Everyone has a dog breed that is perfect in their hearts regardless of how difficult they may be to take care of.
One former veterinary technician, Maya Bowers, took to TikTok to share a list of dog breeds she would own based on her own specific criteria as someone who isn’t a lab, doodle or mutt person, and who likes big dogs.
Bowers’ list of preferred dog breeds includes dobermans, Belgian malinois, German short-haired pointers, dalmatians, beaucerons, and large münsterländers.
According to Bowers, her all-time favourite dog breed is dobermans as she has owned four of them throughout her lifetime. She also noted that she’s always on the hunt for more of them, as she wrote: “Will take one black and one red (Americans) please.”
Despite Belgian malinois dogs making Bowers’ list for being “ridiculously smart and athletic,” they might not be well-suited for people buying their first dog as they require proper training. “Under proper training they are amazing,” the tech wrote on the TikTok.
Another dog breed on the list that has a caveat is the German short-haired pointer. “So dang cute,” Bowers wrote about the breed on TikTok. Although these dogs can sometimes be a “wild child,” according to Bowers, she said they were mostly sweet. As a bonus, they also are great hunting dogs, she added.
Dalmatians are known for having health problems such as blindness and deafness, which is why Bowers said she would only add this breed to the list if they passed both sight and hearing tests.
According to Bowers, one breed that is largely overlooked is the large münsterländer. Bowers said she has only met a handful of people that have even heard of them, but said they’re on her list because of how “gorgeous” they are.
In the video, the TikToker also noted that Portuguese water dogs may look like doodles but that they are different than the breed that is made by crossbreeding a poodle and another dog breed. “THIS. IS. NOT. A. DOODLE,” her text on the screen began. “Don’t make me get started on my anti-doodle rant.”
If you are someone who’s thought about getting a golden retriever, the vet tech encourages potential dog owners to look into the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling retriever instead. “Would prefer one of these over a golden retriever because they live longer and have little to no health problems,” she wrote on the TikTok.
The other breeds listed were the Dutch shepherd, vizsla and the Boykin spaniel.
People went to the comments section to explain exactly what they thought about her list and whether or not they agreed. According to some critics, they thought the TikToker’s recommendations were too high maintenance.
“Second name for this list: Dogs to get if you’re willing to train and always stay active,” one comment reads. “This list screams ‘I’m an extremely active person or my dogs are miserable.’”
“I’m way too lazy for this group,” another viewer agreed.
Other commenters took the opportunity to acknowledge how great their own dogs are, and how happy they were to see them make the list.
“As a dobie owner I can confirm dobermans are great,” one person commented. “My GSP is a nutcase but I love her so much,” another commenter gushed over their dog.
