[evammaUselp]

The fiance and I have decided that we will wait til after the wedding date (May 2013) to get another dog. It would be better for my sanity and the wedding budget. But I like to obsessively research and I need people to help me.

I know Baloo has only been gone 2 weeks but somehow, this is therapeutic so just bear with me.

We've pretty much decided that we will only do a puppy from a respected breeder, or an adult dog with a known temperament. We had so many big sports dreams for Baloo. If he had all his screws in place, he would have been a superstar. He was fantastic at frisbee, he loved jumping off things into water(never found a good dock for him though), he could pull me on my bike for miles, he loved every minute of it. I want that in whatever dog we get. I want proof that it either comes from lines with parents that did sports and had great temperament or if it's an adult dog, that it still has some gogogo.

I've been looking at rescues and I've been looking at breeders. I really don't know what to do breed-wise. I love the look and drive of the pit bull and I loved the zeal Baloo had, but I would prefer a dog that is less inclined to DA. And I understand AmStaffs can be DA too, but they seem more mellow about it, with more of a territorial problem than APBTs who just think it's fun (correct me if I'm wrong). But I really don't like the stockier, wider look of the AmStaffs. I'd like a "throwback" AmStaff. Like Teal's Jolene. I love that dog.

I also looked at Brittany Spaniels, German Shorthaired Pointers, and even Standard Poodles(can't believe it either ). But none of them quite appeal to me like a bully breed. But dangit. It would be so much easier to rent with a non pit bull.

So basically we want a dog that looks like a pit bull, acts more like an AmStaff, that we can do lots of sports with.

We want to do Weight Pull, Dock Dogs, and Agility. Maybe flyball, but I've never had a dog that liked tennis balls that much. But it always looked fun. Definitely Disc Dogs if we get one that loves frisbee as much as Baloo did. I would personally like to do Therapy Dogs, but that would naturally be up to the temperament of the future dog.

We've already named this dog "superdog". I guess it doesn't have to be a bully breed if you guys know a breed that might suit. But I just love those big squishy heads. Other dogs just don't seem as attractive anymore.

Maybe I'm still holding onto Baloo too much because I want a dog exactly like him but that's 100%. Maybe my mind will change in a year. Who knows.

I would like to attend some shows/events with APBT as well as AmStaff in the Alabama/Mississippi/Georgia/Louisiana/Tennessee Area. So please let me know if you know anything.

I know this has been rambly. But again. It seems to help to think about a potential new dog. And puppy pictures help too. I just never want to have to deal with an unstable dog ever again. It hurt too much and I want to take every precaution possible from now on. Which means researching a dog a year in advance.