What Made You Choose Your Breed?

[haylz27]

Gorgeous dogs everyone! I love the funny stories that some of you include.

[furballs]

I was about 12 years old and visiting my grandfathers house (which is about 600km from where I lived). My cousin had a Rottweiler which would have been a couple of years old at the most. This dog played with me, jumping up but not actually putting any weight on me and I totally fell in love with it. I wanted one from that day

[Dame Aussie]

Lyndsay is getting the sister to my new boy......Holly and my girl Dusty are from the same breeder.

There are shows on most weekends at KCC Park in Cranbourne. If you checks the Dogs Victoria website you should be able to see a list of activities on each month.

I will be starting to show my new little man around mid-July, I hope.

ETA, here is my new little love. He will be coming home on the Queens Birthday weekend. His name is Isaak.

Oh My God Gayle....that is possibly the cutest thing I have ever seen

[Gayle.]

Oh My God Gayle....that is possibly the cutest thing I have ever seen

Isn't he just the most adorable little pumpkin? He is apparently a real sweetie. He will be here in a couple of weeks.

[Mas1981]

My friend had a lab when I was a teenager and she was a lovely friendly happy dog, I just loved her so i got myself a lab and I would not swop him for the world.

[kinsella]

I met my first Irish Wolfhound in 1983. He caught my eye with his size and stole my heart with his soul. The gentleness of this giant breed has to be seen to be understood. They know they are giants in a world of smaller, busier dogs. They can move through a room without moving the air. They look into your eyes and see the real you. They forgive the world for seeing them as freaks when they know they are dog size and everything else is - well, SMALL. They have the most whimsical sense of humour.

It took 12 years until I had the time and money to have my very own. I can live with one but need two. One on his own is out of place in this lilliput world but two stand together delighting in each other's company. While I breathe, I will have an Irish Wolfhound. They make me want to be a better person.

Edited May 29, 2010 by IW4ME

[Alyosha]

IW4ME that is amazingly moving.

I don't think I can even come close...

I love Borzoi. I wanted them since I was a kid and I met a big red and white male who was with his owner. I walked up to meet him and he ever so gently stood up, front feet on my shoulders and gazed down into my face. Then he calmly moved back to the ground and walked away. That was it for me, no other breed has ever been so lodged in my heart.

It took me 20 years to finally have my own, and they are more than I ever dreamed. More loyal and loving, more easy to live with, more devoted and gentle. And more mind numbingly beautiful. I have three, and could never be without them now.

Percy - you most definitely need one.

ETA - or two...

Edited May 29, 2010 by Alyosha

[kinsella]

Ah, Alyosha, those sighthound eyes will speak volumes. I saw Diva's lovely Borzois at Junee and while Jaz is a delight, I could steal Arwen. Oh those eyes!

[Beth.]

Lyndsay is getting the sister to my new boy......Holly and my girl Dusty are from the same breeder.

There are shows on most weekends at KCC Park in Cranbourne. If you checks the Dogs Victoria website you should be able to see a list of activities on each month.

I will be starting to show my new little man around mid-July, I hope.

ETA, here is my new little love. He will be coming home on the Queens Birthday weekend. His name is Isaak.

Oh My God Gayle....that is possibly the cutest thing I have ever seen

Gayle, you're making me want another Aussie puppy.... naught naughty!!! Although, I'm sure Lottie would love a little playmate.... I think i'll be on the hunt for a red merle next...

[Nik]

Pointers, for sure!

I cared for the father of one of my bitches, years ago, and absolutely fell in love with his loving nature, and willingness for cuddles.

Well, his next litter, one baby came home with me.

They are amazing. I love how at night, they have to sleep cuddled up next to me, they may as well use me as a pillow.

I love how happy they both are too see me, and how they get there hello cuddles and then do zoomies.

I love how they are smart, yet cheeky.

Not to mention, the happy look on their faces as they are running across the oval, those lips going everywhere. :rofl:

ETA: Would love to see some Aussies at Kepala one day?

Oi, don't you remember meeting my Annie there a few times???

Aussies are definitely the breed for me. I wanted a moderately energetic dog, not one that was a coiled spring, one that was super affectionate, very intelligent and able to come everywhere with us. Annie is all that and more. I can't wait to eventually add another Aussie or two to our family. .

[haylz27]

Lyndsay is getting the sister to my new boy......Holly and my girl Dusty are from the same breeder.

There are shows on most weekends at KCC Park in Cranbourne. If you checks the Dogs Victoria website you should be able to see a list of activities on each month.

I will be starting to show my new little man around mid-July, I hope.

ETA, here is my new little love. He will be coming home on the Queens Birthday weekend. His name is Isaak.

Oh My God Gayle....that is possibly the cutest thing I have ever seen

I second this. I can't wait til you finally get to bring him home!

[Ker]

Our dog (maltese X) was a foster dog that picked us. She decided my son (3yrs at the time) was HERS and well..I couldn't rehome her after that. MY son would have hated me forever.

During my fostering, I have fostered a lot of breeds that I normally wouldn't give much of a look at, and have found some amazing dogs. My first love as a foster was Mia, a kelpie. I adored her. So smart, so funny, so easy to train and desperate to please me and totally devoted to me. She was a hard rehome and she gave me a new appreciation for kelpies. Then there was a stumpy tailed cattle dog, Ashlee. So NOT my type of dog, but god I adored her, for all the same reasons as I adored Mia. Ashlee was extremely protective of me and my kids and knew the kids were above her. She NEVER challenged me and always did exactly as she was told. Those two are dogs I would never have picked as a dog to own, so it was amazing that I got to experience them.

My heart dog is a Finnish Lappie though. I first met them when one came barelling at me (12 week old pup) and threw herself on my lap. I'd never seen her before, never heard of them and I just fell in love with her looks. So I started researching. And researching, and researching.

I had a pretty strict list of what I needed in a dog. They have to be good with kids, good with cats, good with other dogs, able to be predominantly an inside dog, easy to train and cuddly. I also prefer long haired breeds. I wanted a dog that didn't want a stupid amount of exercise (like 2 hours a day), but wasn't a total couch potato either. After speaking to breeders of Lappies, they have ticked all my boxes. They are soooo pretty! I'm mad about Spitz breeds - I'd love a Mally, but know I am not a strong enough owner (mentally) to handle one. I went to the Autumn International show a month or so ago and saw a SA breeder with Lappies and Mals. We ha da LONG chat and he invited me up to meet them. Fantastic guy! I'm hoping he'll be at the Spitz breed show in Adelaide in a couple of weeks. I'm going to be there to have a nosy and a cuddle of his dogs.

I need to have a Lappie though. I'm hoping by another year at the latest, I will be in a position to own one, and that a breeder will trust me with one of their amazing puppies.

[pip1981]

I liked a lot of what I read about Sammies, but because my OH and I plan on eventually starting a human family, we focused on attributes that suited a family environment.

Samoyeds have a very long history of being considered part of their human family, even sleeping indoors specifically to keep the children/babies warm at night. This alone, could have sold them to me!

But, I also love that they are intelligent, fluffy and warm, affectionate, playful into old age, sociable and, well, absolutely gorgeous to look at!

[fainty_girl]

During my fostering, I have fostered a lot of breeds that I normally wouldn't give much of a look at, and have found some amazing dogs. My first love as a foster was Mia, a kelpie. I adored her. So smart, so funny, so easy to train and desperate to please me and totally devoted to me. She was a hard rehome and she gave me a new appreciation for kelpies. Then there was a stumpy tailed cattle dog, Ashlee. So NOT my type of dog, but god I adored her, for all the same reasons as I adored Mia. Ashlee was extremely protective of me and my kids and knew the kids were above her. She NEVER challenged me and always did exactly as she was told. Those two are dogs I would never have picked as a dog to own, so it was amazing that I got to experience them.

I love my kelpie X Tilly for the exact same reasons.

My stumpy tailed cattle dog X Jessie isn't really my type of dog - she is the opposite of Tilly in a lot of ways. The most challenging thing with Jessie is that she is a velcro dog with my mum.....Jessie is well behaved and quiet when my mum isn't home, but then when my mum is home it is like you've flicked a switch, she becomes really different (and not in a good way!). Jessie is very easy to train in other ways though...she can learn tricks really quickly.

[~*Shell*~]

Just look at them! Sibes are gorgeous (especially my sibe!)!

Shame about the shedding, the independence and their ability to make any human look like a complete and total idiot!

Seriously though, Sibes were the perfect breed for my circumstances when I got Z - I love that you have to think on your feet with them and think of new ways to deal with their quirks. When they cuddle, because it doesn't happen very often, it's really special and they're just so fun to be aorund. I think he has made me a better dog owner because he's not an easy or biddable dog. I really do have to think about ways to train him, keep him occupied and keep his brain active. He's a challenge!

Stunning pic!! I love sibes too.

He's pretty cute - that photo shows everything about him. He's calm but cheeky, very trainable when you know how to work with him (he was off leash and in a down stay in that photo) and conpletely gorgeous.

Sibes are the best

Much better than those evil beagles huh Bec?

[ophnbark]

Several years ago I did the Select-a-pet thingy and it came up with the three breeds they thought were most suitable for my circumstances at the time. After much research I decided that Schipperkes were the dog for me and went about the business of finding one. Eleven years on and we have nine of them and we love them. The only other breed that we would really like right now is a Norwegian Buhund but unfortunately there are none in Australia, maybe one day we'll import a couple.

[Miss B]

I don't know if I chose my breeds, I think they chose me

When I met my OH over 6 years ago, he had a beautiful male Sibe. I had never really had much to do with the breed prior to that (other than admiring them from afar!) but his boy won me over. He was also the start of my love for Spitz breeds in general. Eventually OH and I moved in together and after a couple of years, we added 2 more Sibes to the family.

Then one day I was browsing the internet and came across a photo of a beautiful small white dog with a fluffy coat and black eyes. Thus my love affair with the Japanese Spitz began. Despite the fact that we had no real intentions to get another dog, my boy Kyza joined us just under a year later. I now show 2 of these dynamic little Spitz and will be adding to the family later this year

[GardenofEden]

Aussie Shepherds are my breed!

What's not to love?

What initially drew me to the breed was the coat and the colours. I love that each Aussie can have such a range of marking.

What is going to keep me in the breed is their personalities. I love that they just adore being with you, they can be go go go all day with you if that's what you want to do but they love to curl up and snooze at your feet if you study all day. I love the fact they get along well with other dogs, teaching them news things is easy and the can be trusted off lead. I love the whole body wiggles that occur when they are happy.

That face is to die for What an absolute stunner! I also love the fact that their entire body wiggles everytime they wag their tail, lol. I also love their intelligence and willingness to please and they do indeed adore being with you whether you are on the move or simply vegging out.

Also love the golden retriever, amiable, affable, obedient, smart and beautiful with its long blonde flowing coat.

German shepherd for its undying devotion and intelligence.

Boxer for its sense of humour. Also adore japanese spitz and the cavalier.

[SparkyTansy]

I grew up with weimaraners - my mums first love... although introduced to having a dog a bit later in my childhood (7 years old). I embraced having a dog and fell in love with having them around all the time. I devoted myself to getting out books on dogs and such, drawing them etc.

I was around 8 when I got a book about dogs and opened the page up to an english setter puppy. I was instantly in love and to me they are the most beautiful dog in the world. As i got older and read more about them I was attracted by their gentlemanlike temperaments but also their fun loving nature.

We continued with weimaraners and we lost our last when I turned 18, after losing her daughter from cancer at an early age.

I got Spartan, my first English Setter when I was 19 and my life will never be without one...

In saying that, I succumbed to another Weimaraner 3 years ago!! I guess they will always have a place in my heart too.

[haylz27]

Bump.