I have had to call our insurance company four times in the past two weeks about three separate issues. All ended up getting fixed, and I must say our insurance company has very nice customer service representatives, but this is new insurance for us as of six months ago and this is a nervous-making number of mistakes to have to catch and deal with.
Today Henry was supposed to have his allergy testing, and tomorrow an appointment with the doctor to decide what to do next. Instead the office called 90 minutes before the appointment to reschedule those two appointments for (1) a week from now and (2) MORE THAN TWO WEEKS FROM NOW, respectively. This is a significant and demoralizing setback. I am trying to see it big-picture-style as the blip it is, but I don’t mind telling you I had Cry Voice on the phone as she gave me the new dates.
A possible move update is that we decided to try to buy the house. We put in an offer contingent on something being fixed, so we thought we might very well lose the house to another buyer who would make an offer without the accompanying demand. But the seller accepted our offer. Our agent told us the seller can still start the process of fixing that thing, discover it is more expensive/involved than expected, and dissolve the contract without penalty. Also we are getting the house inspected, and we may find things during that process that we don’t like, in which case we too are allowed to dissolve the contract without penalty. This is why I say we decided to TRY to buy the house: I don’t want to feel as if it’s a done deal when there are still a lot of places where this could fall through.
I am almost entirely consumed now by house-related stress. Right now I am mostly coping by Not Thinking About It Too Much, which is also good in case it falls through (or in case it doesn’t fall through). I’m getting each thing done one at a time. Here I am, writing the escrow check, that’s all, nothing to do with any ENORMOUS HOUSE PURCHASE or anything. Here I am, writing the inspection appointment on the calendar, no big deal, nothing to do with anything that might happen next.
Here is what I would like to discuss in a distracting-from-home-purchase way: dog breeds. I have grown up with ONLY cats, and in fact none of my childhood FRIENDS even had dogs. (This was not on purpose.) I realize that dogs are individuals, but also I am given to understand that breed plays a big role, so that certain breeds are certain ways and you shouldn’t get a dog of that breed if those are traits you don’t like, even though each individual dog of that breed might have those characteristics to a lesser or greater extent. But, like, certain breeds Tend To Be more energetic and certain breeds Tend To Be less energetic, and so on. Am I getting this approximately right so far?
What I think might be fun/useful would be for me to say what basic variety of dog I am hoping to find, and have people yell out breeds that seem like a good match for some/all of the traits. Or say anything else about dogs. Let’s just talk about dogs in general for awhile. Like, don’t feel you have to have relevant advice in order to join the talking about dogs.
Paul says he doesn’t want a dog that, if he (Paul) were to strike a dignified pose near a forest, would make him look ridiculous. By this he means Corgis, Dachshunds, Basset Hounds, and anything small and fancy. His own preference is for a dog the size and basic dog-look (possibly not temperament—he doesn’t know anything about dogs either) of a Labrador Retriever or Golden Retriever or German Shepherd. (Do we capitalize dog breed names? I don’t even know that. It looks wrong either way I do it.)
But I don’t think we care very much what Paul wants. He technically has veto power but I’m planning to ignore even that, unless he gets very vigorous about it. This is MY dog. And I very much like the sort of dog that would make Paul look ridiculous if he tried to strike a dignified pose next to one. Dachshunds, Corgis, Basset Hounds. I will agree that I am disinclined toward the Small and Fancy category (Small But Not Fancy is fine), even though in many ways those seem like they’d be a good starter dog: it seems like they’re more cat-like, plus they’re small which seems more manageable. But they don’t appeal so far. Don’t let that stop you from recommending them: I am keeping all the possibilities open at this point.
The type of dog I have said over the years is my favorite, the type I would choose if I knew for a fact that it was something I could handle on all the levels a dog will need to be handled, is a Great Dane. But…I mean, they’re huge. HUGE. Does a person go from “no dogs at all” to “100-150 pounds of dog” like that? And how much would a person end up spending on dog food?? LOTS, I’m guessing. And what if I were walking the dog and it decided to take off suddenly? I very much doubt I could stop it from dragging me through the fields. It just seems like SO MUCH DOG. It might be better to start with something more medium-sized. I guess it turns out I’m PICTURING something more medium-sized, when I picture My Dog.
It is my impression that it is better to get a mixed-breed dog, is that right? Not only because of the cost (I have seen purebred puppies selling for multiple thousands of United States dollars EACH), but also I have heard that purebreds are more likely to have breed-specific health issues, whereas a mixed-breed dog is a sturdier creature—but I’m not sure how true that is. Also I’m not sure if there might be a difference between “purebred” (as in, a very expensive dog that is 100% a certain breed) and a dog that is, say, just Labrador Retriever but NOT a purebred (like, it might have some other dogs in its ancestry and you wouldn’t use it as a show dog, but if someone asked you what it was you’d just say Labrador Retriever).
Well. Okay, let me get to the part where I tell you what I would like. For my very first dog I would like an EASY dog. I want an adult dog, not a puppy. I would like a LAZY dog that is willing to go on walks or maybe play outside a little with the kids, but isn’t super-active otherwise. Do they ALL stop every few seconds to sniff things on walks, or is that something some dogs do a lot more than others? I would prefer LESS stopping, if there’s a choice. I would prefer a dog on the low end of drooling. I would like a QUIET dog, disinclined to bark; it’s okay if they bark when someone comes up the driveway, or if they bark a little while playing. I would like a dog on the LOW end of destructive. I would like a pleasant-companion dog who would like to hang out near me but doesn’t need a ton of attention. …I realize it sounds like I am describing a cat, but I feel as if there MUST be dogs like this.
Having never owned one (this breed, not a dog in general), I humbly suggest a greyhound. They are largish enough to satisfy your Great Dane fantasy, but I’ve HEARD they are super lazy and companionable because they just want to sleep on your couch all day. And you can adopt a retired racing one and feel like you are doing good in the world too!
I was about to comment saying exactly this! If you find a greyhound rescue near you they will be able to work with you to find one that won’t chase the cats (some would, others won’t). It really sounds like they’d be perfect.
We have a corgi, I love him to bits. But I didn’t realise he’s actually a big dog with short legs, rather than a little dog. I’m happy with this but something to bear in mind! He doesn’t need a lot of walking though, one decent walk a day and he’s happy (we are home all day together though).
I was commenting to say the same thing! There are some excellent greyhound rescues near me. Maybe your vet would know if there are near you?
Not to mention the opportunity exists for Greyhound sweaters, jackets and booties in the winter, when the dogs get cold!
Yes. Look into a retired racing greyhound. They are laid back, silly once they are settled in and comfortable, some don’t care if they ever run again. A fenced yard is nice because they can not be trusted off leash unless in a fenced area, but they love leash walks. A cat in large dog form.
I, too, was clicking over to say Greyhound. Its the only large dog I know that is also a great apartment dog. Laziest dogs ever. A soft place to lie down and the occasional walk, and you have a happy dog. My one hesitation is the “doesn’t need tons of attention” part. Greyhounds like to be touching you. We call it the Greyhound Lean. I don’t mind it, and it isn’t like you have to be actively engaging. But, you will have a shadow and if you stop moving for any time at all it will be touching you. Much like my three year old, but unlike her it won’t be talking at you the entire time. Also, males get really big, but females generally are more a medium sized dog.
Please go through a rescue. Please. And, if you find a good one in your area, the dogs will be with foster homes that can tell you how they interact in real life. A really good one will even listen to your description of what you want and help match you to the right dog.
I totally agree with the greyhound comment. My parents rescued one and he is the laziest guy and I would venture to say sort of cat-like in that regard. He greets you and is happy to see you but is content to snooze on his bed much of the time.
We have a greyhound, a rescue. She was four when we adopted her, already trained, perfection. Easiest dog ever with the caveat that she can never be off leash (unless she’s in a fenced-in area). She is companionable, likes to be where we are, barks maybe twice a week and loves to sleep. After an activity such as Going To Have Her Nails Clipped, she will literally sleep for hours. Once the temps dip below 45, she has to wear a coat and has a variety depending on the weather. (Also hats, boots and scarves (fun!!).) She is completely un-food-motivated; somewhat irritating when I drop a snack. She will raise her head to see if it is worth getting up and invariably decides it is not. She is content with two fifteen-minute walks a day. Minimum if any shedding and thin non-oily fur and skin so no doggy smell. Highly recommend. (We also have two cats; the dog is cat-friendly.)
Just adding to the chorus of “greyhound rescue,” and only partly because if you adopt one, I know you will report back faithfully about what it’s like, so I can decide if such a dog will be my first-ever experience owning a dog as an adult as well.
We have a retired racing greyhound. You get them at 2-4 years of age when they are retired. They are clearly well trained before you get them and are very docile and easy to manage. They don’t bark a lot but do roo sometimes.
The other cool thing about adopting a retired racing dog is that you can look at their pedigree on-line back to the 1700s. We had fun doing that when we were naming our greyhound – just like looking at a family tree when naming a baby,
Yep. Yeeeep. Greyhound is the way to go. We’ve never owned one (we are more of take-the-dog-hiking types, which requires a more energetic pup, and thus always seem to end up with pit bull-based shelter mutts) but many friends have and they are 100% cat in dog form. Also, you get the deep-down satisfaction of saving a nice dog from horrible people. I never even thought of the accessories angle that other people have mentioned, but that does seem like a good plus.
I used to love Great Danes but then someone I know who owned one mentioned that picking up their poop is like picking up a human man’s poop and I’ve never recovered from that.
I’m also ultra confused why everyone keeps suggesting a cat like dog. Swistle has kids. I don’t think as a kid I would have wanted a dog that just laid around like a cat. I loved my dogs who went on long walks, hikes, runs, adventures. The dogs I could leash up and lead around like it was my horse, or a dog that would swim out to the middle of the lake to save me. Dogs who rolled in the grass with me, and protected me. Rescuing a cat dog sounds like something a 60 year old woman who wants to take one nice short walk per day should do.
It’s because I described my perfect dog, and then said it sounded just like a cat. I DO want one nice short walk per day (or maybe two)! I specifically said I DIDN’T want an active/energetic dog! So they’re trying to give me suggestions for what I’m looking for.
Well, but what about the kids. Labs lab/mix aren’t overly energetic, but great if the kids want to go on a long adventure after school. Plus in the summer, a dog that can play outside for hours and hours with the kids is rad. I guess I just look back on my life age 9-16 with my beloved lab, as the best times in my entire life. That lab was with me when my birth dad committed suicide, and I spent so much time alone. He and I went everywhere together all the time, from sun up to sun down after that. My baby dolls rode his back. He was a Barbie limo. I had a small pool I would lounge in all summer, and Junior would get right in next to me and lay in the pool with me. The idea that, after something so hard I was never alone, is what I’ve searched for again in a dog. Which again is why I liked the idea of a dog who can be off leash, and who is protective but not aggressive, someone who can take care of my boys if anything happened to me while they were young.
If this dog is only YOURS then get a cat dog. But if there is any chance this dog becomes Elizabeths, then think into her future. Having that specific dog out of all the others I had during that loss (a beagle and a gray hound) saved my life.
Another awesome thing that happened to me, which isn’t for everyone is, when I got older and we had our chocolate lab ranger, I moved out for college, and my parents had him move with me. I had a guard dog immediately with me when I was alone, and someone I could take for long walks when I moved out, which gave my mom piece of mind knowing I wasn’t out there running, hiking, or walking alone.
All dogs are good dogs, but kid dogs and mom dogs are some times different.
Also I apologize I must have missed your reply requesting a cat dog. In which case I’m wrong, and maybe a greyhound is perfect.
It’s the last paragraph of my post, where I write what I’m looking for in a dog.
Also I should mention that I was undiagnosed ADHD my entire life. Which might be why the lab fit so well with me. I was always on the move, but when I wasn’t, when I just wanted to lay down and read, he would lay down and be my pillow for 5 hours while I read.
A side effect of ADHD is hyperactive visual memory, which might be why this post was so triggering for me. I just remember Junior, and Ranger, and how much they absolutely saved my life right up until the end.
Now I’m stuck with this silly cocker spaniel who is so much NOT the labs I love. My mom right now has a lab puppy and I already see the traits I love and miss. He definitely has chewed up ALL the kleenex in my car and office, and a few newspapers. But at 12 weeks with no professional training he already sits on command. If I stop on our walk, he stops and sits just outside and in front of me. If I want to be lazy at work, then he lays down and is lazy. My dad went fishing with my son and the little pup jumped right in and started chasing sticks. My cocker has never done that so it tickled my kids to no end to see the tiny pup swimming around the lake. My youngest, 10, got on the tube and swamp out pretty far, and the pup kept swimming out to him and trying to pull him in.
Just the very best memories of my old, and new labs.
Beagles are insane. Cockers are…stubborn and cannot be off leash. My greyhound didn’t work. The basset was a nightmare, which shocked me.
I’ll refrain from further commenting, this topic may be too sensitive for me.
I think it’s because she mentioned it in her post.
You definitely want a dog that can go off leash. It’s no fun worrying about a dog that is always wondering away if someone accidentally leaves a door/gate open/drops the leash, especially with kids.
Check out petfinder.com
Type in a lazy breed, like a basset hound and see what mixes come up in your area. Every breed will also have it’s own rescue ) just google the breed + rescue. Most labs I’ve met have been super energetic and love water and balls, would you enjoy throwing a ball many time a day? And the lab getting into any water body possible.
Beagles, are such wonderful kid dogs, but more likely to wander, dig and bay (a bark howl)…I love them
Every breed has a downside – and some are being lazy, so try find a downside that works with you.
I’d also recommend a female, and rescuing a dog 2-4 years old, out of the puppy (like a baby) stage, but still young and fun, just a bit more sensible. Also properly training right off the bat (no jumping up etc) means so many less headaches down the road.
Also – a dog you can pick up is quite helpful in many situations.
And you’re right, the bigger they are the more they cost to feed.
Saying all this my favorite are Rhodesian ridgebacks – and everyone is right, greyhounds would likely be a great fit – I’ve met many that can walk off leash.
When I was a kid, we lived in the country, and so people would bring us their dogs. You know how “going to live in the country” is an old euphemism for putting a dog down? Well, people would literally send their dogs to our house for a wide variety of reasons. Anyway, I have therefore developed Strong Opinions about dogs. My favorite was the Irish Setter we had. She was attentive and lovely (both aesthetically and in temperament) and active without being annoying about it. We also had a wonderful Brittany Spaniel who was smaller in size (but not SMALL) and had a lot of the same qualities as the Irish Setter. I realize a LOT has to do with training of the dog — that maybe some things are inherent to the type of dog, but that good training can do A LOT toward emphasizing or de-emphasizing a particular trait.
My parents now have a Golden Doodle which is adorable. Kind of goofy. Perhaps a little too energetic for your needs, although that may be a training sort of thing. Supposedly hypoallergenic. Very friendly but large and with a nice, assertive bark.
Also for the “gathering information” part of your research, I lived upstairs from a pair of beagles for four years and it was HELL. Again, I think training had a lot to do with it (fist of anger toward the owners who left those poor dogs alone all day), but they BAYED constantly and it was horrible and loud and grating and it completely ruined my childhood desire for a Snoopy dog of my very own.
I am SO EXCITED to hear more about the dog (and the house! Squee!!!!!!!) and wish you a very easy, happy-outcome inspection and remainder of the house buying (or house not-buying) process.
My sister’s starter dog was a beagle. They’re beautiful, and yet. They need to roam, and they need it every day. Being cooped up will make them bay, and it is a miserable sound. I didn’t feel like it made the best pet. It wasn’t a cuddler and didn’t get all tail-waggy when you got near it. I think they basically like other hounds, when roaming. So if you need a working dog, by all means go beagle. But not for a house pet.
Best of wishes on the trying to buy a house. That could potentially, at some point, be very exciting. ;)
As for dogs, I am a Dog Person. But a PICKY Dog Person. We bred Labs when I was a kid, and they are so loyal, and kind, and fun, but I grew to be extremely allergic to them (and weirdly enough, their saliva!) As an adult, we rescued a very cute, very energetic black puppy. We had no idea what breed she was,, or how large she would get, but she was truly the sweetest pup I had ever met. Also, bonus, her fur is more like hair, and I was not allergic to her.
Fast forward eight years, and we now know that Sophie is a (mostly, if not purebred) Giant Schnauzer. Now, I will not mislead- her first two years were full of mischief, but nothing destructive. As an adult (I’d say from 4 years old till now), she is mostly lazy and just likes to follow me around the house sometimes if she is not asleep, and she will come lay right under my feet. We have about a 1/2 acre backyard, and she will go run a few laps around it on her restroom breaks, but other than 2ish walks a week, that is enough exercise for her at her age. She barks when strange people come up the driveway (which I appreciate), but behavior-wise very low maintenance. She weighs around 55 pounds, and if she were to get on her hind legs (which, she’s old and doesn’t do much anymore), she could easily look me eye-to-eye. (I’m 5’4.) SO, she’s on the bigger side of medium, but it’s mostly lanky legs and body. (She is big enough to look intimidating to strangers.) I brush her 4x/week, and that mostly keeps the shedding to a minimum. Even when she does shed, it’s not teeny little hairs everywhere, more like tumbleweeds of fur that find their way to the corners of the room. I get her groomed every few months or so, but overall, she’s a super low-maintenance dog, and I will probably never buy another breed.
tl:dr, Giant Schnauzers are semi cat-like, are biggish, and as an adult dog, mostly just like to be with their people without being too naughty.
We have a Giant Schnauzer as well!! And I (mostly ) agree with everything you said. Except, I think Sophie is on the small end of the spectrum for Giant Schnauzers. Most are closer to 70lbs when full grown. Our girl (Nina) gets brushed once a week, goes to the “puppy spa” once a once (they trim her nails, etc) and gets a full groom about every 3 months. She rarely sheds, and when she does, it is tumbleweeds like our long hair cat used to produce, not fur on everything like our short hair cat produces.
Nina is a very loyal companion. Even when she’s asleep, if I walk out of the room, she hops up and follows. She doesn’t pester, just follow. Most evenings she’s on one end of the couch while I”m on the other. Or she’s in middle – close enough to pet, but not in my lap.
She does like to run laps in our backyard. But after 2 or 3 circles of our half-acre-ish lot, she’s done. If the kids go out to play, she will too. She will chase them, play fetch etc. But she’s also content to just “dog around” (sniffing, watching etc) while they play. When she’s done, she come up on the porch and lays down and watches them play. She’s always willing to go for walks, but doesn’t really beg for them. She likes to play fetch and tug-o-war and will occasionally bring toys to us, but not as much as when she was a pup. She LOVE a good bone and will contentedly lay by our feet and chew on one but rarely-if-ever does she chew on anything else.
We had miniature schnauzers. I, with terrible allergies, could tolerate them without ill effect at all. They DID have the small dog yappiness when people first came in our house, but for the most part were good loyal animals that required not crazy amounts of exercise (though they enjoyed dog parks as puppies). They didn’t pester for treats and didn’t chew (but the boy marked our door frames before we could take him to get him spayed).
Unfortunately, we had to rehome them with childless family. Something about a toddler learning to walk and the sudden PLOP when they lost their balance, activated their ‘seek and destroy’ button. They never hurt the toddler, but they would surround her, barking with alarm which terrified her. I was heavily pregnant with my next kid and had fallen twice trying to stop them from this behavior. Our open plan house didn’t really allow us to separate them without crating the dogs too much to be fair.
In summary, I think they would love older kids and fit the bill, but if you plan on, say, taking up baby sitting small kids, I’d proceed with caution.
We considered a miniature Schnauzer. It was hard to resist bringing one home who the kids decided to name Haggis. It was hard to walk away from a dog who the kids had named, and we still talk wistfully about her and wonder how she’s doing. There was an adorable Coton de Tulear I mentally named Marshmallow that I secretly kind of pine for too. But Darwyn is such a non-dominant dog we seriously think she’d be bullied by any new doggy additions to our house. She’s afraid of my mom’s cat – possibly justifiably because that cat totally stalks and pounces on her and scares the wits out of her when she’s just minding her own business.
We have a miniature Schnauzer/poodle mix and he is about 8 lbs. and he loves kids, cats, and other dogs. We got him from our local animal shelter 6 years ago when he was (we think) 2 years old. He’s super friendly, likes car rides, and is totally happy to snuggle up to you on the couch and hang out in the evenings.
We generally do our own grooming (baths, haircuts, nail trimmings, etc.) but it’s not very expensive to take him to the groomer since he’s rather small and we don’t want the “fancy” grooming since he’s a mutt and a pet, not a show dog.
We have a new (6 months) Goldendoodle (that’s a mix between golden retriever and poodle). I can’t say enough good things. She’s a puppy and she’s so chill so I imagine she’ll only become chillER as she ages. She’s smart, she learns fast and she doesn’t shed a single one of her hypoallergenic hairs. I realize she’s a “designer dog” and not a rescue and I’m a horrible person and blah blah but I don’t care! She’s that awesome.
Ok, I get very EXCITABLE about dogs, and I have done a fair amount of research and have some experience as a dog owner, so let me try to calm myself so I can be coherent.
A huge benefit of rescuing a dog from a shelter, aside from the obvious Good Deed aspect of it, is that good shelters have carefully vetted the dogs so that they know their personalities and whether they’re good with cats, how good they are on the leash, whether they are talkative, etc. Good shelters/rescue orgs (which I like to think is most of them, but I am sure there are bad ones lurking around out there) also really want the adoption to work out — they don’t want you to just walk out of there with any dog and then end up back there returning it if it isn’t a good fit. So they can be very good matchmakers when you go in with this list of characteristics that you are looking for.
When we went to a shelter “just to look” after our previous dog (a purebred who had A LOT of EXPENSIVE health problems, though of course we adored him BUT STILL) died, we had looked on Petfinder at the dogs they had in a radius of our home and we went in with a list of what we preferred in terms of temperament, and which dogs looked like matches for us. The woman at the shelter we visited vetoed several of the dogs we thought we were interested in from Petfinder and each time she would explain why: that one isn’t great with kids; that one needs a yard; that one barks a lot; that one is super-hyper, etc. Then she let us meet the couple of dogs that did match our list of preferences and the next thing we know, after spending time with the dog on a leash and in a “living room” mockup they had, we walked out of there with a dog. Now, our dog had been a stray for a time so she needed some re-training but she is A PHENOMENAL DOG. And also she is ROBUST and HEALTHY in a way that our purebred dog was not.
By the way, before we went to that one shelter I also had been emailing various shelters about specific dogs I’d found on Petfinder, and there again, many of them “rejected” us for certain dogs because they wouldn’t be a fit for us based on what we wanted. So again, I personally have found that the Dog People want to help you find a good match. That doesn’t mean the dog won’t need ANY training, as some of them might after being in a shelter for a bit, but for the most part I found the process to be really positive (the previous time, when we got our purebred dog, I just looked around for a breeder, found one that had puppies, and we went and bought a puppy from her — the end (and I would never get a puppy again OMG it is SO MUCH WORK)).
So of course I want you to get MY kind of dog, which is a hound mix (maybe harrier, foxhound and beagle? we don’t know). They are VERY common in shelters because people down South just dump them or they get lost on a hunt and no one bothers to find them and you can find them in shelters all around the country because they rescue them and drive them to wherever there may be people willing to adopt them. Ours is an awesome dog, just SO loving and mellow and sweet but also very up for going for long hikes if the mood strikes; she’s a non-barker but she “talks” through moos and groans and it is the CUTEST THING, and she has won Best Rescue Dog in our block’s annual dog show for two years running.
We foster dogs for a shelter/rescue that sounds a bit like what you have described here. There is a serious process to screen potential adopters and make sure you get matched with a dog that is right for you. I really think that checking out the rescue shelters near you and getting the input of a knowledgeable person is key. I agree with your thoughts Swistle about how mixed breed dogs are better than pure breds – I’m no expert but I would always avoid pure-bred dogs from breeders.
ALSO: don’t rush. There is likely more than one right dog so ‘a’ right dog will come up and most shelters are constantly getting new dogs so don’t feel like if you don’t act fast then you’ll miss the perfect dog. Good dogs keep coming through and a smart shelter worker will make sure you end up a with a good fit.
Good luck! Keep us posted.
DOG TALK, YESSSS!
Your perfect dog description basically describes our dog, except he is a shade destructive if he gets bored (like several days without a walk or rough play) and he gets a little sniffy on walks, although that’s something you can somewhat train out of them. Our dog has kind of a people-pleasing temperament, so he wants to wrestle if you indicate that you want to rile him up, and he wants to snuggle on the couch if you indicate that it’s quiet time. I think training and setting good expectations/boundaries can go A LONG way toward having a dog that doesn’t drive you crazy. I really like Karen Pryor’s clicker training books for that. If you make dog training a fun game that’s about building a healthy relationship between dog and people, then everybody benefits.
My preference has always been for mixed breed dogs. They’re like little works of art, each one unique and special in their own way. Plus you can endlessly speculate about what breeds might be in their background, based on their floppy ears or curly tail or endless love of bunnies or whatever. We did a doggie DNA test on our little guy, and found out that he is a noble mutt, descended from many other noble mutts. (It was not the most informative fifty bucks we ever spent.)
I would say that you are correct that mixed breed dogs tend to be healthier, but I will also say that I took my little mixed breed dog to the veterinary neurologist AGAIN yesterday, so I guess it’s kind of a crap shoot. Much like having children.
I think longevity is another thing to consider. Great Danes are huge and pretty, but they only live like 6-7 years. That’s just not enough for me. As a general rule of thumb, smaller dogs tend to live longer. No guarantees, but something to consider.
Choosing a dog for me is kind of like dating. You really have to be patient and not commit before you’re ready. I like looking on Petfinder for a dog that suits my criteria and then going to the shelter to visit and pet and maybe walk the dog. I think you can get a sense of chemistry right away. We also have a big shelter in my city and then a small shelter in a small town in another county about a half hour away. We found that the small shelter seemed to know more about each dog and be able to tell you things because the dogs tended to stay longer. In our city, I think the nice little family dogs that want to lie on the couch get snapped up really quickly because demand is higher. In the small town shelter, there are more people interested in pitbulls and hunting dogs, so it’s easier to get a chance to adopt an aimless little dude like ours. I have also heard that getting a dog that’s been in a foster home is a great way to get info about how they function as part of a household.
If you do get a dog, I recommend looking into dog boarding options (or dog-sitting or whatever) way, way before you think you’ll need it. We board our dog at a nice, cage-free place that had a TEN-MONTH waiting list. I just checked and it’s currently A YEAR! Maybe that’s an outlier relevant only here, but I was shocked that the waitlist for doggie daycare/boarding is longer than the waitlist for actual human infant daycare.
We’ve always had golden retrievers, which are great in lots of ways, but can be inclined to be more energetic. My sister’s Goldendoodle is a sweetie, but was $$$$$$$. Some of our dogs have loved sniffing, some haven’t. I think some of that can be addressed with training.
As someone who has cats but was interested in acquiring a dog, I will say that it can be difficult to find an adult dog that is good with cats. A lot of rescue listings I was seeing mentioned that the dog had Feelings about cats and the Feelings were that cats were Fun to Chase and maybe Tasty. So that may make the search for an adult dog a big more challenging. Whereas a puppy may not yet have predetermined feelings about cats. Petfinder has filters, so you can narrow results by size, cat lovingness, etc. Might make the search easier.
I have heard tell that sometimes breeders are willing to rehome dogs that are “retired” from breeding. So that may be a way to get an adult dog with less baggage.
Oh yes! This last sentence is a good point! That’s how we got our dog – she’s a retired breeding dog. I suspect she would have been kept for many more litters of puppies, but the breeder got Seriously Sick, and most of her dogs had to be rehomed.
And in fact we were offered another dog by a breeder that had decided not to keep a dog in her breeding program, but we said no because that dog was too energetic and lick-y and jumped up on people a lot.
I have had mutts my whole life and my favorite was Lula a cocker/lab mix closer to cocker than lab style. She did suffer from separation anxiety, but that was due to her being abandoned at a shelter and now that she lives with my sister and her more grown up kids she has been cured of that. (My insane work hours, young children, and yelly husband were not a good fit for her anxiety.) she was generally calm and and easy to leash train, barked only when the mailman dared bring mail, and was an a plus snuggler. Labs in general, in my dog experience are lovely pets, and those mixed with smaller breeds make them even more manageable. I would recommend fostering a few different kinds of dogs to get dog experience, that way you can try them out and see what you like.
Our last dog was a German Shepard/lab mix, adopted from the Humane Society as an adult (they guessed he was around 2, our vet thought he was around 4) and he was the BEST DOG EVER. The funny thing is that he was at the shelter for nearly a year because he was 1) large – 70ish lbs, 2) prone to ear infections that made him skittish if you tried to pet his head 3) black fur (the last to get adopted). But everyone else that turned up their noses were FOOLS because he was the perfect dog.
Ticked all of your boxes: well behaved with no effort from us, playful but in short bursts, happy to lay around and snuggle, never barked except at strangers who came up onto our front porch and then he sounded like he would would come through the wall and take you out (we loved this trait), he never chewed up anything or had any accidents, he stayed in our yard even without a fence or lead, never chased squirrels or other animals (he’d growl and sniff but wouldn’t chase). The only thing that might be seen as negative was that he had a lot of fur and shed a ton. He was a magic dog, so much so that we still haven’t had the heart to get a new dog, even 5 years since he died.
I think you definitely want an adult dog but not elderly, that you can visit at a shelter and take home for a trial. It’s a big change and I am very much a dog person but you are very smart to think about what you want in advance because once faced with DOG FACE LOOKIT HER it is difficult to say no to an animal even if they have traits you know you do not want. I would say it sounds like you want a 2-4 year old dog, mixed breed, on the small side of medium say 30-50 pounds, that does not need a ton of walking and that is good with kids and cats. Having had both I would also add a very very strong preference for a short haired dog who does not require grooming. If you can compile a list of what you want then when you search online you will not even see pictures of dogs who do not meet your criteria, thus avoiding the temptation to bring home a dog who is initially adorable and charming but whose incompatibility with your family will get old very quickly.
We have had several kinds of dog and Boston Terriers are my favorite. There are specific shelters where you can adopt them and not pay the large puppy price both in money and training and exhaustion. They are small and very cute but not embarrassingly fancy looking. They need minimal exercise, ours doesn’t even like walks so we just play with her in the yard. They are small enough to be very snuggly but sturdy and strong enough to play well with kids. They do not enjoy either very hot or very cold temperatures (same) which means they mostly just want to be inside wherever you are hanging out. There are very high on the Cat Side of dogs except they are the opposite of indifferent. A++
That is so funny: We call our Boston Terrier a Cog, because she acts like she’s half cat. For real.
I am firmly a cat person and not a dog person, but the only dog I have ever loved was my brother’s Boston Terrier. Absolutely wonderful.
YES to Boston Terriers! I adore them.
We have a 65-ish pound Black Lab/pit bull mix (you can’t tell she has pit bull in her). She’s very smart, and very sweet. She’s energetic, but mainly just when we take her outside to chase her ball or frisbee. Other than that, she’s very good at just lying around. She’s obedient enough to be allowed to walk off leash (we have a trail by our house that doesn’t get too much “traffic”). She’s a powerful chewer, but she’s never destroyed a single thing in the house. We give her bones and bully sticks to chew on. She’s amazing with our toddler. She doesn’t like cats, but we’ve never had one. However, our Chihuahua is like a mean car, and she’s always been completely tolerant of him.
My mom has had Jack Russell terriers for years now. Some of them are/have been nuts, and some are/have been very mellow.
*mean cat
I also meant to mention that some Labs can be VERY high-energy, which means destructive if they don’t get enough physical activity.
Check and see if you can find a dog rescue in your area that has dogs in foster homes. If dogs are already living in homes you can find out a lot about that specific dog – are they good with kids, cats, how are they doing on housetraining, are they a barker? We have large rescues in our area and you can find dogs of all ages and breeds. This is how we got our last puppy.
Generally, I find larger dogs are easier than smaller dogs. I think mainly because you need to train a large dog to behave and you can’t rely on just physically restraining them. We LOVE labs – they can be quite active as puppies but such a good family pet. They just want to be with you.
For our last puppy we had our kids sign a contract covering puppy care and walking responsibilities – 6 months in and they are doing well!
I’ve volunteered in an animal shelter for many years, and my best advice is while certain breeds are known to have certain traits, at the end of the day, every dog is unique. I’d call up your local shelter, and explain what you’re looking for, and they can straight-up tell you if they have a good dog for you or write down your info and alert you when they do have one.
There was a pit bull in the shelter that I loved with my whole heart and would have no hesitation being around my 2 small kids. There was a golden retriever once I’d never let near my kids. There once was a mastiff that was so gentle that I walked him without pause when I was 8 months pregnant. There were other fancy, tiny dogs I wouldn’t walk when I was pregnant out of fear they’d make me fall. The great thing about a shelter pet vs purchasing a pet is that the shelter KNOWS these animals and can help you make a great match.
Best of luck!
Congrats on the possibility of the house :)
I was the person who suggested a basset hound on a previous post and someone pointed out that they are hound dogs and would therefore be on the hunt and roam. And I suppose if Paul doesn’t want one that could be a problem. But I’m going to put in my suggestion anyway!
1. It is true that they are hound dogs and have the tendency to follow the scent. But my parents have owned 6 over the years on a farm and none of them have gotten lost and all but one was allowed to go freely wherever they wanted (the one that wasn’t allowed was only because my mom treats him like a baby!).
2. Bassets are medium sized dogs, usually, but they are kind of the perfect house dogs/town dogs in my opinion. They will go for walks when you want them to, but they don’t need to walk for miles and miles in order to not be crazy in a house.
3. All of my parents have been good with cats. They’ve liked some of the cats, and have tolerated others. The bassets allow the cats to be the boss, and I think that is the key :)
4. Bassets are great with kids. They are mellow and calm most of the time. They pretty much love everyone.
5. They aren’t yippy little dogs and don’t tend to bark a lot. They aren’t always up in your business. They spend a lot of time sleeping and laying around.
My parents have gotten mostly rescue, adult purebred bassets. That way the potty training is out of the way and they are past any puppy stage. It can take a little while of looking to find a rescue basset, but you come across them every so often. They really are the best and sweetest dogs. :)
You have had luck with Bassets! My family Basset was a nightmare so I came to caution against the baying, the stubbornness, the Issues with Stairs,the hound smells, the Lack if Loyalty. But a mature well-socialized Basset sounds like a very different animal.
Bassett’s and beagles were the biggest nightmare of every single dog I’ve ever had. My aunt fosters beagles and they have chewed up get carpet, Christmas tree, stairs etc. same with pugs. They just pulled up my friends brand new carpet.
I am not a dog expert, but I grew up in the country so we had our fair share of dogs when we were young. They were a muttly crew and I can’t think of a bad one in the bunch. As an adult, I have adopted two dogs. We got both of the them from rescues and it was wonderful experience. The rescue was really invested in matching the owner with a dog that would fit their lifestyle. The last thing they want is someone dropping the rescue dog back at the shelter. In fact, most rescues have rules that if the dog isn’t working out you have to return it to the rescue.
Our first rescue was a 4 year old black lab. Frannie was the best dog ever. She was very laid back but I know some labs can be pretty crazy. The only downside to her was that she was a horrible food thief and would search out the tiniest bit of scrap food. She ate her way through many a garbage can and lunch box.
Our current dog is a Boykin Spaniel and he sounds like exactly what you are looking for. I had never heard of the breed before we adopted him. Boykins are bigger than Cocker Spaniels but smaller than Springer Spaniels (and seem less high stung). Our dog Norbert is about 30 lbs (small enough for snuggling and easy car traveling but not too small and yappy), has the most silky curly fur, and is as sweet as can be!
I love that you named your dog Norbert!
My aunt & uncle have had a string of pure-bred Springer Spaniels, I think trying to re-create their awesome first dog from 40+ years ago. Each subsequent dog had more and more problems, to the point where the rest of the family can’t believe they a)keep getting pure bred Springer Spaniels and b) from the SAME BREEDER. There was the sweet but emotionally damaged dog that had been abused and returned to the breeder and who never got over her fear of men in hats, then the seeming-ly robust but actually terribly sickly dog that abruptly went completely blind (after they had spent thousands of dollars on other issues with him), and now the dog who had to get an ACL repair and randomly vomits from stress.
TLDR: Stay away from pure bred dogs (unless maybe from a rescue organization).
The name Norbert was really why we adopted him. We were not going to get a puppy but I was scrolling through a rescue’s Facebook page and saw a little ball of fur named Norbert and yelled at my husband “I found our dog! His name is Norbert so that pretty much means we have to adopt him!” :)
A post that is about dogs and the house? I can only assume someone is about to turn up outside my office with a latte, because this is shaping up to be a perfect day.
I agree with other posters’ comments about rescues and their ability to pair you with the right dog. Our current dog was essentially a plug-and-play: he needed to learn that he wasn’t allowed on furniture and he needed a little training on good leash manners, but it was all pretty minor. He’s a sweetheart with a gorgeous coat (silky fur that is just amazing to sink your fingers into).
I think most people have a sweet spot for the size of dog that works. The bigger the dog, the bigger the bladder, and while our usually goes out at least every 6-8 hours, he can last 12+. On the other hand, our dog needs to be carried upstairs for baths, and if he were much bigger (he’s 50 lbs), I couldn’t manage. I also just have a preference for big, goofy dogs.
The rescue will probably warn you about this, but the breed(s) in your dog will have a lot to do with how active it is. A dog that’s supposed to keep track of sheep all day or run beside a coach is not going to tire easily. When our dog was younger, he used to love to play fetch, which meant that there was exercise even our littlest kids could provide at home. Fetch is basically HIIT for dogs — 10 or 20 minutes and then they need a nap.
We have three dogs: a chihuahua, a Yorkie, and a West Highland Terrier. The chihuahua is a pain in the butt (so cute! but barky and bitey), the Yorkie is stubborn and hard to train, but the Westie is just a sweetie and so, so smart. She is mostly quiet, easy to train, has never been destructive or overly-energetic, and loves EVERYONE including our cats who, frankly, aren’t always lovable.
Westies are the cutest. My parents have a Yorkie but he sounds more in personality like a Westie. If we were getting a dog it would be some kind of small terrier mixed breed.
I much prefer a mixed breed dog. Generally some type of Lab mix. Growing up we had Lab/Shepards that ranged from 45 lbs to 125 lbs. We had a bull mastiff while I was in high school who was incredibly lazy and dumb. My sister brought home a Newfi mix when she was in high school. All were good dogs with kids. The only mistake was an older lab mix my Dad got. He had been beaten and had food insecurity. He started attacking people if they got too close to him when he was eating, so they had him put down. My parents currently have a Shepherd mix and a mastiff mix that require a lot of exercise- they get walked 3-5 miles daily. We don’t have dogs because I don’t have time and I like to travel without having to worry about boarding them.
Wanted to add- I grew up on a suburban farm type thing, with multiple acres of land. My parents still live there. Their current dogs are wonderful for active retired people like themselves, but would be nightmares for people who work full time. The dogs have taken down a deer in the past. Frequently flush out skunks (and get sprayed for their troubles). But on the upside, the coyotes tend to stay away.
Oh, and I’m anti-beagle. They’re just too talky and they stink.
I had to sit up, put on my glasses, and crack my knuckles for this response. I’m about to say a lot.
First I’ve had a ton of dogs, and none have ever been better than my beloved red lab. I’ve had the chocolate, black, and white labs, but the red lab is my true love.
Here are some things you should know especially since you are considering older dogs.
I believe Elizabeth is youngish. I was about 8 when my parents got our dear sweet Junior. He was an older red lab. The #1 thing to know about labs is they like adventures, and do leave the yard some times, but never go far, and always come home. Here is why I LOVED my lab. Labs are ultra protective, but not in an aggressive threatening way. The best example I can give is, as a small girl back when it was safe to walk to the store, I could walk my Junior, no leash because he would NOT leave my side, and the dog would do the most interesting thing. He would always walk on the outside of me. Imagine him always walking on the side that would take the impact if a car was to hit me. Even later my chocolate lab Ranger did this. Everywhere I went, the dog was always on my left side. No one could approach me without his hackles going up, and him going into a protective stance. This is not to be confused with an aggressive snarling scary dog, just dog that stopped, stepped in front of me, and let you know you better not take another foot toward me. In the event you were an idiot and did come closer he would growl, advance on you, and show his teeth. I preferred this to a scary violent attack dog. My next favorite thing about labs. They are water dogs. We used to take my dog to the lake, my friends and I would paddle out on our rafts, or a log, get tired and not be able to get back. Every time that dog would paddle out to us with a leash, we would grab the leash, and he would pull us to shore. He LOVED this and would excitedly try and push us back out again. They are also great if you have a kid nervous around water, they will jump right in grab your shirt, and drag your ass back to shore. They are amazing hiking and running dogs. They typically don’t need a leash and can go anywhere you want, as far, and as fast as you want. If the kids want to go on a long bike ride down the road, that lab will run right next to them the whole way, and then run right next to them the whole way back. They are insanely loyal, sweet, and joyful dogs.
I currently have a cocker spaniel, which I have to say is the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. Growing up all of my friends had cockers and they were these sweet gentle dogs. When I had kids and got a dog I thought cockers were perfect. I was so wrong. They are a goddamn nightmare. They chew up everything, they are jumpers. They jump on anyone who comes in your house, they don’t ever settle down, they don’t train well, and they have more energy than I can handle. Cockers are bird dogs, and thrive in an environment thats high on walking and running, hunting. They do not thrive on lying around the house. I asked all my friends WTF your dogs were so great. They all told me, that by the time I met their dogs, they were 7-10 years old and had calmed down, but if I had asked them ahead of time about getting a cocker they would have said NO NO NO NO BAD. They will jump on the table and eat your food, nip at kids, and be huge jerks. My dog Charlie loves me. He follows me everywhere. Sometimes we make it a game and I’ll get up and walk around just to see if he follows. He does. However this means no one can come to my house without him losing his shit. If I invite you to my house and you set foot on my porch, my dog will want to murder you. If I walk in first, and a man follows me in, Charlie will bite him. I’ve learned I have to let the man walk in first, and then I can enter, so the dog doesn’t think someone is following me and trying to murder me. He will jump all over them, and then pee on their shoes, and then jump more. I love this idiot dog, but my god is he impossible for my life style. If you want a cocker you need to be someone who is committed to walking them three times per day. Also, they get $800.00 ear infections that pet insurance doesn’t cover because it’s common to that breed.
For first dogs I would stay away from small yappy dogs. Since you have kids, and a new place with property, I say get a lab, get someone who can run around with them, play, explore, and safely protect. Or get a mix breed at a shelter. Any dog mixed with a lab will be great. Pointers are great. There are a ton of mutt dogs that turn out to be amazing. Qualities you want to look for: Can the dog be trained to be off leash with kids. Does it like water. Can it run and keep up with small kids on bikes. Can it hike. How much exercise does it need. Are they prone to anxiety (small dogs get anxiety, shake, and freak out if you leave)
Yes to all the lab comments! My husband grew up with only labs, and we have continued that. We have a 2 year old now but our last one lived to 14. Even at 14, she never had accidents in the house – this is rarely true of smaller breeds. We have 8 acres and don’t leash our current one and never did the previous one. Labs like their people – they don’t typically run off. We even leave our current one outside when we leave the house and have had no problems (but we have a long driveway and our house is in the middle of our property). They also are just so good with kids. And even though all of ours have been purebred (and thus $$$$), we haven’t had ANY medical issues but we do use reputable breeders. If you went the lab route, I suggest an adult of at least age 2 but more like 3 to 4 if you want a well behaved calm one. Our current one we got as a puppy after our 14 year old died and if I didn’t know FOR SURE that she would settle down and be a good dog we would have gotten rid of her. Lab puppies are hard! But lab adults are great.
I’m sure this has all been said already because people love dogs but definitely go to your local shelter. You might find a mixed breed dog there or you might find something purebred, but the real benefit is that they should have animal behavior experts who will have assessed the dogs’ temperaments (to the best of their ability).
I am a big fan of the lazy dog. I don’t want a dog to run with. I don’t want a dog that needs a ton of exercise or entertainment. Some bigger breeds are actually quite lazy. I’ve had a lazy mastiff and a lazy greyhound (although he liked to go really fast for short periods and then rest for looooong periods). I am glad to hear you are looking at older dogs too. They are the best. Puppies are like having a newborn.
I would talk to everyone in the family about what their wants/expectations are and then start looking around. It may be that you don’t find the perfect fit the first time at the shelter (or through local, reputable rescue groups) but there will certainly be new dogs each week to meet and fall in love with.
I’ll throw my weight behind the “go to a rescue or shelter and they can pair you with your perfect match” comments above!
I think the deal breaker for EXTRA large dogs for me is not the food cost, size, exercise needs (which often aren’t as much as an active mid-sized dog) but the health issues. Joint trouble, ect. Any extra large dog could be susceptible, but especially rescues, farm dogs, or backyard breeders. This kind of leads me to my opinion about health issues. The way I see it, purebred dogs from a true reputable breeder are the least likely to have unexpected health problems. HOWEVER, certain breeds have health risks they are just prone to, and good breeders are not necessarily immune to this (ie: golden retrievers and cancer). Purebreds from backyard breeders (can end up shelters too) are definitely likely to have health problems. Mutts (from farms or backyard breeders or shelters) are not more or less likely. They are a dice roll, where they can inherit genetic tendencies for health problems, or not inherit. I believe it’s a misconception that they are healthier, based on the fact that you can’t draw connections between breed and health concern.
I’m a big dog person, but for a first time dog owner I believe it’s a bit fool-hardy to jump in past the “easy to manage” size. It’s just an insurance for the off-change (maybe quite likely chance) that training doesn’t go perfectly smoothly. A 30 lbs. adult, rescue mutt that is matched to your family sounds like perfection to me!
I’ve been given a platform to talk about dogs, so I’m just going to take a minute to talk about “Doodles”. This trend has taken a-hold of North America and it drives me crazy. There is nothing about them that is unique to these cross-breeds that is not already present in one of the many many established breeds. These dogs are definitely not guaranteed to be “hypo-allergenic” because half of their genetics are from shedding dogs. Also, many people with pet allergies are allergic to saliva or dander, and for as many people who are not as allergic to doodles, there are just as many who are MORE reactive. The behavioral and physical traits of two breeds can sometimes make really bad results, such as a poodles activity levels in a large Golden Retriever frame that can’t handle it, fur that ONLY mats and tangles, or neurotic tendencies that result from mixing one of the smartest dogs (poodle) with one of the most active (lab). All mixed-breeds are susceptible to these unfortunate combination of genetics, which is why ALL intentional breeding of mixed breeds is a bad idea. Any “breed’ ( I”m using this term loosely) is always trouble when it gets trendy because less than reputable breeders run with it and don’t control genetic health or behavior problems. People are paying an arm and a leg for these branded mixed breed dogs and you definitely do not know what you are getting because these “breeders” are not held to a standard like pure-bred breeders, and are most often in it for money.
I know why people are drawn to them, and I don’t think people who buy them are bad people, but the entire premise is built off of misconceptions and I wish people would educate themselves a bit more fully.
I’ll get off my soapbox now….
Thank you for the Doodle Diatribe. I am all for people getting the right dog for them, but the gap between doodle PR and any given doodle makes me wince.
My sister has a Doodle, and they love her. So yay, dogs! But their reasons (and the evidence to support their reasons) is pretty darned thin.
I wish I could like this comment for its breakdown of purebred vs. mutt health and attendant conceptions and misconceptions—I completely agree. Reputable and knowledgeable breeders should know what health issues tend to be common in their breed and be able to tell you what to watch for and how/why their litters try to control for those issues. No guarantee that those issues won’t arise, but the aim of reputable breeders is to improve the health and quality of the breed. The pro with going with a purebred is that you have a sense of what to expect with the breed’s tendencies in terms of behavior and health—but honestly it’s all always about the individual dog.
For that particular reason, I would also suggest not ruling out “fancy” breeds just because. I’ve been a “big dog” person all my life, but the first dog in my house after college was my roommate’s Pomeranian. I scoffed during the choosing process, but fell in love nearly immediately—he’s the smartest dog I’ve ever met (including my uncle’s field-trial-trained labs), could teach everyone a thing or two about going with the flow, and is just the happiest ball of sunshine—the farthest thing from prissy. It’s all about the individual dog, truly.
Re-reading, this totally sounds like I’m advocating for purebreds, but really I’m an advocate for the right fit and responsible pet ownership—no matter if that’s through a shelter, a rescue, or a breeder.
I am a big fan of mutts and we got our first dog (a lab/hound mix, who looked mostly like a large g generic dog) from the city shelter and the second (an Australian shepherd mix) from a neighboring county’s shelter. I enjoy the limited selection – here are 12-15 dogs, each a little different with different colorings, backgrounds, histories, sizes, etc. Come back next week and see a different selection. It’s kind of like shopping at a thrift store vs. on Amazon. Plus, it doesn’t feel the same to look at a litter of nearly identical puppies and just pick one. Adult dogs are the greatest. So much more manageable. I would suggest talking to the staff at the shelter about your preferences. We almost overlooked our current dog when visiting the shelter because he was barking in his cage and pretty excited, when I most definitely didn’t want an exciteable dog. We asked the shelter staff for their recommendation on a “lazy, laidback, easy going dog” and they said, “Oh, have you visited Sarge?” (since renamed Boris). They had taken him on adoption outings to Petsmart and had gotten a really good feel for his personality, and they were absolutely right. And we would have missed out if we hadn’t asked!
One other thing to keep in mind – dogs in cages at shelters are sometimes more excited/hyper than they will be when they’re home snoozing on your couch all day. On the flip side, some dogs are more depressed, quiet, scared in shelters and their energy comes out once they’re safely home.
It’s best to get the advice of shelter staff. They often know if they keep a clean kennel (e.g., housebroken) and how they do with other animals, kids, etc. It’s also a good idea to ask about why the dog was relinquished (if he wasn’t a stray) because that can give you some clues about fit. Ours was relinquished because he was aggressive with the neighbors chickens. They asked us if we had poultry. Nope. Also, if we had cats since, I don’t know, cats taste like chicken? But we don’t so it wasn’t an issue.
Also, some shelters do a canine-ality (like personality) test where they code the dogs as Busy Bee, Wall Flower, Couch Potato, etc. It’s an inexact science, but it’s another data point.
Ooh, ooh! I haven’t read any other comments yet but wanted to hurry to suggest a Greyhound! I’ve known a few of my friends’ Greyhounds and they are so sweet and quiet, particularly if they’re retired racing dogs (sad face). They seem so dignified, as well as loving – they just want to live in peace, from what I’ve known of them.
Unless they are younger. Then they run and run and run and run. They also need a ton of exercise. This is the trap I fell into with my cocker. Judging a breed on the older version. My parents had to rehome my greyhound as a kid because he just RAN for days.
But is you rescue a retired racer, the greyhound has that all of out their system. And you preventing a dog that would otherwise be put to sleep from meeting that fate.
I believe dogs who come trained, mean the human has to be trained to what they are used to. I understand the excitement about the retired racer, I’m just taking into account the age of her kids, and my personal experience growing up with dogs. Again, at one point we had an older greyhound who ran off all the time, tore stuff up, made noise constantly, and drove my parents crazy to the point he had to be re-homed. I think all dogs are good dogs, and I think most of it in the end comes down to the human. Are you going to commit to obedience school? Are you going to commit to daily walks? Are you going to be able to train them at home, etc. My cocker is fantastic on the leash, but he hates water, and is definitely not overly friendly to people who he feels threatened by, so he’s not a great choice for letting the kids walk alone. All of my labs, were the kind of dog I could leave outside with my kid, or let walk to a friends with, and I knew without a doubt they would be fine. Again they love swimming too. If you have a kid who likes water, get a water dog. Do labs chew stuff up? Sure, but actually so does almost every dog without proper training and exercise. I’m not sure I’ve ever met a dog that didn’t want to chew on things as a puppy. That is corrected with training.
It sounds as if there is no shortage of people wanting to rescue greyhounds, so the idea of lacing your post with sad thoughts of that dog getting put to sleep, feels like it would put Swistle in a position to now choose that dog, or it would be HER fault if she didn’t rescue THAT dog. You know what? Most shelter dogs are going to lead a long miserable life in the shelter if they aren’t rescued either. Some places, like county facilities will put dogs down too. So, I think the idea of rescuing ANY dog is better than putting her in a position to feel like she MUST save a greyhound.
It’s okay, I’m not feeling pressure! Just encouragement!
I love dogs and have had many. We currently have a Boston Terrier, and let me tell you, I am now firmly in the camp of Team Small Dog. FIRMLY. I have owned big dogs. With a small dog, there’s less of everything. Less food. Less poop. Less fur. Smaller boarding bills, when you go on a trip. Don’t like what the small dog is doing? One quick YOINK on the leash and the dog is coming with you. A big dog, not so much. I’m also all for rescue dogs. (We rescued our Boston Terrier.) I’ve also had labs, a Pit Bull mix (nicest dog ever), and several dogs of unknowable ancestry. I lived with some Rottweilers for a while and they were the drooliest dogs I’ve ever seen. (Cross them off your list.) Other than my recommendation for getting a smallish one that you can control, you pretty much can’t go wrong with a dog!
If you decide that you want a certain breed you can definitely rescue a dog of that breed – my two old dogs were both show dogs that didn’t work out and needed rehoming (this is also a good way to get a well trained dog). Or mix breeds with that breed as a dominant are a great option.
There are certain breeds I would not consider “starter” breeds. Great Danes fall in that category even though they are very calm and easy to train. Their size makes it very challenging. They also tend towards a shorter life span and having more health problems which isn’t a great introduction to dog ownership.
Labs can be a great starter animal but they are very active and very barky. That sounds like it might not be the perfect fit but they are easy to get great and beautiful animals.
I know that the preference isn’t for small breeds but can I suggest the Boston Terrier? They are a non-decorative size but still small (ours is around twenty-five pounds). They are very sturdy for playing and have a style that mimics a larger dog. They are wonderful with kids and great with cats (which most terriers are not good with cats at all). They love a good walk and romp in the yard but also seem happiest when they are getting 20 hours of sleep on your feet a day. They have a tendency towards eye problems (ours is a rescue that we got because he had cherry eye but we got that fixed and have had no other issues) but are really healthy and long living animals. They are a really great starter dog.
I am going to recommend a specific Chicago rescue that you work with: One Tail at a Time. I think 99% of the dogs they adopt out are in foster homes first, which allows you to understand very specifically how a dog will behave in a home, and around a variety of factors that you might need. Need a dog good with cats? They’ll help you figure that out. Need a dog that’s lazy? They’ll help you figure that out. Besides that, they’re doing the good work of rescuing dogs that are given up for dead–especially dogs with parvo.
I am also going to recommend that you forget about worrying about breed if you are looking for a personality type. Unless you HYPER care about how your dog looks–and it’s okay if you do, but then finding the right dog for you will perhaps take a bit longer, because finding the dog that looks right with the personality that fits isn’t always a given.
Anyway, http://www.onetail.org is where you’ll find them. They do great, great work.
I’m going to echo everyone who said to look at rescues, and even better, rescues that are foster-based. The dogs are living with real families with real kids/cats/hamsters and the people will tell you with no lies what the dogs’ bad habits are, because they want the adoption to be forever. Our big goofy St. Bernard/Great Pyr mix is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but she is the perfect dog for us. And skipping the little puppy stage is wonderful.
Yes! I came here to say this. I raise Guide Dog puppies for Guide Dogs of America (you can follow my pups on IG @riseuppup if you want to know more). Adopting through an organization that fosters dogs is a wonderful idea. There is no definitive “breed who never barks” or “breed who never stops to sniff.” And a dog’s behavior in a kennel situation is often not their behavior in a home.
My other advice? Hire a local trainer to visit you and the kids at home three or four times after you adopt the dog. Budget for it now. They will be able to really help you trouble shoot any issues you may have, plus teach the kids fun games and teach all of you HOW to communicate with the dog. It’s a worthwhile investment. Can’t wait to meet SwistlePup!
“I realize it sounds like I am describing a cat” :-D
I was NOT a dog person but married someone who is. Dozer was a purebred black lab and holy cow was he a good dog. I’d highly recommend something with some lab mixed in. Labs tend to be very gentle, VERY loyal, and very eager to please their humans – which translates to very trainable because they want to gain your approval. And they’re very food motivated, so buying a bag of treats and rewarding proper behavior with them will get you a good dog RULL QUICK. Dozer was just like MisguidedMommy said: loyal and protective without being aggressive. LOVED to play, but was also wonderfully lazy. I would definitely get another lab.
The first dog I got myself won over a lot of my cat-loving friends — “She’s like a cat!” As a dog person, I didn’t know how to take this.
She was (we think) a beagle-Shiba mix, and she was a huge fan of rules, which made her great for training but not so great if you wanted to vary from the routine, “I don’t know what this ‘flu’ you speak of is, but it’s 7 AM and it’s time for our morning walk. And don’t try to cut it short. And you bark funny.”
When I was growing up, my family had a Shetland Sheepdog, and she was an absolute sweetheart. She’d previously been in an abusive home, so she was very skittish, but she was a really great dog. She wasn’t mean or aggressive at all (we literally never heard her growl and we had her for almost ten years), she liked going on walks but wasn’t overly antsy, she caused minimal levels of household destruction, she was affectionate but didn’t demand constant attention, she didn’t drool, she got along with the cats. Shelties are herding breeds, and she did this adorable thing where she’d try to herd my family–basically just follow/chase us around until we were all in the same room together. (She didn’t do it often, and wasn’t aggressive about it, so it was cute rather than annoying.)
Cons: Shelties have long, thick fur so they shed a lot. Also, this might have just been an issue with MY dog rather than Shelties in general, but she was…a bit dim in a mostly-endearing sort of way. She knew basic commands, but she could not figure out stairs (we eventually taught her how to go up a flight of stairs, but she never did learn how to go down), she didn’t understand the concept of playing fetch, she didn’t know what to do with toys. Also, toward the end of her life she had a lot of various health issues, but that was probably just because she was old and not because of her breed.
I’ve heard that the very best dogs to have as pets are the ones who flunked out of the service dog training program. They’re still ridiculously smart and highly trained, but not quiiiiiite smart/trained enough to be service dogs. They make great family dogs.
I raise puppies for Guide Dogs of America — and yes, while adopting a career-changed puppy-in-training is generally amazing, our organization has a six-year waiting list, not to mention a rigorous application. Plus, in most organizations, puppy raisers get first dibs on dogs who are dropped, so there aren’t too many who need homes in the end. And, many of the dogs are dropped because of medical reasons. They have skin allergies, they need elbow surgery, they have cataracts, etc. So you are sometimes looking at a lifetime of guaranteed vet expenses.
It is definitely an amazing opportunity if you get it, but it’s rare.
Our dog is a rat terrier/German Shepard mix and sounds exactly like what you want, but I have no idea how much of that is due to breed, and how much is just her personality. She LOVES to go for walks and runs, but if we’re all just lounging around the house, she will happily lounge. She doesn’t drool at all, and only barks at strangers coming toward the house. When we first got her we thought she was a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel mix because they seem to have similar personalities to hers – able to read the energy of the room and adapt. So that’s what I came to recommend, although they ARE smaller. Our dog is only 22 pounds, but she’s not a prissy purse dog and not too big to sleep at the foot of our bed.
I have to add that my husband’s plan when picking a dog at the shelter was to pick the most scared one there. If a dog is hyper in the shelter, they’ll probably only get more so when they’re comfortable and safe in your home. I was worried our dog would be too meek with our kids, but it somehow worked for us.
We had lots of dogs growing up, all different pure breeds/rescues/mutts. We also had cats and I’m more of a cat person, really. Then I married a Boxer-only husband and that’s what we’ve had 20 years. They don’t live long – 10 -12 years- but I’ve been surprised at how simple they are to train, and so quickly and easily(compared to all our dogs growing up) They are so very smart to begin with, have great personalities, wonderful with kids.
Your last paragraph almost perfectly describes an adult labrador retriever. I’ve had three in my lifetime. Our current one is purebred, seven years old, and only cost a few hundred dollars as a puppy. That price is standard in my immediate, rural-ish area. I know they’re much pricier outside our immediate area. The only drawback is the hair. They shed like crazy.
Also, I work in the real estate escrow business. You wouldn’t believe the problems that come up and result in a dissolved contract. Good luck!
Based on what you have said I would STRONGLY recommend visiting a shelter with your list of wants and getting them to help you find a dog. I would suggest a Great Dane would be a LOT of work and feeding (and also they can have lots of health difficulties and nobody wants a broken heart).
A rescue greyhound could be a great option for you. They’re lazy cuddle bears at heart and so many of them need homes after their racing careers are done.
Good luck in your dog search!!
I didn’t have time to read through all the comments, but your post made me so excited. I am a DOG PERSON and it warms my heart to think about people getting a dog.
My advice to you is to find a rescue in your area where all the dogs are fostered. You tell the foster exactly what you are looking for – heck, send them this post. They tell their foster dog parents and when one that s perfect for you comes along, you get to meet it and see if he/she gives you all the good feelings. Many have great websites where their foster parents write updates about the personality of the dog. A good one in my area is Fetch Wisconsin Rescue.
Good luck with your search! I look forward to hearing updates!
An example would be
I was coming here to suggest a greyhound, but I see that others have beaten me to it. I also wanted to say that where you get the dog can have a big impact. We got Montana from a prison training program, and I highly recommend that route. I’m going to email you!
We took the leap and got a dog 4 years ago. My requirements were that it be short-haired (less shedding), good with kids and cats, calm and low maintenance. We went to the shelter here a few times and talked with the staff but it wasn’t until our 3rd visit that Buck was pointed out to us. During each of those visits we got to see the dogs’ temperments and talk with the staff and volunteers who knew them so well.
My husband wasn’t with us that day so we planned to come back before committing. That weekend we went to an event put on by the shelter. Many of the dogs were being walked by volunteers during the event and our Buck led his walker over to our table and plunked himself down. Now we feel like he chose us as much as we chose him. He was 6 years old at the time and a lab mix. He was willing to play here and there but is mostly just so sweet and calm. I have lots of pictures of him snuggling us. We’ve never had a health issue and he rarely barks. My only concern is that he’s a picky eater and will only eat beef based dog food or human food. He doesn’t mess in the house, he’s never broken anything and he’s good with kids of all ages.
Our 2nd dog came 2 years ago after the kids and husband decided Buck was a little too calm. For a 2nd dog, you have to make sure your first one is ok with their temperment as much as you have to be. Again Kaia was recommended for us and we were sold almost right away. She had been abused and was quite young and nearly starved when she was brought in so there was a lot of working with her in the beginning. She eats kids toys, pees on the carpet when she’s excited and barks at everything that passes. Definitely not my kind of dog. BUT she’s so loyal and now that she trusts us she’s doing so much better than before. She is some sort of boxer/lab mix. We call them northern specials here.
My family has come around and agreed that although Buck isn’t into fetching and playing, the kids don’t do a lot of that anyway.
My advice is to visit a shelter and let them know what you’re looking for. Others have said it already but there’s a lot you can learn about a dog in a short visit or walk. Another option is to foster a dog. Some shelters become so over crowded that they need people to take dogs that are still up for adoption. It gives you a chance to see what different breeds are like or how a particular dog fits into your family.
I have had a lot of dogs over the years. At one point, I think we have seven simultaneously. Here are some things I have observed: small dogs tend to be worse at house training. Chihuahuas and Italian greyhounds are especially bad. Most medium large dogs tend to need quite a bit of exercise; labs can be lazy but they do tend to get fat if not exercised. My personal favorite breed of dog is the Weimaraner BUT this does not sound like the type of dog you want because they are VERY high energy. I’m a runner so that works for me, and I love how sweet and smart they are.
Given your constraints I would recommend either a lab mix or as someone upthread mentioned, SERIOUSLY consider adopting a rescue greyhound. Apparently they are lazy (the worlds fastest couch potato, I think they call them) and incredibly sweet and affectionate. They are also allegedly good with cats and children. Also, Paul would not look ridiculous striking a pose beside one.
I highly recommend AGAINST dachshunds or anything terrier related; they will dig up your entire yard.
Congratulations on the house news! I am in the middle of house drama myself, with a contingent offer on an amazing house, but no one interested in buying mine. The clock is ticking, and I am trying to be ok with whatever may happen, but it is tough.
Our beloved labradoodle died last January, and she was the most amazing dog. So smart and sweet, and I will have to stop now because I am tearing up. I will just add that she was about 60 lbs, and we had her groomed every 6 weeks or so, or when we could no longer see her eyes. I would definitely recommend that breed.
Best of luck with both of your projects!
Are there any foster type organizations in your area? I think that would be the best place to start, as the foster parents would have a good idea of temperament AND those organizations very much want to help you find the right dog for your family. We got one of our dogs (100% mutt who looks and acts like a 15 pound lab) from a foster rescue and hey actually followed up with us several times after adoption to make sure everything was working out….I have a feeling it wouldn’t have been an issue at all had we decided she wasn’t a good fit for us. I believe the one we worked with would even let you “try out” a dog before you decided to adopt.
Definitely get a dog that’s at least 1-2 years old. The puppy stage is ROUGH for any breed!!
I am one to also suggest a rescue over a pure bred. I have two mixes, a whippet mix and a Irish wolfhound mix. The whippet is neurotic and barks A LOT (I do not suggest this to anyone hahah) and the wolfhound is a gentle giant. Wolfhound mixes and great dane mixes may not live as long as a smaller dogs, but they usually have great temperament and are in my experience lazier. Some rescues let you do a overnight with the dog first and then give you the option to adopt, it gives you the chance to see if its a right fit for the family.
I would not suggest a lab for what you are looking for. In my experience they are usually more cancer prone, as well as have many other health issues. That being said if its a lab mix, look for one that is mixed with a smaller dog.
Another great fit might be a retired greyhound, one of my best friends has one, and Portia is basically a large cat. They are pre-trained to hold it for long periods of time, and also like nothing more than sleeping. The only downside to a greyhound is you have to train it for certain things. They usually have not been introduced to stairs before or being on any different floor surfaces. Their cuddliness differs also from dog to dog. They have not been shown a lot of affection in their life, so they will either latch on and cuddle or still be a little stand offish.
Either way I would suggest getting pet insurance for the dog. If you are planning on getting a rescue they can sometimes come with a issue that is hidden, or a purebred issue can devolve into something at a later point.
If you plan to get insurance read the fine print on your breed. As I mentioned prior, there is virtually no pet insurance that will cover ear infections on Cocker Spaniels because they consider it a common pre existing type thing. So the most expensive thing I had happen to my dog, wasn’t covered.
Labs can be prone to cancer, but every dog is prone to SOMETHING. For what you want, honestly a lab sounds best suited, especially a lab mix. Out of my moms three labs, only one ever had a cancerous tumor. She lived with it for 8 more years after we found it (the vet never recommended removing it) and had a long long healthy life.
I’m super drawn to the big dogs (Weimaraner, Labrador, Portuguese Water Dog, Newfoundland, Siberian Husky) but at midlife and beyond I’m just not going to be able to consider something that has huge exercise needs or is crazy strong.
I have friends who are loving their English Springer Spaniels and have recently had a coworker who breeds and shows them. I am enchanted. The only downside of them (besides longer hair that takes some grooming) is that they don’t do well with being left alone. A friend got hers through a rescue; the owners left her in the night when they walked out on a foreclosure. They work hard to make sure she isn’t home alone for any significant part of the day, and boarding is a must if they travel. But that’s an extreme case. These are people-loving dogs, and they’re just so beautiful. I can picture one as your dream dog in your dream house.
Maybe someone mentioned this but the bigger the dog, the bigger the poop. I often dog sit my MIL’s dog who is a Havanese (kind of like a Maltese) and she is great with my cats. I even leave them alone together when I go out. My husband is a dog person and he always says mixed breed female dogs are the way to go. Mixed breeds generally live longer and females don’t roam. They want to be next to you for the most part.
In response to the poop thing. We have something like this
https://www.amazon.com/Nomad-Pets-Pooper-Scooper-Dogs/dp/B01A73SE9I/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1536694203&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=dog+poop+scoop&psc=1
for scooping up dog poop and my kids love it. Actually we have two of them, one for each kid, so they don’t fight over who has to do it this week. Whats weird is I find I prefer big poop to small poop. My mom has a puppy whose little poops get more lost, especially in the rocks. The bigger pops tend to clump up and are easier to scoop. Regardless I would check into this type of pooper scooper for the kids. Mine walk around with a home depot bucket, scooping poop, and never have to touch it
You want a greyhound. I’m not sure if they have programs like this in the States but in New Zealand they rehome ex racing dogs (don’t think about what happens to the ones that aren’t rehomed). They sound like they’d be super energetic and lots of work but really what they need is a quick run and then lots of snoozing on the couch. They’re basically the cats of the dog world. You do need to get one that’s okay with cats (they test them) because previously they were trained to chase small fluffy things but at least here they’re really good at finding the right dog for each family.
You have had some good advice, but based on your preferences, I would advise against a Shetland Sheepdog (Sheltie). Our rescue was very cute, but barky. She barked at everything and nothing. She was very smart and great at obedience. However, they have a double coat and she had to be groomed every 6 weeks because, ZOMG so much fur!
Our current rescue is a Border Collie/Australian Shepherd mix. Also a herding dog, also smart and very barky. She was extremely high maintenance when we first got her. She ripped up several stuffed animals before my kids wised up and took them up off the floor. She required twice a day walks for the first year or two that we had her. We found a great doggy daycare she could go to for exercise when it was too cold to walk her and we had to get a dog park membership because she would chase tennis balls forever when she was younger. She did ok at obedience and is overly protective of us at home. She has to be locked away or put on the backyard when we have people over because she is not nice and nips fingertips, especially of children. She hates the school bus (passes out house 10x/day), the mail carrier, every delivery driver that cares to come to our house, the pizza guy, and the trash guys. She is exhausting. She also has a double coat that requires grooming every 6 weeks.
I loved them both bit never want to own a herding dog again!
My neighbors have a pure bred Australian Shepard and that dog barks all damn day.
I have had people who told me their Aussie rarely barks and I am highly suspicious.
Wait until after the allergy tests come back before you fall in love with any type of dog.
But dittoing the rescue organization, and also dittoing an older dog.
If your son turns out to be allergic, find out if it’s fur or saliva, because if it’s saliva, there may not be any dog that is suitable for him. If it’s fur, there are lots of options.
Alas, I’m allergic to the saliva.
Without reading all the comments, it looks like several people have suggested a Greyhound, which is my thought as well.
We have a brown dog. She is medium in every sense of the word and I just love her. When I was looking for a dog (I spent more time than I care to admit on the Petfinder app), I specifically looked for not a puppy, a mixed breed (our dog is probably lab and Pit), and with very short hair (I know I am disinclined to vacuum daily). Anyway, when our lovely dog shuffles off this mortal coil, I’ll look for a Greyhound next.
I’m going to tell you right now: what you want is what I have, and that is my lovable, fuzzy, fluffy, non-shedding, darling Barkley. He is a Labradoodle, he is on the large side of medium (just over 50 pounds), he loves kids, he is so smart, he is extremely trainable, he loves walks but is also kind of lazy; like, we go for our walk which is around 2 km or less, and then he’s totally calm for the rest of the day. TOTALLY CALM. He’s always been this way too, it’s not just because he’s ten. In the winter where I live, it can get very very cold, and if it’s less than minus 15 (Celsius) I don’t take him for a walk. Sometimes he goes a couple days without one, until the weather breaks, and he is fine. He’s not destructive. He adapts well to the kennel, which is good for travel. He is crate trained, which I would recommend. He barks if someone comes to the house, but then stops, he is not yappy. He doesn’t drool and he is very affectionate. I LOVE LABRADOODLES CAN YOU TELL
What I would tell you about Great Danes – my cousin has one. They need a lot of food and their poop is ENORMOUS. Like, you need a bigger poop bag enormous. Also they don’t have a very long life span, relatively speaking.
LABRADOODLES.
I will come back and read every comment on this post diligently, as we are also in the beginning phases of trying to figure out what kind of dog would be best for our family. I always had dogs growing up and into my early adulthood (and always rescues – or grocery store puppies, remember those?!? – of unknown breeds/heritage, in a variety of sizes, and always much loved) . My husband is NOT a dog person, but has agreed to getting one soonish, mostly to make sure our boys don’t end up with the same fear/aversion to dogs that he has. He has a LONG list of preferences, which I won’t bore you with, but SMALL is at the top of the list.
Anyway, I have always been partial to the Great Pyrenees. Large dog, but otherwise seems to meet your preferences. I’ve known four of them in my life, and they all were the sweetest, calmest, most huggable dogs I’ve ever met! Totally up for affection if you want to give it, but super content to just lay there and be your pal. Or just roam around the yard by themselves. Unaffected by young person chaos. Not runners at all. I’ve read that they’re prone to barking, but never once did I hear any of the four I’ve known bark. Dang it, now I’m starting to resent my husband’s “small dog” requirement!
Oh I hope you get a dog they are the best cuddlers. I’ve had two Great Danes, and a hound mix. The Danes have both been super mellow, lounge on the couch, “lap dogs”. When they are young they can eat up to 8 cups daily but as they age it goes down to about 4 cups which is still about twice as expensive as a smaller 60ish pound dog. The plus side of a Dane is they only need about 20-30 minutes of excercise whereas my hound can go for hours and still not be tired. I would think about how much time you can spend exercising the dog because when they are bored bad and destructive things happen. We have rescued all of our dogs and shelters/rescues with 2+ years old dogs are the way to go since most will already be house broken/crate trained.
I’m a long-time dog owner and enthusiast; sounds like your situation could go with a medium, mixed-breed/mutt dog! Breed really doesn’t matter much; I feel like it’s size and temperament. Females can be less stubborn about stopping to during walks in my experience, but who knows; they’re individuals. But the males are the ones who sniff stubbornly and lift their legs constantly on walks.
I would NOT get a dog over ~45lbs unless you are extremely committed to training and control; owners who cannot control their dogs under every circumstance are categorically the worst. Even the leash-pulling of a 30-lb dog can be a lot to deal with. I watched a friend’s beagle one summer and almost had broken fingers. (I’m an average-sized adult female.) They can be hard to control; I would walk dogs of different sizes and feel out what you can handle because they can be non-aggressive but still incredibly strong and adamant, which is unsafe for everyone. The dog is potentially going to pull as hard as she/he can (without extensive training, and even then sometimes), so the owners all need to be in control. I’d go for a much smaller dog than a Great Dane, tbh.
(sorry, but going from 0 dogs to a big or huge dog is a bad idea, imho)
This is timely b/c I’m actually looking to adopt a new puppy in the next few weeks as a companion for me and my current 11-year-old dog, so navigating rescue groups is my whole life right now ( I get a month off from work for all the Jewish holidays this time of year, so it’s a good time). My advice on that front: just be prepared for a kind of difficult process; some of these groups treat it like adopting a child (extensive references– fine– but also home visits, which is absurd to me). Not sure what area you’re in, but I’m in NY and it’s surprisingly competitive and difficult to rescue a dog. But I do think rescue is the way to go; you just have to be patient and hope some match will work out soon; things are aligning more now, though I started the process a few weeks ago. I have some good prospects I’m meeting with in the next week, yay!
Also, I’m comfortable with and pleased by puppy-raising, but that’s not for everyone and sounds like not what you want. I would just keep in mind that an adult dog is going to have some set patterns and traits that you can’t control. There may be things you are never able to do with the dog (such as certain cuddling scenarios), just based on his/her life experience. Some rescues just literally can’t be held in certain ways and resource-guard in a such a way that no training seeming to help. You very well are going to be stuck with some in-grained dysfunction. But, of course, the love will still be there! :)
It’s a big deal but exciting!!!! I don’t understand how some people don’t keep companion dogs, haha; they are the best!!! I hope to never live without a dear dog or two. Can’t wait to bring home my new baby soon; I’ve been reading your name posts to get inspiration for my new puppy (Ruby and Arthur are my picks right now, to go with current dog Teddy, but it’s gotta depend on the puppy). Good luck; can’t wait to hear about the process if you pursue dog adoption! :)
We had a home visit, references, and an interview when we adopted from our state’s German Shepherd Rescue. A more local rescue basically checked that we had the cash and a pulse. Sometimes I think they should require more of adopters, but the other experience was super extreme.
Here in rural VA it is not difficult to find and adopt a dog. I prefer older dogs, but I had four kids and it was just too much for me the time we had a puppy. But, my parents raised puppies for the Seeing Eye for years and loved it. Different strokes I guess.
Good luck with your puppy search :)
Okay, you will never read this far down, but I had to pop in to describe the only breed I know anything about. We have a shih tzu. Here is what I like about this breed. She does not drool, she does not yip, she doesn’t jump up and hump my leg. Here is what I don’t LOVE but you might enjoy. She is very social, and if I sit down, she wants to climb in my lap and lay down. She follows me around the house and wants to be close. Here is what I don’t like. She doesn’t really play, she won’t play fetch or tug a war or anything. She does look quite ridiculous.
I acknowledge the possibility that I am describing Sassy and not a breed, but the description is identical to the previous shih tzu we had. I would NEVER pay for a pure bred, one of ours literally wandered in off the street and one we got at the pound.
So. I usually lurk but today I decided to comment because you seem to have described my dog. Amabel is a 5 month only Great Dane/Bullmastiff mix. She is sweet and lovable (hence her name) and loves to cuddle. She gets drooly only after drinking which is easily handled by a designated washcloth nearby her water bowl. Pulling on walks is easily negated either by proper training as a puppy or a special collar or harness that would discourage pulling. Her favorite things to do are sleep and be with her people, preferably at the same time. She almost never barks and does this delightful leaning thing when she wants comfort. The biggest drawbacks to Danes are food costs, poop clean up, and longevity. At 5 months Amabel already consumes several cups of food a day, her poop is enormous (fortunately for me my boyfriend handles this aspect), and most difficult: she will at max only live 7-10 years. That last bit put me off Danes for a long time but now that I have one I would trade those 7-10 years for that amount of time with any other dog.
Hands down, you need a female doberman. Probably about 3 years old. Doesn’t need to be super fancy, I get all mine from people who just have a litter in their yard. They are THE BEST DOGS EVER. I’ve had them since I was a baby (er, at that point my parents did) and now as an adult with two kids, I can’t even think of another breed.
Pros:
Short hair. No upkeep and they don’t get super smelly fast.
No drooling.
Minimal barking. I have one who literally does not bark and one who barks when people approach the door.
Scary sounding bark.
Scary looking. Most people are scared of dobermans, which I like.
Scary looking but super duper sweet.
Not huge. I have one that is 60 lbs and one that is 70 lbs.
They’re up for anything. You want to walk or run? GREAT! You literally want to just open the door and have them pee in the yard and sleep on the floor the rest of the day? GREAT.
Mine don’t run away. They will go like 3-4 houses away, but they don’t run off at all.
Smart and easy to train.
Not as destructive as labs.
Very sweet with kids.
They’re so pretty when you don’t clip their ears.
I could probably go on forever about what great dogs they are. They’re couch potatoes that can do active stuff if you feel like it, but only if you feel like it.
Mine are great with cats and small dogs too.
Also, mine hold their pee and poo for 12+ hours on the regular. It is their choice – they just sleep that much.
We lived next to a couple dobermans when I was a child. My sister and I used to climb up our fence and hang over the top to pet their noses (since that was as far as we could reach, even with them up on their back legs). They were super sweet. I didn’t realize until I was older that dobermans were supposed to be scary dogs.
We had a dog like you described. Her name was Aggie and when we adopted her she had been a stray, but at some point had been a hunting dog and had a brand on her side. She was an older Plott Hound and she was calm, quiet, and mello, although afraid of house things, especially for the first couple of years (vacuum, smoke alarm, the dishwasher). She was really a great dog. She lived to be 14 (estimated) we had her for seven years. Older female hounds sound like they might be a good fit for you.
All of our dogs, except one, came to us over a year old. We rescued one puppy and I can’t stress what a hard experience it was for us to have a puppy. YMMV All of our dogs (we’ve adopted 4) have been rescued. Two of them were fostered in homes and came to us crate trained and housebroken. Which, in my opinion, is the way to go.
My husband was like you in thinking he wanted a Great Dane, but our two 60 lb dogs eat a ton, I couldn’t imagine how expensive it would be to have such a big dog. Another thing to keep in mind is the cost of flea/tick and heart worm meds goes up by weight.
Back to your questions, I think fostered dogs are the way to go. You should be able to find local organizations on Facebook or Instagram and you can follow them and see the featured dogs. It’s also a great place to ask questions about a specific dog. We found our Coonhound on IG a couple of years ago this way.
Hounds are great dogs. So are German Shepherds. We’ve had both and one dog who was a mix of the two (Nelly was the best). Ah! I love dogs so much! I could talk about them forever.
I read about half the comments this morning, but wanted to post before I went to bed. I agree with everyone who said that dogs are very much individuals, and you can’t really go by breed descriptions. There are a few exceptions though-herding dogs are very high energy and I wouldn’t recommend them with cats. They like to herd them and try to nip at their heels. That being said, we have had Belgian Malinois for the last 19 years-which are very high energy, herding dogs-but we had cats when we got them as puppies-and we we really strict about them around the cats. The Belgian we have now? Our newest cat joins her on the couch, and gives her a massage-it’s the funniest thing!
We love the Belgian Malinois breed-but we are experienced dog people, and I wouldn’t recommend the breed to new dog owners. I love golden retrievers-but it is a crapshoot. My first one? The perfect dog, I said if he was a person-he would be the laid back surfer dude. He loved everyone and everyone loved him. Our second golden? An absolute sweetie-with a few bad habits-but wonderful around our young daughter. He died a year ago, and the new golden is a real trial. You can’t just pet him without him wanting to pick up something in his mouth-he is a gorgeous happy dog, but has issues.
When I was young and single, I had a german shepherd/lab mix who I loved dearly-but got absolutely crazy the older she got. She jumped through a glass window to get a dog outside. I know a lot of people love labs, but I had a veterinarian friend that had a lab that was so aggressive, they had to put him down. Only my experience but I’ve seen their mean side, and I wouldn’t get one.
My husband is a dog groomer, so sees lots of dogs-I told him what you were looking for-and he had the same problem-all dogs are different, no matter what the breed. The Belgian Malinois (which is a dog they use in the Armed Forces and in police work) we have right now is the sweetest thing. Our golden retriever is driving us nuts! See what I’m saying?
Other people mentioned rescued greyhounds. I will never forget being on a hike with my daughter and meeting someone with a rescued greyhound. She was the most beautiful dog with such soulful eyes-the sweetest thing.
Please don’t get a Great Dane-they are lovely dogs but have such a short lifespan-it’s incredibly sad.
I do think getting a rescue dog that is 2 or 3 yrs old is a great idea. I think you can really see a dog’s personality at that age. I will say-no one mentioned the breed I’ve always wanted-the Parson’s Russell terrier-I LOVE them, but my husband understandably is hesitant-he thinks they will be yappy . I’m getting to an age (I’m 57 now) where I need to really think about getting new pets-but I really want one!!
You can test drive dog ownership with a wonderful, well behaved dog while benefiting people with physical or mental disabilities… be a service dog training volunteer!
Service dog training organizations, especially those who have prisoners do the dog training (life skills!) need volunteers who take older puppies and young dogs home for 2-16 weeks, so the dogs can be socialized, see different environments and practice their skills in a real world environment. The dogs have at a minimum basic obedience, but sometimes have advanced skills. Volunteers need minimal training (2 days). Because they are service dogs in training you can take them anywhere service dogs go, which is fun! Volunteers are expected to love on the dogs and mostly practice having the dog patiently hang out with you while you go about your day. And if your dog doesn’t graduate, volunteers often get first dibs to adopt. These are great programs, and a nice way to have a dog with a short term commitment.
ICAN, Pawpads, Canine Partners for Life, Puppies Behind Bars, CircleTail are just a few examples of programs that do this.
Lots of good advice here. Re: Great Danes (we have one, who is on the smaller side), if you walk him/her with a Gentle Leader or similar harness, you’re unlikely to get dragged down the sidewalk as the harness sort of uses the dog’s momentum to turn them backward if they get too pull-y. Our gal (a Dane mix, but mostly Dane) is 11, so lifespan can vary!
We have a Great Pyrenees as well who could be up your alley, but I must be warn you strongly regarding all.the.fur.
Definitely find a rescue group or shelter in your area and get a good match!
I was so excited to recommend a doberman, yet after reading what you’re looking for I realized you just described a greyhound! I’ve had two rescues and they fit what you described perfectly. They are the kind of dog Paul can stand next to without worrying, yet they behave mostly like a cat. You can adopt a retired racer and skip the puppy phase entirely. They lounge around most of the time, but are up for adventures with the family and do well with kids. I would highly recommend looking into greyhounds!
I can add my anecdotal evidence to the pile regarding mutts. My sister has two rescue mutts and they are indeed much healthier in general than the (rescue) Bichon frises that my mom and I have. Our little fluffy dogs have problems with allergies, ear infections, and excess tartar build up on teeth. The Bichons also don’t shed, which is nice, but they MUST be groomed regularly. (About every 8-10 weeks at around $60 a pop.)
I will emphatically steer you AWAY from a dog who has cattle dog or border collie heritage. My sister has a cattle dog with classic working dog behavior–she is always monitoring her homestead, always trying to do her “job,” and needs continual outlets for her working dog energy.
I will echo the recommendations for the adult rescue mutts as advised by knowledgeable shelter or foster home people. My sister’s other dog is a funny looking little guy. He is part lab, part beagle, and part so mixed up that the dog DNA test couldn’t pick it out. He would not stand out based on looks. If anything, he kind of looks like wasn’t quite put together correctly. BUT he is the most cheerful, happy, easy dog! He just trots around and wags his tail and gives you doggy grins.
I personally know a great Dane that chewed through a front door when left home alone all day. Think the amount of issues of any given dogs dog times 20.
You are describing a great Pyrenees. Beautiful. Large. Only barks when protecting property. Not aggressive. Very lazy. Loves kids but knows it’s size and won’t push it’s size on you. Super sweet. The issue is shedding so if you are talking about an inside dog that might be an issue.
We have a great Pyrenees. She is everything I’ve ever wanted in a dog and I’d have 3 more if it wasnt for the previous dogs we had before she came along.
OMG, that reminded me of an essay by Merrill Markoe, lover of mutts, who went on a “date” with Fabio, who had Great Danes. He told her a story about his dogs eating a wall.
OTOH, Paul could work his inner Fabio with a Great Dane.
I’ve never had a dog, but thought I’d chime in for rescue greyhounds. I have friends who have one who’s their permanent dog and who foster greyhounds who are waiting for new owners. Their permanent dog is probably the most quiet, peaceful lady of a dog I’ve ever seen, and the ones they foster–while a little more energetic– are also not jumpy barky sorts of dogs. I’ve had them stay at my house with their dogs for 3 days at a stretch with their greyhound + various fosters, and the breed seems pretty consistent.
I would not recommend poodles or dachshunds, mainly because of family and friends who have had them– they seem to be dogs that bark a lot, jump, and get into things that their owners would rather they stay out of. (Which may be more of a commentary on the owners’ commitment to training and home disarray than on the breed…but still.)
Re: the house, though I know you don’t want to think about it: where we are, “inspection objection” is a standard part of the home purchase process, with the owners then responding to the objections list. Generally speaking, the owners come back and say, “we’ll fix this, we won’t do that, we’ll give you money for the other,” and the deal continues. So if you have a problem with the house after inspection, it may not be a complete dealbreaker.
I’ll echo all the people who said that a rescue group or shelter will LOVE to help match you with the right *dog* rather than stereotype of a breed.
My two cents: we got a pitbull-boxer mix from the shelter when he was 7 months old. It was a great age, as he was young enough to be a sweet puppy but at the ideal age to learn housebreaking literally overnight. He was highly food motivated so was super easy to train. And with very lackadaisical follow through on our part, he’s maintained that training–to the point where my 4-year-old can put a treat on the floor, tell the dog to wait, and the dog LISTENS. I am not a super trainer, he’s just The Best Dog. And yeah, I have a pit mix dog with two small babies and he’s never so much as chewed a toy, much less ever been aggressive. (Never eaten a single diaper either, it’s magic.) I think the breed is being slowly rehabilitated in terms of public perception, but I know many people are still afraid of them. I just have to tell my personal story of My Best Dog being a pit mix.
I love all dogs; we’ve had a schnauzer (too barky), two collies (love them), 2 maltese (perfection), a Havenese (similar to a schnauzer) and a toy Australian shepard. If I had a bigger yard and children to play with I would choose a collie, lab, Golden or Irish Setter, and lean most heavily to the Golden.
So exciting! I love reading about people’s experiences with dogs. You’ve received a ton of very good advice so I won’t repeat what’s already been said, except to suggest playing around on AKC.org if you haven’t already. I know you’re likely not looking for a purebred dog, but the breed overviews are SUPER interesting to read through and provide a fair and balanced look at each breed’s characteristics, and pluses and minuses. For example, the greyhound that many people are recommending in the comments: https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/greyhound/ The “Care” section is especially informative, including the tabs about training and health. Good Luck, looking forward to reading your updates!
HERE FOR THIS.
first of all, the best thing to do is probably to use yelp, google, neighborhood listservs, etc, and find the best shelter/rescue group near you and tell them exactly what you want.
PLEASE do the following:
–get a dog from a shelter or rescue group, not a pet store or breeder.
–use POSITIVE TRAINING. the best possible book to buy is Pat Miller’s the power of positive training. clicker training is magical, and a lot of fun!
I wouldn’t do a Dane. they are a LOT of dog, especially for a beginner.
agree that pit mixes are often the Best Dogs. other great breeds include anything retriever mixed, though a younger one will need a TON of exercise. Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are great little dogs that are up for anything and also usually pretty chill. greyhounds are terrific.
but really I would go to a shelter or rescue and ask them to help you. real Dog Rescue People want to make sure it’s the right choice for everyone!
I’m here to vouch for pit mixes! For various reasons most dogs in my area are pit mixes, so I’ve met a lot. They can be such good doggies- very silly, eager to please and love people. They need an average amount of exercise, like a half hour walk and some frolicking in a yard, but they usually just want to sit near you and rest their head on your lap.
I don’t think most labs or shepards/herding dogs would be the sort of companion you’re looking for . . . even if they are so pretty and regal looking.
Oh my goodness, I love dogs. We had Nala and Sadie, two lab+ mix breed ~70lb dogs, for the first 13 years of our marriage. And now we have Teal and Phoenix, 2 ~45lb standard poodles. We LOVED our mix girls and miss them to this day. Both had good temperaments while being different from each other. We do NOT miss the shedding, which is something to consider, though it may not be an issue for your family already having cats. The poodles shed minimally and are very loyal, smart, and goofy. On the health front, both the mixes and the “pure bred” dogs have been relatively healthy, but each had their own thing. Nala had chronic ear infections and weird growths near/on her eyelids, some of which had to be removed. Sadie had hip displaysia and eventually arthritis. Teal has allergies and recently had a 3 day sneezing jag. Phoenix has some chronic eye goop, but he is very tolerant to let us remove it. Nala and Phoenix came to us as puppies. Chewing was an issue. But both were easily trained to sit, lay, shake, etc. Sadie and Teal came to us as young dogs between 1-2 years. Still easy to train. A little chewing until a little over 2. Barking is fun for all except one. Digging is fun for all until around 4 years. We are still dealing with digging for Phoenix. Honestly, with some professional training (of the humans?), I bet most of the digging and barking issues could be resolved. I know exercise lessens both. But, we love them beyond reason and can’t imagine our family without (low-shedding) dogs. All were/are content to just be near us, especially after some exercise. However, Phoenix is a snugggler and would prefer to lay VERY near.
First, congrats on your potential house purchase. That is super exciting! Also, I don’t have a lot of opinions on dog types; my method would be to go to the humane society and see who I connected with and go from there. But! I am intensely amused by your considerations and would like to steadfastly agree to stay on the low to no side of drool. I used to work at a vet and I also worked at a dog hotel and lots of drool is a game changer. A bad game changer.
All this dog joy reminds me of a book I liked a lot in my teen years: James Herriott’s Dog Stories. Cedric the farting boxer, in particular, is memorable.
Corgi all the way! They are happy to play, but also happy to be couch potatoes. They are smart enough to entertain themselves and figure out all kinds of things.
I actually already went on at length about our perfect, sweet, gentle Morkie (@darwyndoggo on Instagram) on your first post mentioning a dog. But I will say this again: I cannot recommend enough getting a non-shedding dog. I love that ours is a small, adorable, hypoallergenic breed (and that last might be important if it turns out one of your kids has pet allergies) who only produces small poops to pick up and doesn’t cost much to feed, who (and this isn’t specific to her breed, just her personality) is totally lazy and never wants to leave our house or yard, doesn’t bark much unless someone comes to the door, and doesn’t chew stuff or get into the garbage or anything. BUT, the non-shedding was an absolute must. I have friends that have dark floors and literally have to dry-mop 3 times a day if they don’t want visible drifts of pet fur everywhere.
While I love my Morkie, any cute, smallish, hypoallergenic, non-shedding breed or mix was up for consideration when we were looking for a dog, as long as they had the right personality. I have friends who love their Italian Greyhounds (small versions of the big Greyhound), and we looked seriously at the Havanese breed. Narrowing it down then finding a good rescue organization in your area might be a good way to go. There are breed-specific rescues for almost anything, as well as general shelters/rescues.
OMG! He is so cute. He sounds like my dream dog. I’ve never had a dog of my own and I dislike so many of them – Darwyn sounds like an adorable rate unicorn!
My first pet in my entire life’s is my current dog Honey, who is the perfect dog and exactly what you describe. She’s a rescue, likely 3ish years old when we got her. She’s a whippet lab mix, likely with other stuff thrown in. She literally only barks at the mail carrier and a stray cat who taunts her. In my expert opinion (as one who seriously lucked out with the perfect dog at her first ever attempt at acquiring a pet — ha!) I recommend a rescue group where someone fosters the dog in their home then does a lovely write-up. For example, telling you about house-training, barking, reaction to cats, etc. The one we used is in MD and they have a great Facebook page where they lost about the dogs. Good luck!!!!
We have corgis, Cardigans to be specific, with the tails. A little bigger, a little less sassy. I have one that I’m pretty sure has the CAT Operating System installed by mistake. Love them to death. They are not small dogs, but big dogs with short legs. They are well aware of this.
But, not to dissuade you, they are double coated and shed like nothing should. I’m surprised we don’t have bald dogs based on the tumbleweeds I find. If you find yourself considering a corgi, your area will have corgi people, possibly even corgi meetups. Go meet them and find out how you feel about the shed (and the bark) before you commit.
If you like podcasts, I recommend the Can I Pet Your Dog podcast. It’s funny and you learn about breeds. The earlier episodes had a mutt minute about a specific breed in each episode but now they have people call in and tell about their own dogs.
I had a toy poodle that we got from the humane society when she was about 7 years old. She lived for another 7 years. I loved her but there were some issues that we probably should have tried to train out but we didn’t actually try. Anyway, getting an older dog was great because we didn’t have to house train ourselves. The grooming was expensive in my opinion.
PS, I had a Lab for 14 years. She was my very, very best friend. She died 2 years ago. I miss her literally every single day. She went with me everywhere, and we could communicate with each other without words, and it was–god. I have cats now, and I briefly had a chihuahua (she got run over, alas) and I love them all, but once you get a really good dog, once you get a dog who is your best friend and your constant companion and the steadiest part of your life–nothing is ever the same after that.
The dogs I’ve had are:
Lab mix – He was hyper and destructive for like 5 years, and then calmed down to be the best dog. Very smart, easy to train.
Boxer mix – Also pretty hyper, but could be lazy too. Giant goofball, charming, sweet with my kids. Shed more than I would have expected. Would always jump on people who came to visit and try to lick them to death.
Chihuahua mix – This is my current dog, first small one. It’s very convenient to be able to just pick her up. Small amount of food, poop, and shedding which is nice. She doesn’t lick. I don’t think this is typical of chihuahuas, but she is great with my kids and never tries to bite. Even when they are bothering her. She’s very sweet and cuddly and lazy. Not very destructive. We did have to potty train her even though she was over a year when we got her. I would say her only slight negative is she barks pretty loudly when people come over.
Good luck with your dog search!
I will chime in with the lab comments. It really depends on the dog. We have a 13 year old black lab that we got as a 1 year old. He might be mixed with something else, but we don’t know what.
He has been the sweetest. Even when we first got him we described him as “old at heart”. He is so laid back and submissive. He likes all dogs, all cats, all people. He is so reliable with children. We know he would never ever bite or jump. He’s not the smartest dog, but he wants to please so badly, and would do anything for a treat. He only barks when he wants to go in or out, or when he sees a raccoon.
Between age 1 and 2 he was a terrible chewer though. And the shedding is the worst!!! (I’ve looked at Doodles for the low shedding factor, but they are in high demand and expensive.)
My family had a black lab/golden retriever cross just like him. So easy to train and a people pleaser. But they also got a lab after he passed away that was a high strung jumpy dog. The nice thing about a 2 year old is that you can tell their personality.
We got a second dog when we thought we were near the end with our old lab.
I called him one day and he didn’t come. I thought he was dead. (That’s how good he is, he would have to be dead not to come when called.) It turned out he was just getting hard of hearing, but the kids wanted a playful dog who didn’t just sleep all day.
I wanted a short haired dog and we got a 2 year old pointer/pit bull mix from animal control. Adopting from animal control is really cheap in my area because they have to put dogs down if they run out of space. We didn’t realize she had pit bull when we got her. She is only 45 lbs, but so energetic. She likes to be hugged and played with, and is smarter than our lab. She would protect any of us with her life. She likes to know where the kids are, and can’t let them be outside without her. She also likes to take turns sleeping in the kids rooms.
But she is a pain in the butt. She has a houndy smell and needs regular baths. She is smart, but has an attitude and decides to ignore you sometimes. She’s always sneaking up on the couch with her stinky self. She barks and bays like a hound so much. She’s protective, but thinks everybody walking their dog down the street is a threat. She is also somewhat dog aggressive, and I don’t think she will ever really like other dogs. She’s so bossy with our laid back old dog, and growls at him over food. Our lab was nice to take camping, as he would lie under the picnic table and wag his tail for every person that walked by. Our pointer was on alert for every bird, squirrel, rustle of leaves,etc. She thought every other human was a possible threat, and didn’t shut up. That said, I really love her, and know she loves me.
I think when our dogs are gone, we might just be cat people. Actually, that might be a point in favor of a Great Dane. If you are not loving dog ownership, at least you don’t have as long a commitment. That why when my daughter wanted her very own small pet, we got gerbils. They only live for about 4 years, so if she gets bored with them, it’s not a lifelong commitment. And we won’t be stuck with them when she goes off to college.
I suggest boxer or boxer-mix! Boxers are bigger dogs so they will fit both what you and Paul seem to be looking for and they are good, sweet, family dogs who are large but mostly like to lay around. We had an Australian shepherd-boxer mix dog who we loved to pieces, wonderful temperament and the perfect medium size dog, so perhaps a boxer mix might be perfect!
There are usually a lot of them at shelters/craigslist adoption type situations so it is not an expensive breed to track down.
Also you are correct about mixed dogs possibly having an edge-up, health wise. My vet said mixed dogs often have less breed-specific issues because they inherit the best-of-both-worlds and they often have stronger teeth so less doggy dental issues.
Best of luck!
OMG. You have completely described my dog owning experience in every way, except that I’ve now had a dog for almost 1 1/2 years (and just got another). I love cats, never had or wanted an indoor dog. Love big, gentle, quiet, dopey dogs. So how did I end up with a nervous, high energy, needy dog and a second one that poops in the house? Learn from my mistakes. (That said, I do love both of my dogs.)
I didn’t want a puppy. I wanted a non-pure breed. And I wanted to rescue. So I watched and waited online, and warned the kids that we would only get a dog that fits into our family, not the first cute one that we fell in love with. We would spend time with it and meet it multiple times in different environments. My husband sent me a link to a beautiful dog, and we went to meet her at the foster family. She was quiet, calm, meek, and gentle. And we panicked that someone else would adopt her and put down the money and drove away with her.
Turns out, her personality is nothing like it was when we first met her. Not calm at all. Neurotic. (In fact, I’ve sometimes wondered if the foster family gave her something to sedate her.) We’ve had to be patient, put in lots of training, time, and money. She still gets very protective of us when other people come around (to the point of scaring them).
Did we learn our lesson? Of course not. About a month ago, I saw another dog at the humane society, fell in love, and by the end of the week had a second dog. It’s mostly working out, except for the pooping in the house and separation anxiety. Our first dog needed the company, and they bonded right away.
My advice: Go slow. Do research. Very seriously consider fostering so that they’re in your house for a while before making the long-term commitment. DO NOT FALL IN LOVE with their appearance or personality upon the first meeting.
And then get a cat.
Also, a word of warning about greyhounds. This is only one anecdote, so please don’t let it taint the whole breed. My husband’s aunt had a greyhound rescue who was meek and calm. Until the day that it bit my 1-year-old daughter near her eye and she required stitches. We thought, okay, she’s not good around small children and my daughter probably provoked or scared her. Keep kids away from her. Until the day several years later when the dog bit the aunt in the face and she required many many stitches and she still has a scar. They put the dog down.
You never know if a rescue has been abused and what will set it off. Greyhounds, especially, have sadly been used and abused.
For whatever reason, this post was one of the “related” posts at the bottom of today’s post and—wanting to distract from further doom-thinking before bed about the erosion of our bodily autonomy, etc.—I read through it. Would you be comfortable sharing an update on your dog thoughts/feelings, or why you ultimately didn’t end up getting a dog? Is it still in the cards currently? They can be very comforting in moments like these, for what it’s worth!!
I think the decision got mired in a combination of indecision and anxiety. I got so, so, so much feedback that was impossible to process: it was kind of like the decision to have a baby, where you hear, simultaneously, “DO IT, IT IS THE BEST THING EVER, THERE IS NO LOVE LIKE THAT, NOW THAT I HAVE A CHILD A LIFE WITHOUT CHILDREN SEEMS EMPTY,” and “OH GOD, THE NEVERENDING WORK AND STRESS, THERE IS NO WORRY LIKE THIS, IT IS SO MUCH WORK, YOU WILL NEVER SLEEP AGAIN OR HAVE A SINGLE MOMENT OF PEACE.” And there were a fair number of dog-owners who said things such as “Oh, you didn’t grow up with a dog? Then…probably not a good idea.” So I was too uncertain to take the plunge. I can see doing it later, when the kids have left and I am feeling lonely—though, then I worry we may want to travel, and making travel arrangements as a dog-owner are so much more difficult/complicated/expensive than making travel arrangements as a cat-owner!
That makes total sense! My parents decided not to get another dog after our family dogs passed away (when my siblings and I were all in or recently out of college) because they wanted to travel and not be responsible for a living being anymore :) I wonder, if you do more seriously consider it again in the future, if you could try fostering? As a sort of trial period of life-with-a-dog, without the full commitment and potential restriction of traveling?
Anyway, thanks for indulging my curiosity :) Hope you’re hanging in there