April 24, 2008
(for those of you reading for an update on Amy, i have nothing new to report. all fingers and toes crossed that things are going ok and heading in the right direction, and i so appreciate everyone’s good wishes for her. i believe things like that make a difference, i really do.)
but there is a different, and far less major crisis unfolding here. we’re thinking we want to get a dog, and i don’t know where to begin because (i’ll admit it), i’m not really a dog person. so why get a dog, you might reasonably ask?
well, we lost 2 cats last year (i don’t feel like going into details, but no i am not totally negligent), and i can’t go through that again. i don’t want to make a cat stay inside if it doesn’t want to, and i can’t count on the fact that it will. i want w to have a pet, we miss having a household pet and well, a dog, you can keep track of. that’s my thinking. i also suspect that i will be like those people who don’t generally like kids but do like their own kid. (i confess to not generally liking those people very much, but so be it. i’m sure dog lovers would feel the same about me if i am the same about dogs.)
we’d be getting a dog from a shelter of some kind, and i don’t think i want to train a puppy. also, its possible we could have a baby at any time (or also at no time at all), so that has to somehow be taken into consideration. although i’m not sure how that’s reasonably done.
i don’t care a whit about breeds, but i do want: mellow, good with kids (duh), not hyper or too active, maybe small?, and just, like awesome. the perfect do for us.
any thoughts on what breed to look for? or does anyone just want to tell me this is a fool’s errand? i promise i won’t take offense.
April 24, 2008 at 9:16 pm
We have a cairn terrier (Toto) specifically because they love kids. They can be mauled and cuddled and run and play and they are very even tempered. They aren’t as hyper as other terrier breeds (like Jack Russell). They bark, mostly when people come to the door. It’s not nutty “I have to bark all day” barking. We have a collie who does that. Collies, also great kid dogs, but monster barkers, and likely bigger than you want.
I would stay away from Schnauzers, I love them, have had several. But they really aren’t as good with kids. Out of the 8 I’ve known, only one seemed to really like being with small kids.
Other than that, I’ve got nada. We had poodles growing up, and they were mostly great with us.
April 24, 2008 at 9:45 pm
I’m not a dog person either but I love my Peanut. Although she’s a terrier mix so hyper as all get out.
My dad got a fantastic dog from a companion dog program. They choose breeds that are pretty calm, focused and smart with strong loyalty but some dogs just aren’t quite right to be companion animals. Bliss (my dad’s dog) failed out because she’s a little nervous and shy. But he got her and she was already somewhat trained (because they work with them to know if they’re be a good fit), fully vax’d and spayed and is FABULOUS. He paid a hundred dollars for her, which is about what we ended up paying for our rescued mutt from the pound. If I was going to get another dog I’d look into that. I can ask him if it’s a national program or not if you’re interested. Or maybe some googling could help you locate something like that near you?
Oh and my best friend who worked at pet stores all through high school and part of college says, “Girl dogs, boy cats.” So get a girl whatever you get.
April 25, 2008 at 6:50 pm
Excellent advice, both of you-
(and now the truth comes out, this is why I started a blog- to get good advice when i need it)
Dawn, I love that idea- I googled it and didn’t come up with anything locally, but if your dad knows of something more specific I could check on, that would be awesome.
April 25, 2008 at 10:47 pm
My brother has a Golden Retriever (male) and he is so good with all kids including my 1 yr. old nephew. We just got a puppy (male) from our local animal shelter and he is so calm and sweet. We receive comments on how docile he is when we are out and about. He’s so good with our daughter and all of her friends. Not that this is any help to you since we have no clue what he is. You can see pics of him on my blog. I think the main thing is exposure to children and puppy training classes from the very beginning. Most shelters are very helpful in matching dogs to families based on their lifestyle. Best of luck, it is a huge decision. :0)
April 25, 2008 at 10:52 pm
I would love your password if you are open to sharing it with me. :0)
guateangel at msn dot com
April 25, 2008 at 11:16 pm
Yes, password please.
May 12, 2008 at 5:21 pm
I just found your blog….and this post! I had to chime in!! GET A LAB!!! Hands down! They are awesome and LOVE kids. There are tons of labs and lab mixes in shelters. If you have any questions, I have an awesome lab.