First better  make clear that I use "just" here in the sense that this is the dogs only purpose, not showing, working etc, it's full function is being a Pet without being involved in any other field.  Not meaning  "just a pet" in the sense that it is a lesser dog in anyway!

I have several dogs, among whom 2 are "Just" pets never been show dogs,  never considered using for breeding, or used in any other way.  They are fully occupied being my companions, and have been since birth!  Strangely, (although it makes me guilty to admit I have favourites) these 2 are my favourites.  The thing that set me thinking was, if any of you have "just" pets too, among other dogs, what made you do so, and how did you pick them, or they you?  This train of thought was started yesterday when I had Junior at a judging Seminar where he was being a "Model" dog for the prospective judges to assess.  He was present as the worst specimen of the breed!  During the talk, one of the delegates asked Mike why we had kept Junior, and was  that whilst he had never  wanted to keep him, he was my dog and I was a sucker for a lame ducks, have a severley disadvantage Pug at home too!  After the teahcing part, this same lady asked me, in all seriousness why I kept these "rejects"  I made a flippant comment at the time, but it got me thinking.  I know why I kept Puglet, I spent months and months making sure she stayed alive day to day, and when she got to 6 months (a milestone we never thought she would see) there was no way in the world I coudl have parted with her.  Junior is different, apart form being a singleton pup too.  When he was born he was perfect, was spoiled rottne by his Mum, His Aunt and his grandma (all 3 baby sat, cleaned and played with him, and Aunt came in to milk and helped Mum feed him!)  I fell for him the moment he was born, he was so cute!  OF course, I have bred lots of other cute pups.  And whilst he kept his cute factor, as an American Cocker he falls short of the ideal in many ways!  So I decided to rationalise, and came up with this:

1.  Just looking at him gives me pleasure.  he has the cutest, most appealling face (even if not strictly correct!)

2.  He has a gorgeous, loving, happy nature.

3.  HE does great "Tigger Bounces" when excited, making every meal time fun to watch him.

4.  And I just love him!

So what about you?  Do you have dogs who specisialise in being pets?  And why?

I still don't know why I fell for him in the first place, instead of one of our show pups, though!
bye
Gwen

Hi Gwen.
I'm signed up with "Just Pets"!
I have a lovely BC "Poppy" who came to me from a local animal rescue centre at 15 weeks old, she had had a very sorry start, starved, beaten until very badly lame, with a very high temp, to be honest i was told by my friends i was an absolute idiot taking her on, because if she recovered she would have some awful hangups. Well she's 13months now and a joy, she is totally grateful for everything i do with/for her. She will never be a show dog, she still scuffs along the ground when she moves but she has the nicest temperment you could ever want, she's always at my side, never demanding, I think i'm very lucky to have her..

I would probably count my Yankee as 'just' a pet - he has been shown but is always last, and although I go to pet training classes and my OH takes him hillwalking we don't do anything competitive with him these days. Love him to bits though! :-)

I don't know whether I can say that they are just pets!!

Lydia my 12 year old girl, is my main "pet".  Did about 3 shows with her but it just wasn't her forte and I would never push her into it.  Though I think these days she'd do brilliantly as her senile dementia means that she absolutely adores everyone now :d  Sorry, Lydia I know you're not mental really!

Carina is my other "pet" although I suppose not in the full sense as I have had pups off her.  She is too stocky and not as feminine maybe as some people would like for a show dog so I don't waste my money. 

Then I have Anton, my little star, only he's not so little, he's a Spanish Water Dog on stilts, but I totally and utterly adore hmi and he me!!  Everyone who meets him falls in love with him too as he's definitely a people's dog!  I don't really show him and haven't used him at stud yet and maybe never will.  But it's funny because yet again he's my favourite and boy is he a character, a stroppy little so and so at times but still lots of fun.

Lastar, well Lastar's Lastar.  A wonderful dog, most unasuming and a real sweatheart, but he's a stud dog and not fully owned by me, so Isuppose yet again he's not a "pet" in the full sense.

All of my dogs take it in turns to do agility, obedience, water training, gundog work etc, but I only do these for enjoyment and don't do any of them competively.  I just know that for my breed they need something to strecth their brains.

Depends a bit on exactly what you mean Gwen. Funnily enough I was thinking of this only this morning. To me personally, "just a pet" is a dog that isn't shown, bred from OR one that I try to go further with in obedience than just basic training, say KC GC Silver for "just a pet". I do have such a dog at the moment and have had others in the past, and although I love them all, I must admit I get far, far more attached to those that I do a LOT with, simply BECAUSE of the time spent training and showing, and so the ones that aren't suitable for anything else than being "just a pet" they tend to end up slightly less special than the rest. Not because of their "worth", just because of the time spent doing things (other than walks etc) with them. My current one is Matilda, one of my crossbreeds -she hated training, she's a timid girl and didn't like a class situation, and so after she'd passed silver I left her at home. I love her dearly, but she'll never be able to compete with her mother or brothers that I have spent so much time with I sometimes wonder if they've had more time than my kids, LOL.

On the other hand if we go on "just a pet" as only being one not for showing or breeding, then Matilda's brother Arnie is such a dog (he has competed in obedience though) and he is SUCH a special dog to me.

I think the "special" dogs are down to personality rather than what we do with them.  My extra special was my terrier who I never showed but she was so very different to my cockers in everyway so probably would have been a special if the roles were reversed.
I seriously have issues with these people that wonder why you should keep Junior though, Gwen, they must have heart of steel!  Yes its lovely to own dogs that you can be proud of in the ring but somethings lacking if they can't quite recognise love just for a dog in it's self, don't you think?

my dog is just a pet,  he is not a show dog anyway and I would not breed, I only wanted a pet and he is my constant companion and best friend.

Yes to this one! My girl, Froggy. I bought her when she was 3. She has the most ridiculous face, and looks at you sideways when you talk to her, as her eyes are east to west! She goes all silly when she sees you, and unfortunately has the habit of trying to eat the other dogs mess! Infact to the point, where shes like an athelete on the starting blocks in anticipation.
If I go out of sight for a minute she starts this high pitch scream that sounds as though shes had her leg chopped off, and then looks shocked when you suddenly appear.
She could never be a show girl, and I would never breed from her, but I am absolutely smitten with the little tinker.
She is a total one -off, away with the fairies most of the time, but loving, undemanding and no trouble at all. My OH sings silly little songs to her and she goes all daft.
Basically she makes me smile, and thats good enough for me!

I suppose not in the strict sense of your terms because all of mien ahve been shown and bred from, but to be honest the achievements of the first two especialy were very modest and many people woudl ahve viewed them as passengers, and they would ahve been on their transfer list.

Once mine have been spayed and retired from regular showring then they spend more than half their lives as purely pets.

It's a very interesting question this because while I've never set foot in a show ring, let alone got into breeding so can't compare any of my dogs with each other in this respect, I think the word "pet" probably means many different things to different people. Because I've got a "pet" dog who can't be shown - JRTs not being recognised by the KC anyway - and won't be bred from. However, I still think he can be a pet as well as being encouraged to do what comes naturally, ratting and rabbitting for example, without him actually turning into a full-time worker either. One of his sisters, however, is also a "pet" dog yet she leads a very different (although very happy) life in a nearby town where she has a much more "domestic" lifestyle. Both are pets in the strictest sense of the word though.

I have two pet dogs they are both cross breeds that I got from a rescue centre. My first one I got when she was 8 weeks old she is five and a half now, and we got another one from the same place when he was about 6 months old, we were his 3rd home I dont know why.
Your question was have we got a favorate and all though we treat them both the same, our dog is the favorate because he is so loving and he has the sweetest temperment. Our bitch has a nice temperment too, but there is something about our dog that makes everyone love him.

Chloe, our oldest is purely pet material and she is very, very good at it too :D

She loves nothing better than going for nice walks, sitting in front of the fire and snoozy....a dogs life, ey?! And while the others get excited when I have my showing suit on and I'm packing my bag she just get worried because she knows I'm off out!

I reckon, with training, she could have worked nicely too but we knew nothing back then but she fetches a ball well enough :D

We have one who is "just a pet".  Ellie who is our rescue GSD.  She has done her good citizen gold, but this was to give her something to do!  I do feel as though she's left out a bit though, when everyone else is showing, but hubby takes her for a "special" walk if I'm away with the rest, so that makes up for it a bit.

Sarah.

Both of ours are pets.

Hi,all!  My dog is a PET in every sense of the word.  He loves me unconditionally and knows me better than I know myself.  He's the best! Never been any trouble, and I'd would be pushed to find another like him.  He truly is a one off.    

JUSTa pet?  I don't think so!
J.P.

Our little Sheltie girl, and our previous two Shelties have all been 'just pets' - and they've been very good at it too :D

Interesting to read all your replies, and know I am far from alone in being immersed in the world of dogs but still  having room for a pet (or two) too! ;)  Perhaps when we sometimes use the phrase "Just a pet"  and we get pulled up on it, we should  remember that far from meaning "Merely a pet" it can also mean "solely, exclusively and very importantly a pet"  :)  :)
bye
Gwen
ps 2 further thoughts - at the seminar several of the candidates fell for Junior's face hook. line and sinker, and had to be persuaded it was not the ideal head for the breed (proof of appealingness I think !)
and 2, it wasJunior's 8th  birthday today, he shared a pack of little sausages and a caterpillar with smarties birthday cake with my nephew, his best buddy, Max who is 10.  they played catch the sausage, and I think Max won!  Max consider Junior to be his cousin!

We have a 10 year old Tibetan Spaniel that has never been shown or had puppies and when we got her she was not bought for either, she is the angel of dogs that is just there as part of the family and is a very good listener.

well you have got a nice dog there

Our dogs (all 6 of them) are pets first and foremost.

Thor could not be anything else - he was just over a year old when he managed to find a way out of the garden and found his way into the local quarry - where he was hit by a lorry.   He broke his hip, had to have it pinned and walks with a definite "mince" :D

This of course meant that no hip score would be valid, so we would never breed from him.   His mincing walk doesnt comply with breed standards, so of course there is little point in showing him:D.   He is now 8 years old, and carries a special place in my heart as my first aussie.

We do (occasionally) show Loki, Vinnie and Beau but primarily they are much-loved members of the family, as is Freya and now Missie.

Margot

yep we do :D our little Poppi (8 month old english cocker ) shes sooo tiny compaired to her sisters has lovely emerald green eyes too (suposed to be brown ) . she fought hard we almost lost her quite a few times and we got too attached to let her go in the end :P shes so well behaved almost like shes an adult but shes not grown for the past 3 months so I think shes fully grown now at about 10 inches tall :D shes such a strong little dog she will have a good play with the big boys she just grabs there ears and run and they let her do it ,