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

[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.

[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.

[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.

[maillotpois]

You prompted me to go back and find my thread on this from a few years back: http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...ighlight=puppy

DD was 12 when we brought the puppy home. When she was your son's age, we still had my rottie, full grown, who was just like Good Dog Carl with Em. She loved the dog at 2, but wasn't able to understand the concept of care or responsibility.

But if YOU want the dog, that's another matter.

And BSG - that is a hideous story about the kitten. People thinking animals are THINGS.

[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.

[Irulan]

You prompted me to go back and find my thread on this from a few years back: http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...ighlight=puppy

DD was 12 when we brought the puppy home. When she was your son's age, we still had my rottie, full grown, who was just like Good Dog Carl with Em. She loved the dog at 2, but wasn't able to understand the concept of care or responsibility.

But if YOU want the dog, that's another matter.

And BSG - that is a hideous story about the kitten. People thinking animals are THINGS.

OMG, I'd forgotten all about Carl. I suppose there's a slew of those books now. It's been years.

[maillotpois]

I love Good Dog Carl. That was why I got a rottie when I was in law school. And she was a beautiful big gentle girl.

We recently transferred some home videos to digital, and there was a wonderful sequence of Meg the Rottie with Em when Em was 2 or 3. Em was holding onto Meg's leash and Meg started walking away, slowly - and you just knew what was going to happen - Em didn't let go of the leash and Meg pulled her over and Em started crying and it was just so funny and tragic and pathetic. Em was crying "Maddie, Maddie" (which was how she said Meggie at the time) with such a tremendous feeling of betrayal in her voice and poor Meg just had no idea what she'd done wrong (nothing of course).

[Becky]

Our experience with dog adolescence was similar to Selkie's. We adopted our Lab mix at ~6 months (a great age for adopting- would do it again!) and he was 3 years old before he was consistently grown up. IME, the bigger the dog, the longer the "teenage" years.

I'm not sure that I could handle a 2-year old and a puppy...especially if that puppy was a sporting or working breed with a high need to "have a job".

[Koronin]

My husband roomed with a guy who had a Weimaraner. His biggest memory of that dog is that the dog was high energy and needed lots of work.

[indysteel]

I dated a guy with a Weim during law school. During one date, we left him in my apartment while we had dinner. Embarrassingly, I had a number of stuffed animals that I had accumulated over the years throughout the apartment. When we returned, the Weim was sitting on my couch with all of the stuffed animals neatly arranged beside him. It was the cutest thing.

[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

[Irulan]

I dated a guy with a Weim during law school. During one date, we left him in my apartment while we had dinner. Embarrassingly, I had a number of stuffed animals that I had accumulated over the years throughout the apartment. When we returned, the Weim was sitting on my couch with all of the stuffed animals neatly arranged beside him. It was the cutest thing.

A friend of mines Golden would do something like that. But Wilson would go around the neighborhood, collect loose stuffies, and bring them to his house.

Any hunting or working dog will need a serious commitment for training and exercise from it's owner. Otherwise they can become neurotic and destructive.

[indysteel]

A friend of mines Golden would do something like that. But Wilson would go around the neighborhood, collect loose stuffies, and bring them to his house.

Any hunting or working dog will need a serious commitment for training and exercise from it's owner. Otherwise they can become neurotic and destructive.

I have a number of friends with hunting or herding dogs that are just awful to be around because their energy and need/desire to work haven't been directed in any positive way. I can barely stand to be around one friend's German Shorthairs for this reason. She has them both on Prozac, which is sad to me.