Dog Match

Gripped with dog fever, I fall in love with almost any dog that crosses my path. Out of curiosity I filled out a form on a canine/human matching web site - a kind of dog version of Match.com. While I wait for their suggestions I'm considering this breed - I have many friends with these dogs and they seem to be smart, affectionate and loyal. 

Australian Shepherd

I've had friends who've been happy owners of these dogs and after all, the Queen has a couple of them:

King Charles Spaniel

 And then there's a group of adorable small dogs I like all of whom have advantages and disadvantages -

maltese, shi tzu, poodle, bijon frisee.

Maltese

Dog Match came up with a number of inappropriate dogs - almost all too large!! The Clumber Spaniel was the worst pick of the lot. They are described as liking to eat and sleep, not very good at listening to their owners. drooling because of their dew laps and subject to many health problems.  

Clumber Spaniel

Only 300 were registered last year so they're not very popular - I wonder why they thought this dog would be good for me! The list of potential problems with them is so long and so awful, that I couldn't believe it, one of the worst of which is this from wikipedia:

• ... common condition that the breed suffers from are impacted anal sacs and the dog may require them to be emptied by a veterinarian. 

Apparently the best thing about the dog is it's nose. And I have to admit it's a beauty when considered separate from the dog. I'll just admire it alone -  in the abstract, disembodied on the page, like Woody Allen would. 

Meanwhile I'll take the cat's suggestion and stick with the very safest and least demanding dog of all:

Cats' pick: Knit version of Moose