Best Dog

[mosta]

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Rottweiler

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one of the best dogs I've seen was a giant Rottweiler with a head the size of a pumpkin. Perfectly calm disposition, indifferent to strangers, and a great guard dog when needed.

I think the English setter is the most beautiful dog, and dignified. Labs and retrievers I have no use for--there's only so much grovelling I can tolerate. a friend had a great miniature schnauzer and now I'm interested in getting a giant schnauzer. one big plus is that they're not supposed to shed much and are easier to keep clean. you get a shedding dog like a shephard and unless it lives outside, your house turns into a barn. and finally, to pick one dog that most captivates me just on sight, it would be the Neopolitan Masiff (Mastino), with its pensive brow and melancholy eyes. unfortunately they drool constantly, are prone to flatulence, and usually end up with the physical structure of a cow. oh and the Fila Brasileiro (Brazilian Masiff). the supposed super dog. seems very cool and bad ass, but again a big drooler, and so distrustful of strangers that I think it would be hard to have casual social interactions without the dog making problems. but if I had a ranch, in a cold climate, I'd probably get a fila and a mastino and a rottweiler and a shephard. but without room for a big dog, there several great small dogs too. poodles shouldn't be lumped in with some of the questionable ones (as above), bc poodles are among the smartest of breeds. but I like something with a little more attitude, and several of the terriers fit the bill: norwich, norfold, and jack russel for instance (a jack russel being the only dog, I think, to make it to the south pole, and back (and this was before planes and motorized ships)), and the mini schnauzer too. all smart, tough, fearless, and full of personality.

[Brian]

I don't think there really is a "best dog". All the breeds are different in some ways, and you just have to find the type that has the qualities that are appealing to you. All the dogs I have ever had have been strays that my family picked up, so I've had a good mixture of breeds in my life from an early age. We just got our 5th dog a few weeks ago, and it's very different from any dog that I've ever had: a Basenji. It is an African barkless dog that is about 25 lbs. and has short hair. If you're more of a cat person but the family wants a dog, or if you live in an apartment, then they would probably be the "best dog" for you. Personally, my favorite is our part beagle part basset named "Snoopy", who, coincidentally, looks just like Snoopy. [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

-Brian