Alright, I'm back. I appreciated everyone's responses to my first post, but I wanted to give you a semi-update.

I was thinking about what kind of dog I really wanted, and I decided that something predominantly retriever/collie(rough or smooth, not border)/german shepherd (one of those three, not all of those three) would be good for me. But as I was thinking more about it, I realized that all of the dogs I have really truly loved and connected with at shelters in the past few years have been German Shepherd mixes. I visited a shelter over the weekend and met the sweetest 4-month-old German Shepherd mix. Unlike most of the young dogs there, she didn't want to exclusively explore the outside territory, she wanted to get to know ME.

I know I mentioned the Boston Terrier before, but that was because I was really torn between a big or small dog. I felt like a small dog would be easier to travel with, but I really have more of an affinity for big dogs that I can run around with and take on all my outdoor excursions, and I'm willing to deal with the obstacles a bigger dog might entail in travel.

I don't mind the profuse shedding, either. What I really want, and I'm not sure if this was made clear, is a dog that I can spend tons and tons of time with and bring everywhere. I am obsessed with dogs, as I said earlier, and I want to do several levels of obediance training, among other things. I want a dog that is attached to me at the hip, and I want a dog that's MY best friend. The thing about retrievers (or at least the ones I've known) is that they're EVERYONE'S best friend. I want a dog that likes other people (I know, I know, ample socialization is a must), but prefers me.

I know there are so many people who say they want a dog without thinking of the future and either get bored with it, or didn't realize the huge amount of care dogs need, or have to move and can't bring the dog, or whatever their excuse may be. I would NEVER do something like that. If there's a problem with wherever I want to move, I'll work around it. I'm actually planning on moving to Seattle eventually, and I hear that city is very dog-friendly (and notoriously liberal, thank god!).

So anyway, I know it depends on the individual dog, but I'm really looking towards rescuing a GSD or GSD-mix. Any comments?

Thanks again,
Ally

On Tue, 8 Nov 2005 16:36:20 +0000, allygat0r07
, clicked their heels and said:


So anyway, I know it depends on the individual dog, but I'm really
looking towards rescuing a GSD or GSD-mix. Any comments?

My Lucy is a lab/gsd mix. Not only is she the cutest thing in the
world, she's sweet, fun, and affectionate. She loves HER humans, but
likes everyone, just not to the same whorish level of her flat-coated
retriever brother. She's very attached to both my husband and myself,
although I'm #1. She's athletic, -playful, but calm as well and
curls up in a little ball, convincing evidence that she can't possibly
qualify as a big dog (she's ~62#) ;-D.

I adopted her 7 years ago, when she was 22 months old. Everyone likes
her and vice versa.


--
Janet B
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/bestfr...bedience/album

My boyfriends dog is a gsd and is one of the best dogs. He is deff.
very loyal to my boyfriend but enjoys the rest of us. Good thing you
don't mind shedding cause I know his dogs hair is everywhere. Just a
warning many have hip problems...and it is not always a thing that is a
very late onset. I personally would go for a mix because of possible
inbreeding or get a really good breeder.

On Tue, 8 Nov 2005 16:36:20 +0000, allygat0r07
wrote:

So anyway, I know it depends on the individual dog, but I'm really
looking towards rescuing a GSD or GSD-mix. Any comments?

I'm new to GSDs but love mine! I prefer adopting adults to puppies.
My adult GSDs are wonderful dogs. Very loyal and smart and loving.
They are very different in many ways, too, though. Mixes will have
even more differences. Look at the individual dogs at petfinder.com
or other such sites and see what appeals to you in a particular dog.
Often you can foster for a rescue while you decide about the breed or
the particular dog. That's how we ended up with ours and it was a
great way to go!

The drawbacks to GSDs that I see most are the shedding (but I have had
a lab mix whose hair was actually harder to deal with even though
shorter and less profuse so that's not such a big deal to me), that it
is harder to travel with a very large dog (took the dogs on a recent
trip and while there were many places that would allow small dogs, few
would allow big dogs), and the fact that they can pull you around like
nobody's business if not properly trained and restrained while
training.

--
Paula
"Anyway, other people are weird, but sometimes they have candy, so it's best to try to get along with them." Joe Bay

Thanks to everyone for their responses. Lucy is DARLING, by the way. Unfortunately, I've encountered a hitch in my quest for a GSD-mix.

The apartment complex I just signed a lease for (college students sign leases for the following year ridiculously early...I just moved in to my current place in August!) prohibits German Shepherds, among other breeds (Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Dobermans, Chow chows, and Wolf-hybrids). It makes me really angry. I already posted about this, but breed-specific rules make no sense, especially in my case.

It's a tiny apartment community. They could easily check a dog's personality on a personal level. Out of 100 apartments, I doubt everyone will own a dog. Meeting the dog very quickly would be a much better indicator of personality than looking at a photograph.

I offered to show evidence of obedience classes (which I fully intend to enroll my dog in, regardless of breed) and pay an extra fee for my dog. The landlord said that I present a good argument, but he has to be consistent so that others won't want dogs that are prohibited. I say, who cares? If someone wants to own a breed of dog on the "ban list" and is willing to give the company more money and enlist in obedience classes, doesn't that benefit everyone? The obedience-trained dog will be better behaved than an untrained poodle/collie/any breed of dog with a good reputation.

I'll stop repeating myself, but I do have two short points. There's nothing on the policy about no mixes containing any of the aforementioned banned breeds. Loophole, perhaps? A clearly mixed dog can not be proven to have any particular breed in it. Which leads to my next point.

Of course breed does not indicate temperament, but appearance does not necessarily indicate breed, either. How many can tell a Staffordshire Bull Terrier from a Pit Bull? Similarly, how many can tell a Belgian Malinois from a German Shepherd? Can't I just tell them that my puppy is a Belgian Malinois mix? If I bring in a dog book and show them a convincingly German Shepherdesque picture of a Belgian Malinois, they will have no idea what to think and hopefully realize the stupidity of their policy.

If all else fails...can't I just dye it black and claim I have no idea what it is? I know I sound desperate, and I'm not going to reject a non-GSD puppy that is otherwise perfect for me because it doesn't fit my idea of the GSD I want, but still. If I find an amazing puppy, I don't want to have to sacrifice it for a stupid policy.

On Sat, 12 Nov 2005 01:27:16 +0000, allygat0r07
, clicked their heels and said:


If all else fails...can't I just dye it black and claim I have no idea
what it is? I know I sound desperate, and I'm not going to reject a
non-GSD puppy that is otherwise perfect for me because it doesn't fit
my idea of the GSD I want, but still. If I find an amazing puppy, I
don't want to have to sacrifice it for a stupid policy.

This is where being a college student (or renter in general) causes
problems with pet ownership. Of course, some insurance companies have
problems with breeds as well.

Being a "grown-up" and owning a home has some distinct advantages that
often make pet ownership a bit easier. No more arbitrary rules to
deal with regarding what breed the dog is . You can bet that Lucy
would be just "lab mix" and try to prove otherwise, if there was a GSD
ban with my insurance.

No offense, because you're obviously a responsible and thoughful
person who would be a good dog owner, but living situations are a big
reason many shelters won't adopt to students. When landlord issues
and roommate issues get in the way (I've dealt with too many problems
with the non-owner resident doing stuff with the dog contrary to best
interests), the dog usually winds up without a home, or worse, a bite
because of someone's stupidity and then the dog loses their life.

--
Janet B
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/bestfr...bedience/album