Dog Breeds - Help Pick

[sanantone]

Whatever we get will most likely be a shelter rescue. The shelters around here are not kill shelters (well, there is technically one, but the 4 or 5 other no-kill shelters take in all the animals that make it to day 3). Because of that, they take requests to make sure they home the right dog with the right family so it doesn't end up homeless again, so we can get choosy. I'm mainly asking about breeds because they lend a lot to personality and needs. For instance, I've known a handful of Chihuahuas in my day and every one of them has been a yippy little Napoleon brat. I've known some bassett hounds and they were all fairly lazy once into adulthood and definitely not up for a long run. We are not intending to get a full-breed - mix breeds, I'm told, tend to be healthier and live longer - but if I have a breed or two in preference, it narrows the selection field.

I don't trust myself to just walk into a shelter and not walk out with 1 or 2 (or 4 or 5) dogs, regardless of temperament. I loooove puppies and have horrible self-restraint unless I have a solid plan, preferably with decision already made before getting in the car. I don't go to pet stores for that same reason. So...to make sure we get the right choice for our family, I want to put in a little forethought and planning. But, my sister-in-law volunteers at a shelter a state over and is keeping her eyes out for the right pup for us, and I'm talking to a nice lady at the shelter nearby who seems to understand the very specific needs of our family. But, yeah, I can't go to the shelter. My lack of in-the-moment self-restraint would prove problematic.

If you get a mixed breed puppy from the shelter, you may or may not know what it is. Shelters, and even animal control officers, often misclassify dogs. Animal control officers like to label everything with a large chest a pit bull. Shelter workers will often call pit bull mixes lab mixes. Actually, lab/pit bull crosses are common, but the shelter will focus on the lab part to increase adoptability.