My husband and I had been contemplating adopting a dog for some time. At the time, we were living in a small apartment in Los Angeles. The complex was dog friendly, but there were restrictions in terms of size (nothing over 50 lbs) and a few breeds (no Dobermans, Rottweilers, or German Sheppards). We decided on a small to medium sized dog.
Other things that were important to us were temperament (good natured), reasonable grooming requirements, and average exercising requirements. Both of us work and we were planning on crate training our new puppy. While we had time to be with the puppy after work and on weekends, it would be hard if he or she required more than a two mile walk a day.
We started considering adopting a mixed breed or a shelter dog, but for many reasons we settled on adopting pure bred. I had always been interested in a rough coated collie, but the exercise requirements and the size were a little bit daunting considering our residence in a one bedroom Los Angeles apartment. I had heard about Shetland Sheepdogs, but didn't really know what they were like or even what they looked like. It turns out they look like stocky, miniature rough coated collies.
Shelties are very sweet natured, playful dogs. They become extremely attached to their owners, and are usually protective of their families. They are agile, and enjoy exercise, but don't need copious amounts of exercise. Most Shelties don't grow taller than 16 inches tall, or weigh more than 20 or 25 lbs, so they are great dogs for apartment life in terms of size. Shelties are wary of strangers, and need to be socialized from a young age or they can be extremely skittish around people they don't know. Historically, Shelties have performed well in the show ring, and are known to be great first pets or first show dogs for junior handlers.
Overall, we're so happy with our choice and we love Leela to bits. With a face like this, how could we not?
No comments:
Post a Comment