What made you choose your dog's particular breed (or mix)? What drew you do the individual dog? Was it a whim adoption, or did you plan for years?
Cynder was a whim for Michael. He heard Lab/GSD mix female and thought, "Why not? I like Shepherds. I prefer female dogs. And she's bound to be a big dog, and I like big dogs." She wasn't quite what he was expecting, but when he saw her he couldn't leave her where she was, so she came home with him. Probably the best whim decision he's ever made, because she is literally the perfect dog for him.
Abrams was kind of planned. I grew up with a black Labrador, and all through college I said, "I am getting a male black Labrador puppy as soon as I graduate." I think my senior year I had an opportunity to purchase a pup from a breeder, but at that time Michael and I were in the serious-relationship phase, and he wasn't ready for a puppy so it didn't end up happening. Which I guess is a good thing, because I ended up not getting a Labrador.
I started re-evaluating my breed of choice shortly after. I waffled back and forth about large dog vs small, herding vs sporting vs working, and I finally decided that I wanted a retriever, but I wanted a protective dog as well. I think that really sank in when I started looking at the various Labrador breeders in my area and their dogs either looked like show steers or like dane/lab mixes (long legs, wispy tail, huge ears, narrow face, 90+ pounds, you know the type). I wanted a Labrador that looked like, well....a dual purpose retriever. And I would rather have not gotten a Labrador than get a type that I wasn't happy with (and I still feel that way to this day). So, I turned my eyes to Chessies. Spoke with a few breeders and really liked what I was hearing. Ended up getting back in touch with a breeder and she happened to have someone drop off her wait list, soooo....Abrams. And for only ever having met one Chessie (that was crazy), I think I made a very good decision in my breed of choice.
Curly-Coated Retrievers were in the running for a bit, too, and I'm still intrigued by them, but in the end, the fact that they seemed to be a bit more on the "reserved" side as opposed to the "brash" side made me go with Chessies. (That, and I still can't decide if I like a Curly's coat or not.)
Cynder was a whim for Michael. He heard Lab/GSD mix female and thought, "Why not? I like Shepherds. I prefer female dogs. And she's bound to be a big dog, and I like big dogs." She wasn't quite what he was expecting, but when he saw her he couldn't leave her where she was, so she came home with him. Probably the best whim decision he's ever made, because she is literally the perfect dog for him.
Abrams was kind of planned. I grew up with a black Labrador, and all through college I said, "I am getting a male black Labrador puppy as soon as I graduate." I think my senior year I had an opportunity to purchase a pup from a breeder, but at that time Michael and I were in the serious-relationship phase, and he wasn't ready for a puppy so it didn't end up happening. Which I guess is a good thing, because I ended up not getting a Labrador.
I started re-evaluating my breed of choice shortly after. I waffled back and forth about large dog vs small, herding vs sporting vs working, and I finally decided that I wanted a retriever, but I wanted a protective dog as well. I think that really sank in when I started looking at the various Labrador breeders in my area and their dogs either looked like show steers or like dane/lab mixes (long legs, wispy tail, huge ears, narrow face, 90+ pounds, you know the type). I wanted a Labrador that looked like, well....a dual purpose retriever. And I would rather have not gotten a Labrador than get a type that I wasn't happy with (and I still feel that way to this day). So, I turned my eyes to Chessies. Spoke with a few breeders and really liked what I was hearing. Ended up getting back in touch with a breeder and she happened to have someone drop off her wait list, soooo....Abrams. And for only ever having met one Chessie (that was crazy), I think I made a very good decision in my breed of choice.
Curly-Coated Retrievers were in the running for a bit, too, and I'm still intrigued by them, but in the end, the fact that they seemed to be a bit more on the "reserved" side as opposed to the "brash" side made me go with Chessies. (That, and I still can't decide if I like a Curly's coat or not.)