I had two Rotts and a big black lab for many years...but they got old and died. I still see them out of the corner of my eye, 350 lbs of black fur and good nature. About a year after the last one died, at age 17, a small black dog was on my front porch, skinny, frozen and pitiful. I brought him in and gave him a bath, and tried to find his owner for days, weeks, months...his name is Toby, and I wonder if my big black dogs didn't tell him, "You're lost, so go find Johanna!" Toby is my watchdog. He has different snuffles and signals, so I can keep track of the kids and traffic in and out. He's not cuddly like the big dogs, and he prefers being behind the couch to sitting on it, but he's a good dog who knows his job. I want a newfoundland, but I'm waiting for one who needs me. I don't believe in buying dogs from puppy mills when there are so many dogs who need good homes. I'm a sucker for dogs with sad eyes, so I've had all kinds over the years. Every dog has given more than he's taken, dogs are just that way.
Johanna