The Best Dog You've Ever Been Around

[Hostile]

I am seriously considering getting a dog after the day we had yesterday. As I have been looking at dogs in the classifieds and other places and thinking about what breed I would like to get it got me to thinking about a thread about the dogs you have been around that you really liked.

What made that dog special?

********

My brother-in-law is a magician in the Phoenix area. Several years ago a couple that he knew decided to go spend a couple of months in Europe and asked his family to care for their dog. They ended up deciding to stay there and the dog became part of the family.

He was a part Chow, part Husky mix that was all red and they called him Chewy, short for Chewbaca. I have never been around a dog like him ever and I have been around a few good ones.

He didn't jump on people. He didn't lick. He didn't bark at nothing. If he barked, there was a reason.

One time we had a party at his house and they were rebuilding the fence around the back yard. So the whole back yard was exposed to the driveway on the side of the house and therefore the street in front of the house. Chewy never left the property. He didn't need a chain or a fence. He stayed where he belonged. I never once saw him go inside their house and the back door was always open.

At the party we had 7 really small kids all playing in the yard. No adult watched those kids. Chewy did. If they started going towards the driveway he herded them back to the safe area.

One night my daughters and his wanted to sleep on the trampoline outside. This is in a rather large city mind you. The trampoline had a net around the outside. My brother-in-law assured us all that the kids would be safe with Chewy in the back yard. The kids got their sleeping bags on the trampoline and Chewy slept at the foot of the stairs that led to the one opening. No one could have touched those kids.

One other night I fell asleep in the hammock in the back yard. I woke up in the middle of the night and there was Chewy at the base of the hammock watching me.

He remembered people. I had a job to inspect in Phoenix one very early day so I called to stay at his house so I didn't have to drive so early. They left the back door unlocked for me. When I came in the back yard Chewy was on guard. I called his name, let him smell me, and he let me in. A magician friend of my brother-in-law's was not so lucky. Chewy did not know him and he cornered him in the kid's tree house. He called my brother-in-law on his cell phone and my brother-in-law told him to hold the phone down where Chewy could hear it. Over the phone he told Chewy it was okay and to stand down and the dog did. The next time that other magician came to the house Chewy knew him and let him in just like he did me.

About three years ago he got cancer and had to be put down. I still look for him every time I go to their house, hoping to see him.

He didn't do a lot of tricks, in fact just one. He would fetch a tennis ball, but then you had to catch him to get it back. He was just a great watch dog, that seemed to understand without being told.

[2233boys]

[viman96]

Boxer is an awesome breed and they have the intelligence and many of the qualities you mentioned.

It is very difficult to recommend a breed though without knowing what type of an owner you are willing to be.

[Ren]

The Jack Russell i had growing up, always lived in the city in an apartment so i could never have anything bigger. Full of energy and personality and thinks he's a lot bigger then he actually is, he was just a funny dog.

[tomson75]

My boxer/pitt mix is the best dog I've ever been around....and I've known some pretty damn cool dogs.

Anything mixed with a boxer is going to be a safe bet.

[cowboyeric8]

I had a border collie/mix with something else back home. She is amazing. Only barks when there are visitors and or a suspicious animal (usually snakes). And for animals her tone changes, she has warned us of a few rattle snakes, one of which was in our garage.

She is going on 16 years. Never had any type of check up or anything. Just an amazing dog.

[Hostile]

Originally Posted by cowboyeric8

I had a border collie/mix with something else back home. She is amazing. Only barks when there are visitors and or a suspicious animal (usually snakes). And for animals her tone changes, she has warned us of a few rattle snakes, one of which was in our garage.

She is going on 16 years. Never had any type of check up or anything. Just an amazing dog.

My oldest wants a border collie. I want a boxer.

[Meat-O-Rama]

Get a lab and your family will love you for it.

My best dog ever was Sam. He was a chocolate lab. He was a surprise present from my then girlfriend/now wife. I Literally met him at the same moment that Emmitt Smith took his first carry of the season to the house against the Giants. He was always there and asked for nothing but love and for me to kick, throw, toss or otherwise move an object to the other end of the yard for him to fetch. My wife always felt safe with Sam at home. He didn't bark unless someone was at the front gate. And then if you told him to stop, he would. I had to put him down this May. 16 long years and his arthritis was finally too much and the good days were far outnumbered by the bad. He was a trooper to the end and I sat and cried my eyes out while went peacefully into doggie heaven. I would never consider another breed.

[CowboyMike]

This is what you do...

You go to the animal shelter/humane society/non-profit rescue organization, and you walk through the dogs that have been taken in without a home.

Then you wait for the one that gives you "that look" and your gut tells you is the one.

And that's the best dog you'll ever have.

[arglebargle]

Boxers are not a bad choice, the breed's never been a fad dog, so they haven't been overbreed like some. Very good temperament. Somewhere I have a picture of me at three or four, asleep on the front sidewalk with my head cradled on Butchie, our Boxer. I was safe as could be with my personal canine guardian. I cannot recall ever meeting a bad Boxer.

I generally like to see the parents of the pup I am interested in, to get some idea of their possible nature. Still, the best Great Dane I had came from the pound. Never did understand how anyone could have let Hagar get away. Very smart, sociable dog, loved to play, but absolutely no protection beyond being impressive looking.

If you are looking for a strong protector, good with kids type breed, on the large side, you might want to look into Rhodesian Ridgebacks or Great Pyranees.

Check out the breed temperament, to get a background on whatever pup you are interested in. In mixed breeds it can show up in interesting ways: My Lab/Husky mix looked like a huge, solid black lab (110 lbs), but had a very husky temperament. Wouldn't go in the water at all unless other dogs were swimming first.

Border Collies are very smart, but my experiance with them is that they can get into lots of trouble....because they are smart. They do like to herd. I saw a friend's border collie trying very hard to herd grasshoppers one summer.

[Arch Stanton]

We had a Golden Retriever who was one of the kindest dogs you could ever meet. He was a real pleasure to be around.

We currently have a rescue Dalmation. He is one of the crankiest and funniest dogs you'll ever meet. He frustrates me sometimes, but then we don't know what he went through in his earlier life as a puppy. When I come in from work I get greeted with an amazing smile from him. It cracks me up. I never realized that a dog could smile. It's very rewarding to have a rescue dog. He's now 10, so I am hoping we can find the right place in the country when we move house in the next few months so he can enjoy the rest of his life around horses that he loves to be with.

[dreghorn2]

Originally Posted by CowboyMike

This is what you do...

You go to the animal shelter/humane society/non-profit rescue organization, and you walk through the dogs that have been taken in without a home.

Then you wait for the one that gives you "that look" and your gut tells you is the one.

And that's the best dog you'll ever have.

This is not a bad suggestion.

I have two dogs, both wonderful. A rescue pitbull and a purebred white German Shepherd (he's beautiful).

If you are looking for a protector and companion for kids and wife then a Shepherd would be a great choice. Intelligent, faithful, loyal to a tee, and if you get a male he will bond with your wife, be a constant companion to her, and follow her wherever she goes, mine never leaves her side.

They bark appropriately, with a very deep resonance, and as mentioned above are very easy to train because of how smart they are.

Great dogs, there is a reason they are the favorites of law enforcement and military personnel.

Juke is a licensed dog trainer maybe you can ask him for some advice.

I work shift work and the peace of mind i receive knowing my two dogs are there at my home each night is incredibly reassuring.

No matter what breed you choose, purebred or mixed, i think you will find the decision to get a dog an incredibly fulfilling one, and from the way you present yourself on this forum i am confident that you and your family will be excellent and responsible owners.

All the best with this experience.

[Sarge]

Originally Posted by CowboyMike

This is what you do...

You go to the animal shelter/humane society/non-profit rescue organization, and you walk through the dogs that have been taken in without a home.

Then you wait for the one that gives you "that look" and your gut tells you is the one.

And that's the best dog you'll ever have.

- save a life and make yours better all in one.

[CowboyStar88]

Hos although it is going to be to hot in AZ I would highly suggest a loyal smart husky I have had one for 11 years now and every day I am amazed at how smart and calm she is. She has the best demenor of any dog I have ever been around and she is a big hit with all the kids by our house. They just can't wait to see her every day shoot me a PM and ill get you some pics. The breeder I got her from breeds his dogs for the movies and racing in the idiron sp?

[diehard2294]

I have had a Golden retriever and she was awesome. When she passed it took us a while to jump back into getting a dog

and after my wife *****in saying no more dog hair! I decided to give in and get a small dog(after I said I would never own one) so I bought her and my daughter a morkie. She is 9 lbs of pure fun and love

My sister has a pit/boxer and I would steal her in a heart beat...best dog I have ever been around