We have a two year old Lab/Chow mix that we adopted... some people think the Chow part is bad (poor Chows with their bad rep) but she is a sweet and gentle dog, a big baby who loves to have her belly rubbed all the time! She also has the softest, glossiest black coat I've ever seen! She seems to have good qualities of both breeds: protective like a Chow, friendly and happy like a Lab...