Pembroke Welsh Corgi!!
I'm so looking forward to getting one. I've already got a name picked out and everything.
I'd also like a German Shepherd, but that's for a time when I have a house and not an apartment.
Edit:
loc978 said:
Not fond of purebreds, too many physical issues come with all that inbreeding.
That's not entirely true. The older breeds don't have as many issues as newer ones. This is why older, more stable breeds are considered fairly healthy as opposed to newer ones (when calling a breed new, we're talking breeds that have only exsisted a hundred years or less). All dogs have a genetic predispostion to various issues, and just because a dog is a mutt doesn't mean that they will be immune against certain conditions.
For example, if you breed two dog breeds that have a genetic propensity to get hip dysplasia, then the resulting dog will have a good chance of getting it too. This is actually a rather common ailment in larger dogs, so even a large mixed breed could be prone to this. A large mixed breed will also be susceptible to bloat, which just comes with the territory.
I'm sure smaller dogs have their issues, but admittedly, I am more familar with the ailments of larger dogs.
It is true that some cross breeding could result in fortified genetics, but keep in mind that this is also how we got a lot of our purebreds today. Most breeds resulted from mixed breeds, but it is only when breeding results in consistent pups that it is considered a breed. Once a larger genetic pool is created for a breed, and then allowed to diversify, the breed then becomes "stable" and the breeders can work on breeding out major issues. Admittedly, this takes a long time to do, but that is also why older breeds are more stable than newer ones.
As an example, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi (as I mentioned above, since I love them and have done some research) are fairly healthy. They have been around since at least 1107 A.D. Their biggest issue is they can get obese quickly, but this can be easily managed by not over feeding. They can get hip dysplasia and a few other things, but these aren't very common, and only appear if the parents of the pup had them too. So, they are an old, stable breed.
Shepherds, on the other hand, have only been around since 1899. They have a high chance of getting hip and elbow dysplasia, leading to arthritis, as well as a high chance of getting a spinal issue, and degenerative myelopahty, which is a neuroligcal disease. They can also get Von Willebrand Disease, which is common for this breed. But they are a newer breed, so they haven't had as much of a chance to breed out these issues. It will probably come with time.
The ultimate example of a stable breed is a Beagle. Genetic disease has basically been completely bred out of them. Purebred, but possibly the healthiest dog you'll have.
There will never be a perfectly healthy dog though. All dogs will have potential genetic problems, even mutts.