Most all of us have a favorite and a hated brand of soda (and being from the south, I literally cringe to use the word "soda"). We will defend it to the end, and no clever or flashy marketing campaign can change our mind and make us cross over to the other side. We roll our eyes and sigh in a disgruntled fashion when a waitress in a restaurant tells us they only have the "other" brand.
The same thing can be said of dog lovers. There is only a small percentage of dog people who really appreciate all 150+ breeds, and even these people have their favorites. The vast majority of us are devoted to one or two specific breeds. Loyalty in dog breeds runs deep; we will defend our breeds to the end. And don't let some random person sitting in the vet's waiting room say something slightly derrogatory about your breed of choice. Them's fightin' words!
I'm sure you've heard all of the breed bragging that people do, especially if you have spent any amount of time around dog training facilities. Well, my breed is fast and tops in agility, my breed is good at hunting, my breed is the smartest, my breed is the most obedient. Yes, I've heard it all, but I really can top them. My breed can do all of that and more. I have a poodle! They hunt, herd, swim, dance, do agility, obedience, therapy work, and I swear if I had enough food and patientce he could do my taxes as well. That is my breed of choice, and one of the poodle's assests is its amazing versatility. It can do anything that the owner wants to do and with gusto and exhuberance.
Now, I can appreciate many other breeds, and of course, I have met dogs that were exceptions to their breed stereotype as well. I love Yorkshire Terriers for their bigger than life personality, their compactness, and obviously their cute factor. I owned one, or should I say it owned me for almost 14 years. She was a very special girl, who will always be in my heart. And I am currently looking into a very different breed as well. But I will always have a poodle in my life, whether it is of the standard variety, the miniature, or even the toy. And give me my Dr. Pepper!
The same thing can be said of dog lovers. There is only a small percentage of dog people who really appreciate all 150+ breeds, and even these people have their favorites. The vast majority of us are devoted to one or two specific breeds. Loyalty in dog breeds runs deep; we will defend our breeds to the end. And don't let some random person sitting in the vet's waiting room say something slightly derrogatory about your breed of choice. Them's fightin' words!
I'm sure you've heard all of the breed bragging that people do, especially if you have spent any amount of time around dog training facilities. Well, my breed is fast and tops in agility, my breed is good at hunting, my breed is the smartest, my breed is the most obedient. Yes, I've heard it all, but I really can top them. My breed can do all of that and more. I have a poodle! They hunt, herd, swim, dance, do agility, obedience, therapy work, and I swear if I had enough food and patientce he could do my taxes as well. That is my breed of choice, and one of the poodle's assests is its amazing versatility. It can do anything that the owner wants to do and with gusto and exhuberance.
Now, I can appreciate many other breeds, and of course, I have met dogs that were exceptions to their breed stereotype as well. I love Yorkshire Terriers for their bigger than life personality, their compactness, and obviously their cute factor. I owned one, or should I say it owned me for almost 14 years. She was a very special girl, who will always be in my heart. And I am currently looking into a very different breed as well. But I will always have a poodle in my life, whether it is of the standard variety, the miniature, or even the toy. And give me my Dr. Pepper!
Muffy 1994-2007
Teddy, retrieving at an obedience trial
1 comment:
Trying again, I left a message yesterday and it's never shown up!
Glad to see we can leave comments now (now if this only shows up)
So what other breed are you considering?
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