I love my Westie, he's affectionate, intelligent, but very bossy.
The daughter has a Japanese Akita which I think is possibly the ugliest dog I have ever seen, but she adores her.
Think my avatar says it all. But then again I've owned basset hounds, labradors, border collies and a number of cross-breeds in my time, all with their own unique qualities.
Maybe a cross-breed with the grace and speed of a greyhound, the gutsyness of a bassett, the steadfastness of the labrador and the eagerness of the border collie ... and then some.
Border Collie, used to have a great one but they need a lot of training (we used to compete in agility competitions) but dont have the health now to do it.
Also Westies as you probably have guessed, a small dog but a proper dog if you know what I mean.