...golden retriever!

I was just wondering if anyone out there has any stories about breeds that aren't supposed to be protective proving otherwise? I have this service where I help people do breed research before they're at the point where they're ready to get a dog, so I sift through breed info constantly, and I keep running across the same line, "but don't expect this breed to be much help keeping out intruders"...and yet my experience is that you can still expect the unexpected.

Here's what I'm talking about. I have pet dog that I bought when I was 8 (he's ancient now but still going strong). He's a golden retriever/vizsla mix from an accidental litter out of hunting lines - neither breeds are known for their "protective instinct"...though maybe vizslas slightly more than the goldens. Well, when I was 13, we accidentally left our front door open and our neighbours called the police thinking someone had broken in. I slept through this incident, but my mom heard the whole story from the police officer who showed up to investigate.

The cop car pulls up, there's a single bark. Police officers get out of the car, and my dog pokes his head out the door and barks a couple more times. As they start to approach the door, he stepped out onto the front porch and started growling at them. I don't know why, but they kept coming, and he started snarling and barking at them. Needless to say, they backed off...so we get this call, at 2 am, "This is the police department blah blah, we're here to investigate a possible break in at your home......but your dog won't allow us entry, could you restrain him?" My mom had to go downstairs, but the instant she said, "it's okay, Digger", he stopped completely, and then ran up to the cops to be petted! What a goof.

I always assumed in the case of intruders, Digger would not only allow them entry but give them a tour! I did feel a little safer after the incident though.


Anyone have stories like that?

I have a Border Collie that does a mean bark. She sounds like she would eat someone.

I have a couple brothers that get home late from work on the weekends. I usually get woke up by a muffled "woof". If I'd give her the right word she wake up the rest of the house with her barking. She'll "woof" at them when they walk past my door to go to bed as well. These are the same guys that she loves under normal circumstances. But at night time it's a whole new ballgame.

Absolutely. A friend of mine had a golden retriever that bit not one, but three children. Generalizations are just that - there are always exceptions.