Dogs you have owned....
Dang dogs! They get in your heart worse than almost anything else - I guess that's because they're so loyal and always happy to see you.
I've had some good dogs and some great dogs over the years (1 Terrier, 2 Beagles, 3 Irish Setters). But I've got to say my favorite breed is the 3 Rhodesian Ridgebacks I've had.
I got the 1st one (Rocky) shortly after I divorced my ex. Wanted a good loyal short-haired, large dog for my then 7-year old daughter and 2-year old son. Rocky was truly my daughters dog as Ridgebacks pick out 1 person in the family to be extremely loyal to and will lay down their life for them if necessary. Had to put him down due to cancer at age 11 just after my daughter left for college.
Got my 2nd Ridgeback (Toby) as a 'rescue dog'. Drove all the way to the SF bay area for him. His original owners raised him and their older Ridgeback as housedogs but then turned both of them over to the rescue organization when they had a baby and booted both dogs out of the house (bastards!!). Toby chose my son to be 'his person', but became my dog when my son moved out on his own. I could not leave the house on a weekend without taking Toby with me in my truck. He'd come running whenever he heard my keys jingle and just sit by the front door waiting to go. Never locked the truck or even rolled the windows up with 95 lbs. of Ridgeback sitting in the front seat as a deterrent. Had to put him down a couple of years ago also due to cancer. I arranged for the vet to come to the house. Gave Toby a bowlful of chocolate ice cream (only time he ever tasted chocolate) and then hugged him while the vet did his thing. Cried like a baby afterward.
The very next weekend we went to a dog show looking for another Ridgeback and found our current one, Brady. He'd been brought out from Ohio as a puppy to be a showdog to enhance a local breeders bloodline but they had to have him 'fixed' when one of his testicles didn't drop. The breeder came over to interview my wife and I and see our house and other dog (Siberian Huskey) to make sure all was going to be OK, then ended up giving us Brady. He really is a great dog.