Dobies are special dogs. Sorry to hear of your loss. We have owned three, two females and one male. The Male and one of the females we rescued from the pound. BUD, my male that I had was a very handsome boy. He was black and tan with long cut ears. He was an older guy when I got him but we had four great years with him. I could trust him with the smallest of children. He would be Godzilla at the front door but as soon as I greeted the person at the door as "friendly", He was all over them to pet him!
Puppyhood with a Dobie can be very trying. Those little buggers tear up everything. My wife had a red female as a pup before we were married. I worked an afternoon putting some speakers in the door of her VW bus. The dog tore them out in about 15 minutes.
Good luck on your selection. Chris