# Best Mixed Breed you have owned.



## WiscTiger (Sep 25, 2002)

There was a post on the board that the posted talked about the best mixed breed dog. So I thought it might make an interesting topic.

So what is the best mixed breed dog you have owned. To the best of your knowledge what were the breeds. What made this dog so special.

Val


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## Jazzstorm (Nov 29, 2005)

<span style="color: #3333FF">My American and German Working Lines German Shepherd!
















</span>


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## Shandril2 (Nov 26, 2003)

Tanya.
She was a GSD/Wolf X. I really can't describe what made her so special to me .... it would be a bunch of stories that wouldn't mean as much to others.

She was beautiful, intelligent like no other dog I knew, loyal yet a free spirit, protective, almost soulful.

I will never forget that heart dog, I couldn't if I wanted to because she is still a part of me.


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## WiscTiger (Sep 25, 2002)

OK, I will post one of my mixes from the past that was an awesome dog. 

This was a pound puppy I got a about 16 weeks old. The was a St.Bernard - Lab mix as close as I could guess. Coat was a mix of the white and sable markings of the bernard with the shorter coat. The head was more like a lab. He topped out at a 165 lbs in his prime. He was kind to women, kids and any young animal (kittens and calves). He would have died to protect me. He would go find my hubby and grab him by the arm and bring him to me on command. He found a calf that wandered away from momma before we could take care of them. He let kittens hang from his ears, attack his tail and check out his teeth. He loved to ear corn on the cob. I have some photos I need to dig up and set my scanner up.

Can't wait to hear from the rest of you guys.


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## Bluewolf (Apr 20, 2006)

The Best: My coydog Wolf - smart as a whip, to this day I have not had a dog quite like him.

Most impressive in appearance, my malamute / shepherd mix Blaze. He was a black and white bear and nothing but muscle. I discovered he had a reputation around the 'hood which eventually led to him being stolen right out of my yard


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## butterfingers (Jun 5, 2007)

Growing up we had a Rhodesian Ridgeback/Lab mix. She was mostly special because she was the only dog we ever owned as children! My dad has never been a real "pet" person.







She was not very cute - small head, big chest - but she was a sweetheart and the nicest dog you could ever want to meet. She also "loved" to be dressed up in clothing!!


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## BucksMom (Aug 13, 2007)

I have a Pitt mix and he is one heck of a dog. 
Someone moved and left him, took me 3 days to get him to follow me home. Hot dogs sealed the deal! He is my babysitter when the
grandkids come. Always lets me know when intruders show up. Loves to ride on the golf cart on the seat beside me, and always 
ready to defend me. 
If I could have 10 more like him you bet I would take them. LOL
Great old dog now, that was 11 years ago that I rescued him.
I just love Sport..


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## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

Bo was a true mutt though I'm sure he had a WGSD somewhere in his gene pool mix. He was a good dog, I really miss him. I adopted him when he was somewhere between 7 and 10 years old and lost him three years later to hemangiosarcoma of the spleen (emergency surgery found he was riddled with cancer in all his major organs and had to be put down while still on the table). He went to the Bridge November 28, 2005.


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## Pedders (Mar 22, 2005)

Mmm!

Bessie; Spaniel / Saint Bernard. Blind in one eye. Heart of a lioness. Died protecting myself and my sister when we were young children.


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## csaiz (Dec 21, 2006)

Without a doubt, My Cinder








She is purebredAussie/Purebred Kelpie

She is my little spitfire of a sheepherder

Last weekend we did a UKC Obedience show - see post under the obedience section.

The judges comments:

"What a fun little dog"

enough said

I love my little "Cinderella"


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## LadyHawk (Jan 19, 2005)

My half pint Guinness ....it's even his birthday today Happy 3rd Birthday Guinness!!!!!!!!!!








He is (as far as we can tell) past GSD (We know his mother was one) part Black & Tan coonhound and maybe part beagle. He is ridiculouly funny and always keeps me laughing. He actually SMILES at you when you come home...








He is my teddy bear at night.....he snuggles right up to me and wiggles his way in ..... 
He was transported up from Tennessee in Feb 2004 at the age of 13 weeks........









He's an awesome addition - that's why I say I have 2 1/2 GSD's


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## Timber1 (May 19, 2007)

I met a guy a few years ago that had two dogs, one was a GSD/Coyote mix, the other a GSD/Wolf mix. As I walked into his yard to pick up an Antique Motor I bought from him these dogs came toward me, and I will admit there was bit of fear. But they just watched, never became aggressive.

So now I have paid for the motor and were sitting in this guy's house having a cup of coffee. The dogs are on the floor and allowing me to touch them, never growling or being aggressive. The GSD/Wolf is hugh, the Coyote/GSD much smaller. But after I left I always wondered how this guy could get these mixed breed dogs to be so well behaved. And was convinced if anyone ever hurt this man, those dogs would tear that person apart.


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## Rose Hutch (Feb 5, 2003)

That would be my Hopie ,

She's not very tall, red sable colored, and we think there is Corgi in there, maybe Chow and Sheppie too. My bestest girlie, loves to herd me, LOL!! She's my heart dog, I would be heartbroken if anything happens to her, she's my best bud . Came from Georgia in November, 2005 at about 5 months old.


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## Fee (Jul 4, 2004)

Great topic!

Guiness looks too cute









My husband still talks about his childhood dog, a Border Collie Mix (who knows with what). It had a lot of herding instinct. Once a young bird fell out of the tree and Dixie guarded it from the cat.

For me, my one and only Husky/Collie Mix. Ginger. Most agile dog I have ever seen and incredible smart. Also, sometimes a bit nuts









She usually has a curly tail. She is 13.5 years old in the pic. She can still run great but lost most of her hearing.

















Anyone else has pic. of their mixes? Would love to see them.


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## Halen (Feb 16, 2007)

This guy right here is the best mixed breed dog ever.










His name is Rocket.  He is a Collie/Shepherd/who knows what else mix. He awesome because he's smart, sweet, and loyal. He has come back from the brink of death for his family. He knows when I'm hurt and is there to see if I'm ok. He's the best family dog anyone could ever have.

Oh, did mention how handsome he is?


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## Fee (Jul 4, 2004)

Rocket looks stunning! I just love mixes.

I forgot to mention that we did sledding/ski joring and agility with Ginger when she was young. She was found a stray and the SPCA picked her up. She had behavioural issues (from abuse) but we worked through all that. About 4 years ago she alerted me when I had put myself accidentally on fire (with an oven mitten which had caught fire at the stove and I pushed the cordless phone onto my shoulder). I didn't notice a thing at first and thanks to my dog's quick response I only had a mini 3rd degree burn, the other's were 2 and 1 (also small area) and healed just fine. My GSD probably would have done the same, but she wasn't there. Anyways, goes to show you how loyal they are and how much they repay you for the little things you do for them... I don't know where we'll find another one like her.


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## pupresq (Dec 2, 2005)

That's such a tough one! I've seen so many great mixes! 

High on the list would be Kira - a Shepherd/Husky or possibly Shepherd/Mal mix. Super smart, sweet, and loyal but without some of the...um... Shepherd quirks! My only complaint is that she really did like to pull. In rescue, I have seen over and over that Shepherd/Sleddog mixes tend to make really good dogs. Seems like a lot of the negatives cancel each other out and they're very attractive.

For small breeds, I'm getting increasingly sold on Pom mixes (I never thought I'd see the day...







). I've got two Chi/Poms and a Pek-a-Pom (all former shelter dogs) (2 in foster care and one is mine) and they're all awesome. They have the fun, spunky attitude of a really good Pom but without the weird big hair and they're all pretty rough and tumble (they play with the Shepherds) not shivering little violets, which is the thing that bothers me about a lot of the little guys. We used to think our dog was a Schip mix which gives you some idea of his hair and attitude but having seen a very similar Chi/Pom now we think that's what he is. He's hilarious.


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## LadyHawk (Jan 19, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: Halen
> Oh, did mention how handsome he is?


He is VERY handsome - I love the mottled coat!!!


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

When I was in high school a friend had a husky/collie "Rommel". I loved that dog and was able to find a pup w/ the same markings, "Sadie"~WHO LOOKED JUST LIKE GINGER!, but silver! She never grew as large as Rommel but was stunning and lived a good, long life. Now I have Clover, who is a golden / border mix and her temperament is so special. She doesn't have the urge to work all the time but does have a high prey drive. And she is such a pretty girl, even as a senior... Pic's of her on the dogster link.


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

I can't pick a best. Mine are generally GSD-Northern/Ancient breed mixes including Chow and Schipperke. Not positive about Anna/Ava. Ava (black fuzzy dog) reminds me of BC/Belgian Sheepdog and definitely is at least part herding breed, but could also be part Chow. I enjoy their energy and desire to do their own thing (and it makes me appreciate my GSDs all the more).


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## Yvette (Jan 29, 2001)

Mine was a hound/terrier. Cozmo was given to me by my exs friend.
Actually to De'ja when she was 6 months old. Last pup to go.
Cozmo was very gentle around De'ja. We had her for 1 1/2 yrs.
I still don't know what had happened to her. My guess is a very controling/jealous ex took her for a one way ride one morning.
I searched everywhere & put up flyers. I have pictures of her somewhere.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

This is William, Owner surrender, adopted from the Shelter at One and a Half years old. My very first dog ever, and a wonderful dog for such a clueless owner as I was. He lived to be 15years old. 










He loved everybody, loved all other dogs. Came with the name of William, and had such a quiet, ferocious dignity about him, that even though many people tried to call him Bill, it never stuck. He was a William. He oozed so much personality, and was such a perfect, gentlemen, that all day long, strangers commented : I don't like dogs, but I like YOUR dog! 

Or: My dog doesn't like other dogs, but he likes YOUR dog! 

It was true that he got along with even dog agressive dogs. Big dogs that would just as likely take a chunk out of other dogs were play-bowing and rollin on their backs for William to the utter amazement of their owners. 

William was also a protector of small animals, puppies and small dogs. If a scared or submissive dog was being picked on, William stepped in and chased the other dogs away. People said I should get him a Blue Beret, he was he NATO Peacekeeper of Dogs. 

At 9 years old, people thought he was 9 months old. In the picture above he was about 11 or 12. 

He was a climber and an escape artist. He opened windows and escaped. Escaped from commercial boarding kennels: Climbed the chain-link fence or figured out how to open the door to his kennel, but I had trained him to stay in the car even if the windows were down. 

When he was 8 I started him as a therapy dog. I taught him tricks to entertain the seniors we visited, and taught him to play the piano. He was a real hit when I visited the geriatric hospital, people would all perk up and talk non-stop about the piano playing dog. 
It was so funny to see him, he sure made people laugh. 

The biggest miracle William brought about is that he unlocked from my autistic frozen self a host of real and human feelings and a deeper understanding of love, (unconditional love - I had no understanding of this), patience, and self-esteem. He brought me out of a stinking cold dungeon into the sunshine. It is hard to comprehend what intergalactic distances I have traveled in personal growth all due to the love of a shelter dog. 

I still get all teary-eyed when I think about him, but I know that he is happy where he is now. Deliriously happy, and even though I made many mistakes with him, I know he is happy and grateful to have been in my life. 

Both William and Keeta are giving my life meaning and definition.


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## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

> Originally Posted By: Arycrest
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I already posted about him, but I thought I'd share a picture of Bo. I "think" this was taken the summer of 2005 when he was somewhere around 10 to 13 years old. He always had a smile on his face!


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## Marshmallows (Jan 28, 2007)

For me that would be Spot an Australian Shepherd mix. She was smart, loyal and gentle unless one of her kids were threatened.
Us kids would go "camping" in the neighbor's yard during the summer and no matter what my parents did to try to keep her home I would always wake up with Spot guarding the front door of the tent.


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## LARHAGE (Jul 24, 2006)

The BEST mixed breed in the worls was my beloved " Little Brianne", she was named after a nice Thoroughbred racehorse running at the time. I found her at a stable chasing some horses in a turnout ring, she was 4 months old and half Corgi/JRT/Pug. She had primarily the Corgi build, the Pug nose and the intensity and joy of life of the JRT. I attempted to place her and ironically gave her to a family with an older German Shepherd that attacked and almost killed her, I took her back and she never left my side for the next 14 years. I lived in a no-pets apartment at the time and since she spent the day at the stable with me saw no harm in sneaking her in and out every morning and night. I had her trained to wait by the door while I checked to see if anyone was out, than I would tell her to " GO TO THE CAR", and she would blast out to the car and sit by my door, same routine in the evening, except the comand was " Go to the house". LOL! 
I one day was blanketing a young stallion that became agitated and kicked me in the kneecap knocking me to the ground, Brianne ran under the webbing of the stall and grabbed him by the nose as he charged me, the colt ended up needing stitches, but I didn't care, Brianne and me became even closer, she would come get me if a horses blanket was not on right, or if their hood covered their face, just a real noseybody, everything had to be perfect on her watch, and she absolutely forbid any horse to paw or bang the stall door, she's jump up and bite them, the best trait she had was killing any bug or rodent that I would scream at, all I had to do was scream and she would come running and slay the creature for me, she subsequently passed this trait to my JRT puppy and he down to the next one. There will NEVER be another like her, some day when my heart heals I will get another Corgi, she died in my arms at the Vets after a bout with cancer, it was the perfect ending for her, her head on my shoulder, me telling her how much I loved her.

RIP my little Bri, till we meet again.


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## kshort (Jun 4, 2004)

Without a doubt, my Murphy girl who is a sheltie/keeshond mix. She is so "human" in her characterics that it's scarey. My heart dog - no one else will ever be able to take her place. She turned 16 on Halloween...


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## AndreaG (Mar 3, 2006)

Oooh that's a hard one!! I love mixes. Well let's see; first, I have to say Greti, a shep-boxer mix girl was our first great mix; had her from elementary school to college. She lived to be 16, she was the most loyal, honest, the best dog. But we had 4 other mixes too, when I was a kid, all dear kind souls. 
And now I have Tatar, who had his picture here so many times, I don't dare to post him again.  Perfect family dog, loves everybody, the easiest dog on this planet.


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## K9Kaos (Jun 24, 2006)

This is such a hard question!! Every one of my dogs has been so special!

Brandi, best guess was a rott/shep mix???, was a wonderful dog!

Here's a pic of her as a pup










What a sweetie!!! Loved everybody!!
Had to drag her out of the vet's office when we went for visits!

She was afraid of the dark though.... we think because her litter was abandoned in a burlap bag on the side of the road pretty young.

She was the most easy-going dog I ever had the honor to be owned by!


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## Ursa Lunar (Jul 11, 2003)

Never had a mix - all our dogs growing up were Goldens or GSDs!

But, the most beautiful, calm, sweet and intelligent mix I've ever
met was (I believe) 1/2 GSD and 1/2 Great Dane and pure black!
He had the height and body conformation of a Dane, the head, face, 
ears and tail of a GSD, and his coat was somewhere in between the 
two. Stunning animal! I only spent about 15 minutes with him, but 
was in a store where his person worked and Arthur approached
me - ended up sitting on the floor with his big handsome head
in my lap cooing to him, LOL!
I would have moved Heaven and Earth to take
him in if I was told he needed a home!


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## Shandril2 (Nov 26, 2003)

> Originally Posted By: Ursa LunarNever had a mix - all our dogs growing up were Goldens or GSDs!


Sounds heavenly!


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## zyppi (Jun 2, 2006)

A little 'summer dog' - some of this and some of that! 

"Tuffy" - can you tell I was six when I named him?? He was toy manchester and who knows what else.

Smart, bossy - ruled over boxers and dobies. Rode the 'trolley' downtown once. Thankfully the driver knew where he hopped on and brought him back.

Lived 14+ years and was the love of my life. Me who's not crazy about little dogs.

Good topic, brings good memories.


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## Jakoba (Dec 7, 2006)

This is Riff. My favorite dog. He was a Black lab and Irish setter mix. I got him when I turned 18 back in 1983 and he was a pup. He was the best and smartest dog I've ever had. Stuck to me like glue and learned anything after one try. He could do all kinds of awesome tricks. He loved his toys too. 

I was cleaning the gutters once on the roof and looked behind me and there he was, on top of the roof watching me. He climbed the ladder to get up to me when I wasn't looking. 

When I'd get home from work, he'd hear my car and jump the six foot fence to greet me after I gave him the ok. He never jumped it without the ok from me to do so. 

He could dive at least 6 feet under water. The end of our dock was a bit deeper than that and he'd repeatedly dive off it and then go straight down and get the golf ball that we'd drop for him. He'd do this for hours on end. He'd also go long distance off the end of the dock. I don't think there was all the water sports for dogs back then, but he would have been a champ at it. He loved the water and it was a chore just to get him out of it. 

He went everywhere with me. To work, to friends houses, everywhere. My passenger seat was owned by him and he sure didn't like riding in back when I had a friend or two with me. My friends would open the passenger door and he wouldn't budge. He'd look at me as if to ask, "do I have to get in back dad, we're a team, this is my seat!" I'd just have to give him a head nod towards the back and he'd walk between the seats and sit right behind me with his head on my shoulder. 

Our house burned down in 1988 and he was the only of our dogs in the house at the time. We always left the slider open for them to come and go as they pleased. He just got caught in my bedroom and got overcome by the smoke. At least he didn't suffer too much. He was found by the firemen hiding under my bed.









The above pic and his collar are all I have to remember him by, It was taken by a friend at our vacation property. 

RIP Riff. My heart dog. You're time here was far too short. Daddy still loves you and misses you and thinks about you all the time. See you at the bridge.









Great topic, thanks for letting me get this off my chest.


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## Catu (Sep 6, 2007)

Auca, my GSD/Groenandael mix. Her mother, the Belgian, was (obviously) long stock coat and the father was a plush coat black/red GSD I always have wanted to know more of genetic and understand why I ended with a short coat. All the other pups of the litter but one were like the mother.

I have owned a border collie before, so I have to confess that the intelligence of her doesn't match with a BC, but her disposition to work, her drive and foremost her cuddling temperament make her unique and way better, the best dog I've ever owned or being close to.

Here she is with me at six months. I hope to see her again in a couple of weeks and I know it's gonna be a little heart breaking.


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## Pedders (Mar 22, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: PNWGSD.
> 
> Our house burned down in 1988 and he was the only of our dogs in the house at the time. We always left the slider open for them to come and go as they pleased. He just got caught in my bedroom and got overcome by the smoke. At least he didn't suffer too much. He was found by the firemen hiding under my bed.


This just made me weep!


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## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

I don't have a picture...........but...the best mixed breed that I ever owned.....was.....(Buddy)...my Boxer/Pit mix.


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## Vandal (Dec 22, 2000)

Homer, Lab cross.... don't know what with. I saved him from the shelter on Christmas Eve 1988. I was planning to train him for narcotic detection and then place him on a Dept. but a number of events led to him staying here with me. He was used in school and business drug searches and was a real talent for this work. 

When I was at the shelter I was testing a number of dogs using a rolled up towel. I tried playing with Homer but he was not really interested. I also had a ball stuffed in my front pocket and as I was standing up to walk away, it fell out and bounced once on the concrete. I grabbed it and started to put it back in my pocket when I noticed that Homer was moving back and forth in his run with his nose up, sniffing the air. He was looking for the ball. I bounced it again and it was clear that Homer just might have what it takes for detection work. When I got him into the front seat of my van and was driving off, he suddenly climbed over the seat and started heading to the back of the van. I could hear him climbing over the dog crates all the way to the back door. A few minutes later, he climbed back over the front seat and sat there looking at me with the ball in his mouth, ( he had taken it out of the compartment in the back of the van). As I stopped at a light, he put the ball down on the seat and just stared into my eyes. I knew right there that dog would be REALLY hard to give up and that ended up being the case.

Homer could find the smallest quantities of drugs buried in a hole in an acre parcel within minutes. He was a very special dog. He lived to be 11 years old and suddenly developed seizures. He was put down after we could no longer control them.


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## Keeyah (Apr 24, 2007)

I had a JRT that everyone thought was a mix. But I have since seen her parents and they were both pure jack russell. My girl just had odd ears and colouring! She was my first dog, my second is Diesel.

But I know a great little mix who plays with Diesel. Sasha is Border ColliexJRT. She is ball crazy, loves to herd and her focus is amazing. She is also a keen digger and loves going down holes and in hedges. She runs like a gazelle, sprinting then doing little jumps and poor Diesel can never catch her!


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## SuzyE (Apr 22, 2005)

Oh this is is easy my shelter mutt,Jazmin. Jazz was listed as Shepherd, Collie, Lab, Chow. She looks like a small yellow Lab with a chow tail. When Jazmin was 6-8 WEEKS old she was beaten with a bat, thrown out of a moving car and run over by a car. Her teeth were blackened from the bat, she had a prominent scar on her left paw from the tire track, she was so beat down that I thought she was brain damaged. My daughter & I were looking at cats and thought "let's just look at the dogs" Paige was still crazy at 8 months old at home. There she was the most pathetic puppy i had ever seen.A stark contrast from how Paige was as a puppy.They told me her story, they told me she may have lifelong health problems fom the serious injuires, they told me i would have to sign an extra release taking her "as is" all this and on top of it I thought she was brain damaged from the beating.Took us about 3 mins to decide "I'll take her" I said.I promised that messed up baby she would never suffer another day in her life.All rules went out the window for Jazmin. luckily for me Paige loved her from first sight. Jazmin was born again when she met Paige, new mom, new life.We barley set her down for the first two months. Forget the crate she went straight to the waterbed and has barely left the bed for the last 8 years.I was so determined to make up for what she went thru. Jazmin has blossomed into a beautiful, THANKFUL dog. She has never shown any aggression and visits the nursing home weekly. She understands the command "give love" and will go put her head in folk's laps.
I have had Jazmin for 8 years now. Funny thing is the worst problem she had was ear infections.I was ready for lifelong health problems and she had a few ear infections. Jazmin changed my life in a way that is hard to explain.I wanted to make it up to her and in return she paid us back ten fold. One time a stranger commented on how loyal she is to me, on how he could see the love she had for me.I said "if you only knew..."
After my beloved Cesar died at 7 months I KNEW my next dog would be coming from the shelter. Two weeks after C's death I brought home 6 week old Travis who is a Shepherd/Husky mix.Doesn't take much to 'sell" me on a shelter mutt after Jazmin.Little teeny Travis ran around the house so happy when I brought him home, only 6 weeks and he KNEW he was in a shelter.For the next three weeks Travis hung around my neck like a monkey afraid he was going back to that awful place.he is a sweet little angel. That's two for two for me.
if you are even considering a scond or third dog please check out your local shelter. I promise you that you won't forget it.


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## Guest (Nov 23, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: Pedders
> 
> 
> > Originally Posted By: PNWGSD.
> ...


Made me very sorry to hear too.


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## Guest (Nov 23, 2007)

Well, like Thea, I've never owned a mixed breed myself either although now there is one in my family so I guess you could say I do. He's DW's dog and has been her's for more than a decade. He'll always be her boy. Billie will be 11 soon. I got permission to post his picture and tell his story from DW.










Billie is a GSD/Beagle cross or so the folks at the pound said. He certainly looks like it and has this crazy bark that starts out like a GSD and winds up sounding very much like a Beagle.

DW rescued both him and Wyatt who was a Labrador/Bassett Hound cross. They lived together on one of the many backroads here in Vermont that see little traffic. Walking down their road had always been safe. One day as they were rounding a bend in the road some guy in a pickup truck came flying down the road at about three times the speed limit and either due to the speed or just out of meaness veered to their side of the road. At the last moment Billie leapt up at DW and knocked her sideways away from the road. He got clipped in the process but survived although his spleen had to be removed. Poor Wyatt was not so lucky. The man never stopped and DW was too startled and shaken to get a plate number. I will always be very grateful to Billie. There's alot of GSD in that dog.


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## wildwolf60 (Apr 13, 2001)

My shepherd husky mix, Yorick! Had his mom when I was much younger, and she was a husky shep-she managed to get pregnant by a shepherd who had broken his chain to get to her-I kept one pup, and managed to find homes for the rest, got her spayed right after the pup were weaned, then neutered the male pup who I named Yorick. Just looked like one! He would protect me without any hesitation, but was great with kids, other animals. Let the cats climb all over him, even eat out of the same bowl! And he acted like a mama-he would hold the other animals down with a paw and lick their ears clean! Smart, loving, playful, I never did any formal training with him, but he seemed to know what I wanted. Unfortunately, his mom went to the bridge at 8 years, and he managed to hang on until around 12 yrs. I'm hoping they along with my other passed babies are waiting for me. They all had their wonderful personalities, and I miss each one!


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## chuckstar158 (Sep 8, 2004)

My Katie... I think she's a high GSD mixed with Husky. She's intelligent, stubborn and just got a wonderful soul. I love everything about her from her queen-bee ways at day-care to the way she loves to crawl under the covers once I get out of bed in the morning. She's my baby...










My friends GSD/Rottie mix is an awesome dog! She's the best of both breeds without all the aliments that have taken her PB Rottie brothers (cancer







) over the years. She was a puppy in a box on the side of the road and now she's a happy, healthy 15 year old going strong.


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## Catu (Sep 6, 2007)

Auca, the GSD/Belgian Shepherd that is still with my SAR team.









(you must be already tired of her, but I really miss her)


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## Achielles UD (May 26, 2001)

When I was younger (9 years old) we had a pug/beagle cross. Her name was Pugsley. I know, not too imaginative. We had rescued her from the pound and she was the best dog! I remember as a kid how she would do just about anything. She slept on my bed and went everywhere I did.

She was hit by a car a few years later, because I was a stupid kid and my parents didn't know any better either at the time. I still remember her and see all of these "designer" puggles being sold for 100-500 dollars. It blows my mind. We got a great puggle for only a $10 adoption fee!


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## CertainlySpoiled (Dec 2, 2007)

Without a doubt, hands down, Elle...Is the best mix I've ever had...she is a GSD/Dobermon mix...She's so sweet, cuddly, and smart, tell her to go get your shoes and somehow she matches up the right pairs and brings them to you....here she is my baby, OH and she thinks she's still a lap dog...can you imagine a 91lb dog jumping in your lap? Happens almost everyday to me!!!!


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## Dogaroo (Mar 4, 2003)

Gunnar - Black Lab & assorted spare parts. Bullheaded, devoted, hopelessly naughty, hyperactive, goofy, peace-loving hippie dog. He adores his cats, predicts my migraines, and taught me to laugh when I had forgotten how. He's almost eleven & still acts like a puppy-- the half-grown, stubborn, bouncy, adolescent kind. The vet said he's in amazingly good health for his age. (I'm glad, because I really need him to stick around awhile.)

Among Gunnar's antics:
- Got bored with "heel" in obedience class, so he turned around & started walking backwards-- still beside me, in perfect "heel" position
- Followed me up on the roof when I had to do some repairs (fortunately was only half of his current 70 lbs, so I could carry him back down the ladder)
- Pushed a chair to the counter so he could climb up onto the fridge to get the doggie treats I hid up there
- Stole my fanciest, laciest "double barrel sling shot" & stood by the fence, waving it exuberantly at log trucks driving by (I never quite forgave him for that one)
- Found him sound asleep on the kitchen counter - apparently the cats chased him off the bed & Kaija wouldn't share the couch with him (He was nine years old at the time!)


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## Ardatha (Aug 11, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: Dogaroo
> Among Gunnar's antics:
> - Got bored with "heel" in obedience class, so he turned around & started walking backwards-- still beside me, in perfect "heel" position
> - Followed me up on the roof when I had to do some repairs (fortunately was only half of his current 70 lbs, so I could carry him back down the ladder)
> ...










Oh my! That's a dog of a lifetime! I can just picture him waving his "treasure" at the passing trucks... I'm sure he was quite proud of himself, too! LOL And the reverse heel in OB class is priceless! I hope for your sake he does stick around for many more years! And I hope for our sake that he does too... he sounds like one who will inspire many great stories!









My best mutt was a lab/golden retriever cross whom I got when I was 12 and she was 18 months. Jet was so devoted that when I would go anywhere I would ask my mom to keep her in the house until I was gone. Didn't matter how long Mom would keep her in the house, she'd track me down wherever I'd gone. I'd be hanging with my friends and sure enough there would come Jet with her nose to the ground tracking me. 

The guy we got her from had trained her as a hunting dog so my father took her hunting once. She howled when he tied her to the bumper of his truck so he turned her loose and she tried to climb in his sleeping bag with him. After he'd kicked her out a few times, she found a skunk. She loved skunks. Then she tried to climb back in the sleeping bag. He brought her home at midnight and never tried to take her hunting again. LOL


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## Strongheart (May 2, 2007)

This is my pointer/collie mix Macintosh. He was born at the pound, we met his mom, Ruby, a gentle sweet pointer. She had 14 puppies and each looked like a different breed. We had the DNA test done on him and it just came back 'collie/sheltie'. Duh.

Mac is 5 but when he was younger he was a complete maniac. He bays like a coonhound but looks like a prince. He is the most awesome guard dog on Earth. He quietly patrols the perimeter of his yard and waits until the perceived threat is right at the fence and only then does emerge from the brush and explode with a thunderous bay that scares even the most stoic of intruders. 

When we were having our roof replaced last year, one of the workers was telling us 'oh I was in the service and I worked with dogs' and he presented Macko with his forearm to see if he had bite instinct. Mac leapt on him and bit him through his jacket! The next day the same guy was determined to throw Mac off and presented his arm again and had his other fist ready to strike Mac. Mac leapt in and bit his privates and my husband and I laughed til our sides split! You don't mess with Mac! He was raised by a master, his predecessor, our erstwhile collie.

Mac not only has great bite instinct, runs like the wind and is beautiful, he is the gentle protector of our birds, bunnies, cats, and piggies all of whom know and trust him. When the bunnies hear footsteps in the hall, 'which dog is it?' 'oh it's MAC, never mind'

Mac thought he would take over as undisputed alpha of the Sherman pack but then we got two German Shepherds! He challenges Rocky (GSD) on a daily basis for the top spot but Rocky is clearly the king. Mac has always been the beta and now he continues in that spot. He was born for it. He's always challenging, keeping the pack sharp and also always having the most fun.

I haven't met many mixed breeds but he is definitely the most interesting contrast of two breeds I've met. The regal collie and the swampy pointer. He makes hound dogs look good! You can see how his hips are higher than his shoulders, just like a pointer, and his big ears and eyes are all pointer. Don't know about the wavy coat, what that might be, but he holds his tail up like a GSP. When it comes to getting along with other critters though, he's 100% collie.


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## DancingCavy (Feb 19, 2001)

Well since the only dog I've ever owned is a mix. . .this is pretty easy. It has to be my mystery mutt, Risa.









She was listed as a Border collie cross which is what initially drew me to her (I like herding breeds). I have no idea what mix she actually is but it's doubtful there is BC in there. I think she has some sort of herding breed in the mix and possibly some sighthound. Otherwise, only God knows for certain.

Being my first dog and a 'project' dog, Ris has taught me a lot. Like I didn't know a darn thing about dog training before I got her. Despite thinking I did.







She also has helped teach me to not lose my temper as easily. If I raised my voice to her initially, she would shut down completely. So if I wanted to keep working with her, I had to control myself. It's something I needed to work on anyway.

She's also helped me meet people. I brought her home shortly after I moved out to MT and had no friends. Almost everyone I've met out here I've met through her. No complaints at all.









We've only been together 1.5 years so most of her/our story has yet to be written. Still, despite the setbacks we've gone through, I wouldn't trade her for the world. She's a wonderful dog, even if the world can't always see that.


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## RG518 (Sep 25, 2007)

Joshua's dad was a black Lab and his Mom was a GSD. He was the best of both!


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## GSDLVR76 (Aug 6, 2007)

My heart dog was a mix. She was a lab/goldie cross. Her name was Kenai, I found an ad on a super market board and begged my parents for for hours just to go and look at her. When we arrived here comes this puppy with biggest paws and ears I had ever seen. She went home with me that day (Halloween 1990) at the age of 3 months. She lived to be 12. I absolutely loved her more than anything.

When I left to go to Basic in 1994, I didn't shed a tear when I had to say good bye to my family but when I had to say good bye to her I broke down and sobbed. I told my mom that day, when I have a house and a place for her I will be back to get her. I went home on leave in 1997 and brought her back to California with me.

She was by far the best dog ever!! She loved me and I loved her!! I sure miss that old dog.


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## Chris Wild (Dec 14, 2001)

I've only ever owned one mixed breed. All our other dogs were purebred GSDs, except for one purebred Cocker Spaniel.

Bundle was a GSD/Malamute mix we got when I was 7. A lady my mom worked with owned a female GSD who had a liason with the neighbor's male Malamute and they had a litter of pups. She found homes for all the other pups, but Bundle broke her leg at about 8 weeks old, so when people were coming to pick up their puppies of course no one wanted the puppy with the cast. The lady intended to keep Bundle, but then things changed and they had to move out of state (her husband's job was relocated) and they needed to find a home for Bundle. My mom couldn't resist the sob story of the pup no one wanted who had the broken leg and who now they couldn't keep, so we got her when she was about 5 months old.

She was an awesome dog, but quite different from the GSDs I was used to. She had the typical black/tan saddle coloration of a GSD, but the body type and hair of a Malamute. Her personality was much more Malamute than GSD. Very intelligent and loyal, but with a bit of a stubborn streak and definitely a mind of her own. No drive, and she never did like to play even as a puppy. Except snowballs. She'd chase snowballs all day long, but never a regular ball or any other toy. She was quite independent much of the time and never did like to be inside the house. She always preferred to be outside, especially in the winter. Except during thunderstorms. They terrified her and stormy weather was about the only time she ever wanted to be in the house.

She was actually the first dog I really raised and trained on my own. Much of my childhood summers were spent in the yard, sitting on the ground proped up against Bundle reading a book while my pet rabbits wandered around eating grass and playing nearby. Bundle always took her job of supervising me and the bunnies quite seriously, and if the rabbits started to wander off she'd get up, herd them back toward me, then come over and lie down again to serve as my pillow. Twice she protected me from the psycho Collie down the street who would occasionally get out of it's yard and try to attack people.... 

She was healthy as could be and died from a stroke a couple months after her 15th birthday, just a few days before I graduated college. One my biggest regrets is that the weekend before she died I was busy moving stuff home and studying for exams so I didn't spend much time with her those few days, figuring that after that week I'd be back home and have plenty of time. Instead of coming home to my old friend as I'd planned, I came home to a fresh mound of dirt under the walnut tree.


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## Vinnie (Sep 4, 2001)

I love the topic! Can I pick 2?

1. Would be a dog I had as a child. His name was *<span style="color: #330099">Alexander Blue </span>*(or Blue for short) and we think he was GSD mixed with Doberman (not sure). I found him as a stray and my dad said I could keep him. He was a very different and strange dog. Very intelligent too. He would stand on his hind legs and walk around like a human. (I’ve got pictures of that too.) I had my own room at the time and I remember he wouldn’t let anyone in my room unless I told them they could come in. I had a double bed and he slept on it at night and took up nearly the whole bed. A very sweet dog and I wish sometimes he were still around. He was very loyal to me and my constant companion.









2. One of husband’s current dogs, *<span style="color: #330033">Jesse</span>*. She’s a Golden Retriever – Malamute mix. My husband got her from a farmer when she was a wee little pup. The farmer was going to have the pups PTS and my husband asked if he could take her. She’s definitely intelligent and loaded with personality. Loves the outdoors and to go with you where ever you go. I think she really got most of her looks and temperament from her Malamute father. Even at 11 years old - she's still the Queen.


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## leah (Aug 3, 2007)

the best mutt in the world is Fred. best i can tell he's either Malamute or Huskey and Golden retriever. he's wonderful and beautiful. he's so smart and when he was living with me he was my shadow. i rescued him off the streets when he was about 6 months old. he has always thought he was a lap dog. he knows when you are sad or upset. and even though he knows he's not allowed on the furniture/bed he will crawl up beside you if you are crying or just if he senses something is wrong. he's a great judge of people. he's so gentle to other animals. he's just perfect in every way and he will be so greatly missed when he's gone. 








isn't he handsome!


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## germanshepherdcentral (Jan 9, 2008)

So totally nothing to do with shepherds, but it's got to be my little Marty McFly, likely part Jack/BC/Aussie something. Well, he's little compared to the GSDs! He's hilarious and sweet and cuddly and fast and whip-smart, in a portable package.


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## lcht2 (Jan 8, 2008)

i dont have a pic of him but he was a cross between shepherd, golden retriever, and saint bernard. i know, weird. but he was the nicest dog. he was my dads growing up and i cant remember my dad getting mad at him once..well only for barking. he was very good.


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## Maryn (Feb 15, 2008)

My Angus. He's 1 yr old now, and is my best buddy.
I was told when I got him that his mom is a purebred GSD, dad was a lab/collie mix.
He's only 45lbs, and mostly brown...I'm thinking he's got some hound or chow mixed in there somewhere.


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## Shandril2 (Nov 26, 2003)

> Originally Posted By: ReichsmomMy Angus. He's 1 yr old now, and is my best buddy.
> I was told when I got him that his mom is a purebred GSD, dad was a lab/collie mix.
> He's only 45lbs, and mostly brown...I'm thinking he's got some hound or chow mixed in there somewhere.


Where did you get him? He is CUTE! My dog is GSD mix that looks a lot like Angus. They seem abundant in the Eastern PA area. I assumed my Max came from an Amish puppy mill since he has sooo many 'brothers & sisters' out there.







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## Maryn (Feb 15, 2008)

Awww! He's adorable!
I got Angus from a lady who does her own little rescue thing up in Mercer County.
Her neighbors had an 'oops' litter, and she took the pups and placed them.
I think he had been mistreated though. We stopped to get gas after picking him up, when I came back to the car he had pooped on the front seat. As soon as he saw me look at it, he dove under the steering column, shaking, and wouldn't come out. He's always been soft, very sensitive...but not nervy. We've built his confidence and he is the most obedient, loving, and sweetheart of a dog I've ever had.
He was such a tiny fluffball when I got him!


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## Shandril2 (Nov 26, 2003)

OH that 1st pic just melted my heart!









Great job!


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## jakobi (Mar 2, 2008)

When I was younger my parents came home with a black lab/german shepherd mix. "Summer" looked just like a Black Shepherd.


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## Bluecatdemoness (Oct 7, 2007)

Our dog Kaydee. She was Dobermann/GSD with a dash of lab.


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## josephcarman1982 (Feb 19, 2008)

my dog turbo, he is a german shepherd and austrailian shepherd mix. very smart and loyal dog.


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## MIKE MCCLELLAN (Mar 14, 2008)

The best mixed breed I have ever had is the one we have now. Her name is Stella Mae and she was left on the steps of our friend's grooming shop at 6 weeks old. She is a beagle mix of some sort. She is loving and protective and an absolute joy.


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## Anja1Blue (Feb 27, 2008)

An Akita/Chow mix we rescued from a shelter -she was beautiful in every way, and was taken from us far too soon by cancer. We will never forget our sweet Kira........


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## Robsmom (May 18, 2007)

This one....


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## Robsmom (May 18, 2007)

He's Bear, out lab/mastiff/rottie mix.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Well I've only had two dogs and one is a mix, but I don't know if I'll ever find another like him! We were searching Petfinder for a dog to adopt and when I saw him I just KNEW he was the one! I applied immediately, before I even showed DH, but DH agreed he sounded perfect. The rescue approved our app the next day and within two days we took Kenya to meet him, and took him home. 

We do not know what mix he is. He has some siblings that look like him, his brother Manny, I don't think I could tell them apart! I've seen a pic of his mom and she is white and brown, possibly a Collie/Golden or Aussie/Golden. Since Coke's litter was born in the rescue, we know his birthdate. No info on the sire. Coke has a purple tongue, so I think there has to be Chow in there, it's solid purple. He acts like an Aussie with the butt wiggle and the way he expresses himself with his eyes, but also a Golden with his social, bubbly personality and his love of playing/retrieving. His coat is more full than a Golden. He looks exactly like a Hovawart and if they were in the AKC my trainer has no doubt we could be sneaky and ILP him.

Coke was born at the rescue and adopted to an older couple. They had some health problems. I believe friends tried to take care of Coke but he was basically ignored and neglected. They returned him to the rescue and that's where we got him from. He shows NO signs of abuse or neglect even though he did not have a good life as a puppy. He loves people, he loves other dogs, he is very playful and active yet knows when to back off or be submissive...sometimes he does naughty things but you can tell he tries SO HARD to please you. He will come sit in front of me and make these little huffy noises and offer me his paw until I do something with him. He sits on our laps even though he is BIG. He's just such a joy and a total goodball. He came to us potty trained and crate trained, NO fear issues, no guarding....nothing. His only "catch" is his non-existant recall, but he's only 1.5 years and we aren't pressuring his training since he's not very intense about training like Kenya. It suits him just fine to run on a 50' lead until we find a method of keeping him nearby.



















He lets us pick him up and carry him around in any position! Gosh I could NEVER do this with Kenya, lol!



























We love our Coke and he really brings out the best in Kenya. She gets to be the alpha dog of the house and when they play, but in public we ask people to put all their attention on him and it works out perfect b/c he loves it and she is more aloof.


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## Shandril2 (Nov 26, 2003)

Wow! I have never seen such a beautifully rich hue on a dog!

I see some setter & some golden .... and that size ...


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Thanks! I think he's beautiful but I am biased. Everywhere we go, people ask me what mix Kenya is and what breed Coke is, lol. He just had a pro bath today, first bath since Nov, and he is all fluffy. In some areas, the red/orange is so rich it looks like it was Rit dyed and will drip off color if he gets wet.


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## cdonahue89 (Nov 9, 2007)

when i was born my grandparents bought a puppy from the pound who was like 10 weeks old, she was a boxer & lab mix. she was laid back, i would ride on her back, we were BEST friends. she would let me crawl all over her, pull her tail, ears, everything i could find that was pullable & she wouldnt do a thing. she kept me outta trouble when i was a toddler, & then when i was 14 she had to be put down because of too many reaccuring tumors that made it almost impossible for her to walk. her last day we took her to the beach, she ran, jumped, played, it was like she was a puppy again. i will never, ever, forget her.


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## bearlasmom (Sep 21, 2006)

King was the best mixed breed i ever had. He lived up to his name. He was a wolf/GSD cross. Huge, burly and full of love. He was protecting my kids even at the age of 15 wks. No one could get near them. He was purchased for my father in law after his belived gsd died of old age. dads health began to go down hill so we went looking for the 'perfect' challenge for him. King fit the bill. he ate lawn mower wheels, a licence plate, chewed and dug a car seat when dad went into a mcdonalds to go to the bathroom on the way up north. when we got king though we did not think about what would happen if dad passed on. Wehn he did, we ended up taking him in. 
king was a true love, friend, confident, body guard. he even protected me from a bear shortly before his untimely death at age 13 on sept 11, 2005. he died as a result or bloat and torsion. the vet put him to sleep while he was in my arms. as much pain as he was in, he tried to calm my tears. i held on too him long after he passed. i still miss him to this day and have his ashes on my dresser.


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## bearlasmom (Sep 21, 2006)

you just made me sob. i hate it when our belived buddies die. its just so so heart breaking.


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## poohbearsdad (Mar 24, 2008)

Gotta be my current gal. Her name is Poohbear. She's a lovely golden colour rottie- shepherd cross. She actually found her forever dad when she was around 2 weeks old when she was the first puppy in the litter to come and say hello. Anyways, the story goes that in 1999, the fraser river threatened to break the ***** up near Deroche BC ( that was where I was living at the time). Just after I brought Poohbear home, the waters receded. In 2007, a similar thing happened. The fraser was threatening to break the ***** around Richmond BC (we're here now), and waters receded once we got home from upcountry. Well this is my story.

Too bad she's 9 years old (as of last week) and hip dysplasic now - good thing she has me for her dad. If I knew about things like schultzhund and herding back when she was young, I probably would have took her - sure would have done wonders for her energy levels and her discipline. Will put up pix as soon as I figure out how ...


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## Helly (Mar 31, 2008)

We have a lab/golden retriever mix...Ozzie...he is ten years old, goes about 85 lbs. and has been a wonderful member of our family...he does not know he is a dog..he seriously thinks he is a person...he seems to be bonding very well with our GSD pup...very protective of little Jackson...I'll try to find a pic


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## DinoBlue (Apr 11, 2007)

Hmmm... I only ever had one mix breed and that would be Jack...gsd, malamute, pyrenee mix. He is very loving with people he knows but not so great with strangers. Ball drive like crazy and would make a great working dog since he will do just about anything for a ball...but he comes apart in any unfamiliar place...scared of the woods..but loves open fields. Great with my other dogs but not with others...list is long...but we love our Jack and he will always be our most treasured mix breed dog.


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## DinoBlue (Apr 11, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: DinoBlueHmmm... I only ever had one mix breed and that would be Jack...gsd, malamute, pyrenee mix. He is very loving with people he knows but not so great with strangers. Ball drive like crazy and would make a great working dog since he will do just about anything for a ball...but he comes apart in any unfamiliar place...scared of the woods..but loves open fields. Great with my other dogs but not with others...list is long...but we love our Jack and he will always be our most treasured mix breed dog.


..and here is Jack


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## Helly (Mar 31, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: DinoBlue
> 
> 
> > Originally Posted By: DinoBlueHmmm... I only ever had one mix breed and that would be Jack...gsd, malamute, pyrenee mix. He is very loving with people he knows but not so great with strangers. Ball drive like crazy and would make a great working dog since he will do just about anything for a ball...but he comes apart in any unfamiliar place...scared of the woods..but loves open fields. Great with my other dogs but not with others...list is long...but we love our Jack and he will always be our most treasured mix breed dog.
> ...


gorgeous dog!


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## Rugs (Jul 14, 2004)

This is Scooter, he is a Lhasa mix.


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## Solo'smom (May 10, 2008)

One of the best mixed breeds that I have ever come across is my parents dog Mocha. I am not exactly sure what she is! I will post a pic of her so you all can take a look and tell me what you think she is a mix of. She is such a sweetheart and loves to give everyone kisses. We think she is like a pitbull mixed with a dauchand mixed with something else. Yeah I know it sounds weird lol. Some people think she is an ugly dog but I find her so cute. Maybe her personality makes her cute to me I dunno....


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## SueLS (Apr 13, 2005)

Ours would be a german shepherd/collie mix. He had the best qualities of both breeds -- incredibly intelligent, loyal, loving -- all the great stuff. And, he was stunningly beautiful -- had the longer nose of the collie, upright ears, GSD coloring, but a thicker collie like coat.

Incredible boy . . . . . he was with us for 13 1/2 years!


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## KCandMace (Apr 8, 2008)

My mom always got free blond ****-a-poos out of the newspaper. Then she got mad when they started to charge for a mutt. So that really is the only mix I have ever been around the most.

We I got out on my own I had a mix. Not sure what as we had found him on the side of the road. We put out flyers and in the paper but nobody claimed him. 3 months later he was missing. He was just a pup maybe 5-6 months when we found him. If I had to guess on he was part yellow lab with some sharpei but very small. 

After that I had a boarder collie mix. Felisha was a smart loving girl. She was very driven to be near you. As the landlord wouldn't allow pets to be left alone inside we had a fenced in area for her in the backyard. My exbf one night slept on the couch that was on the back porch and listened to her franticly trying to get to him and she died trying. I was coming the next day to get her as we had broken up. He said he would watch her until I had a place which took a week. He didn't need to take it out on her.


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## Innuendo (Feb 27, 2008)

She is 13 years old now but was one of my first dogs. Her name is cocoa and she is a little bit of everything Pit Bull, Catahoula and cattle dog are the only breeds we notice right away but she could have other stuff in there too!










Her favorite thing in the world is her squeeky ball.


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## Solo'smom (May 10, 2008)

Cocoa is beautiful! So is that German Shepherd : )


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## shadow mum (Apr 8, 2008)

I'd have to say it's a tie. I have owned a Great Pyraneese(sp?), an Akita/Malamute, a collie, a westie-poo, a peke-a-poo, a GSD X and a GSD. Out of these I'd have to say my akita/malamute, Deni, and the GSD X, Smokie, were fantastic. 

When I was 16, we had Deni. My parents had taken the GP to be neutered, so I was left at home Deni for the weekend. (Small town, vet was 2 hrs away) I remember hearing someone at the door during the early morning, and thinking it was my older brother, went to open it. Deni placed herself at the door and started growling. I tried to push her out of the way, and she mouthed my wrist. I finally figured out she was trying to tell me something, and ran back upstairs to my room. The next morning, I asked my brother about it, and he said it wasn't him at the door. Deni got a HUGE steak dinner.

Smoke was another story. My husband and I were told we couldn't have kids, and Smoke became ours. Imagine our surprise when we not only had 1 child, but 2. Smoke was fantastic, but he protected them, sleeping beside their cribs, watching the door when they were out. When he died, I think a part of me died too.

Now we have our GSD, Shadow. Let the fun begin again. Back to puppy school for me.


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## elsie (Aug 22, 2001)

with the exception of Dylan and Sheba (gsd, our first 'family' dog), all my dogs have always been mixes of shep/collie, shep/lab, lab/collie. they were all great dogs. i'll have to so, tho, gypsy gsdxcollie was the smartest and the most 'fun' of them. she was true to her name.


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## Wolfie (Jan 20, 2006)

The only mixed breed I have owned was a 4yr old Samoyed/Wolf mix.

Blizzard 








He was given to me due to his owners moving out of the Country. They had him since he was 1 and adopted him from the SPCA. 

I gave him back to them when they moved back to BC a year later. Hard to do, but I knew he missed them a lot!


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## Charlie Foxtrot (Nov 25, 2007)

.
Growing up, a neighbor's dog "adopted" us kids. She escaped from the neighbors so many times, tunneling, chewing though ropes and chains, leaping progressively higher fences, that they finally gave her to us. She was apparently a GSD mixed with some portion of coyote (maybe a quarter?). Smart, loving, loyal, well trained; she was the best dog we could have ever hoped for. Most coydogs are not to be trusted, but she was an extraordinary companion in 4 kid's growing years. 

Currently, we have a Belgian Malinois / GSD mix. Breed for police work, he turned out to be a 110 pound goofball; a luvbug unfit for a life as a cop's land shark. Their loss, our gain. A wonderful dog, smart, loving, athletic, and absolutely full of the joy of life. 
.


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## Vertigo75 (Jul 11, 2006)

The two best mixed-breeds I had were when I was a child. I was raised with a Chow/Airdale mix who helped me realize my love for dogs. He was very friendly and willing to do anything I asked of him, and taught me how to appreciate everything dogs have to offer. After he died from kidney failure, we adopted a GSD/terrier mix from the pound. He was awesome! I raised him from a puppy when I was 11 years old and he went with me every where. A kid couldn't have asked for a better best friend! He eventually died from old age, but still has a spot in my heart just for him. He looked like a GSD with a beard. 

I miss them both and will never forget them.


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## Ewilliams (Oct 17, 2007)

Mine is a dog from my childhood. He was a small breed, probably mixed with some poodle. His name was Happy. He took care of me and when my dad died when I was six, Happy stayed by my side. I can almost remember what his fur smelled like as I had so many days and nights with my face buried in his fur as I slept with my head on his side. Happy was more like my brother than a dog. He would lay and listen to me read to him. We shared a pb&j everyday for lunch. Everyone needs a Happy.


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## trouble (Oct 29, 2005)

Yellow Lab/Husky and also Yellow Lab/GSD. YL/H was great with the kids and very protective, even though we got him as a 2yo stray. YL/GSD has to have been the most intelligent dog I've ever owned. Wish I had known about Schutzhund and/or SAR when she was a young'un.


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## Heidibu (Jul 22, 2008)

The best mixed breed we ever had was Mandy...RIP.

She was a Labrador Retriever/Weimaraner mix and smart as a whip. She lived to be 16 years old and was a sweetheart, aside from being extremely protective of me.

We miss her terribly...but she had a great and long life.


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## srfd44-2 (May 20, 2004)

Growing up i had a beagle/cocker mix named Skippy. He was the best dog ever and will never be forgotten. R.I.P. Skippy


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## Laurie Brown (Aug 5, 2003)

Markie, my MAS survivor, rescued by dd from the board and my foster failure. I don't know what he is, but he is my heart mixed breed dog. He has an uncanny understanding that is almost scary at times. He seems to understand things more than any of my other dogs. Markie was extremely scared, shy and sick when he first came here. To meet him now, you would hardly know it. He's gained so much confidence and amazes me still to this day.

His shelter photo.









How he rode to the vet after being picked up from temporary foster care in NJ.









Chilling with Glory and Ginny while I'm on the computer.









Last week a case of after bath zoomies!


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## agilegsds (Dec 31, 2003)

Laurie, Markie looks wonderful!!!! I remember so well when he first came out of MAS, the poor condition he was in and how deeply scared he was. Hard to believe that smiling face is the same dog!


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## Kimbo's Humans (Nov 9, 2003)

Sophie is the only mixed breed ive had. She's part jack russel I don't know what other breed she is.


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## Ilovealldogs (Nov 17, 2006)

I have a mixed breed dog named Scrappy. (I call her Cap.) She is some sort of terrier mix and looks a lot like a dog in a movie (can't think of the name of it). Hurricane Bertha came in 1996 and several weeks later Hurricane Fran blew through our area. In between these hurricanes, a mangy, emaciated dog came to my parents' porch looking for food of any kind. I started leaving a bowl of dog food out for her everyday. One day when she was in my yard, lurking about, a lady who lived down the street came up to my driveway and asked if that were my dog. I replied, "No" and she said that she had been feeding the dog too! I decided that street-life was no place for a dog and asked my dad if I could keep her. He said, "No, take her to the pound." I started crying and told him that they would euthanize her because she looked so unhealthy; she had no hair on her back end because of mange. He caved in and said that I could keep her outside. I had a vet come to my house (the dog was too petrified to get into my car) and she treated her mange and gave her vaccines. I shortly thereafter had her spayed and my dad said I could bring her in the house to recover from surgery. She never lived outside after that! LOL! One day when she was in my room, she saw I was playing with a karate dog toy that said karate type phrases. She saw I put it in my desk drawer. Later on that day, I came home from class and saw that she had opened my desk drawer and taken the toy out and played with it! Of course, then it became her toy and needless to say she was spoiled with many toys after that! I knew I had a special dog! The other funny thing is that she would always bark at the other people or animals in the house when I came home from class or work. When I lived at home with my parents, she would run in their room to let them know I was home and she'd bark her head off. I then got a gerbil and she'd bark at it to let it know I was finally home. She would even bark at my fish when there was no other person/animal to notify! She is a special dog! She is now roughly 15 years old and had a malignant mammary tumor removed. I think the cancer may have spread, so I make sure to enjoy every moment I have left with her!


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Noiya was MY first dog (all mine - I gre up with plenty of dogs). She was a GSD mix (possible sighthound).

She is the smartest dog I have ever owned (present company included - but I love them anyway).

I just wish she had come along about 10 years AFTER she did. The things I could have taught her after learning better training techniques ...

She was also my first introduction to the GSD breed and after she died I went and found a breeder and brought home Neke.


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## LandosMom (Nov 30, 2005)

My favorite mix was my first dog Harper. She was, I believe, a Springer Spaniel/Aussie mix. She was a fabulous fabulous girl. Very devoted and loving. She also kept my sweet Lando in line - not an easy task! Here she is with my Lando in the good ole days ... wow I miss her.


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## maryhaze (Jan 7, 2005)

my Charlie is the best mix i've ever had. he's a gsd/dobie mix & he's the reason i got started in rescue. he's about 12 now & has dementia & dm, but he still has his good times. he used to raise the puppies i brought in, he was my kids first nanny & helped me before & after my transplant. i'm gonna be lost without him.


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## sleachy (Aug 10, 2001)

I have never owned a mixed breed dog! Even growing up, we had a springer, a beagle, a manchester, a lab, a wire hair fox terrier...in my adult life, I have had 2 gsds and a cocker. I have also rescued and placed a rott and a German shorthair.
I think I am a purebred snob!








So, I asked my parents...and neither of them have ever owned a mixed breed either!


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## 1911 (Jan 15, 2008)

Best mix dog was a half lab half chow chow. Looked like a chow chow. Great in the house, great with kids. Sad day when we put her down but it was the chapter one of purebred shepherds for us.


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## Nikkoli110 (Sep 9, 2008)

The best mixed dog we had was Jake. We "inherited" him from my uncle. He got Jake from my aunt in Maine. We were watching Jake for my uncle for 2 weeks while they moved into their new home, but his wife ended up not wanting him back. When we took him home he was 7. He was an excellent dog. He would stay in our yard and play with us for hours. I remember as a kid (11ish?) I would play "circus" with him, have him jump over our picnic table benchs, jump through hula hoops, etc. Now I look back, and I'm like "wow, that dog did alot!" He was a mix of Shepherd/Lab and we think some chow. He had shepherd markings, but was a lab body, and had some funny fur around his collar like a chow does, and had a purple-ish tounge. He was just so loyal, friendly with strangers, he'd come when called and would stay in our yard. He was just awesome. Sadly we had to put him down at age 15 in 2003. I miss him alot still!!


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## zarburg (Mar 14, 2009)

Only ever had GS.


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## MassiChewSits (Mar 10, 2009)

My childhood dog lived 17 years. We guess she was a mix of Beagle,Bordie Collie,Doberman an maybe Lab. 
Her marking were Doby(head) and Bodrer(body),her ears were like a Labs.. The Beagle made her small,short-haired and gave her the instinct to mindless chase small animals and birds. She had the speed and agility of Border, but no real herding instinct. She was dog aggressive, but an absolute sweetheart with people. She had the softest fur I have every felt on a dog, and we miss her.


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## SouthernThistle (Nov 16, 2005)

Not a clue what he was mixed with. 

His card said "St Bernard/Akita," but he was neither. He may have been a boxer/Golden Retriever. I went to the shelter to see him, and he was in a pen with another puppy. He stepped all over the other puppy to get up to me. He was a little butterball. It was love at first sight.

He was chestnut in color with four white paws, a white chest, and a white muzzle and blaze. He was about 8 weeks old.......and housebroken. Well he may not have been trained to be housebroken, but he'd hang out by the door, I'd let him out, and he never messed in the house.

He had a sense of humor, too. I rented a small house on my landlord's property (large estate in the woods). "Frankie" would hang out with my landlord's dogs during the day (a lab and a mix). The lab had a constant limp (had been hit by a car as a pup), and Frankie, seeing the lab would get attention, started limping as well....same leg...........but wasn't injured. I took him to the vet, and he was fine. I'd even catch him standing and running fine on his leg. 

He would never run off.
He never barked.
He never chewed anything, and he got along with EVERYONE. 

When I moved overseas for a few months, I donated him to a woman that trained dogs for pet therapy. She had met Frankie and I several times out in public/around town. 

He's now a Pet Therapy pooch that visits Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. He looks like a golden with some fawn boxer coloration


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

It would be hard to choose a "best" but my terrier Pooch was an awesome dog. He was very high-energy, typical terrier personality- very smart and a fast learner, very LOUD and fun-loving. (the only non-terrier thing is he did not chase small animals at all.) Also completely toy crazy. I don't know what mix he was but my best guess was mostly Rat Terrier. He might have been part Boston Terrier, Jack Russell, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, or some other breed. He was my "trick dog" as he knew tons of tricks. He was also my first clicker-trained dog, he took to the clicker very quickly and he loved it. I think he thought it was a great way for him to train ME to give him treats. Pooch always kept me laughing with his antics. He had a lot of fun quirks and the cutest underbite. He passed away last August at 14 years old.

Here is a photo of Pooch:










I've know a lot of great mixed breeds that were not owned by me also, mostly I knew them as a kid. Several were owned by a woman in my neighborhood who rescued dogs/cats. She was a police officer and often came across dogs in her work, or would take home the strays that other officers picked up. She had several dogs of her own in addition to the ones she found homes for, and her dogs were all mixed breeds with great personalities. There was Spats, a Lab mix who had "tuxedo" markings. She knew how to open doors and gates. There was Henrietta, a sweet quiet Collie mix with soft fluffy fur. One of my favorites was Sparky, who looked like a Greyhound/pit bull mix. Sparky was the dog I usually would go over and ask to take for walks. He was very playful and friendly and cute, a light brown brindle with a large chest and tuck-up, tail like a Greyhound but with some fringe, and a head like a pit bull's but a little narrower and longer. Sparky learned where I lived from all the walks we took, and he would escape from the owner's yard or get away when he was being walked off-leash in a nearby forest and show up outside my house. Another great dog was Wildboy. He originally was rescued by that police officer, but a friend of mine in the neighborhood ended up adopting him. Wildboy was part German Shepherd and maybe Golden Retriever. He had the most expressive brown eyes and was very friendly and playful. When my friend's family went out of town, I would petsit him at my house and he got along great with all the other pets. He was an escape artist and when his owners were walking him or opened a door he would sometimes get loose and roam the neighborhood, then come back home smelling awful. When I saw him loose I would call him to me and bring him back to my friend's house, but eventually he would get loose again. He had been a stray previously so was very street-smart. Sometimes if I was riding somewhere with my parents I couldn't stop and get him when he was loose, so I'd yell out the window "Wildboy, GO HOME!" and he would run back towards his owner's home. Unfortunately my friend had to move due to financial reasons and could not find an apartment that would allow Wildboy. I ended up fostering him for her for a while while she was at a temporary apartment, she found one that allowed dogs but was not able to stay there and she eventually had to give Wildboy back to the police officer, who found him another home somewhere. 

Here is a photo of Wildboy. I had this taken for my friend's birthday one year. I pretended I was taking Wildboy for a walk, but instead I took him to the groomer and had him groomed and then took him to a photo studio and had a professional photo taken.











Another awesome mixed breed I knew was Vivian. She was owned by a friend of mine. Vivian was a very large dog, about 110 pounds. She was a Collie mix, possibly part Malamute. She had very dense fluffy fur and great-looking "mascara" around her eyes. She was one of the sweetest dogs I've known, very laid-back and friendly. She was great with other animals too. When I was about to enter high school my friend (Vivian's owner) brought me a litter of feral kittens her neighbor had taken out from under their shed. She helped me to bottlefeed and raise the kittens, and Vivian also helped by pretending to be their mother and cleaning them! Vivian loved to give her paw, and when I was at my friend's house if I sat down she would keep giving me her paw over and over so finally one day I told her if she gave it to me again I was going to keep it. So after that I told my friend that I owned Vivian's left front paw.







When I rescued my Golden Retriever Ginger, Vivian became her best friend. We would walk the two dogs together all the time and they loved to spend time together. 
Here's a few photos of Vivian:

















Here she is hanging out with my Golden Ginger on a walk:


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## WillsMom08 (Mar 22, 2009)

Shaddow.
She was my German Shepherd Coyote mix. She was my best friend. I got her when I was 8 years when she was 2 weeks old. We bottle fed her and she was the best. She died in 2006 from Renal Failure. I want to cry every time I think of her. She should have been here when my son was born. She wasn't my first dog but she really was my best friend. 
I moved to this country and kids were very cruel to me, teasing me, calling me names, throwing stuff at me, and telling me I was a freak and to go back where I came from. My dog was always happy to see me no matter what and she always loved me. 
She went everywhere with me. When I started working as a vet tech she came to work with me every day. She slept with me she ate while I ate. She was my girl!










I get creeped some times because Fe looks like her and has a LOT of the same behaviors. Eating habits, where she likes to poop and pee, how she talks to me, even her bark.

Shaddow was my best dog! I miss her very much!

She is pictured with a little boy i used to babysit. He was 2 and she was 9


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## clfike (Mar 20, 2009)

We've had several mixed breeds through the years. My first was Sebastian. He was a Shepherd, Collie, coyote mix. He was basically my brother. We got him when I was 2. That started my lifelong love of Shepherds.

A little over a year ago we lost Spencer. He was a Shepherd mix. We heard various guesses on mixed with what.







They originally said Rottweiler, but who knows. He was the sweetest boy ever. He lived to be 15 yrs. old. I still miss him everyday.


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## TxRider (Apr 15, 2009)

Best mixed breed for me was my border collie/lab mix Cinder.

She was all black with a white spot on her chest, about 40lbs. I got her 3rd hand at about 6 weeks old and had her until she was 16 and I had to put her down.

She inherited all the smarts and drive and none of the herding from the collie, and the drive and fetch from the lab I guess..

I could teach that dog anything, and did until I ran out of ideas. Fetching monster, frisbees, sticks, pine cones, tennis balls, she knew them all by name and would even fetch me a bat to hit the balls with. I had to use the bat to tire her out, otherwise I would get a sore shoulder throwing before she got tired.

Then there was climbing trees, closing doors, turning off lights, etc. etc.

I even tried her out dove hunting and she did great.

I didn't get replacement dog till now, years later. Cinder just wasn't replaceable in my eyes. Actually my first pure bred dog ever, a GSD rescue that brought me here. At least the shelter and my vet believe she's all shepherd, and supposedly rescued from a breeder that neglected her to the point of almost death.


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## GSDtravels (Dec 26, 2008)

The best mixed breed dog I ever owned was Freckles. He was a Dalmation mix, don't know what he was mixed with. My parents got him at the pound when I was a baby. I know they say Dalmations aren't smart, this guy was a genius! I could go on for days about his antics but I'll stick to the most impressive ones. My grandmother lived alone, a few blocks from us. She worked for AT&T as an overseas operator. She worked swing shift and would have to go to town on a streetcar at night. She was afraid to wait alone that late so she'd call the house and say "Send Freckles up." We'd tell him "Go to Grandma's", he'd go straight to her house, walk her to the streetcar stop and wait with her until it came. She'd get on and say "Go home". He'd come right back! He also hated when people threw lit cigarettes, he'd bite them until they were out. Hated snakes, would shred them, guts flying everywhere. He also spent ALL of his time with us, hanging out and watching. He'd run down the hill behind us while sledding and would take the rope and pull the sled back up the hill for us! He was never tied or restricted in any way and the only time he'd leave was when he went to see lady friends, lots of spotted pups around. The community adjacent to us had a fire department that loved him. When they'd spot him carousing, they'd pick him up, take him to the station to hang out and call us and say "Freckles is here for a visit, when you have time, you can come and pick him up, no hurry."! He probably weighed all of 35 lbs. but was a tough little guy. I'll never forget the day he died, I was nine. I came home from school and there was a sheet covering him on our patio, my mother was sitting on a chair sobbing. It was March 30, 1967, a day that I've never forgotten. I climed onto the shed roof and stayed there until I had to come in to go to bed. Same routine for probably a week, I was totally lost without my best buddy. Nobody to sneak my dinner to under table, nobody to cuddle with on the floor while watching TV, nobody to pull my sled back up the hill. Nobody to protect me. My life changed forever that day, it was the first and one of the deepest losses of my life. To this day, I have never known a smarter or more loyal dog. RIP Freckles, you'll never be forgotten.


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## Alicia (May 9, 2009)

Best mixed breed is Lucas. He's a, well, a mutt! He was an un-neutered 1 and 1/2 year old surrender from the pound that was about to be PTS. 

He kept me safe when I was single and bought my first farm. He told me my husband was a good guy. He protected me and amused me with his antics. But he growled at our baby son. The same growl he uses on the kitties when they annoy him to the point where he is tempted to snap at them. We corrected him for the kitties and he was much better but we couldn't take a chance with our son. We did everything right but he just didn't like kids. 

He lives with my retired dad now and LOVES it. He goes everywhere with my dad, enjoys undivided attention, and makes my step-mom feel safer. And, we still get to see him because he's still in the family. My family doesn't give up on animals. We might shuffle them around but we don't give up.

You are welcome to play "Guess the Breeds"!

In the winter when we let his fur grow out.









Shaved for the summer.


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## gbocrafty (Apr 2, 2009)

The best dog I ever had was my Great Dane / Lab mix. He went to the bridge this past January. He was a 6 month old pound puppy when I got him-with the biggest paws!!. The first hour he destoryed everything in the bathroom. But that was his last major destructo event. He did dig all the dirt and tomato plants out of a planting bed one time. 

He was a big goofy dog. He would bark at all strangers including the bugs in the yard. I doubt he would have ever bit anyone, but he probably would have beat them to death with his tail. He was a blue / gray merle with a deep bark .

At 96 lbs he was a big boy, but followed me around like a two year old. He kept me company in the yard, house and car. He was the best dog I have ever had. 

He lived to be nearly 13 -old for a dane, but not long enough for me.


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## Jason L (Mar 20, 2009)

My 9 month old pup Obie is a mixed (gsd/black lab most likely). I got him from SPCA when he was 2 1/2 months. Extremely intelligent & even tempered, he is now training for competition obedience at our local schutzhund club. I wonder what he thinks of all the barking dogs doing protection work









Obie at SPCA









Obie at 3 months, after playing tug 









Obie and his ears ... half GSD-ish, half lab-ish









Obie this past sunday on the schutzhund training field


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## angierose (Apr 20, 2009)

Andy was the puppy of our neighbor's purebred Samoyed and whatever managed to jump her fence-- we're guessing a lab. He turned out looking like a Great Pyrenees, large and heavy with a big bark and a bigger smile. I was a teenager at the time, being rebellious, and was rarely home enough to appreciate him. But I loved him, and he loved me.

He would walk the house at night, doing his "bed check" to be sure everyone was okay. He'd poke his head into my room at three in the morning and see my on my computer, come in for a pet, and leave. 

He was always so gentle. He loved his tennis balls and rope toys. He was a big goof no matter what his age, playing like a puppy. 

When he was out in his kennel one day and some neighborhood children came by and started teasing him and throwing sticks at him, he barked like crazy, absolutely confused by such behavior. I ran out and chased them away with a stick bigger and pointier than theirs. 

When my parents moved to the middle of the country, Andy protected my mom from all the things that go bump in the night. He warned off intruders and kept coyotes away from the chickens. He helped her adjust to the terrific culture shock of a move from Chicagoland to rural Arkansas, just by being the same old Andy he'd always been.

As he got older, arthritis started causing him pain, but he kept right on going. Finally one night he was bitten by something in the yard-- they never found out what, but a skunk or opposum was suspected. He acted oddly afterwards, and it soon became obvious that he was in awful pain. He had to be put to sleep. 

I still miss him. I wish I'd taken more of a role in his upbringing. When I think "dog" his face is the picture that I see in my mind.


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## SuzyE (Apr 22, 2005)

without a doubt-Jazmin. listed as a Collie/Shepherd/Chow/Lab she looked like a lab/chow. she was an abuse case from the shelter and i got her at 8 weeks, paige adored her.
she became a therapy dog and over the years brought several elderly people out of a catatonic state.
I lost Jazmin a few weeks ago after a horrible battle with cancer.
she spent everyday of her life thanking us for adopting her, she was the epitomy of a shelter dog-grateful.
Jazmin spent most of her life in the waterbed which is where she died with me holding her and telling her how much I love her. she died in her favorite spot of all.


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## lylol (Feb 18, 2009)

Jakob was half Rottie half Dobbie and got the height and lean build of the dobbie with the head of a rott... sorta the best parts in my mind. He was a gentle giant with a heart of gold and took good care of me. He died of old age on my sisters farm while I was out of the country. What a great fellow.


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## APBTLove (Feb 23, 2009)

My only mix breed... Sparkles. She is a heart dog to everyone in the family... 
She is a pomeranian Shih-tzu mix. I like to call her a Shih-Teranian. lol
But she is awesome..

She was bought from a BYB nearly 8 years ago.. She was 4 months old and caught parvo only a couple of weeks after we got her, we knew nothing about it and her breeder assured us it was because we were feeding her wrong. After she began losing control of her bowels and vomiting foam, crapping blood and crying, we took her in. I was 8 or so, and my neighbor assured me that my new best friend would die, what a lovely lady... she stayed at the vets hooked up to IV for about a week, I went every day to hold her, and cried every time we left because she did. 
She grew up with Mo and Dutch, she'd stand between them and bark as people walked by.. What a funny sight.
She was out with me once when a chow mix attacked, I did what my parents told me to if this happened, and backed off. He drug her around by her neck, Mo heard this and clawed his way over out 6' fence, promptly showed that dog that had her who was the real boss, and then escorted me and Sparkles home(God, Mo was such an amazing dog, I will be lucky to ind another like him). She then was attacked by a pit/ambull mix named Dynamite, owned by two elderly people who had no idea what leadership was. She killed more rats than any cat I know, and never received a bite. 

She is bow legged from the parvo and lack of care while at the breeders, she has SEVERE backwards sneezing fits, she is a FIRECRACKER, she is a princess with an attitude. She is rough and sweet, she let a baby nearly yank her ear off once without replying with aggression (dumb baby.. lol), and she nearly died on April the 21st... Worst day of my life so far doulbe blow, lost my other baby girl and had to watch Sparkles in shock from pain... she is truly MY heart dog.


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## SusiQ (Jul 27, 2007)

My Diablo - WGSD/Arctic Wolf X - wonderful dog!


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## ldw6559 (Jun 1, 2009)

Border Collie / Red Fox. 
We raised a red fox on the farm when I was a young lad of 12 and a farmers border colliie jumped the fence and well....... we gave away all the pups but one and he was my first puppy to raise. He became my best friend and is still the standard I use to measurs all others I have had. We used to run the farm and the woods together everyday. He was a hunting dog extrordinare he treed squirrels and would actually run down rabbits for me. I used to ride a bike for miles at a time training for basketball and he would lope along at my side no matter how far we went without complaint. While in the woods one day we ran across a pack of wild dogs that attacked me and ol Skipper fought off all 6 of them for me. He got a broken leg out of that fight and hobbled home with me for more than 3 miles! Skipper was my special friend of more than 12 years and he still to this day owns my heart. He was born 39 years ago so I lost him 27 years ago to a farmers gun who thought he was a renegade after his cattle!


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## JazzNScout (Aug 2, 2008)

This is probably the last photo I have of my Tyler-girl. She was my true heart dog. Love them shepherds, but this girl was IT. I had her for 14 years -- most of my adult life. She was there with me through thick and thin, moving, travels, etc. What an incredibly smart girl she was, and so even-tempered. I always said I could have put her in a room of toddlers and she would have made sure everyone was ok and behaving at once. Great instinct re: people, a wonderful watchdog, and a lover of people and the world. What a girl! 
What was she? Maybe a little shepherd, a little lab, some beagle, and who knows what? She was a little guru about how to live one's life. We figure she's up in heaven arguing with the Greek philosophers right now. (*Whenever I put her in the fenced yard with the other dogs, she would get this look on her face like, "You are NOT putting me out here with the DOGS, are you?")


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## gsdsrule (Apr 10, 2009)

2 come to mind. Tar a Lab/GS cross I had as a teenager. Just a totally awesome dog in every way.

The other was a Pit Bull/ Beagle cross named Crowbar. A wonderful dog and very striking looking brindle.


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## elisabeth_00117 (May 17, 2009)

I myself have never owned a mix breed, either has my family up until last year when my sister rescued a little pug, spitz and bulldogge mix named Senna.

She is the oddest looking dog I have seen but is the most gentle, loving, affectionate and intelligent dog we have ever owned. She picks things up so quickly it's crazy, even more so than our Shepherds. And she is FAST. Crazy and silly at times, but that could just be my sister's personality inbedded in her dog.. haha. They are quite the pair.

Here is Senna at her old home, the day my sister met her. It still breaks my heart to this day.



















Here she is only a few months later with us. I think you can see the difference a little love and care can do to a dog.


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## Chowgal (Dec 21, 2009)

The best mix I've ever owned is my chow/lab/newfoundland X, Jasper. It's hard to explain, but he is so loyal and lovable. I love this boy to death!


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## RadarsShadow (Nov 16, 2009)

Honestly my best is my current dog Missy. The SPCA said she was aussie/gsd mix but I see more Aussie in her then anything else. Missy is truely my heartdog. She has been though so much with me and is always at my side. I suffered by myself with really bad depression after my sister died, she was the one who kept me going. I lived every day that year for Missy. I owe her so much to this day I belive that she has saved my life more then once.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

the best mixed breed I owned was a golden/shepherd mix, got him from a petstore who sold puppies for locals, (many years ago) 
I named him Satan (can't remember why, he was such a friendly dog but protective as well)..

I had my first car, a VW, and him, he would ride around in the front floor all curled up.

When I moved out of my parents home, I didn't take him with me, was by then, 12 years old and I felt the change wouldn't be good for him..I will never forget when he passed away. I had gotten my first GSD (out on my own), and would bring him to my parents house every day,,Satan had been in failing health, and one day he just looked at me and the thought came to mind he was saying "ok I can go now, she has a puppy to take over and I'm leaving her in good hands( 

He was the best dog, still miss him


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## mahhi22 (Jul 14, 2009)

My best was Gunnar. I got him from the humane society. They said he was GSD/greyhound mix. He got so much attention as he was so unique looking and such a lover. He passed at 11yr. Dropped dead in the off leash park


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## Melgrj7 (Jul 5, 2009)

Lucky, a mutt I found on the street when I was in fourth grade. She died October 2008 and approximately 17 or 18 years old (she was guessed to be 4 or so when I found her). I left her with my parents when I moved out, given her age at the time we didn't think it would be good for her to move to a 2nd floor apartment. I miss her everyday, she was my best friend growing up. She was probably a border collie or sheltie mix, something along those lines.


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## WayneMeganGSD (Dec 21, 2009)

My best dog that Ive ever had would probably be a toss up of this Lab/Rottie mix puppy that I found wandering the neighborhood. ( Later, the owners claimed it ) He was such a cute puppy, and very smart at such a young age. But the dog I have now, George, my adopted Beagle, he is such a little clown. Hes about 7 years old, and very energetic at times. He sleeps most of the day, but I can always count on him to sleep on my feet anywhere I go in the house.

I love dogs.


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## cassadee7 (Nov 26, 2009)

My current dog is my best dog ever. Speedy is a toy poodle/pomeranian cross. He is great because he doesn't shed, he is small and goes camping and everywhere else with us, he is HAPPY and smiling ALL the time, he LOVES me and my kids. Speedy is loyal. He thinks he is a big, tough dog. His "job" is to bark at the door when anyone leaves. He is very serious about this, and if ANYONE goes downstairs towards the door, Speedy is up, going over to the top of the stairs and watching so that IF they open the door he can race down and attack the base of the door as it closes. He is quite fierce about it. And then he comes back upstairs wagging and smiling: "I did my job, Mommy!" (It did come in handy when my kids were little and tried to sneak out).

He is 11 years old and still has the zoomies every morning as his whole body wags to greet me and he races up and down the hall.

Here he is with a short cut. When we let it grow long, he looks very much like a Maltese.

"Mom? There is a baby in my bed..."









Happy boy just got a stuffed beaver for his birthday.


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## Debbieg (Jun 7, 2009)

The first dog my parents ever allowed me to have was when I was 11 years old and I convinced my Italian Grandmother to buy her for me from a pet store. Taffy was 1/2 cocker 1/2 dachsund we were told and she looked like a mini irihs setter. She as a great friend to me and a few years later when my parents bought King, a purebred GSD pup for me, Taffy helped me raise him. She developed cancer of the kidney at age 6 and when she was in pain, no longer able to pass urine we had her put down. I remember being at the vet that day to say goodbye. She walked to me, then mom, then dad saying goodbye and then curled up in my arms. I do not have any pictures f her to share but the one in my mind is so clear


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## Karin (Jan 4, 2008)

The best mixed-breed dog we ever owned was Sheba, a GSD/malamute mix. She had the smarts and sensitivity of the GSD and the malamute side of her was stubborn and stoic. We got her from a grooming shop right after we got married (best $35 we ever spent!). She was the quietest little pup in the back of the cardboard box. She was sweet, smart, funny, very sensitive, and somewhat aloof but always wanted to be near us. We had 11 wonderful years with her and lost her to cancer. We still miss her.

It took us a long time before we got another dog (14 years to be exact!). Heidi shares many of the same personality traits as Sheba, although they are still very different in many ways.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

wow, she was gorgeous Karin!


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

Loki, aussie/pit bull mix. he introduced me to the world of "smart dogs"


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## Vio79 (Dec 29, 2009)

Aw there are some really sweet looking (and sounding) mixed breeds on this topic! 

I grew up with brother and sister pups - they were labrador retriever mixed with something else (not sure, but I think something like Chesapeake Retriever). The boy, Bandit, was yellow and the girl, Shana, was chocolate. They were the SWEETEST dogs ever and were so in tune to everyone in the family. Bandit even had a comforting smell (something I notice in our German Shepherd as well) and just knew when you needed his sweet head to pet. They lived to be around 15 and brought so much love and joy to our family (not to mention funny moments)! I would be hard-pressed to find another dog who would come close to filling their paws, though I will admit Max is right up there!


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## Kaity (Nov 18, 2009)

Sheeba was my first dog and probably my souldog! I got her 11 years ago at a petshop in the mall for my 7th birthday. Healthy little mutt, never got sick.. ALWAYS playful. I could never figure out why she was always so energetic, guess she had terrier in her or something. Obviously part GSD, don't know what else. I used to dress her up and paint her nails, she absolutely hated having her nails cut! Took me 8 years to get her to shake-a-paw! She was always barking at.. everything and protecting us. She was territorial and hated little kids. Got along with our cats just fine but freaked the second she saw another one. At the vet, she would jump up and sit beside me on the bench. Sheebs was definetly MY dog but a really good family dog too. 3 years ago we took her to emergency and he had a low red blood cell count. Got her on some meds, it went away. Came back about a year later and it was the same problem. After that, she was fine. 8 months later she started to collapse just out of nowhere but otherwise seemed fine except for the symptoms she had before. Took her in only to find out she had anemia.Did blood transfusions.. everything that was supposed to give her 10 days to live. I had to put her down two days later. She was only 10 years old.. too young. 8 months ago already.
Out of eerything, I remember her ears. They stood right up, never flopped. 
































The last one was taken 3 hours before I took her in to get put down. It makes me so sad, but I love the picture..


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## Vio79 (Dec 29, 2009)

Kaity that is so sad.









I can't stand to look at a dog before he or she is put down...I always wished we could somehow relay to them what was happening and that it would be okay.

Our first lab to be put down had to be done at Tufts, which was horrible. They screwed up the first time and had to try again...by then Bandit was freaking out. Our second lab was put down at home - our vet came to the house because she knew Shana was scared of the vet and wanted her to be calm during her last moments.

I'll be devastated when we have to put Max down...whether it's in 5 months or 5 years.


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## Kaity (Nov 18, 2009)

medical school? still though how do you screw up putting a dog down? I wouldve flipped out, wow. very sorry to hear that. I think I stayed in the room 45 minutes or so afterwards, finally took her collar off and left. Since then, I alway look at my dogs and cant help but wonder what the future has in store for them. I cant help it. I think every dog has his or her way of telling you when they need to go. Ive never lost anybody close to me, my dog was the first one. that week they had to put down 3 shepherds due to anemia, my vet told us that it might be breed related because he saw it often. he used to give my dogs shots in the car because they were too scared to go in! 80 pound babies. putting a dog down is terrible. I feel so selfish just thinking about how I wanted her to hold out one more day, but dont we all? A lot of people I know that dont like dogs act like its not a huge deal. I feel bad for them because they will never know the amount of love, loyalty and respect you recieve from such an amazing form of life.


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## lovemybuddy (Oct 26, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: Kaitykaitymedical school? still though how do you screw up putting a dog down? I wouldve flipped out, wow. very sorry to hear that. I think I stayed in the room 45 minutes or so afterwards, finally took her collar off and left. Since then, I alway look at my dogs and cant help but wonder what the future has in store for them. I cant help it. I think every dog has his or her way of telling you when they need to go. Ive never lost anybody close to me, my dog was the first one. that week they had to put down 3 shepherds due to anemia, my vet told us that it might be breed related because he saw it often. he used to give my dogs shots in the car because they were too scared to go in! 80 pound babies. putting a dog down is terrible. I feel so selfish just thinking about how I wanted her to hold out one more day, but dont we all? A lot of people I know that dont like dogs act like its not a huge deal. I feel bad for them because they will never know the amount of love, loyalty and respect you recieve from such an amazing form of life.


It is so hard to say goodbye! I sat there and sobbed, completely caught offguard by the depth of my emotions, after having our Sunny put down. It was just so odd to have her breathing one second and not the next. I think people could probably hear me sobbing the next city over. (sigh)

Anyway, our Sunny was the best dog ever (well, besides our Ben and now our Buddy, lol!) Sunny was a doberman, hound mix. But it didn't really matter what mix she was, she was my dog, she was by my side always. She went through my pregnancies with me, I think she ate more veggies in each of those 9 months than I did. She's in all of the pictures of me pregnant, standing watch over me and the babe. And when the boys were born, she was yet again in every single picture of them. She would never leave their sides, or mine. Gosh, do I miss my girl. She passed away from a tumor in her spleen at 11 years old. We rescued her as a 4 week old, very, very sick girl. I know she's waiting at the rainbow bridge for me.









Ben we had the same time we had Sunny ~ not from the same litter, but we got them both as puppies w/in a few months of each other. We to this day don't know what mixes were in Ben. He was also a rescue dog. I'll have to try to find a pic of him to post it, see what you guys think he might have been. The vet thought possibly some sort of Australian Shepherd, but I have no clue. He was hilarious, just a sweet, sweet boy. He was brindled in color and walked bow legged. He caught everyone's attention at how unique he looked. Just a sweet soul. After his passing, which was 3 years ago now, I couldn't even think of getting another dog. The pain was so raw. But now, with my big Buddy at my side, I couldn't ask for anything more. I think with each dog you love and lose, the next dog benefits. Benefits in the knowledge that you have that nothing in life is forever or guaranteed. Having watched two pups through all their stages of life and seeing how hard it was as they got older, I can appreciate so much more Buddy's puppyhood and mischevious ways, and the wonder in how everything new to him is just so amazing. I've been truly blessed by all of my precious pups.


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## Kaity (Nov 18, 2009)

Mixed dogs always have such great, welcoming personalities! When you said you were completely caught offgaurd by the depth of your emotions, it was like the perfect way to describe how I too, felt. You know its going to be hard but can never anticipate it exactly. Atleast we know for next time though. Personally I think if vet care was cheaper, our dogs would last longer because we might catch things quicker. Not to say that we dont do everything ethically possible to keep them going strong. Its great to witness the differences between your previous dog and your current puppy.


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## ShepherdsField (Jan 30, 2010)

Boog aka Beauregard Bear Jackson is pretty awesome, an old soul, a sincere being, ball crazy, oddly talented, who gets along with everyone at all times. He is incredibly intelligent and communicates with me so very well. He is the finder of all things I am looking for and must be psychic. GSD/Newfoundland mix. Age 2








Bobo was pretty awesome as well. He lived to be 15 and has been gone a long time, but he was a ChowChow/Siberian Husky mix. He was Momma's boy, but loved our girls as well. He was definately a ladies man.







Very old photo of Bobo. He was a rescue.


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## Kris (Oct 29, 2004)

Such cute dogs! My sister has a GSD/Black Lab mix and I love him! The intelligence of the GSD and the "love me, love me" of the lab.


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## edthatsme (Feb 6, 2010)

yeah Sheba is super beautiful


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## Kamahi (Feb 27, 2010)

*Chelsey - Great Pyrenees/Mountain Cur mix*

I found Chelsey on petfinder.com.

I miss Chelsey so much. She was a Great Pyrenees/Mountain Cur mix. 
Chelsey didn't get along well with other dogs.. The vet labelled her a liability, saying if she "attacked" other dogs, she might attack a child(the thing is, she loved people, everyone she met was her new best friend. she just didn't like other dogs). She would growl and never bite(at the other dogs in the house. She was never really socialized with other dogs, besides the family pets). However, when I got Minnie,(my 10 pound miniature dachshund mix) Chelsey didn't know who this new puppy was, and what she was doing in her home, so she chased Minnie under the coffee table. I pulled Chelsey away, looked Minnie over, and she had one small puncture mark on her side. That's when the vet said I needed to have Chelsey put to sleep.  (and btw, Minnie's doing great, she didn't need stitches, just took a week to fully heal)
One main reason Chelsey had to be put to sleep, was because she was also labeled "unpredictable". Most of the time she was fine with other dogs, however, occasionally she would growl at one of the other dogs.

She was loyal, affectionate, caring, there for me when I needed someone to talk to, she would sit there with me while I cried; she was my best friend.
I'd take her for walks and think about the day ahead. I'd joke that Chelsey was my muse, because I thought of many different story ideas on those walks. 

She gave me the best 2 years of my life. And I'll never forget her.
Chelsey- R.I.P. (April 2007 - August 6, 2009)


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## sweetliberty (Dec 25, 2007)

My favorite mixed breed dog was my collie/shepherd Gemini. She was truly my treasure and saved my life one day. Have any of you ever had a dog that was "your" dog. She had the black and tan markings of a shepherd but ears that didn't stand up all the way and the longer snout of a collie. I asked my husband if I could get a dog and he said a small dog with short hair would be nice. Well, when she was 8 weeks old she had short hair and was small - except for her enormous feet. She loved people and children and babysat and protected my kids. She followed me and went with me everywhere. She slept by my side for 13 years. She guarded her family with the heart of a lion but would turn it off with a word from me. I had a good friend comment "How can you stand all the dog hair?" I told him if he didn't like it - don't come to my house. One day Gemini and I were walking on a cross country trail, miles from anyone, when a notorious town scumbag appeared on the path. I hooked her to her leash and she immediately started to tell this scumbag that if he came near me she would rip his throat out. I just held her leash and let her deliver the message. He headed the other way and we ran 2 miles to a pay phone. Gemini got an extra dose of lovin' and a steak for supper. 2 days later, this scumbag took the town clerk hostage at gunpoint and ended up getting shot by the State Police. This dog set the standard by which I shall judge all dogs in my life. She's been at the bridge waiting for me for 25 years and I still miss her, she took a big piece of my heart with her.


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## boeselager (Feb 26, 2008)

My favorite mixed breed is my rescue boy Tye. He is a Pit Bull/Lab mix that I pulled out of the kill shelter the day before they were going to put him down. He was estimated at being 1 1/2-2 years old. I've had him since 2004, and he has been such an awesome boy!!! Fits in perfectly with my GSD's, and my cats. He is a gorgeous brindle color, and is very sweet and loving, but also can be very protective of me and his home/property. He is the best, and I love him dearly!!! I couldn't have asked for a better mixed breed than my Tye


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## mysablegsd (Aug 7, 2009)

Crowbar, our old pit bull x beagle cross.
A wonderful dog in every way.


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## Jessiewessie99 (Mar 6, 2009)

My best mixed breeds were Max & Simba.They were brother & sister.They were a Sheltland Sheepdog mix.

Max(Left) & Simba(Right):









They were the sweetest and most beautiful dogs.Simba was a beauty queen.Every male dog wanted her!lol.Max was a big baby, but when it came to his sister,Simba, he was very protective.Simba somehow magically was ab to get outside the gate without being open or anything, and my dad would find her laying on the porch the next morning.I remember on Christmas Eve, my family and I were out doing our Christmas traditions and we came home, thenon Christmas day I got up and my mom told me they had got out.I was so upset, but then around 4pm that day we got a call from SEACCA saying they found our dogs.Our dogs ended up at a Wal-Mart in Paramount.Some customers saw the dogs and thought they were scary looking and call the police.The police noticed they had ID tags on them and calld the number on it.lol.So now my family and I joke about it saying they were doing late Christmas shopping.lol.
Max & Simba both passed away at the age of 14, I was 15.Simba passed away of old age, and Max was put to sleep because of a tumor in his throat.

Now we have Molly(GSD Mix), her dad was full GSD and her mom was half GSD & half something else.We got Molly from my sister's friend's neighbor who had 2 GSDs who had an "oops" litter.We fell in love with Molly he moment we saw her.Tanner(GSD Mix), we got him at a shelter.My parents, brother and I were at a shelter just looking at dogs, we were thinking about getting Molly a playmate.Well my brothr and I saw Tanner on Petfinder.com.So we went to the shelter and my brother wandered away from my parents and I.About 10 minutes later we hear the intercom say "Will Mr. & Mrs. McLeod please come to the front desk your son is waiting."We think "Oh god what did he do now"We go to te front desk and there is my brother and Tanner ready to go.Tanner gave us his paw and that did it!lol.I volunteer at that shelter now, and I constantly ask my parents about getting another dog.Some many have won my heart.lol.The weird thing is that Molly was born exactly 6 days after Simba passed away. lol

Molly(Left) & Tanner(Right):










I made a video of Molly & Tanner and another video of Max & Simba here are the links please enjoy:

Max & Simba video:





 
Molly & Tanner video:





 
We have always had mixes.They are actually some o the best dogs.lol.I seriously don't know what I would do without dogs in my life.


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## EchoGSD (Mar 12, 2010)

I've had a few mixed breeds that still own chunks of my heart. One was Jamie, a great dane lab mix...we had her from 5 weeks (dumped at a shelter!) until nearly 13yrs..an awesome age for a dane mix. Beautiful black with white markings, Jamie was chief babysitter to my 3 kids, sometimes doubled as a saddle horse for the younger ones, puller of the sled through deep snow with kids screaming in delight behind her, and the most tenacious food-hound/garbage eater I have ever owned. We lost her to cancer and miss her every day. 
Currently we have Tori, a rottie/lab mix who I truly believe is Jamie reincarnated. Not too long after we lost Jamie, my kids started asking about a new dog. I told them "God will send us a dog who needs us". 9 weeks to the day after Jamie died, Tori was born. Tori's litter was given up at the animal hospital where I work (bitch had died, owner couldn't bottle feed the litter of 5). Here was the dog God sent to us: Tori was the runt of the litter and I took her home at not quite 24 hours of age. The kids & I bottle raised her from that day on...she fit into our home like she had always been there. She's now 6 years old, 80 pounds of black & tan beauty, just recently registered with the AKC, and will be in the AKC Obedience ring in April. She exhibits hundreds of mannerisms that are so like my Jamie it makes me catch my breath, including an almost insane love of any "baby" we bring home to foster: kitten, puppy, squirrel, bird, rabbit, etc. She is CGC and therapy dog certified and has an instinctive ability to "size up" folks in hospitals and nursing homes to provide just the right amount of love & attention without frightening or jostling the folks. I can't wait to see what the next several years bring with her!


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

The family dog Kota. She is 12 years old now. Siberian Husky/GSD mix with cream, white and this red/orange color she is stunning! When she is in the sunlight she is like no other dog I've ever seen. We cant go anywhere with her without hearing from people about how beautiful she is. She prances around the house with her head up and her tail curled. She is the smartest dog I've ever had the pleasure to be around. When she was a puppy she would unlock her crate while she was in it and get out and unlock the other dogs crate. She opens doorknobs, shuts doors. She climbs ladders (not always a good thing, she ended up on the roof a couple of times) We had an acre 1/2 of land and no fence and she never once tried to leave the yard. She was always really careful around puppies and babies, followed them around like a babysitter. She never pulled on the leash, never had a potty mistake, I kid you not it was like she was completely trained when we got her. She was 11 weeks old when we brought her home. She would bring her dish to you when she was hungry or thirsty. She loved our outside cats but hated all of the other outside cats and she would protect and defend ours and chase the others out of the yard. She picks garbage up off the floor and brings it to you to throw away. OMG she is so fast!!!!! Incredible even at 12!!! She loves to run, she is very healthy. The Vet said that she is one of the healthiest 12 year old dogs she had ever seen. We just love her to death, she is a member of the family, like my little sister. When she passes we will be heartbroken


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## Jessiewessie99 (Mar 6, 2009)

LaRen616 said:


> The family dog Kota. She is 12 years old now. Siberian Husky/GSD mix with cream, white and this red/orange color she is stunning! When she is in the sunlight she is like no other dog I've ever seen. We cant go anywhere with her without hearing from people about how beautiful she is. She prances around the house with her head up and her tail curled. She is the smartest dog I've ever had the pleasure to be around. When she was a puppy she would unlock her crate while she was in it and get out and unlock the other dogs crate. She opens doorknobs, shuts doors. She climbs ladders (not always a good thing, she ended up on the roof a couple of times) We had an acre 1/2 of land and no fence and she never once tried to leave the yard. She was always really careful around puppies and babies, followed them around like a babysitter. She never pulled on the leash, never had a potty mistake, I kid you not it was like she was completely trained when we got her. She was 11 weeks old when we brought her home. She would bring her dish to you when she was hungry or thirsty. She loved our outside cats but hated all of the other outside cats and she would protect and defend ours and chase the others out of the yard. She picks garbage up off the floor and brings it to you to throw away. OMG she is so fast!!!!! Incredible even at 12!!! She loves to run, she is very healthy. The Vet said that she is one of the healthiest 12 year old dogs she had ever seen. We just love her to death, she is a member of the family, like my little sister. When she passes we will be heartbroken


I always thought Siberian Husky/GSD mixes were pretty.Someone down the street had one named Roxy, and I saw one yesterday.


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