oooh, she's so pretty. Such a shiny coat.

I think Dobermans have those eyebrow-thingies. Our neighbors have mini ones (not sure if they have a different name) but they are much smaller than that.

Sort of looks like German shepherd coloring too but I think they have longer hair. Also shepherd ears.

The white feet are throwing me. Beagle?

Congratulations on the new family member!

Oh she's gorgeous!

I have absolutely no guesses, but she's beautiful.

Hey Rachel..sweet dog :) looks like a combo doberman/german shep to me. Have fun :)

Aw, she looks sweet!

My first thoughts were pretty much the same ones already mentioned-- Mini Doberman/Beagle. . . Maybe some sort of terrier thrown into the mix? Whatever she is, she's cute! :o)

As for the expense having a dog, I don't know how much cats cost to "maintain", for comparison purposes. You're right about the heartworm medicine, which can vary in price, depending on what you use. If you end up having flea problems, you might want to do a flea treatment of some kind, too, but other than that and yearly shots, I don't think there are any other "hidden fees" in dog ownership. (Down here-- for the time being, at least-- we aren't required to have a license for our dogs-- just the annual rabies vaccination.)

Cute! No idea about breeds, though.

Sweet dog! No idea on what mix she might be... but I squealed to see C reading "Betsy, Tacy and Tib." Yeah! I love that series.

OMG she's so freaking cute. Do you have any idea how old she is? I'm thinking she's part Doberman, part German Shepard...But possibly the runt of the litter. She looks like a German Pinscher, although her coat is a little longer. If she is, she wasn't bred professionally because the tail is so long. She's also a little small, but that could be because she might be a pup? I saw a picture of a "Meagle," Beagle/Miniature Pinscher and it didn't really look anything like Scout (Great name). Maybe a Corgi/Pinscher mix? http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/cardigancorgi.htm
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/germanpinscher.htm
She definitely stands like a Pinscher. Regardless, she's adorable!

Also, dogs aren't as expensive as cats by a long shot...As long as you take good care which I'm sure you will :-) There are supplies - nail clippers, shampoo, brush, etc. Cats tend to wander and get into fights. Dogs would rather be by your side in a warm home, safe from the Big Scary World. License, vaccinations, etc. Oh yeah, believe it or not, it's good to brush their teeth too cause they can get bad infections if you don't. Cat's should get theirs brushed too, but they are so damn hard to catch ;-) Ok I'll shut up now.

Jenn, you may be on to something with the German Pinscher, because they are much closer to her size than the Doberman. I definitely think she has a pinscher-ish nose and head; her body shape and fur length, along with the lighter fur around her shoulders and legs, reminds me a lot of a Shepherd. (The ears look Shepherdish when alert, but usually they're relaxed/down, which is more pinscherish.) She is *supposed* to be full grown -- the lady who gave her to us breeds St Bernards (NO THANK YOU SLOBBER UGH), so she knows dogs, theoretically, and she says that all the adult teeth are present. We'll find out more about this on Monday. (please please please let her be full grown. We do not WANT a big dog.) Anyway -- we were wondering what sort of interesting thing must have happened to have those two BIG dogs mixed with something that would be small enough to make her (please please) full-grown at only 16 inches tall.

One interesting thing: As far as we can tell, she's not spayed -- I can't find a scar, anyway -- and yet her nipples indicate that she's never had puppies. Given that she came from a place that thought little enough of her to dump her out beside a road, what are the odds that a full-grown female dog, unspayed, would never have had puppies? Logically, this would maybe seem to indicate that either she isn't full grown, or she is spayed. (I'm obviously hoping for the latter.)