Choosing the breed

When my husband and I decided it was time to stop daydreaming and finally bring a dog into our home, the immediate assumption was that we’d get a yellow lab in honor of Bumps, his childhood dog who moved on to Doggie Heaven in 2008.

That sounded great to me, as Labs – like their friend the golden retriever – are known to be great family dogs and fantastic companions. But having grown up with my parents’ pre-Internet collection of Consumer Reports magazines, I’m simply incapable of making any large purchase without doing hours of research on every other possibility.

So off I went to the library, the World Wide Web, and the living room couch for marathon sessions of “Dogs 101” (a fantastic show that I, a regular Jane with no particular canine expertise, recommend for all aspiring dog owners).

Several breeds, some of which I’d never heard of, caught my eye in the process.

Aside from the golden retriever (in my view a Lab with longer hair), I fell for:

- the Alaskan malamute – two of the eight sled dogs in “Eight Below” (see Sunday’s post for that story)

- the Rhodesian ridgeback – a stunning creature Animal Planet dubbed the “Navy Seal of dog breeds,” though perhaps too intimidating for a novice

- the beagle – possibly my favorite in terms of looks, but with a trinity of calls the neighbors might not appreciate

- and a host of terriers (the wheaten, the cairn, the Yorkshire and the West Highland).

My husband and I went back and forth, each exercising veto power until a clear winner remained. Anything that could fit into my purse (not that I’d ever put it there) was nixed immediately, and the rest followed. I guess that whole “go with your gut” lesson never stuck for us, because after weeks of research, we landed back at our initial choice, the Labrador retriever.

Yes, we ended up following the masses. The Lab has held the American Kennel Club’s title of “most popular dog” for nearly two decades straight. But I can shuffle happily knowing we’re informed followers.

Labrador retrievers are America’s canine sweethearts – and they’re not shy about it. Labs have stolen the spotlight in films and TV shows like “Marley and Me” and “Lost” (don't even pretend you didn't get choked up when Vincent was wandering alone in the dark jungle during Season One). They've pounced across your TV screen as spokesdogs for products like Cottonelle. They've earned accolades as assistance and explosives detection dogs throughout the world. And they've even yanked media attention away from political figures like President Bill Clinton and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

Of course, any friendly furry face would be welcome in my home. But each breed is unique and it’s important to choose one you can live with for 15 years. If you bring him home and find out he sheds too much, barks too often, has way more energy than you can handle, requires two hours a day of grooming, etc. … that’s not his fault, but chances are he’ll bear the punishment. So please choose wisely and humanely.

Once we'd locked in our breed, the next step was to choose a color. Imagine if you had these many choices with a child?!

According to the American Kennel Club, the recognized Labrador coat colors are black, yellow and chocolate. So how did we end up with “silver?” Stop by tomorrow to find out ;)