Ooh, how did I miss this thread? I don't have any pets right now, but I've had two dogs before.
As a kid, I had a beautiful German Shepherd called Rose Tattoo (after the band), but we just referred to her as Ras. She was very protective. I was almost four months premature as a kid, so when I came home from the hospital, she lost sooo much sleep as she was constantly watching over me. I remember when I learned how to walk, I would go out with my brother. He would walk one way, and I another, and she'd constantly run between us to make sure we were both okay. She tolerated a lot; I remember my younger sister putting her hand in Ras' mouth because she wanted to feel dog teeth. I distinctly remember when, as a kid, I was sitting in the lounge. Some bloke tried stealing our pot plant outside the house, next to the window, so Ras put her head through the closed window, breaking it (it was already pretty damaged), and scaring off the thief. She died when I was five, from memory, from a stomach illness.
When I was thirteen, I had a black lab for a year, Xanthe. She was a dog we were training for her first year of life. From there, she would go on to Customs, Police, or the Military.
I don't have any photos of Xanthe, but I have some of Ras somewhere -- I'll be sure to find them and share when I can!