Just thought it would be interesting to find out why people picked the breed/breeds they own ? Was it through knowing someone with that breed or research in books, etc ?
Is there anything about the breed that you wish you had known before you got your new edition ? Would you have the same breed again or not ? and if not why ?

I'm so nosey :-)

I always wanted a Labrador. Went to a Puppy Farm (that is why I am so against them now), no Labradors available but there was this Golden Retriever that just looked so pathetic. Had some health problems with her and aggression problems but still loved her very much and felt that I had to have another once she was gone. Did my homework next time and have never looked back.

saw a newf jumping out of a helicopther on you tube and thought thats the dog for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
now i have three of the little beggers and would not have any other breed now.

Hubby and i wanted a dog.....I really wanted a Dobermann, but had little dog experience other then dogs that i grew up with. SO we decided a Lab fitted the bill :)... We very naively bought one from a local paper, not health tested, to be honest looking back we didn't have a clue!! but anyway he is a lovely boy, such a softy.. then followed Roxi similar to Dex, but at least health tested, she was very small and quiet and uninterested, so we had to have her!!!! we would never go down this route again, though i am very lucky to have them in my life :).....And by the time we got to Archie, we were a bit more switched on....:)
I love Labs, will always have one (at least:))..........would love a black girlie one day, the sweetest dogs :) , we are hooked on Vizzies, such characters and i think we will always have a mad Vizzie around the house, such clever dogs :) i think i have my two breeds, i am very lucky :)

Allways loved that Airedale dog toy that children use to learn to walk !!

Then there was an add on telly that had an Airedale rolling about on the floor with a man , cant remember what add was for .Just loved the way the dog rolled about and used its legs playing with the man . So  as I had the space I looked up about them and decided I wanted one.

Thing was we had allready decided to get another JRT  and Oh said what did I want an ugly dog like that for and that Airedales looked like toilet brushes !!!. When I went for my JRT I then decided I needed to take 2 as the one I wanted was allways together with one of her sisters ( lame excuse to get 2 ) I told OH that I would not get an Airedale if I could get the 2 Jacks, so he said yes !!! Then breeder I had found who had a litter of Airedales called and said she had a pup if I wanted one as the other person who was supposed to get it was, in her opinion not suitable. So I said yes ,sent of a deposit and did not tell OH.

I was found out a week later when I recieved a letter from breeder with a receipt for Callie  the hubby had opened it !!!!! so I had to confess.

I love my JRT's but my Airedale is just a super dog and I am so pleased I did what I did even though it meant  bringing up 3 pups all about the same age at the same time , actually it was easy as they all slept together and kept each other company. They all get on great together and I would not be without them.

Hubby loves all the dogs but loves to have a good old wrestle and carry on with Callie and now says she is not ugly she just looks and sounds like a wookie ( from star wars )

> three of the little beggers

WHAT do you class as a BIG dog

Used to 'borrow' a neighbours GSD when I was still in school as I couldn't have a dog of any sort myself, I knew all the local dogs by name/breed and got sent on messages........'Who???' 'oh you know her, she lives next door to the black dog' or 'opposite the grey hairy dog' etc.
vowed then I would have a GSD, married - flat, moved - another flat, moved - two small kids-ended up with little lab/cocker bitch - perfect family pet but not my GSD. adopted another x-breed, then we lost the old girl and finally got my GSD. only took .......24 years........Zuma is my third, all dogs.
Chris

when you live with them (Newfs) you just forget how big they are.
The younger two have the nicknames Kevin and Perry at the moment as they are " little Beggers " to put it nicely.
one will be 3 in July and the other is 15months so you can imagine why they have those nicknames!!!!!!!!!!!
Oldest will be 6 in May and he's a saint conpared to the other two. LOL.

I've always loved dobermanns, they're just gorgeous! My two are so loving and gentle!
We got our boy 4 years ago,we moved to a bigger house n decided to get him a friend! 

I had a cavalier as a little girl I would let her into my bed to sleep she was so sweet and I adored her. 16 years on when I got My own place it was the only dog I would consider buying, I have fostered lots of Dogs and would ove to own my own Rottie but I can never imagine my life without my cavaliers I have 3 now they are my best mates and I love them dearly.  Rotties also remind me of teddy bears and black and tan cavs look like rotties to me.

I wanted something different than the GSD's and Rottie's that I grew up with so chose an Akita - absolutely love the girl to bits but I don't think i'd have another lol!  I went back to the original love of Rottie's and realised why I love a dog that likes to work.....i'm now working on getting a completely new breed in a couple years to add to my little lot but I will always have a Rottie - they are very special.

I chose a min pin, because I love their smarts, they are gorgeous (to me anyways, some would disagree), they have a look at me attitude, they are loyal, very little grooming, High energy (although when you look at Casie, sometimes you wouldnt believe she was a min pin, she'd much rather lay in the sun all day). 

It was between a min pin and a Chinese Crested when I got Cher.  I wouldnt change my decision for the world! 

We had goldens because when we got married 32yrs ago....we went to a rescue centre for a dog and there was a goldie just waiting to go somewhere to a home,so we took him home with us.
After having him for 2weeks there was a advert in our local paper..lost golden retriever...my heart sank as i knew it was him, i spoke to a friend who was a policeman and said what should we do,and he phoned the add for us to check it was the same dog, and yes it was.
When the man came to collect him from us,the goldie was so so happy to see his owner again,it made me cry with happiness.The man had tried all centres and was told no luck.

We have had 6 goldens since that all happened all those years ago...thanks to that lost goldie.

My husband has always wanted a Border Collie no idea why, but when we decided to buy I got him Jake. I didnt want one so we decided on two, I love the gentle face and silky coat on a Spaniel so a cocker was my natural choice. I had no real plan on a colour but when I saw a blue roan type on the kc breeders site that was localish we went to look, just to look! came away having paid £200 deposit I just happened to have with me.

The BC is a wounderful dog, very clever with a sinuey charm on movement BUT he adores my OH and is definately his dog. My cocker sticks to me like glue when I am at home and is unhappy when he is shut out of the room I am in, a needy dog that suits my nature. Very energetic when i want to be but is happy to curl up with me when I just need company.

My OH is delighted with his (BC) training, his obediance and his energetic nature (wears me out) and they are so well suited as a ADC Scouts he walks miles and miles and Jake goes with him with his necker (Jake) and the kids love him as well. Whistler goes to and has been very sucsessful with kids that were a bit dog shy, even they can see a wiggly cocker bum and a smiley face with a tonge hanging out is not "dangerous". All in all they are a perfect combination.

The other choice for him was a GSD which I admit scares me and for me it just had to be a spaniel I did not consider another breed.

Thats a beautiful story goldie with a happy ending for him and a life long love affair with your goldies.

Someone bought me a dog encyclopedia many years ago and I was smitten by a picture of a Komondor,I had never seen such a strange and huge looking dog and thought "one day I will have one of those".

So I researched as much as I could, got in touch with the Komondor club, went to shows and pestered people with Koms , made friends with Kom people and borrowed the odd Kom here and there. Then finally all my research payed off and I am now the proud owner of a Komondor puppy called...Tangle lol and I would fill the house with them if I had the chance.

saw a newf jumping out of a helicopther on you tube and thought thats the dog for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOL! Hard to imagine a dog doing that :-)  I think they are georgous and know that my bro will get one once he has the space and time.  So do you also jump out of helicopters and live dangerously then?  Is that why you like newfies so much, because they fit into your lifestyle? ;-)

I remember seeing a Choclate Lab when I was about 5 and just fell in love. I walked a few dogs when I was a teenager of various breeds but I still went back to wanting a Lab.

I got my first Lab when I was 20 and 21 years later I am now on my 5th Lab :-)

I will always have Labs as just love them , their characters, how much fun they can be ( I was trying them out at agility yesterday and failed miserabley but laughed so much ! )  and how they are so much part of our family ! I will have another breed one day either a FC, a working cocker or an Irish Water Spaniel :-)

Oh dear, I went about it all wrong :-( ;-)

I had an English Springer, my OH had a CKCS. They were both working gundogs :-) 19 years ago we decided to get another one so looked into the local paper, as one does when they don't know any better ;-) and saw a half page article on a litter of Munsterlanders that were about an hours drive away. They looked like Spaniel pups so off we went for a nosey and came home with one, without first looking at mum We saw her on the way out and OH was shocked at the size of her :-D She was absolutely lovely, and I am now living with 4, 2 of them her decendants. I wouldn't go for anything else now, they have definately got under my skin :-) The breeder told us all about the health tests and we were so naive we didn't know what she was talking about

The labradors are my mums.  She bought her first one as a family pet after looking at GSDs (the father of the pups pinned my then 7 year old brother to the ground, so no thanks!!) and Jack Russells, but you cant beat a lab for family pet temperment! 

The pugs are mine.  I'd wanted one for 12 years, was never allowed one when i was younger as my mum didnt like toy dogs then eventually i dragged her to see some on the Discover Dogs stand at Crufts a few years ago and she fell in love with them!  We picked my very first puppy, Delilah, up from her breeder the next day :)

The basenji is also mine.  Another breed that i have been wanting for years.  About 7 years for those (i think i saw them on a TV programme and they just looked so beautiful and elegant).  Had to wait until i bought my own place with a very secure, basenji-proof garden, and now i've got my two perfect breeds!

I first saw Samoyeds in 'Smash Hits' magazine I think it was...a puppy one being cuddled by Janet Jackson! I immediately fell in love with them. Then I discovered that a lady in my village had them so I knocked on her door and asked if I could walk them for her. She let me take them, and from then on I walked them every day! I just completely loved everything about them, their characters, their independent streak, the way they were with children...now I have one and hope to have another very soon.

The Cavalier originally belonged to my OH's ex wife although I had always liked them (another breed that I walked as a young girl). I couldn't believe his ex wife had just left her with him wanting nothing to do with her - she's the most loyal, affectionate, sweet little thing you could ever meet, and I can't imagine myself being without a Cav now.

The Malamute was my OH's dog and she is very much a mans dog whereas the Cavalier follows me everywhere...I was really impressed though when I found out my OH had a Malamute as I had always loved the breed. I don't think we'll ever not have a Mal either, as we both adore ours, and life just wouldn't be the same without my 3 breeds. :-)

Grew up with collie crosses and seemed like a natural progression to be into Border Collies after that.  Love their intelligence, their huggable softness and their real zest for life.

My husband has always wanted an English Setter as that was what his family had when he was growing up. We had a collie/setter cross. Both of us knew just how adorable they were and also how they have a tendency to destroy a room in seconds given half a chance! We also knew that they made great family dogs but we waited a long time to have Khan.
We both agreed to wait until - we had moved to a larger house with better garden - the boys would be old enough to take responsibility - I had passed my driving test and we'd got at least 1 car and that my old and poorly cat had died. Only then did we put the wheels in motion to have a new family member, think we put more preparation into having a puppy than children!!
I absolutely adore the way setters can be so excited to see you but can't be bothered to move, so just beat their tails frantically whilst still laying down! Also the beautiful expressive eyes like
'I'm just going to rest my head on the kitchen table and watch your every move'! in the hope that something may come his way!

It is great you looked into the ad Goldie and gave him back - many people would not have done.
It's nice to read a story like this

its true,
there is a water training group in Italy that do water demos and part of the display is a newf jumping out of a very low flying helicopter after there owner into a large lake.
Its on you tube.