Looking to get a dog...

[roadman]

Re: Looking to get a dog...

About the allergies thing, dogs that have HAIR (as opposed to FUR) are considered hypo-allergenic because the dander that comes along with fur is largely absent. Also, there is just less hair flying around, no seasonal shedding, etc. Some of the hypo-allergenic breeds are Yorkies, Poodles, Shih-Tzus, Schnauzers, Maltese.. they basically have human-like hair and lose it constantly like humans do. Some people who are REALLY allergic will still be bothered by these dogs, but that's not very common.

EDIT: OP, you might also want to look on CraigsList for pets, as there are lots of families that are having to give up their animals due to financial issues... very sad. Many of them have a very small "rehoming fee" just to show that you're serious, but others are just giving them up outright. The shelters are mostly full right now, so buying a pet form a store or from a breeder is pretty irresponsible IMO. Unless you're planning for a show dog or need some super-rare breed (like those that completely don't shed) or something, there's really not many good reasons to go through a breeder/puppy mill/pet store.

I wouldn't say buying from a breeder is irresponsible. Heck, for our Springer Spaniel, we saw signs in the neighborhood. I looked up the breed on the net and did a lot of research on the breed.

We went to see the puppies in our neighborhood and we were told that the male was 2 hrs away and they were selling 8 puppies. We picked out the one we liked and she has been a joy, so far. She does have a lot of energy, but that is her breed.

She is supposed to be around 40-45 lbs for a female. Males are around 50lbs.

[Steve_OS]

Re: Looking to get a dog...

Thanks gents!

[PVarck31]

Re: Looking to get a dog...

Go to your local human society and rescue a dog from being killed. They have puppies and they will be able to help you out what you are looking for.

Yes please follow Paul's advice. My wife works at our local humane society and they have a ton of awesome dogs.

I know there is a stigma, but a smaller bully breed would be great for what you are looking for. Contrary to popular belief, they are great with kids, and they would destroy an intruder lol.

If you wanna know more about some of the bully breeds, PM me.

[PVarck31]

Re: Looking to get a dog...

I wouldn't say buying from a breeder is irresponsible. Heck, for our Springer Spaniel, we saw signs in the neighborhood. I looked up the breed on the net and did a lot of research on the breed.

We went to see the puppies in our neighborhood and we were told that the male was 2 hrs away and they were selling 8 puppies. We picked out the one we liked and she has been a joy, so far. She does have a lot of energy, but that is her breed.

She is supposed to be around 40-45 lbs for a female. Males are around 50lbs.

It really depends on the breeder. Some are great. Alot aren't. Just go to google and type puppy mills.

[vinny]

Re: Looking to get a dog...

there are i believe 2 breeds that do NOT shed. unfortuneately 1 is the chinese crested which really has no hair at all but are of the toy breed the other i believe is med/large and that is the portuguese water dog. your best bet to find out more is the AKC website.

hope that helps somewhat and i have no idea if it was mentioned before.

Just to clarify...some chinese crested dogs do have hair all over their bodies, not just on the heads and tails. But they are quite a bit smaller than what you are looking for Steve.

[TCF]

Re: Looking to get a dog...

i forgot that some do have hair but most you see are the hairless ones.

[roadman]

Re: Looking to get a dog...

It really depends on the breeder. Some are great. Alot aren't. Just go to google and type puppy mills.

Oh, I agree. There was a report last year on local TV about Puppy Mills and how some of them became inhumane.

I guess I should have prefaced it with , if you do go through a breeder, do your homework.

We received our puppy from the female(mom side). The male breeder was two hours away and the male breeder didn't want any of the puppies. His only request was to have the female Springer Spaniel not become spayed.

Even the female breeder husband and wife said it was awful difficult to let the puppies go. They did keep one male.

Thanks for putting out the other side, though, I forgot about that side of it.

Edit- Just looked at a You Tube video of Puppy Mills. It was indeed, sad. If you are purchasing your dog from a breeder, make sure you do homework on that breeder like we did.