Are there any dogs breeds/types that you've always been intrigued by, even if you don't plan to own one? Mine are the Clumber Spaniel, Basset Hound, Airedale Terrier, Saluki, Bedlington Terrier, English Setter, Gordon Setter, and the Keeshond.
The breeds I love but would never own are: Siberian husky - they are beautiful and highly intelligent creatures, but I don't want a dog who takes perverse pleasure in outsmarting me at every turn. My dad had one while I was growing up and I fostered a husky/shepherd mix for 6 months (pure husky brain). It is also way too hot for them here. Irish Wolfhound - I just can't bear the thought of losing them so young. Newfie - I adore them, but again, it is way too hot for them here. And I don't want to deal with the hair and drool. And they die too young. Samoyed and Bull Terrier - I knew one each that lived in the neighborhood. They were such amazing dogs. But as I learned more about the breeds, I realized that these two were "outliers" of the breed. They didn't follow the breed standards for personality and temperament. Something I have since learned to pay attention to when falling for a particular dog. Breeds I love and used to think were off the table but now would own: Jack russell terrier - if I can handle a 60lb giant JRT, then I can handle a small one. Poor Dog, my white shepherd lab - she loved JRTs. She watched Wishbone and Eddy on Frazier. If she saw one when we were out, she would be entranced by them. But working full time, having a JRT was just not a smart move. I got her an akita instead - she loved him, but never gave up on having a pet JRT. Airedales are great dogs! I had a co-worker who had two and they were the sweetest dogs in the world. I also fostered one and my Mom adopted her - another sweetheart.
Irish Wolfhounds are another one for me! I think the shorter lifespan of some pets is the price we pay for joy and good times. We had Luna, the senior dog that we adopted, for not quite three years...but I would gladly adopt another senior (if we could ever get another dog).
If it's a senior dog, I'm OK with the limited time - I'm prepared for it. I've done it a few times. But to get a puppy and know you'll have only 6-8 years is heartwrenching to me.
I wonder if Irish Wolfhounds always had such a short lifespan? I heard once that Chihuahuas are not living quite as long, due to bad breeding over the years.
I know several Chihuahuas who are in their mid teens and always think of them as long-lived dogs. I do think it's luck of the draw though, I lost two of my Cavaliers under 10 years, but three of them made 14, the rest were somewhere in between. I lost my Löwchen girl at 10 but the boy was 17 when his dementia became too much for him. He was still sound in body and had a full set of white teeth. I always had a yen to have a Deerhound, but a Lurcher was the nearest I got to it. I like a Welsh Terrier in a smart strip too. In my later years I could easily have been won over by a Pem. Corgi but my OH wasn't a fan of the breed. For dog sports, I think a Coltriever, (BCxGR), would have been my first choice.
There was a time when I might have liked a Corgi, but we had a bad experience with a crazy neighbor who owned one. Including two incidents when her dog came charging over to attack our Cocker Spaniel. Her dog probably did not represent the breed well. But they still are not on our list of preferred breeds/mixes.
