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[Lilysmom]

@5 scotties @Witchy Woman @goldensrbest @Katcat1 @CamilleP , thanks for posting information about these dogs.  I am looking for a smaller dog next time.  One consideration for me that I hadn't focused on much is to have one big enough not to be coyote bait, pardon the expression.  They are around our neighbourhood.  I was thinking Westie but that is too small for the abovenoted reason.

I would love a beagle/Lab cross.  Just big enough.  I am concerned about the bark factor with beagles.  LM

[CamilleP]

Lilysmom, any single dog, no matter how large, will be a target for a pack of coyotes.  And it isn't always the size of the dog in the fight, sometimes it's the size of the fight in the dog.  Have you considered an Airedale Terrier?  Or a Kerry Blue or Soft-coated Wheaten Terrier?  Those are larger terriers, but medium-sized as dogs, in general, go.  The terriers, as a group, are born and bred hunters and fighters, and will fight against a single coyote longer and harder than a member of the toy group, but again, no single dog stands a chance against a pack of coyotes.

As far as Beagles and Beagle crosses, they don't bark very often.  However, they bay and howl loud, long, and regularly!  I grew up with a 15" Beagle boy, and he would bay treed when one of our housecats was sleeping on the seat of a chair under the dining room table.  He'd rest his chin on the edge of the chair, sit down, and howl.  The cats were disgusted, but they'd just turn their backs on him and ignore him.  That dog would also bay at my brother's work boots right after he'd oiled them with mink oil.  Our Beagle was very typical for the breed, a hunting fool, and a nose with four legs attached.  He was beautiful, and sweet, but any time he ever got off leash our outside a fence, he was gone!  Another thing to remember about both Labs, and Beagles to a lesser extent, is that they were bred to have "soft mouths", so that the game they retrieved were not damaged by large, sharp teeth.  So, in a fight with a coyote, their bites won't do as much damage as a terrier's would, since terriers were bred to have very large, sharp teeth indeed.

If you don't like the idea of a furry terrier that needs regular grooming, think about the Staffordshire Bull Terrier or the Bull Terrier, either white or colored, they are smooth-coated terriers who will make short work of any single coyote.  The Staffie is called "the children's nursemaid" in England, the Bull Terrier is referred to as a 2 year old child in a dog suit, or the ultimate canine clown. 

Anyway, good luck in your search for a new companion dog, there are so many wonderful dogs available for adoption from rescues and humane societies all around the country, I hope the perfect dog for you comes home to you soon!

[Another new name Sue]

Here's a photo of the two kinds of dogs (knitting sweater pattern flyer).  I have saved it many years because the Westie looks so adorable in that red sweater).  I do have a Westie.  He's all white but occasionally I see a very faint beige stripe down his back.

[Witchy Woman]

@Another new name Sue 

If I had such sweet dogs, I'd have a wardrobe of sweaters 

With cats, I've just accepted the same outfit everyday 

[Another new name Sue]

You mean their stylish fur coats?  lol....

Here in CA its barely cool enough for active dogs to wear sweaters except some breeds, of course.

[Lilysmom]

@CamilleP , thanks for the information.  We took in two abandoned Lab/beagle mixes.  I loved those dogs.  Lab personalities and hunters.

I am not a terrier fan, no offense to those lovers.  We will do a rescue this time.  LM

[CamilleP]

I hope you find a perfect dog for you soon, Lilysmom!  I am also looking to find a new "sister" for Johnny, he's been very sad since losing his "Granny" Maggie last month.  There was a Scottie boy in a shelter an hour south of me, but he was a stray, and either his owners found him there, or the people who picked him up and brought him to the shelter came back and adopted him when his stray hold was over, because he's no longer listed on their website.  So no brother for Johnny for Christmas.  I am debating a shelter adoption versus applying for a rescue from Scottie Rescue, still not sure which way to go.  Rescue Scotties are few and far between where I live, if I were in the midwest I would have a better shot at finding a dog to adopt.