Choosing the Right Family Dog
A few helpful tips to help you with a difficult choice

Tucson, Arizona is home to many a dog lover. As testimony to this fact, Tucson hosts a number of fine dog shows every year, and those shows never lack for attendance or competitors. Tucson also has many fine kennels, dog trainers, and breeders. And lastly, Tucson has a plethora of folks who will eagerly help you decide which breed of dog you should get for your family, or for any other purpose.

When you decide it's time to get the family a dog, you'll quickly find that there are endless breeds and types of dogs to choose from. The primary world authority on breeds of dogs is the American Kennel Club. The American Kennel Club (AKC) recognizes, and allows for the breeding registration of some 206 distinct breeds of dogs, which are further broken down into groups such as Working, Toy, Sporting, and Hound. So for starters, you've got 206 recognized breeds to deal with.

You also need to decide if a male or female dog is best for your family. Then there are these choices: type of temperament; large or small; puppy, adolescent, or adult; long-coated or short-coated; shedding or non-shedding – and to possess (or not) any specific skill(s) or qualifications. The AKC only recognizes pure breeds of dogs, but there are some amazing hybrids that are crossbred for specific purposes, and finally, there's the lovable mutt, a.k.a. Heinz 57 – the random breed. Don't toss out the random breed just yet – these dogs can make unsurpassed pets and workers.

Of course in the Sonora Desert that Tucson, Arizona is nestled in – you want to avoid getting a dog that was bred for extreme cold weather, such as a Siberian Husky or Malamute. You also should remember that larger dogs will get hot easier in the blazing Tucson sun. This intense, relentless sun is why you'll see "red-headed" Black Labradors in Tucson – the desert sun has bleached their hair to red!

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