We always had dogs when i was growing up, mostly shepherds of one kind or another. My best friends were a collie mix, a Shetland sheepdog (who I still miss to this day. Mom had to put her down 2 weeks after dad's funeral. That dog was estimated to be 25 years old. We got her from a jackass of a relative who wanted to skin her alive because she wouldn't hunt rabbits. HELLO????! !! ! Shelties are sheep herders, not beagles or basset hounds, who were bred to hunt rabbit.
That dog was also my best friend. When I'd come home and sit down, she'd be there with the "you want me???" Look. I'd slap my thighs, and up she'd come into my lap.
The only other dog I ever connected with was a bagle (a basset hound/beagle mix.). I came home from church on Sunday, not long after mom put our border collie mix down.She vowed never to get another dog, but our collie began to shut down, since she knew her constant companion was no longer around. As soon as I pulled in the back lot, I'm here, Mom got a basset hound. It took about 2 seconds for that dog to figure out I was a sucker. I found out real fast, by reading the basset hound email lists, that it's really true what the say about basset hounds: You don't own a basset hound, they own you,. You are a food-slave
I'd love to have a dog, but the landlord says no pets. Besides, I can barely take care of myself, let alone a dog.