Sean wants a dog.

No. Let me rephrase that.  Sean (my 6'2" mountain of a husband) wants a dog that looks more like a bear.  He wants a dog whose bark will make the windows rattle.  He wants a dog who will guard and protect his family and make a nice (huge) hot water bottle on chilly evenings.  He wants a dog strong enough to bear Ellie on its back for the next 2 years.  Behemoth...that's what he's going for.

He likes the looks of Great Pyrenees.  He likes German Shepherds.  I have a hard time not thinking of the latter as "Nazi dogs"...don't ask me why.  I didn't claim it was rational. ;)

So where are we going to find a pup of one of these breeds that is not going to cost $1000?  Yikes!  Seriously, that's the price I saw on some of these pups.  I'm not saying they're not worth it...but isn't there another route to take?

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Posted by Anonymous

Remind him of your last dog.

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Posted by Bear

Our last dog was a great Australian Shepherd named (appropriately) Caleb who we could not bear to take out of the country. Another dog like him would be great (as long as it was even bigger!)

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Posted by hippiechyck

so long as you name him Fang.....

i think you have a bear stalking you...LOL!!!

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Posted by Anonymous

Ok..remind him of the Memphis dog.

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Posted by Bear

I learned my lesson on that dog. And the problem was the dog. It was stupid and hyper, even by Dalmatian standards. But it tasted pretty good in stew.

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Posted by Heidi

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/search.htm is a great site for figuring out the perfect dog breed for your family...I'd start with the qualifier breed list looking for which breeds are great with young children. There you can research all about your breed, and it's quirks. For instance, you will learn that Great pyrenees are loving and faithful, but shed prolifically, don't do well in very warm weather, are notorious barkers, diggers, and willful animals, and must be well confined within a fenced area (or on a leash) to prevent them from exercising their powerful instinct to establish and patrol a large territory. They CANNOT be let off a leash or they will run away. Puppies, esp., are bound and determined to escape.

As far as finding a cheaper dog, google the breed you want, your location, and add "rescue" - there are various rescues all over, who specialize in breeds and can give lots of advice on handling and training. Our dog was a rescue puppy - normally hundreds of dollars to buy, but through the rescue: free (deposit given but returned upon neutering).
My personal suggestion is boxers - big, loving, eternally happy, energetic, LOVE little children, AWESOME protectors...a rott/boxer mix is even better - - the boxer negates any meanness of the rott, but makes them bigger and better protectors.
http://www.midwestboxerrescues.com/rescues/MOKan/
:)

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