Permian Basin residents love their dogs. They like big ones and small ones and wrinkly ones and hairy ones.
It’s not clear if dogs and owners really do start to resemble one another — but it is certain that many owners look for a breed that fits their personality.
Owners, said Odessan Daphine Bailey, have numerous breeds to choose from.
Most popular breeds
Daphine and Walt Bailey have raised Chinese Shar-Peis since 1999. The purebred dogs have wrinkled skin, droopy eyelids and curled tails. They weigh up to 55 pounds fully grown, Daphine Bailey said.
“I had one at one time, and I just like them,” Daphine Bailey said.
Poodles, Chihuahuas and golden retrievers are perhaps more popular breeds in this area, Daphine Bailey said.
Odessan Cindy Nutter said one pint-size dog is the most desirable breed in West Texas.
“Yorkies are the most popular dogs in Odessa,” Cindy Nutter said.
Cindy and Jim Nutter bred their Yorkshire terrier, Bella, in 2005. The Nutters plan to breed both Bella and her puppy, Geni, soon.
The 5- to 10-pound dogs with inquisitive faces are ideal pets, Cindy Nutter said.
“I think Yorkies are so sweet because they love to be petted, and they’re lap dogs,” Cindy Nutter said. “They’re pretty independent. They’re very territorial. They’re very playful. They just seem like they’re talking to you.”
Cindy Nutter said she sells the male puppies for about $800 and the females for $1,000.
Becky Battershell, a veterinarian at Angel Veterinary Clinic, said that Yorkies’ hefty price tag keeps the dogs from being even more popular in the area. Battershell said that Chihuahuas, which sell for several hundred dollars less, are more common among small breeds. Jack Russell terriers and dachshunds are also popular small dogs. Blue heelers are common medium-sized dogs and Labrador retrievers are popular large dogs in the area, Battershell said.
Around the nation, Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers and German shepherds are some of the most popular breeds, Ed Nicks, owner of J and E K-9 Academy in Midland, said.
“I would say that Odessa-Midland is following that trend,” Nicks said. “I probably see goldens and labs more than anything else. Boxers are kind of making a comeback. Pomeranians, Chihuahuas and Jack Russell terriers we see a lot of.”
There is also a new breed in town with cherry blond curly hair, Nicks said.
“They are actually breeding labradoodles,” Nicks said.
The dogs are a cross between a Labrador retriever and a poodle. Nicks said he has worked with two of them locally.
“They look like a Walt Disney dog,” Nicks said.
Choosing a dog
About 80 percent of dog owners in the Permian Basin keep dogs as pets while 20 percent keep them for jobs like herding cattle or sheep, Battershell said.
Owners should choose a dog for its tendencies such as cuddling or playing fetch, Battershell said.
“I think a lot of it is what (the owners) want to implement in their family,” Battershell said. “When I was growing up, people had dogs for premise control. Now it’s about a relationship with the pet.”
Personalities are important to consider because breeds that are popular now may not be as popular 10 years from now, Battershell said.
“The thing that’s funny about dog breeds is they go in trends,” Battershell said.
Nicks has seen fads come and go. He worked as a sergeant in special operations with the K-9 and SWAT units of the Midland Police Department for many years before switching to work as a full-time dog trainer in 1980.
Doberman pinschers became popular in the ’80s when the breed starred in two movies, Nicks said. Two decades later, he said he rarely ever sees them.
Nicks sees a wide variety of dogs, but most all of them are furry companions for their owners, he said. Most people in West Texas aren’t looking for a working dog, they just want a man’s best friend, Nicks said.
“I would say the vast majority, probably 70 percent (want a) companion; 10 percent guard dog; 10 percent working dog; 10 percent other,” Nicks said.
Owners should keep the warm West Texas climate in mind when choosing a dog, Nicks said.
“Any breed really if you bring them here and adapt them here, there’s not a problem,” Nicks said. “I don’t like to see a husky or a Great Pyrenees. They’re a cold-weather dog, but they adapt.”
Nicks said owners should offer shelter to their dogs in extreme weather because the pets don’t have time to adapt to severely cold or hot temperatures.
“They’re not used to 20-degree nights,” Nicks said. And “if it’s 110 degrees with no shade, don’t leave the dog outside.”
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