No problem. :)

Responsibility is incredibly important when it comes to bringing in a new animal - I'm glad you realize that, and it is right up there with exercising extreme caution. Can't have one without the other when leading this life... -_-

Well I just want to add - I think you have the support you need here. I have to say I admire you! And thank you. Been here a while now and you are quite possibly have one of the best attitudes to all this I ahve eve seen in someone new to the forum. :D :wub:

You definatley get my vote and I eagerly hope to catch you around the place in the future - I too love your avatar - very cute. And I too love german shephards. :rolleyes: And Huskies! ;)

I will also comment to counter some of the others who have responded here. just to give my view and let you know you don't stand alone - I have told a number of people in real life about my 'interests' And found it helps a lot. i never would tell anyone I did not have a great deal of trust in adn whom I hadn't known a while. But I have told people. :)

Once again, welcome! Good Luck and congratualtions.
^_^

welcome to the forum :D Its awesome your into this whole hearted and starting off on a good start, asking questions. I will tell you in my experience that people can be assholes and its never could to let people know your thoughts or activities unless you fully trust them. This forum is an awesome place to speak out to like-minded people, with no fear of judgement and tons of love :inlove:

You get my vote for you great attitude too. Its awesome your getting into the forum. :beer:

I don't want to sound flipant, CoffeePup but the best dog for you truly is the dog you like best. You never know when that connection will happen that's for sure. The most loyal loving dog I ever had was a 60-pound mutt.
Since you're new to dog ownership, why not try to spend time around dogs. Stop by a dog park or two, if you have them in your community. Contact your local kennel clubs and visit some obedience classes and puppy kindergartens. Look at breed sites on the web. Check out a few dog training books from your public library. Get to know dogs in general before deciding on that one best dog for you. Pet them. Play with them, if their owners are willing. Maybe even walk one or two on leash, again if you can find willing owners. Contact local dog groomers and see if they can steer you toward visits to training classes and other dog events.
This is a relatively easy way to see if you are truly into dog ownership or not.
I have had dogs all my life. When I becameinterested in horses, however, I followed the above strategy to find out if I truly liked horses or if it was just a passing fancy.
I hope you do eventually find the dog of your dreams.
Good luck,
LTD

That wasn't flippant at all, I will take that to heart ^_^ Thank you so much, I'll keep your advice in mind when I start to get serious about getting my first dog... until then I'll try to educate myself as much as possible
Can I ask if you decided to pursue your interest in horses?

And thank you all for your warm welcomes! :blush:

Yes I did persue my interest in horses. I owned two mares for many years but we were just friends. One of them figured out very early in the game that I couldn't see and she always watched out for me. We rode hundreds of miles alone together through the back woods. I remember a time when we got tangled up in wild grapevines. I was pulled from the saddle but she stayed right with me. If she hadn't I'd probably have starved to death out there.
We poked our noses into places humans hadn't been for fifty years or more. We discovered old farmsteads, abandoned mines, an old steel making furnace and a whole ghost town in the woods together. I couldn't take you to any of those places today. She knew where they all were.
sometimes we'd ride out this side of nowhere. I'd take along a lunch for me and some carrots and an apple for her.
I always gave her a handful of grain when we got back home. I guess most folks would say I made her barn sour. But for me, if I ever got lost which happened frequently on our rambles, I could lightly shake the reigns and she would take us back home. Ah, those were the days!
Thanks for bringing them to mind again.
LTD

Wow, LTD, you just put a huge smile on my face ^_^ Thank you so much for sharing those stories... I'll bet they were just the tip of the iceberg :heart:

*bump*

This post has been edited by beanerd on Nov 19 2009, 07:14 AM