Friday, January 11, 2008

Puppy Plight

Matt and I (80% me, 20% Matt) have decided to get a puppy. Maybe its to fill this baby void I have inside of me, or maybe I am so jealous of my brother for having the cutest pup, but it is something I have been thinking about for a while. We have a yard now, and heaven knows Brisbane needs a friend to play with so I think its a good time to make an animal addition to the family.

Here is our problem.
The dog will mostly be Matts dog since Briz is rarely interested in him (shes a mommas girl), so I have kind of turned over the breed decision to him.

Matt wants a "mans" dog and so we thought of Boxers. I have always liked them, and when I worked at the vet one of my favorite patients was one. So we have been researching the breed to find out the traits and personalities of them. We read that they are good family dogs, very social and good with kids and other dogs. However we also heard that they are messy, slobbery and gassy. Hmm....
Last night we got to play with 2 male puppies at the pet store by our house. They were SO sweet and very cuddly. (Although not as cute as the picture above. He is so handsome!)

The other dog we like is the Australian Shepherd. We know already that we love the breed since we own one, my mom has two and my brother is new to the club with Dundee. They are not destructive, aggressive or slobbery, and shedding is not very bad either.
However, they are very stubborn and intelligent (which can be a bad thing). Not to mention, they aren't really "manly" dogs like a Rott or Boxer would be.

So, let us know what you think. Any information about either breed would be good. Its a hard decision! Is there anyone out there that has had the opportunity to get to know both types of dog? We want an obedient, playful but not hyperactive, sweet and loving dog that will get along with kids and our anti-social Brisbane. Is that too much to ask?

5 comments:

Loni said...

I don't know how big of a dog you are looking for, but if size isn't a factor you should look into dobermans. They are definately a "mans dog" but are sweet too. Look at the discription at http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/doberman.htm They have a bad rap since they look intimidating, but they are the aweetest dogs ever.

The Dillon 6 said...

aren't all dogs gassy?! ;)

The Dillons vote for a Mutt. When you rescue a dog at a shelter, they are your friend and protector for life. They don't expect much. They love you uncoditionally. PLUS, mutts rarely have all of the "inbred" health issues from which many breeds suffer.

That said, if we had to choose between a boxer (oh-so-cute and snorty) and an Aussie...we'd vote for the Aussie. Our kids are terrified of Boxers! When the boxer on our street gets out of his yard, the kids (literally) drop everything and run SCREAMING home...Aubrey usually has tears to prove her fear.

I'd agree with Loni, however, about Dobies...my HS boyfriend had one (Rusty) and he was AWESOME! He loved to play tug-of-war and chew (controlled) on my (always well-covered) arm. But he'd also curl up with us on the couch and sleep while we made out. ;)

BUT, to make this post even LONGER, we'd still vote for the Aussie...or a MUTT!!!

The Aprecios said...

I love dobbies too, however, size does matter (get your mind out the gutter) and even Boxers are a little bigger than we wanted.

Thanks for the info though!

Linda and Dave Browne said...

As you know we are a family of poodle and Aussie (remember, we have a grandbaby aussie--Vega is a sweetie) lovers. Although boxers are great (we have friends with one), we'd vote for the Aussie too. But, then again a mutt is a good choice as well. Since it's 80%you and 20% Matt's that wants it --then Matt only needs a 20% "manly" dog--and so you have 80% input~right. :-) Both those pups are darling. Follow your heart. Either way, you'll get a loving companion for Briz.

Stef said...

i'd say aussie, i like boxers but don't like the slobbery part and wouldn't like the gassy although i've learned things about the aussies that have me a bit off too (i still love them and would get another one no time though) and that is she's very hard headed and she has her licking and clawing problem that despite MANY different attempts we cant get past, any ideas? but i say aussie :)