Love ‘Em or Leave ‘Em: Vets’ Favorite & Least Favorite Dog Breeds (And Why it’s Okay to Judge a Little)
Disclaimer: All dogs are good dogs. Some are just…professionally challenging. This post is for entertainment only – please don’t sic your Shih Tzu on us.
As veterinary professionals, we’re trained to love all creatures great and small. But let’s be honest – when we see certain breeds on the schedule, we either breathe a sigh of relief…or mentally brace ourselves like we’re about to perform surgery during a blackout on a feral raccoon. So let’s take a peek behind the clinic doors and talk about the breeds we secretly (or not-so-secretly) love and the ones that have made us consider switching careers to bitcoin farming.
VET-APPROVED FAVORITES
1. Golden Retrievers
These guys walk into the clinic like they’re applying for Patient of the Month. Tail wagging, face smiling, no drama. You could practically perform a dental while they’re awake and they’d thank you with a lick and a paw shake.
Why vets love them:
- Cooperative to the point of being mildly codependent
- Parents usually bring a full medical history and homemade treats
- You say “good boy,” and they wag their tail like they just won a Nobel Prize
2. Greyhounds
Elegant, polite, and surprisingly lazy. They come in, lie down like fragile porcelain giraffes, and let you do your thing with minimal resistance.
Why vets love them:
- Low body fat = great for palpitation
- Always act like they’re too tired to argue
- Weirdly into spa days (aka blood draws & baths)
3. Border Collies
Yes, they’re intense…but if you make them think the exam is a job, they’re all in. Just don’t try to outsmart them – you will lose.
Why vets love them:
- Smarter than your average intern
- Their owners usually already Googled and charted everything
- You feel like you’re on a team with them
AND THEN…THE “CHARACTER BUILDERS”
1. Chihuahuas
Pocket-sized demons with Napoleon complexes. You try to auscultate their heart and end up dodging a bite and an existential crisis.
Why they haunt veterinarian dreams:
- 5 lbs of fury, 0 chill
- Owners think it’s “cute” when they bite
- They vibrate like unstable molecules
2. Shar-Peis
The wrinkles are cute until you’re spelunking in their folds trying to find an ear canal. Or a vein. Or the will to continue.
Why they cause vets to age 3 years per visit:
- Skin issues galore
- Always mildly offended by your presence
- “Doc, he just started limping!” (Narrator: He had severe entropion, pyoderma, and joint disease for 6 months)
3. Huskies
Gorgeous? Yes. Dramatic? Oh ABSOLUTELY. Try trimming their nails and you’ll hear a sound not unlike a banshee being exorcised.
Why they make vets question their life choices:
- Olympic-level theatrics
- Escape artists with a grudge
- Constantly trying to negotiate
Honorable Mentions
Favorites:
- Labs (even the ones who ate a sock…again)
- Basset Hounds (despite the recurring ears/skin problems, you just can’t help but love the fact that they have the attitude of a 90-year-old man)
Least Favorites (with love)
- Akitas (beautiful but plotting your downfall)
- Doodles (sweet, but please stop breeding dogs with poodles if you’re not brushing them daily)
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, every dog has their quirks – and we wouldn’t be in this field if we didn’t love the chaos at least a little bit. But if we had a dollar for every time we heard “he’s usually good at home” right before a chomp or every time a Goldendoodle’s owner told us their dog is a “purebred”, we’d all own beach-side clinics by now.
To all our fellow veterinary professionals: May your next Chihuahua be unusually chill, and may your next Husky forget how to scream.
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