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Old January 7th, 2013, 01:43 PM
breezepup breezepup is offline
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Location: Canada
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Smile First time potential pet owner - need advice and help regarding dog breed choice

I never had any pets growing up as my sister and mom are very allergic to animals. I have been doing some research recently and have been looking to add a furry companion to my life. The chances are high that this will be a very long post, so please bear with me.

My original thought was to get a dog, but I am also completely open to opting for a cat if it will be happier and better suited to my lifestyle. My number one priority is the animals happiness. I have never had a pet, so needed some help deciding if I should choose a dog or cat, and if so, what breeds would be best. Please note that if I have been giving this a lot of thought, and If I choose to get a pet, I will be adopting from my local animals shelter.

I HAVE spoken to my landlord, and she will allow me to keep a pet as long as I clean up after it.

Here is some information about the way I live:
- I am a 20 year old female University Student.
- I have 2 roommates and we rent a sidestreet apartment in the city.
*I have spoken at great length to both my roommates, and both of them are open and completely willing/excited to add a pet to our home. It will, in a sense, be my pet as I will cover all of the expenses (to avoid future ownership conflict) but it will fall under all of our care. *
- Every morning, I wake up early and run for an average of 20 minutes (with the exception of rainy days and snowstorms)
- The majority of my classes are in the morning.
- I work as a waitress in the evenings (monday through saturday)
- I am home in the early afternoon for about 2 hours before work, and I am home at night.
- Between all three of us, someone is usually home and available for animal care.
- We have A LOT of visitors between the three of us.

Here is what I would be looking for in a dog:
- Small enough but not toy (high priority)
- Relatively quiet
- Relatively low-maintanence (minimal shedding)
- Jogging companion
- Friendly and can get along with lots of people.
- Good with kids (thinking about the future here)
- Enjoys activity (maybe one that can swim?)
- Intelligent and easy to train.

Remember, I would also be completely open to having a cat, but since I live in the city, I guess it would have to be an indoor cat. This is why I'd prefer a dog, because I think a cat would be sad cooped up inside.

As for dog breeds, I have been researching some of the following: Beagle, Boston terrier, French bulldog, Corgi, Pug, Puggle, American Eskimo and the Alaskan Klee Kai, mostly because of it's sheer beauty. Remember, nothing that sheds excessively. I would be open to other recommendations as well!

If one of the breeds I mentioned above is known for many health problems, please let me know!!

If I get some good suggestions and reasoning, I'll talk about them with my roommates. Then, even though I've done some research on bringing home puppies, I'll probably create a new topic about all the things I should look out for that have accordance with preparing my home, vet bills, food bills, grooming issues, supplies, etc...

Thanks for taking the time to read through this very long message!!

Last edited by breezepup; January 7th, 2013 at 05:43 PM.
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  #2  
Old January 7th, 2013, 04:16 PM
Marty11's Avatar
Marty11 Marty11 is offline
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Location: East Gwillimbury, ON
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Hello and Welcome. Most of those dog breeds you mention will not jog very far...... What about a terrier of some sort? Very high energy but fun. A cat is definately easier to have, but remember they can be hard on your furniture if they are scratchers. Adopting is a fabulous idea too. Most good shelters can recommend a dog for your lifestyle. Good luck in your findings.
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Old January 7th, 2013, 05:29 PM
breezepup breezepup is offline
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Originally Posted by Marty11 View Post
Hello and Welcome. Most of those dog breeds you mention will not jog very far...... What about a terrier of some sort? Very high energy but fun. A cat is definately easier to have, but remember they can be hard on your furniture if they are scratchers. Adopting is a fabulous idea too. Most good shelters can recommend a dog for your lifestyle. Good luck in your findings.
I found a list of terriers, and one by one I researched them on
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com
I found that most of them had longer fur, so would that mean more shedding and excess grooming and brushing? I hate to admit it, but I am on a budget, so I can handle "shedding seasons" and brushing weekly, but I can't afford excessive grooming bills.

In their breed descriptions, it seem that most of them fit the bill for the general behaviour types I was looking for, friendly around lots of people, active and playful. I have, eliminated, so to say, my first list, and am now quite interested in terriers.

I actually have a list of the ones I seemed particularly interested in, but I have a major question here:
Is there a health difference in the dogs from breeders and from shelters? If I chose to get one from a breeder, I'm worried about the dog being overly inbred, resulting in health issues.

Also, could someone please give me an approximate price for adopting a dog from the shelter and from a breeder?

I have one final question: When you go into a shelter (I've never been in one before) can you tell a person there what breed you're looking for, or are they all mixed-breed? And will the person there tell you what to do when you take your puppy home??
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Old January 7th, 2013, 06:00 PM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by breezepup View Post
I found a list of terriers, and one by one I researched them on
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com
I found that most of them had longer fur, so would that mean more shedding and excess grooming and brushing? I hate to admit it, but I am on a budget, so I can handle "shedding seasons" and brushing weekly, but I can't afford excessive grooming bills.

In their breed descriptions, it seem that most of them fit the bill for the general behaviour types I was looking for, friendly around lots of people, active and playful. I have, eliminated, so to say, my first list, and am now quite interested in terriers.

I actually have a list of the ones I seemed particularly interested in, but I have a major question here:
Is there a health difference in the dogs from breeders and from shelters? If I chose to get one from a breeder, I'm worried about the dog being overly inbred, resulting in health issues.

Also, could someone please give me an approximate price for adopting a dog from the shelter and from a breeder?

I have one final question: When you go into a shelter (I've never been in one before) can you tell a person there what breed you're looking for, or are they all mixed-breed? And will the person there tell you what to do when you take your puppy home??
You should have your landlord write you a letter saying it OK for you to have a pet. Most shelters will want to know if own your house or if your landlord allow pets. Did your landlord say how big a dog you can have, I would made sure your can get a dog over 25 lbs as most landlords do not like big dogs in their apartment. It can cost over $200 to adopt a pet and you'll need to bring the vet to for a check up , the dog may need to be wormed. I paid over $200 for Marty adoption fee . You can tell a shelter and say you would like adopt a pet that has to be given up and see if anyone is planning on bring a pet in . If the dog is right for you the owner can made plans with you and this will save you the cost of adoption fee. I did this but the dogs where older than want I was looking for. I hope you'll post a photo of your pet for us to see.
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Old January 7th, 2013, 06:25 PM
breezepup breezepup is offline
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Originally Posted by Barkingdog View Post
You should have your landlord write you a letter saying it OK for you to have a pet. Most shelters will want to know if own your house or if your landlord allow pets. Did your landlord say how big a dog you can have, I would made sure your can get a dog over 25 lbs as most landlords do not like big dogs in their apartment. It can cost over $200 to adopt a pet and you'll need to bring the vet to for a check up , the dog may need to be wormed. I paid over $200 for Marty adoption fee . You can tell a shelter and say you would like adopt a pet that has to be given up and see if anyone is planning on bring a pet in . If the dog is right for you the owner can made plans with you and this will save you the cost of adoption fee. I did this but the dogs where older than want I was looking for. I hope you'll post a photo of your pet for us to see.
I did speak to my landlord about it, and she told me that I could keep a small dog as long as I clean up after it and it doesn't bark too much. I live in the city, but the part of the city I live in isn't a main business district, but a residential area with a bicycle path and a park with a dog run nearby, so it's easier for me to own a dog.

I like your idea about making arrangements with someone planning to bring in a pet. I didn't think of that, but it's a really good idea!!

I have most Sundays free, so I'll try to make arrangements to volunteer at the animal shelter to hopefully learn something for myself about caring for a dog, other than the stuff I picked up on the internet :3
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Old January 7th, 2013, 10:16 PM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by breezepup View Post
I did speak to my landlord about it, and she told me that I could keep a small dog as long as I clean up after it and it doesn't bark too much. I live in the city, but the part of the city I live in isn't a main business district, but a residential area with a bicycle path and a park with a dog run nearby, so it's easier for me to own a dog.

I like your idea about making arrangements with someone planning to bring in a pet. I didn't think of that, but it's a really good idea!!

I have most Sundays free, so I'll try to make arrangements to volunteer at the animal shelter to hopefully learn something for myself about caring for a dog, other than the stuff I picked up on the internet :3
Yes ,I know you spoke to your landlord about having a pet but most shelters will want to talk to the landlord or have a letter from them . Anyone can say their landlord said it is OK to have a pet and that is not good enough for some shelters . The shelters do not want people to bring back pets and if do find a pet and the shelter can't reach your landlord by phone you may not get the pet you want. So it would really help to have a letter from your landlord that you can bring to the shelter. When I adopted my dog the shelter wanted to see my realtor tax bill , just saying I own my condo was not good enough .
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Old January 7th, 2013, 05:33 PM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
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Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 4,371
Quote:
Originally Posted by breezepup View Post
I never had any pets growing up as my sister and mom are very allergic to animals. I have been doing some research recently and have been looking to add a furry companion to my life. The chances are high that this will be a very long post, so please bear with me.

My original thought was to get a dog, but I am also completely open to opting for a cat if it will be happier and better suited to my lifestyle. My number one priority is the animals happiness. I have never had a pet, so needed some help deciding if I should choose a dog or cat, and if so, what breeds would be best. Please note that if I have been giving this a lot of thought, and If I choose to get a pet, I will be adopting from my local animals shelter.

I HAVE spoken to my landlord, and she will allow me to keep a pet as long as I clean up after it.

Here is some information about the way I live:
- I am a 20 year old female University Student.
- I have 2 roommates and we rent a duplex in the city.
*I have spoken at great length to both my roommates, and both of them are open and completely willing/excited to add a pet to our home. It will, in a sense, be my pet as I will cover all of the expenses (to avoid future ownership conflict) but it will fall under all of our care. *
- Every morning, I wake up early and run for an average of 20 minutes (with the exception of rainy days and snowstorms)
- The majority of my classes are in the morning.
- I work as a waitress in the evenings (monday through saturday)
- I am home in the early afternoon for about 2 hours before work, and I am home at night.
- Between all three of us, someone is usually home and available for animal care.
- We have A LOT of visitors between the three of us.

Here is what I would be looking for in a dog:
- Small enough but not toy (high priority)
- Relatively quiet
- Relatively low-maintanence (minimal shedding)
- Jogging companion
- Friendly and can get along with lots of people.
- Good with kids (thinking about the future here)
- Enjoys activity (maybe one that can swim?)
- Intelligent and easy to train.

Remember, I would also be completely open to having a cat, but since I live in the city, I guess it would have to be an indoor cat. This is why I'd prefer a dog, because I think a cat would be sad cooped up inside.

As for dog breeds, I have been researching some of the following: Beagle, Boston terrier, French bulldog, Corgi, Pug, Puggle, American Eskimo and the Alaskan Klee Kai, mostly because of it's sheer beauty. Remember, nothing that sheds excessively. I would be open to other recommendations as well!

If one of the breeds I mentioned above is known for many health problems, please let me know!!

If I get some good suggestions and reasoning, I'll talk about them with my roommates. Then, even though I've done some research on bringing home puppies, I'll probably create a new topic about all the things I should look out for that have accordance with preparing my home, vet bills, food bills, grooming issues, supplies, etc...

Thanks for taking the time to read through this very long message!!
I would be careful about getting a cat , they're very clever and good at escaping from a house, and you said you have a lot of people coming and going. People will need to very careful in making sure they do not let the cat out. Standard Poodle loves to run , and swim they do not shed and are hypoallergenic dogs . They do need to be groomed a lot, they're great with kids and one of the smartest breed of dogs. It would be a good idea to have your pet have a microchip , most shelters do put one in the dog whenthey get adopted.
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Old January 7th, 2013, 05:54 PM
breezepup breezepup is offline
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Location: Canada
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Originally Posted by Barkingdog View Post
I would be careful about getting a cat , they're very clever and good at escaping from a house, and you said you have a lot of people coming and going. People will need to very careful in making sure they do not let the cat out. Standard Poodle loves to run , and swim they do not shed and are hypoallergenic dogs . They do need to be groomed a lot, they're great with kids and one of the smartest breed of dogs. It would be a good idea to have your pet have a microchip , most shelters do put one in the dog whenthey get adopted.
I just checked out the standard poodle on the site I mentioned above, and it seems a little large for my space. I also seems prone to lots of health problems, and it seems to need lots of grooming and coat care and clipping and.. woah that's a lot. Although it is a beautiful dog, I can't afford lots of health problems.


EDIT: I have done some research based off of what Marty said about terriers, and am quite interested in the following:
- Smooth Fox Terrier

- Parsons Jack Russel Terrier
Does anyone have any experience with these breeds?

Last edited by breezepup; January 7th, 2013 at 06:16 PM.
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