Anyone have a bichon frise?

[niccig]

I am a SAHM, but on the occasion that we have to leave her, she is fine for 10 hours or so. We don't even lock her up because she has a great capacity and doesn't have accidents. We try not to do that very often though.

Loneliness is something to consider. Would you consider 2 Bichons? We had a Boston Terrier until last summer, and the two dogs were very close. She definitely grieved when he died. That's probably true for most dog breeds though--they are pack animals after all. :-)

DH wants a cat - so it would be 1 dog and 1 cat. We would get them at about the same time. Bichons are supposed to do well with cats, but don't know if a cat is enough for company. I suppose it would depend on the cat. The plan is to get the dog first, then makes sure the cat is compatible with the dog.

[niccig]

Regarding grooming: I take our dog in once every 3 months or so. She just gets a puppy cut. No fro-froo head or tail. I do bathe her every few weeks, but overall I would say she's easy to take care of.

Health wise, the only issue we've had in 6 years is her teeth. I have them cleaned every year or so at the vet.

I did wonder about the grooming. That sounds doable. Our Maggie had teeth problem - had a couple of broken teeth that required root canal as got infected. Doggie dentists are expensive!

The local rescue we found sounds to be very good at matching dog to a family. The plan is to wait a little bit and adjust to losing Maggie, then if we decide to go ahead, we can talk to them and wait until there's a good match. DH is really missing Maggie, so I don't know if it's better to get another dog sooner rather than later.

[ArizonaGirl]

On January 6 I just let my beloved childhood Bichon-poodle mix go.

She was 13 and the best most lovable love-bug ever and I would get another one in a heartbeat.

I will warn you that they sometimes do have teeth problems so be diligent about brushing and they do require a haircut every 3 months or more frequently depending on how short they cut it.

I can't speak for her being alone because my parents were both retired and she stayed with them.

HTH

[ahisma]

IDK if you are open to any other breeds, but miniature schnauzers sound like a breed that would suit your family too.

We have a schnauzer/poodle mix - he's a great dog! Smart, obedient and well mannered, plus he loves our kids.

[MelissaTC]

We wound up with a Pekingese/Poodle mix and he is just the best dog. DH and I were heartbroken over the loss of our other two dogs (both died within a year of each other). We just weren't ready to start again. But we took the leap with this guy and he is perfect. Easy to train, so smart, lovable, allergy friendly for my mother (she is severely allergic but can be around him with no issues), loves to chase a ball or play with his toys but is also content snuggling in a lap. We have had him since December and it feels like he has always been here. Our other two dogs were medium size (55 lbs) but we are definitely poodle mix converts (he is around 7 lbs right now but sturdy if that makes sense).

[Melaine]

On January 6 I just let my beloved childhood Bichon-poodle mix go.

She was 13 and the best most lovable love-bug ever and I would get another one in a heartbeat.

I will warn you that they sometimes do have teeth problems so be diligent about brushing and they do require a haircut every 3 months or more frequently depending on how short they cut it.

I can't speak for her being alone because my parents were both retired and she stayed with them.

HTH

My sister just had to put down her bichon poodle mix and that dog was the most amazing animal, seriously! she was the sweetest, most amiable dog ever. I love the hypoallergenic quality also. Kind of a pain to keep groomed, but my sister trained her from a puppy to let her cut the hair herself and she was totally chill about it. I have actually seen that dog fall asleep while having her hair trimmed.

[weech]

IDK if you are open to any other breeds, but miniature schnauzers sound like a breed that would suit your family too.

I have two and they're super sweet. Playful when its appropriate and wonderfully lazy otherwise. They're great dogs!!