To get a puppy or not get a puppy, that is the question.

[zoom-zoom]

Schnoodle

Ooh, a friend of mine has a giant Schnoodle...coolest dog EVER. He runs with her, too. And she's very good with his kids, including a toddler.

As neat as some breeds are, I can't look at Petfinder.org and ever justify purchasing a pure-bred pet (dog or cat). Our next cat will likely come from a no-kill shelter and not be a kitten. Or, likely, we will simply take in a stray. This has been our MO for years (we almost ended up with a new kitty on Halloween, too. A sweet little tortie started ToTing with us. We had a hard time keeping her from coming into our house with us, but our existing 4 cats would NOT approve).

If you have your heart set on a specific breed, I agree with looking at one of the breed-specific rescue organizations.

[GLC1968]

I would recommend a rescue as well. I've now had three (dogs, and countless cats!) and they've been great.

Another thing to consider is that if you want to run with the dog, you might be better off getting an adult dog. I think it varies by breed, but there are recommendations about when you should start taking a dog for runs with you because it can be detrimental to their joint development. Also, if you are thinking endurance running - you are probably better suited to a dog breed with a long snout than ones with short snouts (like bull dogs or boxers) as the longer snout dogs tend to handle extended workouts, panting and temperature regulation better than short snout dogs.

Do a search on 'running/training with a dog' and you'll see tons of resources and information that would be worth reading before making your choice.

[Trek420]

Do a search on 'running/training with a dog' and you'll see tons of resources and information that would be worth reading before making your choice.

We have a thread right here

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=42567

[Selkie]

Thread drift warning -- I've "bought" five golden retriever puppies (not at once, of course). Our two youngest are from an extremely reputable breeder who screens her dams/sires (hips, eyes, heart, elbows are tested/cert'd). Bloodlines are excellent---she breeds for longevity. Had to sign a contract and she screened us before she'd let us adopt one of her beloved babies.

Rescue dogs are great, but it's really a personal decision as to how one acquires a dog.

Lime---best wishes to you. Agree that an adult dog (probably a young adult but one who is mature) probably would be a better fit if you decide to take the plunge. Puppies are a lot of work because you essentially have an infant in the house. Be advised that larger breeds tend to have extended puppyhoods. Our goldens' were around three before they settled into a modicum of maturity. That said, even the 11.5 year old still has her wild wolf moments. :-)

[Aggie_Ama]

I would discourage a Weim. They are magnificent dogs, beautiful, but everyone I know with them say they are very attention needy. It works great if that fits with your family but my friends with Weimer's say they must take the dog for quite a bit of exercise or they tend to get bored and destructive.

My local shelter does a foster to adopt program. You can essentially "test drive" the dog. That might be a great option when bringing him/her into a house with cats and kids. Dogs act very different in the shelter, they are usually scared and unsure. It isn't uncommon for them to have a different personality after a few days of feeling safe. I know my shelter cat was the same way.

We have bought our dogs. It is a personal choice, for us we rescued in the past but she had a lot of health problems and it was very difficult emotionally. We weighed a shelter dog when we got Jens but for us it was the right choice to go pure bred. That being said, if I could do it again I would try to get a year old or so puppy. You know the terrible twos? Well that is about how a puppy is for at least a year. They whine, they have to be trained, they sometimes "forget" their training when they want to, they destroy things, they need to be watched very closely. For a newbie owner it may be more than you bargained for.

[Irulan]

The thing is, even buying a dog with certified bloodlines, being vetted out by the breeder (signing a contract etc) and all that, doesn't guarantee a perfectly healthy dog, or the temperament. It might increase your chances, but there are no guarantees. Been there and done that with a very well bred golden who had heart failure at 7 - it turned out that out of the whole litter he was the only that that wasn't a total spaz.(Golden)

Certainly it's a personal decision. My experience with purebred rescue is that the dogs are full of love: they know you are the new owner and they love you for giving them a second chance.
I've done breed rescues for Malemute and Goldens.

[Chile Pepper]

The thing is, even buying a dog with certified bloodlines, being vetted out by the breeder (signing a contract etc) and all that, doesn't guarantee a perfectly healthy dog, or the temperament.

We got a golden when my son asked for that breed specifically. She's a wonderful dog in a lot of ways, but she is very aggressive with the rest of the pack (three other dogs) and somewhat aggressive with the kids. Her personality is totally golden, but she's an alpha golden. You just never know what you are going to get, even from a reputable breeder.

I would also recommend an adult dog. A puppy will be very rambunctious until it's at least two years old, and I wouldn't want to deal with that with a toddler. A young dog will play roughly, and your kid's face will be right at dog level.

[Chile Pepper]

In a dog pack, there has to be an Alpha. If the human doesn't take that role, the dog will.

Thanks, but don't worry. We are quite competent at managing our dogs. My point was not that I couldn't control my dog (I can), but that there is variation of temperament within breeds. Even the nicest breeds can have undesirable characteristics.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

A 2 year old wants and 'loves' lots of things, but has no accurate concept of what caring for a dog really entails. To a two year old, a dog is a super fun toy. What would you do if he wanted a penguin? Obviously, you'd get him a stuffed toy penguin and maybe rent some penguin movies or books and visit a zoo, all of which would be appropriate responses to his penguin passion.
I feel strongly that one should not bring an animal/pet into the house because a toddler wants one. It's a little different when a child is say 5 yrs old and can understand better about an animal's needs and how to interact properly with animals.

The other night I went to a contra dance and observed a 4 yr old little girl running around with a ribbon-bedecked basket. I was very dismayed to see her pull out a tiny kitten about 4 weeks old, dressed in a doll sweater, and then run around around with the kitten in one hand as though it was a doll. The kitten was mewing and looked exhausted. I said to the child's mother "That kitten is much too young to be carried around like that. Why isn't it with its mother??" and she simply replied that it would be put back with its mother when they got home, and not to worry. I said again it looked too young to be carried around like that or be away from its mother, but that's about all I could do. sigh....
I'm not saying you would do this, but small children don't understand how to care for baby animals- even though they may truly want to be kind to them, they still can't help playing with them on their level- like they would with their toys. You can't leave a 2 year unsupervised with an animal, so you will wind up doing double duty at all times, whether they are separate or together.

If you feel you really want a dog yourself, I'd recommend you adopt an adult dog from your local humane shelter or an animal rescue organization. Puppies and 2 year olds do not mix well together. A grown dog will be less likely injured by a toddler trying to pick it up, carry it, 'hug' it, 'discipline' it, etc.
If you do decide to get a dog, please consider adopting a dog from the shelter rather than buying a purebred dog. There are countless loving loyal dogs desperately hoping and waiting for a 'forever home'. When you adopt a grown or teenage dog you can get a good sense of its personality, temperament, size&coat, and activity level.

All the above is just my personal view on the subject, since you asked opinions. Take from it what you like.

[zoom-zoom]

The other night I went to a contra dance and observed a 4 yr old little girl running around with a ribbon-bedecked basket. I was very dismayed to see her pull out a tiny kitten about 4 weeks old, dressed in a doll sweater, and then run around around with the kitten in one hand as though it was a doll. The kitten was mewing and looked exhausted. I said to the child's mother "That kitten is much too young to be carried around like that. Why isn't it with its mother??" and she simply replied that it would be put back with its mother when they got home, and not to worry. I said again it looked too young to be carried around like that or be away from its mother, but that's about all I could do. sigh....

Ugh, this reminds me of what a mom I know did last year. She teaches at my DS's school and her DS went to the school last year, as well. They had a kitten who was only about a month old--no weaned. They brought the kitten to school on a cold Winter day for kindergarten "show and tell." This kitten wasn't even eating solid foods or drinking water, yet. So he was away from the warmth of his his mom and siblings and without food or water from about 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM. It made me ill thinking about the poor little thing.