Another dog Q: favorite small breeds?

[ang79]

I keep scouring local shelter adds for a small breed that is low-shedding but most of the shelters around us have pit-mixes or other larger dogs like shepherds and labs. I've inquired about a few dachsunds but they all had a long list of applicants. Lots of chihuahuas and poms, but I think they are too yappy for us. There is a cute papilion mix but DH thinks they are too small. This would be our first dog so we want something easy going and calm, and also good with cats and older kids (ages 11 and 13). Other smaller breeds to look at? All the ones I've searched for (Cavalier King Charles, Boston Terrier, French Bulldog, Bichon Frise, Havanese, Westie) are few and far between apparently and get adopted quickly. I'm thinking around the 20-25 lb. mark or slightly smaller.

[hellokitty]

I keep scouring local shelter adds for a small breed that is low-shedding but most of the shelters around us have pit-mixes or other larger dogs like shepherds and labs. I've inquired about a few dachsunds but they all had a long list of applicants. Lots of chihuahuas and poms, but I think they are too yappy for us. There is a cute papilion mix but DH thinks they are too small. This would be our first dog so we want something easy going and calm, and also good with cats and older kids (ages 11 and 13). Other smaller breeds to look at? All the ones I've searched for (Cavalier King Charles, Boston Terrier, French Bulldog, Bichon Frise, Havanese, Westie) are few and far between apparently and get adopted quickly. I'm thinking around the 20-25 lb. mark or slightly smaller.

Keep trying. I have a dorkie (dachshund/yorkie) I adopted from the dog warden. I had scoured petfinder religiously and I got so lucky. They posted him on their website right before the close and the next morning my face was practically pressed up against their door waiting for them to open so I could be the first person in line for him. Luckily, I was. FYI, many places have an application that you must fill out, which also includes a section for people who will serve as a reference. If you fill this out ahead of time and are approved, when you find THE dog, it will make the process go much faster. I got lucky that they processed my application quickly and I was able to formally adopt him the very next day. He was more expensive to adopt than other dogs, bc they considered him a "desirable" (I know that sounds awful) dog. I tried to adopt through some non-profits and I thought that the people who ran those places were nut jobs. They wanted to decide what dog I should get and wanted to come to my house and do a tour. It took me about 3 months to find my dog, and I felt the same as you, most of the dog were pit, lab or shepherd mixes and I knew that I wanted a dog under 20 lbs.

My bil empty nested his frenchie onto us, so we lucked into him, frenchies are so popular, my husband mentioned to me that he thinks that I've fallen for the breed and what am I going to do when our dogs pass away. I have a personal policy that I only adopt dogs, never buy, bc there are too many to be adopted. I am ok with a mix, I actually think that they are a lot healthier than a lot of full bred dogs.

[doberbrat]

Cockers of course. The shedding really isnt bad if you brush them or keep them short.

[StantonHyde]

Silky terriers are nice

[n2ou]

I have a shih-tzu poodle mix from a rescue and he is the cleanest, smartest, chillest small dog I’ve ever met.

[JBaxter]

I have a yorkie ( had 2 but one recently passed) shes is a rescue but we are guessing shes between 10 & 12 She's been my favorite dog ever. My mom breeds Cavachons Moms are her 3 bichon girls and Dad is her Chavalier male. They are the sweetest dogs My son has one very minimal shedding sweet & smart. My sister has a Cavapoo Cavalier poodle mix and a yorkiepoo both are super nice dogs. Anything mixed with Bichon or Poodle seem to be low shedding and most Ive been around have been nice dogs.

[nfowife]

We have a shichon and live him- Shih tzu bichon. No shedding and he’s 12 lbs at 6 months. He’s not a super outgoing friendly dog to strangers but that’s his personality, not a breed trait. He’s loving to our family. We had labs prior to this but wanted a small dog this time.

[niccig]

Chinese crested powderpuff. We got him at a rescue thinking he was a poodle terrier mix. DNA test showed purebred back to great grandparents. No idea how he ended up at the dog hoarder and then was rescued. He’s a total snuggle bug. Very chill personality, nothing upsets him. He’s barked maybe 5 times in 6 years. Gets along well with the cat and other dogs. DH takes him to work 2-3 days a week and everyone at work loves him and some have pet sit him for us. The breed personality describes him perfectly.


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[cmo]

Cockapoos might fit the bill for your family.

[ang79]

So my options that are near by for adopting from a shelter or rescue are a bit limited. In my county (and about 10 minutes from my house) is the SPCA and they are currently allowing adoptions (closed to public but you can schedule a time to go to the shelter to see animals and adopt). They almost always have larger dogs and mostly pit mixes. BUt all of their dogs come spayed/neutered, fully vaxed and chipped, and they offer obedience training classes (not currently but after the things return to normal probably).
There are a few smaller foster care rescues within a half hour drive, but its hard to tell about their policies with pets coming with updated vaccines, flea/tick treated, or micro-chipped (some do, some don't, some don't say either way on their sites). One no-kill rescue about 45 minutes from us seems awesome, they try to match the family with the animal and have reps that follow up after the adoption to make sure everything is going smoothly. They are currently halting adoptions due to the virus (I did inquire about the Papilion they currently have). There are SPCAs and Humane Societies in neighboring counties but many have adoptions on hold right now. Any of the breed specific shelters with small dogs have huge wait lists and new dogs go fast (all of the "fancy" dogs like Cavalier King Charles, Havanese, Bichon Frise, etc.). Guess I will keep looking patiently! Our county is currently under a Stay at Home order until April 6, so I guess I shouldn't be out getting a dog and shopping for a dog right now anyways.