell inlove with those eyes. The minute I saw Molly for the first time..in person...she was 21lbs at 8 weeks old, I knew she was MY girl. She turned out to be the most fabulous dog.

Shamous, I chose because of where we live, out in the middle of no where. we needed a protector, AND a family member. That would enjoy running around the farm and going for hikes. and one that would play soccer with my husband. When I saw a shepard /lab mix in need of rescue...I thought..PERFECT!.

Daisy...well she was just so darn sweet and nice and polite and well behaved and She wanted OUT of the shelter. Plus she's a scrappy little thing and solid. So I knew she would be able to handle her own with the wildebeast...a.k.a Shamous, a.k.a. Tank. a.k.a. the Bed Barnacle....How could I resist.

[Ritz459]

All of our dog breeds have just fallen into our lap, really. We did no research on Labradors or anything....it just kinda happend. lol But the Lab breed is a VERY good dog for my family. My dad has the vision of, "All dogs (heck, animals) should be OUTSIDE in a barn." But yet he also tells me about neighbors he had when he was growing up who had a BEAUTIFUL collie, or wonderful GSD, or..... that was so loyal and loving and the most well trained dog he's ever seen.
Basically, he wanted a dog that was smart, loving, loyal, and could handle colder (are warmer) temperatures and would also protect our family if needed, yet still be friendly. My mom didn't really care (although she does prefer non shedding, quiet, small, trainable dogs; and yet, her favorite dog is a Saint Bernard!? Wha...? lol ), and all of us kids just wanted a dog to play with. My dad has a soft spot for GSD and Collies, so we were originally looking at pretrained GSDs, but then Blackie fell into our laps and into our hearts so we took him home...the rest is history.
We now have two Black Labs and one Lab mix, even though Sadie isn't permanent.
Blackie, however, is my perfect dog, even with his shedding and dog aggression. That just makes him more perfect to me because he isn't perfect. Does that make sense? I think ever other dog I'm going to get will be set up against his standards. He was my first dog and he is always going to hold that special place in my heart.
I think that is why I like Mastiffs so much. They are gentle giants who are loveable, yet protective. Trainable, yet dominant. As meek as a mouse and as fearce as a lion...just like my Blackie dog. Also Rotties, Pitties, and Bulldogs fall into that category. lol
But, when I have my own house, I'm going to get a Neo. *goes over with Cass to dream about slobbery giants*

I'll also always have a soft spot for Malamutes because of a neighbor's dog who was mine, although in no way are Mals my ideal dog. When we used to have Loupie, if somebody asked, "How many dogs do you have?" I'd tell them two and a half. lol I'd quickly explain that one of my dogs wasn't really mine, but I took care of her. Loupie was a sweet, smiley, licky, dog aggressive, prey driven old lady. Rest in Peace Loupie. Sorry you had to die on a chain without your family.