And why I love them dearly.

People gave us looks when we walked my dogs in Tacoma.

Judgmental ones. Nervous ones. Fearful, even.

See, my dogs are massive. 110 pounds each. Quite the duo. They are a Doberman and German Shepherds mix.

And people are scared of them.

The are good guard dogs, to say the least.

These dogs are loyal. Dedicated. Passionate. When someone who we don’t know approaches, they are ready to protect. Honestly, that’s why I love dogs. The fact that it’s seen as a flaw by some is sad. I don’t mind my dogs being scary.

It’s frustrating though. They’ve never hurt anyone. They’ve haven’t even tried.

The words “All bark and no bite,” could’ve been written about my dogs. But even people who’ve met them multiple times and know they are harmless are still intimidated.

When people say “aggressive breed,” I cringe internally. It’s ridiculous. These dogs spend their mornings running around with chickens. One takes a while to lay on the ground each morning and watch bugs crawl. They lick the goats noses through the fence. These big, scary dogs snuggle on the couch with our kittens.

There’s nothing more unfair than assuming that a dog is aggressive because it looks like a guard dog from a movie.

Loyalty and dedication should not be confused with aggression and violence.

They are two very different things.

Dogs protect their owners. That’s what makes dogs amazing. They are always in your corner.

(And I have a lifelong admiration for Dobermans after watching my dogs sheer and total love for us in action. It’s pretty awesome.)