Why did you get your dog/breed?

Toller_08

Active Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2006
Messages
8,359
Likes
1
Points
36
#2
I wanted something (medium sized and aesthetically pleasing to me) that would be versatile and up for anything I wanted to do. Be it watch TV and hangout, go on a hike, walk (in very busy) downtown, dabble in a million different sports, go play fetch in a field, learn tricks, etc. I wanted a happy, bubbly dog that could also be serious when warranted and one that was likely to be easy to take absolutely everywhere with me and be people/dog friendly. After unfortunately living with and owning more than my fair share of not very stable, take anywhere type dogs, I just wanted a nice, 'normal' dog.

The above dog is what I hoped for when I got Dance and did not end up getting. I love Dance, but she's been far from easy in many ways and those that know her now I don't think understand what she used to be like. She's still not normal haha. But at eight years old, is finally barely noticeable as the very weird younger dog she used to be in most situations. I knew I probably wouldn't get the above dog in the Dobermans, but I didn't choose to own Dobermans; that was a family decision, based mostly on a compromise between my Dad only liking Rottweilers and my mom not wanting another Rottweiler. Although Keira did fit my take anywhere, bombproof want. She was amazing that way. And then, when it was time to add Journey, I took a long time to decide on a breed because I was really worried I'd end up with another spooky, reactive, unfriendly dog. I still wasn't 100% sure that and Aussie would fit everything (pariticularly the people/dog friendly aspect), but thankfully in the end I ended up finding Journey and obviously couldn't be happier. I still don't feel that all Aussies fit 100% what I want in a dog and am grateful that Journey does, and I hope my new puppy will as well, but Journey's been a fantastic enough experience to convince me that I don't need any other breeds (or breeders) in my life at this point in time.
 

thehoundgirl

Active Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2004
Messages
2,353
Likes
0
Points
36
#3
Rudy was going to be brought to the shelter if we didn't take him and he was being abused by the little boy in the home so we took him.

Dixie just happened. She came into the shelter I was working at when she was 9 weeks old. We were looking for awhile (about a year) since our old dogs Rocky & Jenny passed away.. for another dog.

I just fell in love with her personality and just.. knew we had to adopt her. While I got attached to basically all the dogs there.. there was just something about her. She was full of love and light despite being abandoned on one of the coldest nights of the year in December. And she still is that has never changed and she will be 6 in October.

My parents fell in love with her too who said they didn't want another dog after Rocky & Jenny passed.. they knew she was perfect for us. And she is.

They are mutts, not a certain breed.. but we love both of them dearly.
 

Laurelin

I'm All Ears
Joined
Nov 2, 2006
Messages
30,963
Likes
3
Points
0
Age
37
Location
Oklahoma
#5
Summer- cause her breeder asked me if I wanted her.

Mia- Who knows? ;) Just kidding. I liked papillons and wanted a friend for Summer to help with her SA.

Hank- because I'm crazy and impulsive. But he was cute and seemed like fun at the shelter so I decided why not?
 

Southpaw

orange iguanas.
Joined
Jul 31, 2005
Messages
7,788
Likes
1
Points
38
Age
32
Location
Minnesota
#6
Familiarity really.

When we got our first boxer we didn't get her because we wanted a boxer. We went to look at tons of dogs and she just happened to be the one we brought home. But she is the reason we stuck with boxers and got Juno, and they are both the reason I will have more boxers in the future...

Same thing with Cajun basically. I don't know how my mom ended up with her 1st dobe, but she loved that dog and had always wanted another one since then.

Lucy was just impulsive. We certainly were not looking for a little poofy dog.
 

*blackrose

"I'm kupo for kupo nuts!"
Joined
May 11, 2010
Messages
7,065
Likes
3
Points
38
Age
33
Location
WI
#7
Short answer: I wanted a Labrador, but wanted something that was a bit more serious and protective. Enter Abrams, the Chesapeake Bay Retriever.

Longer answer:

I had wanted a Labrador since my childhood Lab passed away a few years prior. Due to finishing up my classes, changing apartments, inheriting two small dogs, work, yadda yadda yadda, the timing was never right. So I waited until after graduation to get a dog. At that time, Michael was set to leave for basic training end of July and I knew I wanted my puppy by the time he left, so I had from mid May to mid July to get a pup. Looked around at different breeders in different breeds, couldn't decide what I wanted. Was waffling between a smaller, more portable breed (small Lab, field Spaniel of some kind) or a larger, more protective dog since I was going to be living on my own while Michael was away and Cynder isn't much of a watchdog/deterrent. Ended up deciding the watchdog/protection factor was more important that portability. So looked at a few different breeds again (Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Rottweiler, American Bulldog) and decided I'd like a breed that was likely not going to be on any renter's BSL list and I really wanted another Retriever. So, Chesapeake Bay Retriever it was. Contacted a few breeders to see if anyone had any litters on the ground, one did and had a pup available, and voila: Abrams.
 
Joined
Jun 12, 2015
Messages
9
Likes
0
Points
0
#9
We had lost our family Rottweiler to lymphoma cancer. :( After a few months of grieving and pulling my family back together I was so ready to bring a new dog into our lives. I needed to have a dog around again!! I went to a small rescue to meet Cassie but also met her brother Cooper and fell in love with him too. Had to bring them both home with us and so glad we did!!
 

joce

Active Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2005
Messages
4,448
Likes
0
Points
36
Age
40
Location
Ohio
#10
I had been stuck on getting a rott. Not even sure why? I am a big dog person but wanted something that was not the love everyone and everyone approach like the labs I had. My moms friend was really into dobes and they convinced me to go dobe instead. She had some I loved and it wasn't hard.

We have also always had a herder to,cattle dog now and corgi in the past(which I am always semi thinking of another female corgi). I like having a drivey working go go go dog. Blitzs off switch breaks sometimes but when we are out all day with the horses or working on stuff outside the dobes always just want to lounge. Blitz wants to go. It works.
 

Paviche

Duuuuude.
Joined
Oct 5, 2009
Messages
1,297
Likes
0
Points
36
Location
Aurora, CO
#11
I got a Brittany because I had grown up with poodles and wanted something different. I wanted a medium-large dog, wash and wear (no poodle hair!), active, versatile, good for dabbling in sports, and affectionate/cuddly. Brittanys sounded like everything I wanted. This was 100% based on my research... I had never actually met a Brittany before.

As for why I got Rowan specifically: I had applied for a dog named Tanner at the Brittany rescue, but he had already found a home by the time my application was processed. They said hey, we have this other dog that might be a good fit, are you interested? I was bummed that Tanner was already gone, and this dog's bio didn't sound very interesting, but I said sure, why not, I'll meet him. His foster mom brought him over to my house and it was love at first sight. I knew immediately that he was meant to be mine, and he became Rowan.

Riff I got when I was looking to add a second dog. I wanted a herding type because I like the versatility (again), intelligence, biddability. I wanted another potential sport dog. I was looking for either a purebred or a herding breed mix. I found an Aussie/GSP mix on Craigslist and thought hey, I have a Brittany, GSPs are the same type of dog, mixed with a herding breed... alright, sure.

Firenze... I was trying to find a breed that would suit what I want (stable, even temperament, fairly trainable) that Rowan wouldn't hate (so had to be very good with other dogs, polite, not pushy.) I started reading about Silkens, thought they sounded like a potential match, found a local breeder, met her and her dogs and was immediately sold. I wasn't planning on getting one so soon, but he was the right puppy for my situation, so he came home with me. :)
 
Joined
Nov 17, 2012
Messages
540
Likes
1
Points
18
Location
Canada
#12
Because I went into her kennel at the shelter and she just climbed into my lap.

As for breed? I grew up with poodles but became a pit bull fan when I started learning about their plight when I was around 12, I think. At first I just wanted to help them because I thought they were misunderstood. Now, I appreciate the type's huge range. Plus the wash-and-wear coat and medium size are nice!
 
Joined
Jun 10, 2015
Messages
7
Likes
0
Points
1
#13
Kieber, the Doxie mix from hell, was unplanned. I was volunteering at the shelter and happened to walk by the puppy area and so this little puppy chasing his foot and growling all by himself (he scared the much larger puppies, he was/is that crazy). I just couldn't leave him there.

Mysti the Husky mix I'd known since she was brought to the shelter as a stray. No one adopted her and she sat for five months so I adopted her.
 

milos_mommy

Active Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2006
Messages
15,349
Likes
0
Points
36
#14
Well, I didn't REALLY choose the breed and definitely didn't choose the dog of my JRT...he was a gift from my parents. I was interested in JRTs because of their high energy and intelligence, they do fairly well in sports and are somewhat versatile (I was interested in obedience and rally-o, agility, and go-to-ground). I liked their feistiness and basically craziness. I liked (and still do) terriers.

My parents decided to buy me a puppy to "cheer me up" when I was diagnosed with depression. I guess they went into a pet store and were looking for any dog/breed I might be interested in. They had some JRT/shih tzu mixes, which was what they were going to buy, but my mom also decided to buy a wheaten terrier for herself (she wanted a low-shedding dog after our eskimo, and had met some wheatens via family friends and liked them), so they offered to throw in Milo (sold as a purebred) for free (since he was already 5 months old and so batsh*t crazy no one would take him).

Milo definitely didn't turn out as expected, but I still love the breed and would eagerly own another JRT - probably not until my kids are older.

Pit Bulls....I had always liked them a lot but also always thought I wanted a higher energy, more drivey, focused dog than the typical shelter pits around here. Then I got that higher energy dog and changed my mind :p Ok, not really. I learned more about pit bulls and BSL on Chaz, actually, and started working/volunteering to reverse it. When I moved, I knew I couldn't permanently have a dog, so decided to foster, since I wasn't certain about the future and wanted the ability to travel easily in between dogs, etc. I decided to foster a pit bull for a number of reasons:

1. I didn't really have a breed in mind, and they were widely available in city shelters.
2. I didn't care about DA/prey drive because it would be the only dog
3. I liked them a lot and probably would have picked one anyway, especially after bonding with a few in day care.
4. My first foster was pulled from death row an hour before his euth time. I'm sure there were other dogs there I could have taken, but the rescue picked him probably based on his easygoing temperament and adoptability. The second foster was pulled from death row (probably for the same reasons) temporarily by a woman who was 9 months pregnant and needed someone to take her before she gave birth, Tom got adopted, so I took the second dog the night he went home. I didn't apply for either of them, just got a call "this dog needs a foster" and said ok.

They didn't disappoint, and that's the breed I'd go for in the future, most likely.

Other breeds on my list (boxers, ridgebacks, neo mastiffs) came after meeting them through work/volunteering.
 

darkchild16

We are Home.
Joined
Oct 22, 2004
Messages
21,880
Likes
0
Points
36
Age
35
Location
Tallahassee Florida
#15
Krypto the GSD. We needed a large breed dog that was stable. We also needed a dog that would work and take his job serious then turn around and be Morgans best friend. Our trainer had a connection with an amazing breeder that works with a lot of service and therapy dog teams. The added bonus is I LOVE GSD and our son did too. For our pet dog we will be getting a sable from her.
 

Members online

No members online now.
Top