Acquired: Breeder (hobby breeder)
Gender: Female
Training: Attended conferences / shows
My family has owned an Australian shepherd-Dalmatian mix for three or four years now, and we haven't had a bad experience with her. We've had at least one problem with her since we've brought her into the family. She used to have a tendency to urninate when she was excited, but we were able to train her to control it. She is very, very affectionate, and a little pushy when she feels she's not getting the attention she wants. She loves to walk, run, and play, and can hardly stand it when someone is in the backyard and she's not. As far as visitors and strangers go, she'll usually bark, but is otherwise very friendly to others. Besides to warn of a new person in the house, she is not very vocal.
I would recommend a dog like this to an active family and older children. My dog has only known young adults and older children, but I'm sure younger children wouldn't be a problem. However, my only concern is that of shedding. We have a dark rug in our house, and can often see when she has been on it. Besides, that I think this breed is fun, loving, and lovable!