What's your breed, and why?

bugslet

Person_one wrote: »

Yes they were, water retrievers. The smaller ones are basically the same too just bred for smaller size, they do really well at things like agility. It amazes me that so many people will fork out loads for a 'designer dog' with oodle or poo in the name but would never consider an actual poodle!

I've met a few poodles and they've all been great, I just don't get cross poo thing that is going on - just get a poodle!:o

Paradigm wrote: »

Dogue de Bordeauxs for 20+ years. I've always been a Mastiff lover but there's something unique about DDBs.

At my vets, there's sometimes a guy comes in with one of his DDBs, he has 8! and they are just great big daft loveable lumps.

When I was four, I decided I wanted a papillon and got one a year later, who lived till I was about 20, a year or so passed and along came Nerm to replace him and then in my early 30s, Billy who died two years ago. I'm contemplating another.... They are feisty little characters and very smart. They fall under the Spitz grouping and I've had four German Klein Spitz as well, two at the moment, one from a pup, one a rescue. There's an 11 year old girl looking for a retirement home....so her or a papillon...?

I also have loved mini schnauzers, the most affectionate of all the breeds, my first one died about 6 weeks ago and I have her half sister, Ruby age 9 still. I don't think I'll have another Schnauzer, jsut because Ruby is a real one off, she just could not be replaced.

Also have a bitzer, think mini lurcher, found on the streets of Liverpool in a shocking state. I toook her to the vets expecting them to say that the kindest thing etc....that was in Feb2004 and she's still going strong, age between 14-15 now.

I've also had a Border Collie as well in my early 20s - I'm not sure if it's a good or a bad thing to be outclassed by your dog, but I was!

MallyGirl

Malamutes for me. The cats have always been rescue moggies, but I would like a Maine Coone

*Robin*

Childhood friend; British Bulldog.
As an adult; Collies and Lurchers, then a rescue Husky came into our lives. Never had I met such a bright, empathetic dog. Soon a pack of four were as much members of the family as the kids.. Over the years we've been owned by seven altogether; the last survivor is nearly 16 now and a very much loved companion.

Quite a few other dogs have found sanctuary / a foster-place with us during the last three decades. Of those, breeds I would never again take on: Yorkie-type terriers [unpredictable; more bites than any other breed] and Weimaraner [just too greedy and thick - apologies to Weimi-lovers but when an example joined our pack he proved impossible to train / socialise to a trustworthy level - even for someone experienced with bolshy, individualistic Huskies!].

Faith177

Husky or Malamutes here I have one of each

I grew up with Boxers which are lovely but the husky just has such a personality that fits in with me perfectly.

My boy and girl bring me so much joy I couldn't imagine my home without them. I am already trying to persuade OH to let me get pup no 3 but he isn't sold for some reason

As for cats nearly all of mine are rescues i have tabbys, blacks, gingers and tuxedos at the moment. I do love black cats though especially as they will spend longer in a rescue center than any other type of cat

owlet

I have an 18 month old Shih Tzu & she is the love of my life.

Why? Well at the age of 50 two years ago I decided I really wanted a dog after seeing how many of my friends absolutely adored their fur babies & the enrichment they brought to their lives.

I spent a long time doing research because I have a couple of disabilities that affect mobility and cause high pain with chronic fatigue.. It would be no good to me or the dog to have a breed like a GSD that needed long walks & high maintenance. I had to be fair to myself and the dog.

I narrowed it down to a Shih tzu preferably or a Chihuahua. Then in December 2014 , a friend of mine had a litter of Shih Tzu pups - she had both mum and dad dogs. She sent me pics of the pups and as soon as I saw Rosie I knew instantly that she was my pup. The other pups were gorgeous too but this one was immediate & a very strong pull.

We brought her home at 10 weeks and haven't looked back. She is just amazing. Very intelligent , can be stubborn (but in such a cute way lol), trained with relative ease, doesn't shed, great with people (nervous of dogs), loves company, loves going out in the car. Just perfect all round.

She sleeps with me on the bed snuggled in to my legs. A walk of 30 to 40 minutes is enough and if I'm not well enough to walk her, she's not bothered - a ball in the garden & she's well happy. She can also sleep for England if she's in that mode & will come to bed with me in the afternoon if I need a sleep too lol.

She can be fussy with food but she now loves Lilly's Kitchen lamb (as long as there is some cooked chicken on the top) . Strangely she loves to snack on raw carrots & also adores strawberries - she goes into my stawberry beds and picks her own lol.

Just to add that she now has her pet passport and is coming on hols to France with us at the end of the month. I just can't consider kennels or anything & she is family so holidays get tailored to suit us all lol. Last year we went on holiday to Yorkshire because she didn't have a passport. First holiday in ten years not spent in France - because of a pup!!

Oops, I've been waffling - sorry. But suffice to say that I adore my girl and I think Shih Tzus are the most amazing breed!!

redmel1621

I have a Newfoundland pup. She is 16 weeks old and is absolutely amazing.

The fact that we found out how amazing Newfs are was completely by accident. 8 years a go we rehomed a big black dog that was being given away due to the owner's kid being allergic. That big lump turned out to be the MOST AMAZING dog you could ever wish for. He was a Newf x Lab and I have seriously never loved an animal so much. He had a bit of a rough start and had been a bit mistreated, then had gone to dogs trust, then to the previous owners, then to us... he was getting on for 2 years old when we took him in and he lived until he was 10 years old.

I had always been dead set against having a puppy, after having one 17 years ago and hating the puppy stage, but once our furry family passed away I didn't feel I could 'replace' him with another older dog, hence being drawn to puppies...

We didn't hang about...less than a week after he went, we drove a few hours to go collect our beautiful girl. I can't see me ever having any other breed EVER.

Pollycat

Somebody just round the corner from us has a Newfoundland !!!!!, she's brown - and the gentlest dog I've ever seen.

Fosterdog

A family near me have two newfies one brown one black and when they are being walked it looks like they are walking bears, add to that a neighbour of theirs with a Great Pyrenees when they all play together it's like a black, brown and polar bear all playing together. Lovely gentle giants, I just personally couldn't cope with the shedding, my two GSDs are bad enough and about the most I'm prepared to deal with when they are blowing their coats.

redmel1621

Fosterdog wrote: »

A family near me have two newfies one brown one black and when they are being walked it looks like they are walking bears, add to that a neighbour of theirs with a Great Pyrenees when they all play together it's like a black, brown and polar bear all playing together. Lovely gentle giants, I just personally couldn't cope with the shedding, my two GSDs are bad enough and about the most I'm prepared to deal with when they are blowing their coats.

I've read a few times that GSD's shed more then pretty much any other dog, even Newfs! Our very first dog 17/18 years ago was a long haired GSD.

I love the image of the polar bears playing together

Our Newf is all black, I would also love a landseer, but I want to make sure this one is well trained before getting another. They are so big and strong that a naughty one would be a complete handful!!

Fosterdog

redmel1621 wrote: »

I've read a few times that GSD's shed more then pretty much any other dog, even Newfs! Our very first dog 17/18 years ago was a long haired GSD.

I love the image of the polar bears playing together

Our Newf is all black, I would also love a landseer, but I want to make sure this one is well trained before getting another. They are so big and strong that a naughty one would be a complete handful!!

As long as they are brushed regularly (once or twice a week for my standard coat dogs) they just blow their coats a couple of times a year where I constantly have to vacuum and pull tufts out of them, they really don't shed that much. My in laws lab moults more, so did a lab cross I once fostered, the fur is shorter but a lot more of it seems to come out.

The worst I've seen for shedding are huskies, malamutes and a Saint Bernard, there may be worse ones but they are the worst I've personally come across.

I stayed with a friend once who has three malamutes and they were going through a moult at the time, she brushed them just before bed, vacuumed and swept all around and when we got up in the morning the dogs room looked like it had a blanket of snow, I couldn't believe just how much had come off them in one night.