The log home needs a dog...

I figured out another thing that our log home is missing - a dog! We have our cat Marvin who I love dearly....but I don't think he wants to swim in the lake with me. Nor accompany me in the snow when I'm snow shoeing. And I doubt he would protect me from the bears on my walks thru the woods. Yep - I need a dog. Greg agrees but he wants a hunting dog such as a Brittany or English spaniel. I on the other hand want a big working dog and I already know what I want - a Bernese Mountain Dog. They weigh between 80 - 100 pounds, are a good watch dog, loyal and loving to their family, LIKE CATS, can herd (maybe there are goats and ducks in my future!) and loves the snow. They are also easily trained as a search and rescue dog (maybe another career for me?!) I tell my husband all these wonderful qualities and he persists with the following 2 questions: "Will he point?" and "Will he retrieve a bird?" The answer is no and no unless the bird is shaped like a ball. My next tactic is reminding him he only goes pheasant hunting once a year and can borrow the hunting ranches dogs and that when he goes deer hunting, my big beautiful Bernese Mountain dog will happily sit beside him in the deer blind in the cold of winter to keep him company.
Meanwhile, when I was at the wine festival this weekend I saw some people with a Bernese Mountain dog that I have pictured below. It's a sign, I know it! I almost pole vaulted a fence to get to these people's dog to ask them a million questions and pet this sweetie. It's only a matter of time before my hubby succumbs....