Best breeds ever

I've been putting off this post but it feels inevitable that I should weigh in on the question of what is a Great City Dog. The caveat is that any breed can be a great city dog; it depends so much on what you do with your dog. I see all kinds of dogs in our local dog park, Trinity Bellwoods in Toronto, and some are great and some are not so great but it rarely has anything to do with breed.

That said, here are some of my personal favourites:

Basset Hound - adorable, laconic, low maintenance dogs with ears like silk.

Boston Terrier - I'm not a big fan, but Bostons impress me as smart, attentive, "untroubled" dogs, or at least I've yet to meet one who had behavioural "challenges."

Bulldog - What can I say. I LOVE bulldogs. They are gross, and adorable.

German Shepherd - what can you say, Shepherds are great dogs period. I doubt there is a breed that would better bring out the best in you.

Lhasa Apso - like their cousins, the Maltese and Shih Tsu, these are somewhat reserved dogs; but my view is that that's a good thing in the city where many of us are over-extended and, perhaps because we live chock-a-block with so many people, protective of our quiet privacy.

Pug - Pug owners are about as nuts as their dogs are crazy lookin' - ya gotta love the people and dogs that could come up with the Pugalug!

Shih Tzu - okay, I'm prejudiced. But for me, this taciturn angel is absolutely a Great City Dog for busy downtowners like me.

Soft Coated Weaton Terrier - non-shedding, there are alot of SCWT crosses out there. I've seen quite a range of personality but basically they're all good, quite active, but smart and engaging.

Weimaraner - Although not the most social dogs, I have yet to see one that didn't have a great relationship with its owner and wasn't well behaved in all circumstances. And they are simply beautiful, conveyed nicely, tho' with a little too much irony for me personally by artist William Wegman.