What breed of canine do you own or would suggest owning?

[resister]

Go to the shelter and find a dog that has little chance of adoption and take him home.

It would probably be the best thing that could happen to both of you.

Yep, you and CS and I all agree. Save a dog from death row JimmyZ

[Dr. Who]

I'm looking to adopt or buy a dog. What breed to you own or suggest owning and why? I have a house and yard and plan on bringing the pup with me to my office so it doesn't mope around the house lonely during the workweek. I am seriously looking at French Bulldogs like these because I think ugly is cute and they look stout with a good disposition.

They are cute, and have great personalities but consider the fact that because they are actually the victims of dwarfism they are prone to a number of congenital conditions not the least of which is their inability to regulate temperature because of their flat faces. They also suffer more than most breeds from spinal conditions, cherry eye, narrowed nostrils and an elongated soft palate which can result in food and liquids entering the lungs. Also, they snore, very loudly.

From a health point of view, you are better off with a grateful mixed breed rescue. A french bulldog cross bred with another small breed would eliminate many of the health issues.

If you want a purebred animal, pick one that is not over bred. It is likely to have far fewer health issues.

[KathyS]

I am a huge Boxer fan and we currently have one we adopted from the local shelter when she was 11 months old. Although I love their sense of humor, loyalty, and trainability, they require lots of room to exercise and/or owner needs to be a jogger :-)
Believe it or not, the English Mastiff is a perfect breed to accompany you to work and they don't need a large yard. They are not energetic by nature, so they spend most of their adult life laying around, lol. The down side is their relatively short lifespan and several genetic faults that may, or may not manifest in the dog as it ages.
Good luck with your search and looking forward to photos of the dog you take home.

[jimmyz]

Thank you for your input all.

[waltky]

Dalmatians are good dogs...

... short-haired for those with allergies to long-haired dogs...

... energetic as pups till about 2 years old...

... good around kids...

... a little on the d u m b side though.

[resister]

Dalmatians are good dogs...

... short-haired for those with allergies to long-haired dogs...

... energetic as pups till about 2 years old...

... good around kids...

... a little on the d u m b side though.

The few I have been around were kinda mean.

[Standing Wolf]

A rescue pup is definitely the way to go, and mixed breeds tend to be real gems in terms of personality. My pit bull-shepherd mix is a really intelligent, loving, protective, silly dog, and I love her to pieces.

[Ethereal]

Why not get a doge?



Wow. Much refinement. Very loyal. Will befriend.

[Captain Obvious]

A rescue pup is definitely the way to go, and mixed breeds tend to be real gems in terms of personality. My pit bull-shepherd mix is a really intelligent, loving, protective, silly dog, and I love her to pieces.

George Carlin once said "life is a series of dogs".

I've had 4 dogs in my lifetime. A mixed pit bull when I was a kid (before they were viscous), Patches, my parents got him from the pound. Lots of stories, I'll spare you. Overlapping with a mutt that wandered on our porch one day, a... not sure what it was, small, peke maybe, really scrawny. Patches bit him once but otherwise tolerated him. Then another mutt that my parents dug up from somewhere, I moved out shortly afterwards. Not because of the dog but because I was ready to leave the den, I think I was 18.

Then a mutt we picked up from the pound as a puppy, my son wanted to name him Patches too, black lab mix (the other half was snuffleupugus I think, had this really weird hair). He died 2 years ago at 9 maybe, had a brain tumor. That was hard. I still have his ashes, we're going to wait until we're all together again, maybe next summer and do something with it. Probably the hardest part of life I had to endure with my family right now.

Anyway, thinking of getting another one and it will be a mutt again. I don't need a pedigree dog, I want a dog, family friend.

[resister]

George Carlin once said "life is a series of dogs".

I've had 4 dogs in my lifetime. A mixed pit bull when I was a kid (before they were viscous), Patches, my parents got him from the pound. Lots of stories, I'll spare you. Overlapping with a mutt that wandered on our porch one day, a... not sure what it was, small, peke maybe, really scrawny. Patches bit him once but otherwise tolerated him. Then another mutt that my parents dug up from somewhere, I moved out shortly afterwards. Not because of the dog but because I was ready to leave the den, I think I was 18.

Then a mutt we picked up from the pound as a puppy, my son wanted to name him Patches too, black lab mix (the other half was snuffleupugus I think, had this really weird hair). He died 2 years ago at 9 maybe, had a brain tumor. That was hard. I still have his ashes, we're going to wait until we're all together again, maybe next summer and do something with it. Probably the hardest part of life I had to endure with my family right now.

Anyway, thinking of getting another one and it will be a mutt again. I don't need a pedigree dog, I want a dog, family friend.

Go to the pound and find the best friend of your life!