Looking for best breed for our needs

[MafiaPrincess]

A dog from a shelter, especially one in foster care they can tell you more about that dog, than choosing by breed to find that the dog you picked happens to not be a cookie cutter image.

You'd know with a shelter dog how they do with cats, and what their barking is like. With a puppy you may find it grows up to bark incessantly, which was an issue for me in an apt.

 

[ToscasMom]

I would like to tell you that my Collie Tosca lives with three cats. She lived with four till last week, when one of my elderly cats passed on. My cats have no problem with her whatsoever and my cat Mojo spends most of his time with her. She chases him sometimes but the minute he turns around she skids to a halt. She is very respectful of them and the Five Razors as well. Overall, I would say the cats are in charge here and no cats have been harmed in any way by my dog. She loves them and often sleeps with Mojo.

 

[chokingvictim]

A dog from a shelter, especially one in foster care they can tell you more about that dog, than choosing by breed to find that the dog you picked happens to not be a cookie cutter image.

You'd know with a shelter dog how they do with cats, and what their barking is like. With a puppy you may find it grows up to bark incessantly, which was an issue for me in an apt.

I agree that rescuing a dog that is fostered is a good way to know more about the dog, but my girlfriend really doesn't want a dog that isn't a puppy, and we both feel better about getting a dog we're going to have for a long time by picking a breed that has many qualities we're looking for and finding a very reputable breeder.
Our Bichon was about 16 weeks old when we got him, and the fact that he was that old (past 8-12 weeks) made it very difficult to train him and get rid of some of his bad habits that he developed at the breeder's home (she wasn't a good breeder at all we discovered after the fact).

I have rescued cats and even took in a pregnant cat, and after she escaped I had to bottle feed her kitten while it was still only 1 week old. We still have her and she's a great cat.
Dogs are much more high-maintenance and rescuing a dog is not usually the best option for someone who loves cats, lives in an apartment, and already has another male dog. It would be very difficult to find one that we know would fit our needs and get along well with our other dog and our 2 cats, and would not bark excessively and get us evicted, etc.

 

[Maxy24]

please try petfinder.com!! your love of cats should not stop you from getting a rescue dog. you type in the breed and age (you can choose baby) they tell you if they are good with cats and if they bark. If it does not say for a certain dog you can e-mail the foster parent and ask. Often you will know these dogs are good with cats better than you would if you got from a breeder bacause many breeders are devoted to their dogs and don't own cats, while many foster parents do own cats so the dog you choose may be living with cats already. and like i said you can e-mail the foster parent and ask (they usually have a e-mail adress under the dog's picture. Many of the dogs will look just like the Keeshond even though it is a mix, sometimes they even have purebreds. My dog is from a rescue and is great with the cats. Please at least look there would you. For every dog you don't get from a shelter one in the shelter dies, i know it sound harsh but it's true, and i don't mean to offend any one who got there dog from a breeder, but you should really check petfinder out. PLEASE JUST LOOK!

 

[Solace]

I may be pretty new here, but maybe give the guy a break.
There are a lot of people with pure bred dogs on here... why should he be any different? If he's decided a pure-bred is the dog for him, help him locate a reputable breeder instead of consistently telling him to go to a shelter.
At least then he wont be buying a puppy from a BYB or puppy mill.

 

[zookeeper]

^^ Hahaha, thanks, honestly my girlfriend and I found it sort of amusing with how many people suggested breeds we totally aren't interested in (but that particular poster obviously was).
We got a chuckle out of people with a certain dog breed in their avatar/signature suggesting we get that breed even though I specifically mentioned what I wanted help with. It's okay, I understand, and actually we decided (more for monetary reasons than anything else) that we will probably go for a rescue Keeshond. This way the dog should already have some training from the foster home (how to go to the bathroom outside, how to get along with other pets, basic commands/obedience). After how bad our Bichon was, we're not sure we want to spend $1200 on a puppy and go through all the training again this soon, but our dog definitely needs a companion.

Thanks for the advice, hopefully it makes some of you feel better to know we found our breed, and will be rescuing a dog from that breed.

 

[bubbatd]

Good for you !! What breed ?

 

[zookeeper]

If we're approved by the rescue organization, we hope to adopt a Keeshond from the Central States Keeshond Rescue group.
However, we will be living in an apartment when we can rescue a dog in a few months, and so we obviously won't have our own back yard with a fence. We're hoping this isn't going to be too much of a problem.

 

[ToscasMom]

I found it sort of amusing with how many people suggested breeds we totally aren't interested in (but that particular poster obviously was).

If you mean my discussion about my Collie, it was to point out the very UNTRUE assumption that all herding dogs are not good with cats. Nuff said.

 

[chokingvictim]

If you mean my discussion about my Collie, it was to point out the very UNTRUE assumption that all herding dogs are not good with cats. Nuff said.

I wasn't really referring to you, but moreso the off-topic replies (the majority of this thread). I guess sorting through all the off-topic replies is annoying but it at least keeps the thread at the top of the page.
And thanks, but I already own a dog and like anyone with common sense, I am aware that there are exceptions. But the breed standard is the breed standard, and it makes no sense to look into a breed that is known for having instincts that would make it a bad match, in the hopes that we find one with a personality that is an exception to the rule. That is illogical.

 

[ToscasMom]

Thanks Choking, but the general temperament "standard" of this breed is that it is generally very good with children and other animals. Since I had four cats at the time I acquired her and also work in cat rescue and fostering, this was one of the main reasons I selected her. That was my point. I wasn't trying to talk you into a collie, I was just trying to point out that your perception of the temperament of *all* herding dogs might not be correct.

 

[Hailey]

I have a friend who had a keeshond, and he was very sweet, didn't bark to much, he was a sweet dog. Have you considered the American eskimo dog? http://www.akc.org/breeds/american_eskimo_dog/index.cfm