westcoastdeb..

that is so the truth..
the right dog does choose you

I might be number 20 here voting on a fostered dog. Maybe straight from the shelter wouldnt work out so well in a house full of kids just because you need a dog whose temperment you know, but definatley I have found rescued dogs seem to have no end to the love they can give. I am also a believer in adopting an adult dog,as they are just as willing to learn as a puppy but without the puppy teathing and lack of house breaking.
I have 4 -- one was a breeder dog and hes is the worst of all of them -- one a purebread rescue, my love sponge -- 1 a CL adoption that is still working on manners and one a petfinder. I have got to tell you that no one system is better than the other, but keep your options open. Your dog will choose you.

Emmy Jane thinks you're best off with a Rottweiler/Pitt Bull mix... the kindest and cuddliest of all dogs.

My point being that you have to get to know the dog. Emmy Jane herself was a bit shy (AND FAT!) in the shelter, so she wants to caution you that not all dogs behave exactly how they are going to when you meet them in prison. They are so scared... Working with a good rescue organization, such as Pasados, can provide you with a lot of background on the dog's personality to find a great fit.

while it seems like finding a dog should be a rational decision... when push comes to shove.. it isn't.

you just never know what will speak to you. I went to a shelter once looking for a shelty and walked out with an akita:) She spoke to my heart.

your kids will bond more with a dog they choose than with one chosen for them... and thus will learn the lessons of responsibility better.

besides.. taking your kids to the shelter with you indelibly imprints the consequences of lost and neglected dogs...

not a bad lesson for any child to learn.

Definitely recommend a mutt from the shelter. We have a shelter adoption, and she is pure love. Mutts are a product of natural genetic mixing, while "pure breeds" are selected for limited traits. Go with what nature makes! They tend to have great temperaments.

ALS no I was not implying you make money, I do rescue so yes I know the costs, no insults were meant at all.

Speaking from experience ONLY with SPDR and people that have come to me it is very difficult with them.

True on the timing.

Good Luck

Hammerhead, the adoption fees and ease of dealing with SPDR all depends on the breed rep handling the applications. Our rescue is affiliated with SPDR and I happen to know our rep is quick to respond, and our adoption fees are only $150.

And if the fees are high for certain breeds, it's for a reason - whether it's because the dogs tend toward a lot of health problems or because they are harder to place and spend more time in rescue, the very nature of being nonprofit means any money they make goes back into rescuing more dogs. I'm sure you didn't mean to imply they were making a profit or charging a lot of money for the fun of it, but it could be read that way by someone who didn't know any better.

Also, it's important to think of where the money is going. I would rather pay a rescue $500 and know my money is going to help more animals than to pay a backyard breeder $500 that they're just pocketing.

I should also point out that I used to volunteer with the Humane Society and we got a ton of small dogs. Yes, they do get adopted faster than the big dogs, but sadly there was never any shortage of more of them coming in, so it's all about timing.

All I can add is that I have three wonderful dogs, and all were adopted from local shelters. Our oldest is a full breed Siberian Husky that was abandoned as a youngster (3yrs old) due to his proliclivity to running away. He was fostered at a pure breed foster home for a time, and then we got him, and with much love and constant reassurance that we were not leaving him, his escape attempts ceased and he has become the model gentleman dog leader to our other two dogs.

We got our second boy, an Akita/Shepherd mix, for our Husky to have a buddy and someone to keep him occupied! We got him from KCHS as a 3 month old puppy, which was as other posters have noted is a TON of work. But, he is the most well behaved and well mannered out of all of our dogs since he was trained from puppy-hood. He is a great listener, follower and a true kid lover.

We got our final little boy because I decided I wanted a lapdog. Go figure. So, we went to the Seattle Animal Shelter one afternoon, and once my husband saw the tiny, shivering chihuahua in the back corner of the kennel, he said we were taking the chihuahua! And I'm so glad we did since he is the sweetest little love bug. He is a pure breed deer head chihuahua, and was a year or so old at the time we adopted him. He is only so-so around kids though, as they tend to scare him…I think this could be the case with a number of smaller dogs.

In all, we have three dogs, of which two are pure breed, and we never paid more than $100 for any of them. Plus, we kept all three from possible euthanasia (the chihuahua was deemed unfriendly and anti-social (so not the case btw!) and was set to be put down 2 days after we took him home).

I am a FIRM believer in utilizing the local shelters and perfinder.com to find the right pet for your family. I could never imagine paying ridiculous sums of money for a pet I could get for almost free and save from a possible death sentence.

Good luck in your search!!

hopey..
i know that dogs from responsible breeders sometimes end up in rescues... but my experience is that those dogs were in the minority...

i would never tell anyone to rule out a rescue dog.. but would want to know as much about the foster home as i would about a breeder.. especially if it was my first dog..

I could count the lies told to me by the two rescue homes that housed my pups... or the two before them for that matter... and not just from passing along bad information... outright lies told to minimize known issues.

I don't regret my choices.. but a little more truth at the time of adoption would have gone a long way towards solving some pretty expensive problems.

SHELTERS SHELTERS. I can say even if you go to Seattle Purebred dog rescue they are very difficult to deal with much less get a hold of and very expensive. Some rescues charged up to 500.00 to adopt from them, hell you can get a a purebred for that price.

I of course am going to suggest anything mutt mixed, lab, pit, rotties, pionter mixes. Unfortunately most shelters don't have little dogs and if they do they are snapped up quickly.

Training, training, you can have a 150 lb great dane and is not trained and difficult to deal with, and yet a pit mix so well behaved is trained and easy to deal with. Some breeds are easier to deal with than others. Check out Seattle Dog Academy and go to see how dogs are trained and talk to people. I personally love pits and yet there is nothing wrong the bred in general.

My new motto is My Pitbull behaves better than your kid.(It is the humans FAULT not the dog.)

At least you are thinking long and hard about it and that is the first step.

All the best in your searching can't wait to hear what you rescue/adopt.

FCAT.

Ps I am getting in 3 pit puppies this weekend. I am of course rescuing them, from an IRRESPONSIBLE breeder.

I have 2 Yorkies and they really good. They don't shed at all and just want to make you happy.

Actually JoB, I will disagree with you slightly. There are plenty of rescue dogs that were originally obtained from reputable breeders with take-back guarantees.

I attended a labradoodle breeders conference two years ago where the director of IDOG, the labradoodle rescue organization, spoke about her work. She explained that many times, even with a contract and guarantee, owners are embarassed to go back to the breeder. They don't want to admit that the dog didn't work out, they were unable to care for him or her properly, etc.

If the owner is willing to tell IDOG who the breeder was, and if IDOG knows that breeder has a take-back guarantee, IDOG will mediate between the owner and the breeder to find the right solution. But sometimes the owners will not admit which breeder they purchased their dog from, and there are even times where they will only tell which breeder if IDOG promises not to contact the breeder until after the dog has been re-homed.

I know it all sounds very odd, but people do odd things when they are under pressure and/or feeling ashamed. I just wanted to add that to the understanding of how some dogs end up in a rescue situation.

Here's a link to the labradoodle rescue: http://idog.biz/IDOGRRR.html
The director is a fabulous lady with a really great understanding of canine behavior.

I just wanted to thank everyone for their input. Yes, we do have a house full of small children but it is by choice. And it is by choice that we want a dog. Its not a decision we are just coming to - we have been thinking about it for years and I don't want a puppy to show off - but more to add to the fun of our family.
I hadn't given much thought to an older dog but I am certainly thinking it over now. We are a very active family and we want a dog to enjoy in the outside time we spend and together be part of our family. I also want my children to learn responsibilities - their job to feed, brush and scoop poop.
Again - thanks for all your input !

ALS...

if i had my way.. every experienced dog owner would find their next dog through a rescue service of some kind...

that's where each and every one of my four legged companions has come from for decades...

but... i have to point out that there is a world of difference between buying a pure breed dog from a reputable breeder and finding one through a rescue service...

a reputable breeder pays careful attention to genetics and knows the temperament and health of the breeding pair AND every pup they have produced.

a reputable breeder will educate and support new owners.. and will take the dog back for placement if the pairing doesn't work out.

by definition... most of the dogs in rescue did not come from reputable breeders ... if they had.. they would have been returned to that breeder when the relationship didn't work out.

the breeders who produced those dogs catered to popular taste.. breeding solely for appearance... and not for health or temperament.

I will agree completely that "designer" breeds created solely for appearance are not such a great idea... but new breeds aren't necessarily a bad thing.. nature creates them every day...

the labradoodle . in spite of it's popularity... is one of those breeds that makes sense.

as the lifetime companion of a couple of the "least bred" pure breed pups around.. i can appreciate the practice of breeding for temperament ...

i love my pups and they are well trained..
but having a dog that is one step from feral is challenging to say the least.

when you add to that the abuse they both suffered before we found one another... they become totally unsuitable for anything but the most experienced dog owner.

I can tell as many rescue horror stories as you can breeder horror stories... the horror stories are not the point...

helping people find a four legged friend that will fit their home and their lifestyle is the only way to help guarantee forever homes...

that is the shared goal of both rescue organizations and responsible breeders.

For ALS and anyone else who may be interested, here are some links with information about the multigenerational labradoodle, and why the breed was created in the early 1980s.
http://www.ilainc.com/LabradoodleHistory.html
http://www.goldendoodles.com/faqs/australian_labradoodle.htm

JoB and KBear, thanks so much for your kind remarks.

KBear, I actually do agree with you about room for both. However, responsible breeders work to sustain and improve existing breeds, not create new ones. And one in four shelter dogs is purebred, not to mention the many breed-specific dog rescues out there (of which I volunteer for actually), so you don't need to go to a breeder to get a purebred dog, if that's what you're set on.

may i ask why you think you want a small dog?

it's not true in all cases, but the smaller the dog the more hyper they are likely to be.. which is not always the good combination you think it will be with kids...

picture your kids on a sugar high and add an overexcited dog... not fun.

as for the shedding thing.. if you have kids you clean often enough to handle a bit of dog hair.

if you are looking for a pristine well behaved walking companion to co-exist with house full of kids... you are likely to get an unwelcome surprise no matter which breed you choose.

I concur with those who suggest you consider a somewhat older shelter dog. you can visit them with your children and you will know immediately when the kids and dog have found their match.

if you are set on a pure breed...
well bred labradoodles would fit your criteria... although i still suggest you go for a larger dog rather than smaller...
and for that i would contact hopey.
She cares passionately about her animals... and will make sure you are a good fit for the dog as well.

ALS, I think you're being unfair with regard to breeders. I get your concern about flooding the market with trendy designer breeds, but I think there's room in this world for responsible breeders as well as those who are committed to finding homes for shelter dogs. My own dog is, in fact, both a purebred dog from a reputable breeder as well as a "rescue" dog who didn't work out with her first family and got a second chance. The breeder took her back and made sure she got placed with a family that would keep her for the rest of her life.

GenHill makes a great point. While I also know many people who have had success with CraigsList, a lot of well-intentioned people will tell you anything to try to find their dog a home. Shelters and rescues will temperament test the dog, have it checked out by a vet, and will tell you all about it - for better or for worse - because they are more interested in making the RIGHT match than just finding the dog a home ASAP. I know the Seattle Humane Society has a great "meet your match" program, where they assess the dogs and assign each dog with a color-coded card, to help you easily see which ones are going to be a couch potato and which ones are going to need a 5 mile run every day.

Another vote here for a shelter dog who's been fostered. The foster family can usually give you a lot of info on the dog and if their situation is similar to yours, that's a great endorsement. CL makes me nervous only because people can - and do - write/tell you anything. You could get a great dog like agelescrest, or not. There's some accountability with the shelter and foster home. With kids in the house, I'd be more conservative, but that's just me. I agree with taking your time...the right match will surface!

We call it the "generic black dog", and you cannot go wrong. Looks like a flat-coated retriever, but it's a mix of lab? golden? aussie? spaniel?--we see them everywhere. They are so kid-tolerant, kind, smart, HEALTHY, easy-going and not too-sheddy. Our first was a shelter pup who lived to be 14; our current pup was a CL "rescue"! (Disclosure: five children.)

Mutt. :-)

One of our dogs is a toy poodle. I have owned a lot of dogs and can fairly say that he is a wonderful family dog. He is about 9 pounds, so sturdy enough to be picked up and "pushed around" :) by little ones, but small enough to be a lap dog too. He is super smart, trainable and is full of energy but ready to sit right next to anyone who is resting quietly. He is truly a wonderful pet, and no shedding!! We were lucky enough to get him when he was already 6 months old so we missed the puppy drama - but it's a little like having children, if you train them well, the pain is worth it!! Good luck!!

Please consider a shelter or fostered dog and not purchase a factory model- from a "perfect breeder" or puppy mill. Since you have researched how much time to devote to train the dog to live with your family, you have the time to look and look for the perfect pet. You may find the right dog first time out, but I'd recommend trips to the shelters and check out petfinder.com, there are so many rescue groups out there fostering pets. The foster pets have temporary owners that really are able to tell you all about the dogs daily temperament, energy level, behavior quirks, dietary needs, etc.
If you want a boutique breed you can find groups that foster many specific breeds. Unfortunately, some people don't have the time for their status symbols and many are surrendered to shelters/fosters.
On the subject of ridiculous mixes- A puggle should not even exist. Pugs have a completely different temperament than a beagle HOUND. Beagles are extremely high energy when they are 'on', they need to work, and bay. Pugs are not working dogs. They don't have the stamina of a beagle and to mix them with a working hound dog is cruel.
Try petfinder.com shelters and fosters section and TAKE YOUR TIME. Do your research. This is another family member you are welcoming into your lives. If you want to spend $750 on someones doodlepoougglehuahua or a pound puppy make sure you are offering a forever home!
I have two dogs, and I honestly can say that if I knew how much work it would be, I might not have chosen to do so, but I am totally committed to these two and love them very much. It is just alot more work than I was anticipating. And Monday, I dropped $700 at the vet for my little guy. He's all better now thank goodness, but there went my vacation, but love is better than a few days in Vancouver, right?!
Oh, another fun site is dogster.com. You can see tons of photos, read touching stories about how people have found their pets, their pets' quirks and some dogs even write their own blog.
GOOD LUCK in your search!!

hopey, I really don't think there's anything to flag - I am allowed to have a point of view.

It wasn't an attack against you personally. But as someone deeply involved in rescue, I make no secret or apologies that I am against breeding, particularly the latest fad of breeding labradoodles, goldendoodles, schnoodles, puggles, peekapoos, pomapoos, yorkiepoos (and the list goes on). I have never heard of seventh generation labradoodles. Even you have to admit that 99% of the oodle-uggle-poo type dogs out there are made by crossing breed A with breed B and slapping a cutesy name on it to make money.

I think it's wonderful that you do extensive health testing and take back dogs you produce (which in itself makes you better than 99% of the breeders out there), but no matter which way you cut it, each time someone buys one of your dogs you produced, there is one less home available, which equals death for one shelter dog.

There are 5-7 million pets euthanized each year in the US alone. My main beef is why create more? And I get that your program is trying to create a new breed by getting it to breed true, but my quesiton is what's the point? There are already over 150 breeds in the AKC alone - we pretty much have a breed of dog to fulfill every funtion or need you could want. Again, what's the point of creating more?

Like I said earlier, I am not attcking you personally, and I'm sure you're a lovely person who is just as much of a dog lover as I am. But I would be lying to say I agree with what you're doing.

(and to the OP, I'm very sorry if I've hijacked your thread - I really do wish you the best of luck in finding the perfect dog for your family!)

Excuse me ALS, but my dogs are multigenerational labradoodles, bred labradoodle-to-labradoodle for seven generations or more. They DO breed true. If you had looked at my website, you would see that I don't own a lab and a poodle. I own and breed labradoodles.

The health testing I provide is more than the AKC requires for breeding dogs. I drive down to Tacoma to take my dogs to the only reproductive specialist veterinarian in the area. I spend thousands of dollars in health testing for each breeding dog that I own. I provide a 2 year health guarantee, and I will ALWAYS take my puppies/dogs back -- in fact, my customers sign a contract stating that, if necessary, they will return the dog to me instead of placing the dog in a shelter.

I *am* a reputable, thoughtful, and careful breeder. You are the one who is uninformed, and I would appreciate if you would cease your breed-specific commentary. If you continue your attacks against me, I will flag this thread for the moderator.

If at all possible, I would really recommend dog sitting or borrowing a dog from someone for a few days before making the commitment to adopt or purchase a dog, regardless of breed. I also agree with everyone who said to get an adult dog. SO much easier than a puppy, especially if you have kids. We have Jack Russell Terriers, they get along very well with kids and are very gentle, but they seem to be the exception to the breed. I would not recommend getting this breed if you are new to dogs and have small children. I have friends that have a beagle mix and a pug. Both get along very well with their children, are very tolerant, and very sweet. They had to be careful not to let the children be rough with either, particularly the pug.
Good luck!

GAnative, the reason a lot of shelters won't adopt small dogs to homes with small kids is for the best interest of the dog - they don't make up arbitrary rules just because they feel like it. As I mentioned, little kids can sometimes unknowingly be too rough with really small dogs, which can result in the dog being hurt, or biting out of self-defense (which usually results in the dog ending up back in the shelter - the situation they were trying to avoid in the first place!)

100% second KBear's recommendation to adopt an adult dog. I did the puppy thing with my first dog, but my second dog was adopted as a young adult and that was definitely the way to go. Puppies are like infants - they need to go out to potty every couple hours and for the first month or so they don't even sleep through the night without needing to go out to potty. I can't imagine having a puppy with kids. Not to mention, they can be quite fragile when they're so young and kids can accidentally hurt them. Your best bet is adopting an adult dog who already has a love for kids.

And sorry, but I just had to point out - there is no such thing as a "reputable" breeder of labradoodles, goldendoodles or any other fad designer mix - they're just contributing to an already overcrowded pet population. If you want no shedding, you could get a poodle (they also come in three sizes), but I can't even count the number of doodle dogs that end up in rescue because the puppy happened to inherit the lab's side of the gene pool when it comes to hair. A lab/poodle mix is going to get some traits from the lab and some from the poodle, but just as you and your siblings aren't exactly alike, labradoodles don't breed true every time, which is why they haven't been recognized as a breed.

We love our Yorkie. She's great with kids and she doesn't shed but she does need daily brushing. If you are looking for a small dog puppy you may have to go to a breeder; when we were trying to rescue/adopt the shelters wouldn't let us have a small dog puppy because we had small children...

I think it would be smart to adopt an adult dog. Puppies do a lot of biting, bouncing, and chewing until they've been taught how to behave properly. It would be best to get a dog who's already learned his manners and can tolerate the kids.

It sounds like a labradoodle would be a perfect fit for you. No shedding and great with kids. They come in different sizes -- mini, medium, and standard. I breed standards, but I would also be happy to refer you to reputable breeders of minis and mediums if you want a smaller size dog. The breeders I know test their breeding dogs for health issues and also for good temperaments. You can contact me through my website -- just click on my username.

I would suggest that you come up with some important lifestyle matches too. How much will time will you devote to exercising the dog each day? How big is your yard? How much time will the dog be alone during the day? How much time do you plan on devoting to training the dog? Do you have the energy to have another "kid" in the house if you choose to get a puppy? These are much more important questions than shedding. Shedding is something you can spend $60 on every 6 weeks unlike exercise level which might require you to have a dog walker come every day because you dont have time to walk your dog and he is taking his frustration out on your furniture.

Boston Terriers are small, but not too small. They have very short hair, almost no shedding. They are tough little dogs with great personalities. I have had them all my life and love them!!

This is a good question mommym. I like the idea of going to a shelter. Also rescue groups that put dogs in foster homes often have a good idea of well that dog will do with small children. I have known more than one King Charles Cavalier Spaniel who was excellent around small ones.
I must say that I cannot imagine a house full of small kids and a dog of any size. Dogs need exercise and we are not talking being let out in the backyard to run around and poop. They also need hours of training and that is always a work in progress. My dog is very well trained and still she pushes the envelope every once in awhile to see if she can get away with something. I could not keep up with her and small kids.

Brittany Springer dogs are great family dogs, very loyal and very smart. We had one for 15 1/2 years and couldn't have asked for a better dog.

http://dogs.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Springer_vs_Brittany_Spaniel

I can't think of a particular breed right off the bat that fits all those criteria, but my best advice would be to hit up the shelters and ask the volunteers what they would recommend. There are a ton of great dogs out there (both mixed and pure bred) who need homes, and the shelter workers should know the personalities of the dogs and know which ones have lived with kids before, and can tell you all kinds of other things about their personalities and temperaments.

Regarding the shedding, when it comes to dogs, you basically have two choices: dogs that shed and dogs that need to be groomed. Dogs like poodles, maltese, shih tzus, etc. don't shed much, but their hair continually grows like humans, so they need to be groomed about every 6 weeks. Most breeds don't require regular grooming, but they do shed their hair continuously.

Best of luck finding your new family member!

We have 2 Westies and a 3 year old daughter and they all get along famously. Westies don't shed much.

That being said, Westies can be irritable and aren't as chill about kids tugging on them as say, a lab. The dogs avoided my daughter when she was in her pulling hair phase, but never snapped at her or anything.

Now she loves them and puts necklaces and hats on them and brushes them and they don't seem to mind. I've done a lot of work getting them to respect her, she helps feed them and gives them treats etc.

Some info: http://www.westieusa.com/article.asp?ArticleID=4

We have a house full of small kids and want to get a dog. I have been trying to research the best breed that is sturdy, does well with kids and doesn't shed much. If you are a dog expert or know of a good breed can you please share with me your idea's ?