I'm juuuust getting started in comics so I might not be a good place to ask. The whole "50 years of canon" thing boggles me. My collection is three of the Essential volumes, two paper backs and one actual comic, plus some I managed to get offline. Which series are you looking for?

As for the dog, we have nine of them. @.@ I always sleep with mine, but last night one of them was looking pitiful so I brought him in too. He kept crawling up onto my chest and face and I guess I just didn't wake up one time because that was how he was when my alarm went off. o.o;;;