[8cyVn4RJ]

I could very easily have been happy with only Lily. She's pretty much my perfect dog as far as a versitile, active companion... I don't think I could have chosen a better first dog of my very own.

I wanted a second specifically for doing Schutzhund. Lily is quite awesome at OB, tracking, herding, and drive building bitework... but she's half Sibe and sled dogs are not Schutzhund dogs. I turned down several very, very nice dogs because it wasn't the right time monetarily.
I turned Scout down several times before I agreed to take her finally. I am glad I took her. I have learned more from her than I could possibly ever hope to learn from any well bred dog. She has also shown me just how important genetics are and what goofy, utterly devoted dogs GSD's are. Before I thought I would someday have an APBT in addtion to these kinds of dogs and definitely another BC someday.... now.... I kinda think I want to stick with Mals, GSD's, and I will probably always have one sled dog in the house.

Things work out the way they do for a reason. I'm kinda glad I can't afford a nice working/sport prospect right now. It means I do way more with the dogs I do have and frankly with rescue dogs with baggage, I feel I'm learning a lot more in the long run than I would be messing up a really nicely bred pup as my first working dog. I'm sure I'll make mistakes when I eventually get my first well bred dog, but I will be much more prepared and much less likely to get in over my head than I otherwise would have. Hell I never would have known how perfect GSD's and Mal's are for me if I hadn't adopted Lily. I've always loved sled dogs, but I had no idea how freaking perfect the shepherd breeds are for me. I was set on a GSD until I met more Mals.... I like the ... oh how do I put this... edge they have to their energy and the insane go that is just a little bit nuts. I also like their breed structure (lighter build, more square, more upright, etc.) a little bit better than the GSD. But at the end of the day, I don't care if my eventual working dog is a Mal, GSD, or Dutchie... what matters is that its the right dog for me and what I want us to accomplish together.

That said, I don't think thats happening for a long time for various reasons. Its hard to be patient, but I've found that patience pays off a lot more than impulse in the long run.

I don't mind having 1-3 dogs around at a time and can manage four easily.... but I'd be just as happy with just one. In fact, if I have to wait until the girls are gone to get what I really want, then I will probably just have the one for at least the first 5-8 years because I feel I will be a better handler/trainer in the long run if I'm not overloading my plate too much in that time given that I want a pretty high powered dog. My current dog's are no slouches, but I'm not naive enough to think that a well bred working dog is going to be the same as my current rescue mutts.