Randy really wants a dog. I love dogs, really, but I just don't know if I have time to take care of one and give it the attention it needs/wants/deserves. He's not begging, but he does bring it up every few days or so. He says he'll take care of it (I know better) and he told dh he's even willing to get rid of one of the cats if he has to (wouldn't do that). So anyway, what would be a good small to mid-sized dog (we only have 1/10th of an acre) that's VERY good with kids and not too hyper??? I don't know if we're going to get one, but we are thinking about it. Randy's birthday is the end of August, but I think if we got one we'd probably get it sooner so he can enjoy it (and help with it!) while on summer break. Boy, it would be an adjustment for the cats! lol I know Seree's previous owners had two or three little dogs and they said she didn't mind them. Giz's previous owner had a dog, but man, when I've taken him to the vet he's shown nothing but hatred (really!) for the dogs there. He gets downright nasty (in his kennel--I wouldn't dare take him out with a dog in the vet's office). Oh, what to do, what to do...

By Ladypeacek on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 12:49 pm:

schipperke if you can find one. My mother and me have had them our whole life..They get to about 15 lbs, all black..no tail, soooo cute! They are very sweet loving dogs, great with kids. They like to cuddle alot. They are ratters as well.


http://www.akc.org/breeds/recbreeds/shipper.cfm

By Yjja123 on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 12:50 pm:

We have 4 cats and 2 large dogs. The cats rule the house. My children (7 and 9) have learned a lot of responsibility by taking care of the animals. Each has a task (fill water bowls, food bowls, etc). I think getting a dog is a great idea but only you can decide if it is right for your family. There is a lot to consider (breed, size, allergies, etc)
Good luck with your decision!

By Ladypeacek on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 12:58 pm:

by the way, you could probably call and see about rescue for schipperkes. They are expensive from a breeder. Or look in a paper for one from a non breedet. Pet stores are ok IF they take good care of the dogs, we have had BAD experiences with pet stores.

By Emily7 on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 01:02 pm:

I had a German Shorthair pointer mix, he was about 40 pounds, but very loving. He was great with kids as well. I told my dh that Sam knew me better than he did. Terriers tend to be very hyper active

By Tink on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 01:20 pm:

I love corgis! Very smart, they are herders and they have a big dog bark that made me feel a little better about having a little dog. No yipping. They get about 25 pounds and they are only about 12 in. tall and 2 feet long. Oh, now, I miss mine! She was great with the kids and had enough energy to run in the yard with them but she was an indoor dog so she didn't drive me nuts. She also got along great with the cats. She would try to herd them and the kids too. Too funny. That's what we will get when we get our own place again.

By Andi on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 01:20 pm:

We have a Rottweiler and 3 cats and like Yvonne said the cats rule the house. It takes a bit of adjustment but the dog will soon learn who's boss. We adopted our Rottie when she was 9 months old and had her "Cat Tested" before we brought her home. She was scared of the cats they showed her and that is what you want.
I know Rottie's have a bad name but they really are great family dogs. Dylan was 1 when we got her and to this day he climbs all over her and pretends to rides her like a horse when she is laying down. We have never had a problem with her and other dogs and all of my DS's friends just love her. We are having a baby in July and I know she will be just fine with the new addition.
Good Luck!

By Boxzgrl on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 01:22 pm:

IMO, Schipperkes are great dogs but very hyper. Then again you dont need a lot of running room for a small dog.

I agree with a German Shorthair, great dogs!

What about Chihuahua, maltese, bichon (though the last 2 require constant grooming) or even a small mutt at the local shelter.

Good Luck!

By Ladypeacek on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 01:29 pm:

Schipperkes..hyper...hmm we have had 5 and none have been hyper at all, all of them were lapdogs and calm.

By Conni on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 02:57 pm:

my keyboard is screwed up????? ahhhhhhh

Ok I am just going to type and see what happens. ;)

We love lab's. My ex and I had a choc lab that was great. Dh had 2 labs (a chocolate and a black) when we met. We still have them and I have very much adopted them as my own. My sister raises labs if you want her website but they are pricey. My parents/grandparents also have chocolate labs. However, unless you were going to keep it indoors (a lab) it might be too big and get too annoying in the backyard. I think they do best outdoors if you have TWO of them. They tend too chew for 18mos. Which is fine as long as you know and expect it and give them appropriate things too chew up. Polo (our black lab) chewed up his own hard plastic kiddie pool one year when they were puppies.

Otherwise the only thing I can think of is an indoor dog such as a shih-tzu or lhasa apsa (sp?)!! I just loves these dogs they are so darn pretty/cute personalities.


We had a miniature schnauzer growing up and she was absolutley awesome she was our indoor dog. Also had a boxer (he was our outdoor dog) he was really great too--he was my best friend growing up. (i was 3yrs when we got him and he died when i was in high school )

When we got our kitty we didnt think the dogs would ever adjust and be nice. lol But now in the winter time when it is freezing out and the dogs come in and lay in front of the fireplace--the cat lays RIGHT BESIDE THEM! lol They all get along really well now. It's neat.

I think dogs are great as long as you find the right one for *your* family!

By Cat on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 03:28 pm:

Wow! Lot's of recomendatons! Thank you all so much. I'm sure dh will have an opinion as to what kind of dog we will get (IF we get one). I did a little survey/test as to what breed our family should get and it came up with about 25 different ones. Out of that 25 I really like the Keeshound, the American Eskimo Dog and the Schnoodle (that one is just SO cute! lol). Anyone have any experience with these??? That was for a medium sized dog. If I put in a small dog it did bring up the schipperke (which is also cute). We've had a mini-dashound and a husky/wolf hybrid before. We loved them both, but the husky/wolf would be WAY too big in our yard (she lives with my brother now on 1 1/2 acres) and the mini-dashound had to go live with my parents once Robin started crawling. She got really nasty with him (not that he didn't deserve it--he really liked her tail! lol). She lived with my mom until she was hit by a car a couple years ago. Dh will probably like the Keeshound. I know what the website I was at says about them, but I'd like some "first hand" experience, kwim?

Conni, I LOVE labs, but they're bigger than what we're looking for. Our neighbor when we were renting had a lab/blue heeler mix that was an absolutely wonderful dog. She was about 60lbs and was just the sweetest thing. Very smart, too. She was chasing a fox one day across a busy street and the fox made it, but she didn't. She was only about 2yo.

I'm waiting for Shelly to see this! I know she'll have some recomendations for me! lol

By Conni on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 03:46 pm:

My other sister raises border collies if your interested. LOL Sorry we must be a dog loving family. I think they are too big for ya too!

I am going to look up a keeshound. I dont even know what that is!

By Tink on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 05:11 pm:

Border collies aren't always that big especially if you are already looking at a Keeshound. They can be as small as 40 lbs and they are also very smart. Usually very good with children and tolerant of babies. They do have health problems later on in life, though. We have had several and my aunt used to raise them. I love them. They're just too big for my DH. I am so jealous, I want a dog!

By Dawnk777 on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 05:41 pm:

American Eskimos like to bark a lot, at least the few I have come in contact with, did. They wouldn't be at the top of my list.

By Emily7 on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 05:49 pm:

I am with you Tink, I miss having animals!

By Cat on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 06:36 pm:

I'm just looking around at the site with all the breeds (dogbreedinfo.com) and came across the Bassett Hound. Anyone with any experience, thoughts??? It says under temperment it's "incapable of biting, but may be a bit stubborn." Does that just mean it's not likely to bite, or for some reason physically can't? They're kind of cute! lol Thanx again, for all the input here.

By Tink on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 07:22 pm:

These can be very boring dogs for kids. My BIL had one and his kids never liked to play with it because it never wanted to play. Very lazy for as young as it was. (18months) Just my experience though. Maybe it was a temperment thing!
P.S. His name was Flash! Loved the name, but not the dog, unfortunately.

By Sue3 on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 08:28 pm:

get a dog ! get a dog ! LOL !They are nice to have I think.
We have 2 chinese Shar-pei`s, Mom and daughter .We also had another one but she passed away a few years ago.
They are nice dog`s though a bit stubborn , and they don`t take well to strangers.
They will adore everyone in your family though and they are very loyal.
My friend has a corgi also , and that dog has so much personality !
He is so fun and good with the kids. Very smart also , if we were to get another we would get a corgi.Just my thought`s though.
Have fun deciding.I think Bassett hounds are adorable ! They remind me of Walter Matthow (sp)?
We had a keesh hound growing up and I remember that she liked to run and needed a lot of exercise.

By Annie2 on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 09:29 pm:

I must say that most dogs will do well with kids IF properly trained. IMHO. Any dog can bite. Always remember that. A friend of ours just had to take her dd to the hospital via ambulance because her grandma's Corgi bit her in the face. She will be okay, thank goodness but she looked like she was in a boxing ring. The dog was never properly trained and had become aggressive.
I have heard that Pappilon dogs can be great with kids. They are small .
The best and smartest dog I owned, out of six, was an Australian Shepard. She was small, maybe 40 pounds,didn't shed too much and so very smart.

By Cat on Tuesday, May 4, 2004 - 10:42 pm:

Well, now dh is saying if we get a dog one of the cats has to go. I won't do that. He thinks two cats and a dog is too much. I think the message we'd send to the boys that getting rid of a cat, one we've had and loved like part of the family to replace it with another pet is absolutely unacceptable. Randy may be willing to do that, but he's 8 and I won't allow that. He'd feel awful afterwards. I was given an option like that as a kid and I did it and felt horrible after. We had a cat that had kittens and my dad told me if I wanted to keep a kitten the mother cat had to go. So we gave her to a friend of mine that lived on a farm. A couple chickens turned up dead, my friend's dad blamed the new cat (because it had never happened before they got her) and he killed her. It still brings tears to my eyes. I won't let my son make that mistake. We'll just have to talk about it some more. Thanx again to everyone for the suggestions and I'll keep them all in mind, just in case.

By Ladypeacek on Wednesday, May 5, 2004 - 02:54 am:

Just tell it could be worse...you could be like me and have 2 cats, a dog, AND 2 guinea pigs!!!! I have all of these and they all do well with one another and it really isn't a big deal at all. My dd feeds and waters all of them when she gets home before she can do anything else and we stick to it! The dog goes out with her when ever she plays, she likes him taggin along. The guinea pigs are mine. So of course i take care of them. I say keep them all!

By Cat on Thursday, May 6, 2004 - 04:30 pm:

Well Randy has been working on dh for the past couple days now. SO we may be getting a dog afterall. I'm trying not to get my hopes up, though. (also trying not to get Randy's hopes up) We're looking at a couple different rescues/shelters. I'm leaning more towards the rescues because the dogs have been fostered and they can tell me a lot more about them than the SPCA. It does cost a little more, but it's cheaper than buying a purebred out of the paper. We have one picked from each place (if they still have them--looked them up online). One is a 3 year old spayed female Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix and it says she's good with other animals (including cats) and good with kids AND she's housebroken (yeah!). She's about 50lbs--do you all think that's too big for a house dog and a small yard??? You can visit her here. Maddie The other is a female, cream terrier mix that the shelter thinks is about 4mo. She's here. Stella What do you guys think? Randy likes them both, but kind of likes Stella better. I like knowing more about Maddie and the fact that she's housebroken. Oh, decisions, decisions...

By Dawnk777 on Friday, May 7, 2004 - 12:16 am:

Our last dog was about 45-50 pounds. She stayed in the house with us and it was fine. We liked the size she was and wouldn't have wanted anything bigger.

On the other hand, the harlequin Great Dane that lives in my neighborhood is definitely a house dog! I only see her outside when she is walking with her owner.

By Conni on Friday, May 7, 2004 - 08:35 am:

We have a 100 lb Black lab and a 90 lb chocolate lab. They are BOTH in the house *alot* during the winter months. They BOTH ride in the back of the SUV when we go to the lake. We had a smaller yard at our old house that they BOTH played in. LOL But our yard now is huge... Our lot is 2 acres.

So I guess I would say that one 50 lb dog would be just fine!!

By Kernkate on Friday, May 7, 2004 - 09:04 am:

You all make me jealous too!! I would love to have a dog or a cat but DS and DH are both allergic to them The only dog we can get is a Bichon Frise (sp?) they are said to be the non-allergic dogs. I would really love a pet...the Bichon is a small dog and I always wanted a bigger dog. I always had cats and dogs growing up and would love for the kids to have one.
But with the allergies in our house I guess we will be petless for a long time.
Best of luck on what ever dog you get.

By Kernkate on Friday, May 7, 2004 - 09:08 am:

Oh by the way Madie is cute, can't get to Stella's pic.

By Kernkate on Friday, May 7, 2004 - 09:13 am:

Oh by the way Madie is cute, can't get to Stella's pic.

By Conni on Friday, May 7, 2004 - 09:18 am:

Oh yeah~ Maddie is very pretty! I couldnt get to Stella's pic either.

By Cat on Friday, May 7, 2004 - 10:37 am:

Looks like Stella's gone. Oh well. They've got new puppies on their site today. They're some sort of sheep dog, keeshound mix and they're three months old. Puppies are a lot of work, though. I'm sure if we do get a dog, the perfect one will be out there when we decide.

I was thinking though that a 50lb dog might be a bit big for us. Maybe we should try to stick under 40. We'll have to wait and see. Also need to wait for dh to warm up to the idea so we can discuss it without him being nasty about it.

By Boxzgrl on Friday, May 7, 2004 - 10:59 am:

Sorry im a bit late at responding but I think Bassett Hounds are great, especially if you get them as a puppy!! I just love how they trip over those big ears all the time until they grow into them. My grandparents used to breed them and they were great. Restless and energetic and puppies but calmed down as they got older. That would be great for when the kids get older and dont pay as much attention as they used to.

Good Luck, let us know what you get!

By Shellyg on Saturday, May 8, 2004 - 12:09 pm:

50 lb big? My house dog is a 130 lb ever growing puppy. Go for what your heart tells you. Is 10 more lbs really going to make a huge difference? Can you contact a local rescue group? Most run out of foster homes and can tell you exactly what you are getting. Good luck with what every you get.

By Cat on Saturday, May 8, 2004 - 05:25 pm:

Shelly, this is the rescue group I'm looking at contacting. It's where Maddie is (she's such a cutie!). CSABR We saw some lab puppies for sale today. They were in the bed of a truck on a little strip by our local grocery store where they have trucks parked all the time selling things. There were also trees and yard decorations for sale today.lol I told dh I'd have to wonder about buying an AKC dog off the back of a truck on the side of the road. I really like that with the rescue groups where the dogs have been in foster homes you get some info about them. Like we know Maddie is housebroken and likes kids and other animals. We're still talking about getting a dog. I'll keep you all updated.

By Missbookworm on Monday, May 10, 2004 - 02:49 pm:

I'm wanting a dog too!! SMALL SMALL SMALL for me lol

I saw an adorable shih tzu mix on the page of one of the shelters here but he's not been their long and on friday he wasn't actually up for adoption yet but he's a year old and looks sooooooo cute. I'd love to have a rottweiler they're great but I have a tiny yard and a big dog with my tiny daughter wouldn't work she wants to be able to walk it too and well believe me she's little. I can't afford the cost of a dog outright being a single mom but the kids and I started a puppy fund and have saved almost $150. ALL our change goes into jars and we roll it all up and its for a dog. We also have a bunch of bottles to recycle and I'm going to put all that into the puppy fund to towards food and stuff. Anyone wanna come over and help me roll up pennies? lol I have exactly 1 Whole canning jar full (those ones with the two piece lids) and it's not a little one it's like a pickle size I guess but not huge either.

Well anyway Cat I know you'll find the perfect dog when you're ready and so will we. We've already decided to adopt a puppy/younger dog who needs a home

By Cat on Monday, May 10, 2004 - 04:04 pm:

Dh is really getting on board with this now! Yesterday he suggested a sheltie and even said "There's one in the paper today." It was a male puppy available 5/9 (yesterday--so probably 8 weeks old) and he was $250. We looked up shelties online and they sound like good dogs. Dh did say last night we need to pay off a couple things first (just put a sprinkler system in) before we get one. So probably in the next month or two we'll get something. Shelties are usually between 12-18lbs. Sounds good to me!

Missbookworm, how are you??? You'll have to email me sometime. I miss chatting with you. I thought about you last week and almost looked up your carrot cake recipe. I hope you get your little doggie soon! cathyliz@bigfoot.com

By Tink on Monday, May 10, 2004 - 05:31 pm:

My aunt breeds shelties. She has 4 right now and has had 25-30. Most of them tend to be very highstrung. We've tried to foster them to help her and they didn't do very well at all with the kids. Maybe it's something with the ones she has had but I wouldn't recommend them based on my experience. The ones my aunt has right now also tend to run off for hours at a time. She lives in a rural area so there aren't a lot of peoblems for other people but she hates it.
Catherin, that's a great way for your kids to see that dogs aren't a decision to take lightly and that their care and upkeep is expensive. Great idea!

By Peggy13 on Monday, May 10, 2004 - 06:17 pm:

We have two Shih Tzus - they are great loving dogs and only get to be about 16 pounds. They have hair, not fur - so they don't shed, but they do need attention with grooming. We have ours groomed professionaly about every 3 months. I have 4 children and Shih Tzu's go great with kids!!