Finally after much research I have found that the best puppy for our home (with my allergy problems) would be a Toy Poodle. This was very good news until I started my search for one and found out the bad news. They are really expensive! And unless I can find one to adopt or rescue...then this puppy is going to be way out of the price range we can afford to buy him or her. I am just going to have to think of it this way...if it is meant to be...it will happen. And if it does happen I do not want to clip him or her like alot of people do to their poodles. They are so cute just like they are in the picture I have shared.
Many of the Poodle crosses are also allergy-free, and might work for you, @Babs Hunt . Poodles are non-shedding, they have hair that grows just like people do, as opposed to hair that sheds all of the time like most dogs have. My Chipper is a Yorkie-poo, and he is non-shedding, and so are most of the other Poodle or Maltese mixes. If your heart is not set on starting with a brand new puppy, this is a great time to find one that needs to be re-homed. People buy these puppies for Christmas presents, and then (sometime in the next few months) they realize how much trouble and work it is to raise and train the puppy, and they want to get rid of it. If you watch the online yard sales sites, as well as Craigslist, and other sales websites, you will probably find just what you want at a much cheaper price. There are also rescue groups who will have Poodles for sale at a rehoming price. They grab any dogs that go to the dog pounds and then resell them; so you are not too likely to find a Poodle at the dog pound, but it is worth looking. Another thing might be to join the local facebook group for lost and found dogs. People find dogs all of the time, and can't find an owner or keep the dog themselves, so they want to find a good home for them. Puppies that are for sale at a high price before Christmas will now be MUCH cheaper as well. The breeders hope to sell the puppies before they are over 3 months old, so any puppy that does not get sold in the Christmas sell-out and is now too old to sell fast and easy, will soon be on sale for a lot more reasonable price. There are options, so do not give up hope, Babs.
That sounds like a great fit. If at some future point I got a dog, it's probably what I'd consider...poodle or some sort of similar mix, and for the same reason. There are tons of dogs in shelters, so put out some feelers when you're ready, and Petfinder can help. Fingers crossed it happens .
When the time is right, which wasn't a few months ago or even now, we will get a Shih Tzu puppy from a reputable breeder. We checked some shelters and this breed just doesn't show up. We have seen it at adoption homes, but don't want to go thru all the red-tape (home visit, etc.) to get one from there. Some folks can handle dogs from shelters that can have personality and/or medical problems, but we are just too old for those problems. I read an article once called, Are You Sure You Want To Adapt? Depending on the health/personality of the dog, it can definitely take some money for health problems and/or retraining. Since we are planning on moving, our puppy will have to wait. We are just too old to relocate with a dog in-hand.
Also (you probably already know this...but) there are all kinds of puppy scammers out there, @Babs Hunt . Never buy a puppy from a breeder that won't show you the puppies and the parents, at least the mother. The parents of well-adapted puppies will be house dogs, and the puppies already used to people. Puppy mill breeders keep their dogs in what looks like rabbit cages and the puppies are not socialized at all, and will be terrified of anyone except the one person that they have seen bringing their feed. And never, NEVER get any puppy where the owner/breeder asks you to send them money and they will ship the puppy. Unless you are getting an older puppy that has been weaned , sold, and is being re-homed, or an adult dog, then you should always be able to go to the home and see the adult dogs as well as the puppies. Poodles will grow a very matted coat, even if you brush it every day; so even if you do not want them clipped short, it is good to have some grooming done, for their own benefit. You want the dog to be able to see, hear, and eat, so some clipping is going to be necessary, as well as bathing every week or so if they go outside. I always bathed my puppies from the time they were about 2-3 weeks old, so when they went home with the new owner, they were used to being bathed, brushed, and having a blow dryer used on them. Poodles are the smartest dog next to the border collie, and that is probably only because the border collie interacts more with people when they are a working dog. Your Poodle will learn very fast, and be totally loyal, even if you get an adult dog; and they are my most favorite dog of all. I will add my prayers to yours that just the right dog comes into your life, Babs. I know you have seen pictures of my Chipper; but here is a picture of Ashley, my poodle that I loved dearly, and was stolen many years ago. He was the most loving dog I have ever owned, and as smart as could be.
The puppy we were going to get came from breeders who own a pet (dog) store. We even seen the one owner at a local Vet we were visiting. She was in there getting a checkup on some pups. We drove out to the house where the breeding is done and met her husband. Wasn't able to go into the actual house where the pups were being taken care of, but the outside of the house and the owners house looked exceptionally nice. The fee was something like $1,300 for the pup and we'd get all the breeding info and other things. We bought nice grooming items, a nice bed and a Puppy Play Pen (for when we had to leave it at home) that we have kept, even though we didn't get the pup.
I agree entirely with everything @Yvonne Smith said in both of her posts, Babs.. We are very involved with dogs and my daughter is well known in the dog world as someone who not only owns large boarding kennels, but is a dog trainer and groomer par excellence.. She has 3 poodle mixes..Labradoodles, (labrador poodle crosses).. and not all of them are non shedders..one sheds more than the others (although not hugely) and he's the biggest of them all.. but the other 2 smaller ones, hardly shed at all.. here's our littlest grandfurkid...he's 9 years old now..stands about 14 inches high and weighs about 10pounds ...and not only is he such a loving dog, (all of them are)...they have the best natures in the world... The loving nature of the Labrador, and the high intelligence of the poodle. here's his bigger brother who is mid sized...and a more friendly and playful dog you couldn't meet ..and all 3 of them...same breed but different sizes, and only a year in age between them... Before considering acquiring any dog, in particular pedigree dogs, it's worth investigating their potential genetic health issues too.... you'll find a lot of information here... http://www.dogbreedhealth.com/list-of-dog-breeds/ I do hope if you feel you can't afford the dog that you would dearly wish for your own , that you might consider fostering...there's so many dogs who need short or long term fostering while perhaps the owner is in hospital or for any number of other reasons... Good luck I hope you find your ideal companion..
You have given me some wonderful advice @Yvonne Smith and your Ashley was beautiful. I'm so sorry someone stole your poodle. When I was much younger I had a St. Bernard named Beaux and I loved him so...and someone stole him too. I don't mind clipping their coats but I just don't want to clip it in the shape they usually do for poodles.
@Holly Saunders thanks for all the info you shared too which is so helpful and the pics of your furbabies. These are the two sweet "babies" I have found at Petfinder.com. The top pic is a Poodle/ West Highland White Terrier Westie mix and he is only about a year old. The second is a mixture kind of like that and he is a a little older than the first one. There are lots of dogs on Petfinder, even some purebred poodles. But the ones I saw I just wasn't draw too. The ones in the pics I have posted I do like, especially the one with the brown ears in the second picture. I will still look some more I didn't get through half of the dogs yesterday. And my Honey doesn't want to get one until we know the answers to my health problems. But it's nice to know there are plenty of furbabies out there and one of them has our name on him or her.
My Honey with one of our "adopted" pets that comes to spend time with us almost every day. His name is Chunk...because he is a chunk.