I was thinking...

[Karen]

-I like to swim, and would like a dog to swim with
-I want a friendly dog but a dog that will like me the most.
-I have a 1/4 of an acre, but we're moving and will have 2 acres
-Don't have much time for grooming... so short haired dogs are best.

If you're not planning on showing the dog, so wouldn't need a purebred, I'd go to the shelter and get yourself the rarely adopted Big Black Dog - a young Lab mix would fit all of those criteria, except for the rare individual. And no one can tell you whether any breed, never mind even any individual dog, is going to bond with you more than your other dogs, that is completely up to how you raise it.

[Suki Wingy]

I agree with the shelter but since you said you want to show, how about weims. They are hunting breeds, I don't know too much about them but I'm pretty sure they'd fit the criteria nicley, you might want to do a bit more research on them though, go to some shows and talk to breeders, etc.

[zoomer]

Thank you everyone. I am planning on showing, so I won't be adopting a mutt from the shelter, althoguh I'd like to, my dream has been to own a show dog, so that's what I'm going to do. We won't be getting a 4th dog, our limit is 3, the reason I made this thread is because Alaska is reaching the age limit and he's not the kind of Boxer that's always healthy. He's always got some kind of problem. He's got 3 tumors right now that have a chance of growing back if they're removed, and sadly, we cannot afford to remove the tumors, because we're moving shortly, he's got a ways to go, but not long.

I was considering another dog, a Portugese Water Dog, I've researched quite a bit of the breed in the past and heard that they don't shed and LOVE to swim.

I've been thinking over the APBT, too, and have decided they're not the perfect dog for me because they need special socializing and training, and cannot be left alone with other dogs, BUT I still will be reading about the breed.

Also, just for some extra knowledge, a pit bull is not the same as an APBT, although I have called the APBT a pit bull in the past, I've learned myself that a pit bull can be a Staffy, APBT, a pit mix, and so on. So now I call them APBTs or AmStaffs or... whatever breed they really are. Not just a 'pit bull'.

My TOP choice right now is a Portugese Water Dog.

[luvofallhorses]

yes, an APBT is the SAME thing as a pit bull.

APBT = american pit bull terrier

[zoomer]

yes, an APBT is the SAME thing as a pit bull.

APBT = american pit bull terrier

I still call APBTs pit bulls since I'm stuck with it but still...

[luvofallhorses]

btw amstaffs and pit bulls are completely 2 different breeds.

[Suki Wingy]

Krista, I think she meants the legal term "pit bull" means all those breeds. I avoid calling American Pit Bull Terriers pit bulls for that reason.

Porties DO require a lot of grooming though.