Mike,

That *really* depends on the temperament of the individual animal, the age at which you get them, and how well you train them when you first get them. My buddy in Dallas (also a VFP guy) has a black lab that's just fine when left alone during the day -- by contrast, our neighbors when we lived in Texas had a tan lab that was a HOLY TERROR if you left her alone for longer than about an hour.

Following are personal thoughts...they're somewhat wordy, YMMV, and I don't wish to insult *anyone* or their preferences by the following comments.

Labs are a popular breed, and I like most that I've met. I have a special thing for Bouviers (because I had one -- fantastic animals) and Golden Retrievers (every one I've ever known has been an absolute *love*, but their health problems are a concern). I personally don't care much for Dachshunds and Basset hounds, mostly because they seem to be more aloof than others. Won't have a Doberman or a Rottweiler (they don't call them Rotties for nothing, and both will turn on you). German Shepherds have *far* too many health, behavior, and temperament issues. Belgian Tervurens and Belgian Malinois are *beautiful*, but most are introverted and very one-person oriented (they make *great* personal protection dogs, BTW). If you want a smaller breed, consider a Havanese or a Jack Russell if you want indoor energy, or an Australian Terrier (not shepherd, *terrier*) if you want a loyal, rough-and-tumble type in a smaller package that can still go out hunting with you. For a larger breed, also look at an Airedale, a Weimeraner and a Greyhound (there are *lots* of former racing "greys" that need good homes). Be *very* careful with the pit bulls and anything that *looks* like them (Presa Canario, Staffordshire Terrier, etc.) because of the breed-specific laws that many cities/counties are enacting against them.

Right now, we have a Jack Russell / Australian Shepherd / something else mix right now (she fell in our pool at seven weeks old, we fished her out, and ended up keeping her) that's our child in a fur suit. Smartest dog I've ever met, and I've met a lot. She sleeps on the bed (with her own blanket), eats what we eat, travels *everywhere* we go (she has her own seat belt in each of our cars), and is an excellent "alerter" when something's not as it should be. Example: about 2 in the afternoon on a Saturday a couple of months ago, she just started barking like CRAZY for no (immediately apparent) reason. Both my wife and I told her to "shush" -- but she wouldn't. Turns out the washing machine drain pipe had come loose from the wall, and the utility room (which is upstairs in our house) was flooding *fast*. Thankfully, we caught it before the whole contents ended up ruining something (like my computer which was directly underneath). Yeah, she got *lots* of treats for that one -- and I moved my computer desk the next day :-).



>>She might be able to help you make an informed decision about the best breed for you, based on several factors you might want to consider:
>
>Evan,
>Thanks for the advice. I have seen several questionaires like that on the internet, and I always get stopped at the same question about the dog being alone all during the day... and it doesn't seem like labs would be a good fit for that. It's too bad I don't work closer to my home so I could run home during my lunch break.