Apparently when I was a tiny baby I used to follow my Grandma's dog with my eyes everywhere....and one of the first words I said was her name "Susie". I've loved dogs ever since, and my family have almost always had them - Mum, Dad and I got our first labrador puppy when I was eight, we puppywalked six for Guide Dogs and adopted two retired guide dogs and one failed one. The failed one (Grady) was my Agility dog for years too, and he was very good at it for a labrador!

As a child I collected cuddly toy dogs and had about 64 at one point - drove my Mum spare My work experience while at school was to spend a week in the Guide Dog kennels at Folly Court near us, then my favourite summer job ever was working in a boarding kennel.

Now I'm stuck working for the local council I really missed my vocation - I should have followed my heart and trained to work with dogs rather than being the good little student and going to uni like my parents wanted. I'm going to do a course in dog psychology and training by distance learning next year now I just need to convince my OH to let me have a dog!

Yes I think I have always loved dogs - we have only ever been without a dog in our house for 3 months in all my 43 years and that was because we had to have our 12 year old dog put to sleep and then we heard about a litter of puppies near my sisters house and me and my mum went to see them and chose one. We had a dog before I was born too which my sisters had so I would say this house has had at least one dog in it for about 50 years now (and at one time 4)

Well - my first ever weekend job was working in a boarding and gun dog kennels

Think that says it all

Ditto!!

My house sounds much worse than yours 3 Cats, 7 dogs & 1 mad pup bouncing around - ahhhhh life don't get much better

I have always loved dogs and cats as long as I can remember each is equal here

I have always loved all animals, we had cats when i was a child but i was never allowed a dog, with the cat v dog, cats are definately far more intelligent (i have 3) but i find dogs are far more loyal.

My cats are able to work out if the door shuts when you push it, then pull it instead, the dog????? keeps pushing til he locks himself in

But i love them all the same and far more than people.

1 dog
3 cats
13 fish

Mmmmmmmmmm what shall we get next???

we lived on a farm when i was small, my mum bred Great Danes and i was the only one of 3 sisters who went to the shows with mum, sat up all night with a bitch giving birth, helped with all the kennel work, i will never forget having to share my bed with 2 fully grown girls and having to fight for space but wouldnt have had it any other way lol, a neighbouring farmer had a litter of border collie pups and mum got me one for my 1oth birthday, for some daft reason i called him tiger and he was my constant companion all through my childhood, so had to share my bed with him too, even less room lol. I cant remember a time when there has never been dogs in my life and i would probably prefer tramping alongside the muddy river bank with a pack of dogs than, doing lunch with friends, most of whom cant understand why im always in wellies and paw printed, dog hairy clothes, ah well, each to their own lol

I always liked dogs but my mum wasn't and still isn't into animals, dogs included. I've always been into horses, i used to ride every weekend from the age of 8. I've had a rabbit, countless fish, stick insects and a hamster. Oh, and a cat! I never really got the opportunity to spend proper time with any dogs until i met my OH, whose family have the cutest, funniest, clown of a Staff.

I don't know where my infatuation with Akitas came from, I really don't. I've been researching them since the beginning of the year, now all I need to do is actually get one! I think it's nice to grow up around pets, I think I would have a different attitude towards animals in general if I'd grown up around them.

No, as a child and growing up i was scared stupid off dogs, to the extent that i would cross the road if i saw 1 and would not go to friends or familys houses unless they were locked up. But when i started collage i would go to a mates house most days and he had a dog and said she wont harm you and wont pay much attenion to you.

So after a few months i thought a lot of people have dogs so theres not really anything to be scared off, so i started visiting more people with dogs and i was fine. Thats when i started thinking what it would be like to own one myself, a few more months Storm came to live with us and i have never looked back..

I have loved dogs as long as I can remember. All animals are special, but dogs are just extra special to me

I wasn't allowed my own dog (although we had cats, rabbits, gerbils, fish etc) and so used to walk all the dogs in the village where I grew up. There were so many special dogs - a colliexlabrador called PJ, a rough collie called Han, a springer called Digger, a longhaired GSD called Mandy and a red setter called Sasha.

I also spent every summer on my grandparents farm in Ireland and used to while away many happy hours with the farm dogs - particularly a tricolour collie called Timmy, who I would pretend was my own dog.

All the books I read were doggie related, I wrote to "Jim'll Fix It" asking to appear on One Man & His Dog (in the hope I would be given a collie pup at the end of the show ), I would have loads of imaginary dogs and always wanted to work with dogs when I "grew up".

My parents complain now that I have no other conversation other than dogs So what! I am happy - and will always have dogs in my life.

I used to dislike all animals ! I was especially scared of dogs after getting attacked by one when i was young .
It took me a long time with my OH (who's brother has 5 dogs) to even go round without the dogs being put away but then i got used to the smallest dog they had who is as soppy as they come and then OH was on at me to get a dog for 2 years so i gave in and its the best decision i ever made