Dog Breed Detective Ideas Needed

[Saltrams]

All doggie people have a favourite breed don’t they? Could be fanatics or could be just a bit of a soft spot; it doesn’t stop us loving them all.
So; who has some brilliant tips for finding sits with the doggie of your dreams? I won’t put it in the features suggestion as THS have enough platform issues on their plate at the moment but I would love good ideas on tracking down the doggie you want to snuggle (and it would work for any pet I suppose).
Example: I love Welshies. (That’s Welsh Terriers to the uninitiated). They are easily confused with Airedales without a size comparison to go by. So, in a forum post a few days ago I saw a couple of dogs in a posted photo. I asked the member about them & was advised to look at their profile, where I could see their recent review - easy! Now I have “favourited” the HO.
More difficult circumstance: I clicked on a forum member’s profile link (because they are busy, high profile, respected and I like to learn from others). In their photos, there’s a Welshie! I could just DM the member but is that weird?
How could I track down the doggie’s HO?

Edit: I did it! Trawled through the sitter’s reviews for matching symbols of dog & farm animals & there he was . Alas, he’s in NZ so that isn’t going to happen!

Anyone got good tips on finding the pet of your dreams?

[Angela_L]

“Finding the pet of your dreams” …

I have THE softest spot for Springer Spaniels, I’ve been owned by 6 of these adorable dogs. ALL different, the ONLY similarity was their breed and then there was Holly, a different breed?

No a Springer but she was the one, my heart dog, the dog of my dreams …

So have I sat a Springer, do I prefer to sit a Springer, Would I like to search Springers?
Yes and No.

My first ever THS sit 12 years ago went like this:

Working remotely for THS I am at home on Vancouver Island, Canada planning a pet and housesitting trip to the UK around our HQ in Brighton.

A three month sit goes live on the site in a lovely Sussex village 40 mins drive from Brighton, with the use of a car.

The listing says one dog, Woody & a cat, Denzel, no pet pics (the site was very new) I messaged the pet parent/owner and we schedule a call (I really prefer to talk to people) Mike was delightful and of course one of my first questions was …

“Please, tell me all about Woody and Denzel”

“Woody is an ex army explosives sniffer dog … (excitement builds as I know which breed is the most common sniffer dog) he is a liver and white Springer and a big softy” Aren’t they all?

I was sold and not following any of my own advice about having copious amounts of communication to make sure every aspect of the sit is right, agreed to the sit there and then. It was a great sit and I went back three more times.

Thank you Woody, Denzel, Mike & Zaria.

So if I had the option would I search by breed and only sit Springers? I know that’s not necessarily what you are asking but let’s say it was. While I would know the breed and certain traits would apply across the breed, I wouldn’t know the personality of any particular dog (or cat, or horse etc.,) and isn’t that what we connect and bond with, just like people?

Narrowing down a sit search to a favorite breed might effectively close the door on so many other unknown opportunities, like finding another pet of your dreams

Holly :

[Saltrams]

You do love a spaniel don’t you @Angela_L! I missed out on one ‘cos of but they are still high on my list.
You’re absolutely right in your point about missing out on diversity of pets this way but also right that I wouldn’t search exclusively for Welshies (that’s the way to do less than one sit per year!)
I’ll just have to treat finding them in an advert as my “moment of happiness” in a day. Actually, being selected is even better (Dashboard says 77 days to my Welshie sit )

[Therese]

As I tend to focus on location for my sits, I have sat a mixture of dogs over my time, from Retrievers, border collies, dachshunds, and lots of mixed rescues. I have never had the pleasure of sitting a Spaniel, although I did search them out on my walks when I looked after my sweet border collie. They were the only ones with enough energy to really run and play with her, and it was always such a delight to watch.
At this stage of my life, I do avoid the stronger dog breeds that have the potential to pull and control, as I feel I may not be able to handle them so well, so definitely am siding towards the more gentle ones, big or small.
I’ve never sat a Welshie either @Saltrams so looking forward to some special photos.

[Debbie]

The more housesits we do, the more breeds are in my list of favourites.

Equally, it is nice to get to know different breeds, and sitting allows us to do this. I would certainly never have searched for a Scottish Deerhound x Greyhound!

In December we have a sit with 2 Scottish Terriers or “Scottie dogs”. I’m quite excited as I don’t think I’ve had the chance to give a Scottie some fuss since “Angus” who used to take his daily walks past my childhood home!

[MissChef]

@Debbie

The more housesits we do, the more breeds are in my list of favourites.

#facts

I thought I couldn’t bear noisy tiny little dogs you can pick up with one hand… But now that a few of them have slept on my lap, I’m smitten … They do settle and aren’t so yappy! I’m pretty mellow and relaxed around the pets I care for, and I find I get back the energy I put out.

[Saltrams]

Update since my post; I’ve found 2 Welshie sits, got one and been told I’m in the front runners for the other . Doesn’t mean I don’t want to experience other doggies but these will always be my first love.

[Karen_E]

Yay! Congrats and best of luck @Saltrams!