Suggestions on how to obtain a dog

[Leigh Fransen]

My girls have been looking forward to having a dog for EVER. We've told them once we're in our house in SC, we'll get a dog. I grew up with Rottweilers and loved them, and I am a dog person in general, BUT:

I *cannot* deal with dog HAIR.

So I need to find a local breeder or rescue or something with a non-shedding dog variety. (I know all dogs shed, but some shed minimally. That's what we need.) I know of one doodle breeder near Charlotte, but I think their waiting list is a mile long and they want like $2000 for their pups. I'm looking to spend something more along the lines of $250-500. At the most. My ideal dog would be medium-sized and not yap incessantly.

I hate to be picky and I am aware that a dog from the pound can be great, but the simple fact is, if the dog sheds, it isn't going to make it in our house. I'm not fussy... the exact opposite, actually. I don't want to have to sweep more often than necessary. I'm totally lazy about housework and I'm trying to be smart about what will work for us.

Does anyone have any tips?

[Francie]

How about a Cavashon? It's a cross between a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a Bichon Frise. Sleeps on our bed and couches, and doesn't leave hair behind!

[Karen Davis]

I just wanted to encourage you on some of the suggestions. We lost our previous dog in Sept of 07 to cancer. I wanted to go dogless for a while but then suddenly last December I was ready. We had always had boxers as a family and i love them but I thought for a while about getting a smaller dog. So I emailed some folks on Petfinder. Then the family said, no, we really want a boxer. Well, I am a bit of a boxer snob and I really don't want a boxer mix. So I started through the process of a boxer rescue agency. However, when I emailed one of my petfinder contacts to tell her we were going a different route, she told me about a boxer that was just posted at the York County Shelter. It was a strange day because we drove east about an hour to give a pet rabbit away (that was not fitting in our family too well), then I loaded all the kids up for the hour and half drive to see the dog. It was instant love. And my husband got a huge (and lovely) surprise that night. We truly lucked out on this. King is a wonderful representative of his breed in all respects and we are planning to celebrate Dec 18 as his "freedom day."

So I second the idea of being patient and searching through some of the rescue groups and networking when you decide what you want. I have to say that I can't stand the thought of just going to a shelter and picking an animal. It would just not work for us. We had to practically wear blinders walking through that day even though we knew we were looking at a certain dog. We would be bound to pick out the most pathetic animal and it may not be a good fit. That shelter, though, was one of the nicest I have ever visited. Very clean, like a vet's office and they gave us food and a toy and several other things.

The picture above is of King and my daughter's Shih Ztu (spelling?). Boxers vary on their shedding. King only had a few periods of shedding last year during the cold. I am thinking about getting him a sweater to cut down on that. But honestly I have had boxers who shed more. Brushing does help. I totally get the concern as housework is not tops on my list either and a big shedder would be difficult.