OK. I really appreciate your patience!

So - now I'll tell you a little bit about us and our living situation.

We're going to want a dog with good ears and who will bark whenever anybody comes near the yard. Max could defend our house very well if he ever needed to, but I don't think his ears are the greatest. Somebody would actually have to be inside the house before he would notice them. With me and two kids living out in the country with no man around, I'd like a little security - you know?

I, personally, really like pitties and shepherds and rotties. But, I don't have my heart set on a certain breed. I would just like a dog who would bond closely with us and with Max, and perform as a great watchdog (not necessarily as a guard dog).

It would be GREAT if he/she would also leave the chickens alone, but we can work around that.

Now. How do I go about finding this dog?

Oh yeah. We have a cat. And lots of squirrels and chipmunks and skunks and porcupines. So a low prey drive would be VERY nice.