Hey there Pals – Amanda here! Working with Sunny and her enthusiastic crew has been so great for me, because conveniently enough, my family has been busily looking for a dog of our own. I need all the help I can get in choosing one, because it’s been a while since I’ve had a dog. In fact, the last time I owned a dog, I looked like this:

Okay okay, I was dressed up in this picture – it was a Special Day at a camp I worked for as a teenager in Michigan. My beloved Deer Chihuahua Fern sometimes came out and lived with me, and every time she was there we put her to work! On this day, she was tuckered out after a day of acting out her role as Toto – she was a born star!

When it comes to getting an animal for our family – specifically a dog – there are a few decision-making factors for us to consider. In order of importance, they are:

1) Hair vs. Fur – my daughter has a mild dog allergy, which is a perfect excuse for coming up with this condition, when really I just don’t want to be constantly chasing tumbleweeds of fur around the house!

2) Quiet, please! – we understand that sometimes a dog’s gotta say what a dog’s gotta say, but we’d rather not have one that barks incessantly. Is this even a thing?!

3) Must Love Chickens…and one cat – We have day jobs which will allow us to bring our new family member to work with us often, which is fantastic. However, I already have a shop cat, Macy, and she’s an old lazy lady who is very set in her ways and will likely not take too kindly to a dog trying to take over.

Likewise, we have chickens in our back yard, and we spend a lot of time back there! They don’t really love getting chased…or eaten. So a friend suggested that we get a Central Asian Shepherd Puppy since they’re good livestock guardians.

4) Finally, the teenager in the house requests a dog that he can run, bike, and skateboard with.

Phew! I think that’s it!

So tell me – what kind of dog do you think we should get? We are thinking about getting a Central Asian Shepherd Puppy but we’re open to suggestions and would love to hear some personal stories of your own pets and the characteristics that make them special.

Thanks in advance!