doggies! Best breeds, expenses, and rewards of having them

We have a pug and I have to say she has been the BEST dog I have ever owned! We trained her to use a doggie litter box so when we are not home there is no accidents and because she is a pug they can't be outside and overheated ( I live in Florida).
We have her on a wellness plan at Banfield which is in our local Petsmart (nationwide I think) and we pay $24.00 a month which includes shots worming getting fixed and discounts on all other procedures.

I think once you get to the shelter and look through the dogs, there will be one that just connects with you, no matter the breed, you will just know she/he is the one!

I have a 12 year old pitbull, he is the greatest and most well behaved dog ever, and I also have a 7 month old French Bulldog. She is the love of my life. When I saw her, I knew she was mine, and I am sure this will happen to you also, let us know what you get!

omg pits can be so precious!! we have a pug...not a super snorty one. i work at an animal hospital part time and see all sorts of stuff. here's what i've noticed (and taken notes for our next dog):
MUTTS are awesome! usually they are part lab or sometimes even pits, and it seems like (as long as they weren't given up for some aggression issue or other unmanagable issue) they always have the best traits of all their mixed up breeding.
LABS -chocolate, black,yellow, whatever- are a lot of times just completely crazy and high strung...but just want to love and be loved (like pretty much every breed, i guess)...i wouldn't ever get one just because they are SO high strung.
PUGS are great, but -and i'm not just saying this b/c she's my baby- ours is not like the ones i've seen come through the hospital. usually they are full of issues: ear infections (which ours is prone to), nasal issues, and eye issues...any 'bug eyed' breed can have eye issues though...they tend to get a lot of debris in them.
SPANIELS are a mix for me. cockers and springers tend to be ...a problem. they often have ear problems and we see a lot with skin problems. plus they can have 'cocker rage' and turn at the drop of a hat. cavelier king charles spaniels are just about the cutest, sweetest spaniel breed ever.
TOY breeds are all up in the air. they're all adorable and great for snuggling, but chihuahuas are notoriously mean to everyone but they're owners and a small circle of people they see always. jack russels terriers are by far my least favorite. not to offend anyone, but i have never walked a JR that knew how to be on a leash. i am often worried they will strangle themselves at the end of the leash! schnauzers are sooo cute, but they have the most biting bark/cry ever! same with beagles...the noise alone is enough to turn me off.
every breed has it's issues and medical problems, but i would say medically speaking (well, as a person who sees certain animals come through more often than others) we see a lot of labs, but mostly due to their popularity, but also for expensive hip and knee surgery (they are crazy, remember). we see a lot of spaniels for ears and skin. large dogs (great danes, irish wolfhounds, scottish deerhounds, greyhounds) are THE BEST if you have space...and can let your pet go after their short life span. i think i don't have to mention that bloodhounds are always a bad idea, unless you have a purpose for them...not great housepets.
i could go on and on, but i think if you find a mixed breed young dog at an adoption agency (the young ones go fast, so good luck!) you're in for a great pet. you can tell once you meet a dog if it's the one for you. just be aware that some breeds do have aggressive tendencies and can be unpredictable (australian cattledogs tend to be a bit shady) and even just a little bit can come out of your mixed breed so training is usually the key, no matter what kind of dog you get! so it's good that your husband has experience in that sort of thing. i'm always proud when the vets and technicians tell me how amazed they are at my pugs behaviour...i see it now that i have worked with other pugs, too...it's all about the training, lifestyle and environment.
as long as your insurance isn't an issue, it would be great for you to find a pit mix. i saw the most gorgeous boy yesterday (someone's pet) ...beautiful 'blue' coloring on his face, just a mass of muscle, and all he wanted to to was sit in my lap!!
good luck!

We have had 5 rescues so I am DELIGHTED to see that you want to adopt rather than buy from a breeder. In the UK we have the Dangerous Dogs Act whereby certain breeds (including pits) are pts purely because of their breed, an absolute disgrace!

I don't think any specific breed is better or worse than any other for temperament but they do tend to have different personalities - but you'll need to consider the size for your home, and also the amount of exercise required. Greyhounds don't actually need a lot of exercise, but a working dogs like a collie or cocker spaniel needs a lot.

Spend at least a couple of hours with any dog you are considering adopting, introduce it to all members of the family who are liikely to be coming to your home, especially children, and see if you can take it for a walk a couple of times before making a final decision.

Costs will depend on the breed of dog. The cost for adoption at our local shelter is around £60 for a small dog, they do neuter the dogs if they are of age, but that could potentially be another £200+ if it is something you need to pay for yourself - all shelters are different. Cost of micro-chipping if not done at shelter, I'm not sure how much... Initial costs for things such as a bed, crate, car harness/belt, leads, harnesses, collars, id tags, food & water bowls, poop bags (the most important things, lol!).....

Then there are ongoing costs of vaccinations (I rcently paid £36 for a vaccination booster, not the initial treatment), worming and flea treatments, and in some countries heartworm meds (thankfully not in the UK).

I have 3 small dogs and their insurance comes to just over £50 per month, but they are covered for illnesses and accidents including third party insurance if they cause an accident or damage. I would urge you to take our insurance as a priority, so many dogs are prone to horrible illnesses like Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and Syringomyelia, I would hate to be in a position where I had to have a dog pts because I couldn't afford to pay for treatment.

My best advice would be to pick mongrel or mixed breed - if you do choose a specific breed do as much homework on it as you possibly can.

Best of luck, and bear in mind that you don't have to get one on your first trip to the pound. Much better that you make a few visits and make sure you are both right for each other :flowerforyou:

Good work on adopting, it's definitely the way to go.
I have a Husky mix. She is on premium holistic food (Earthborn) and we spend about $60 on a bag and it lasts for a month and a half to two months. The good part about premium food, is that you can actually feed your dog less because there is more protein and they use quality ingredients. My dog is an extremely picky eater and seems to like the Earthborn. Other brands you might want to check out are Arcana, Orijen, Innova, Kiwi, and Fromm. You may need to go to a specialty pet store to get these brands, but they are better for your dog. Also, go for a grain free formula. The food is more palatable and it's also better for them.
We spend approximately 240 a year on flea/tick/heartworm/worm prevention.
We spend about 100 a year on vet bills. (This is an estimate, as she doesn't go to the vet often; Maybe once a year.)
We spend about 15 dollars a month on new toys and treats.
And we spend an additional 20-30 on her Norwegian fish oil supplement that we put on her food at every meal. We get it at GNC.

(Gosh, do I have a spoiled dog or what!?)

We adopted a young dog from a shelter thinking she would be easier than a puppy. My guess is she'd been in a shelter all her life and she's used to peeing where she lives. She was definitely not housebroken. She ruined our carpet. She chewed holes in the wall. Destroyed hundreds of dollars worth of clothes. She pulled the siding off the side of our house (she's a small, active pointer mix). And then what did we do? Adopted a puppy. And he did all the same stuff. But they're best friends and they love eachother and we have a pretty big happy, disfunctional dog family.

Dogs will never be what you expect them to be. They will change your life and the love is really hard at first. But now I can't live without them.

One thing that irritates me is that people think dogs are going to be easy, they think they'll get along with small children, cats, not bark, not chew, not destroy, not ruin your house, not require training, and so then they find all kinds of reasons they "have" to surrender them to shelters where they only have a 50/50 chance of NOT being euthenized. Drives me nuts.

Well said. And props to the original poster for wanting to adopt! I have a rescued Boston terrier/border collie mix, and she's a great dog. When we got her she hid under the table, and for years she was scared of men and brooms, but since then she has learned to smile and play with toys, and now she's pretty much the best dog ever. I grew up with pure-bred golden retrievers, who are also amazing dogs... but talk about medical bills! Each one had some kind of very expensive medical condition. I'm guessing its from all the inbreeding. Poor things. I'll always lean toward the lab types, because that's what I know, but I'm surprised that my little Boston terrier rescue has won my heart so quickly.

I did not read the other posts. BOXER, all the way. I grew up with them and have 2 now. I could not imagine life without them. They are the smartest, sweetest, most loyal dogs ever. They are hyper and prone to chewing when they are little (what dog, or person for that matter isn't.) But they do grow out of it. My male boxer was (and still is but not as much) very protective of my son when he was born. He laid by his crib anytime he was in there and would stand guard when the other 2 dogs were around. My son crawls on them and does whatever and they love every second of it. If you choose to have a pet, then you are committing financially as well. And they are expensive. But prices vary with vets I've found. The one we used for YEARS charged 2xs the amount for everything that our current vet does and the old vet was a total jerk to us and our dogs.

Our beagle was a rescue and so was our female Boxer. Our male Boxer came from a breeder. If you choose to go the breeder route, DO YOUR RESEARCH and make sure you are not getting a dog from some puppy mill. Make sure you can see the mom and preferably the dad as well. Our breeder had the mom and aunts and uncles. The dad lived down the street but she had a TON of pics for us to see. I think most breeds have issues when they get older. Boxers for example are prone to hip dysplasia. The Boxer I had growing up had it and it was really sad to see him deteriorate but I would still not change anything. I know what we have to go through when my 3 get older but again, would not trade it for the world. The heartache sucks and I am tearing up right now thinking about it; but pets bring so much joy in the short time they are with us. We truly could learn a lot about life and love from them if we would open ourselves up.

My ultimate dream is to have a Boxer rescue because that breed has always been such a big part of my life and I want to try and give back to them what they've given me for so many years. Patience, love and understanding. That's really all they want. Oh, and food and water.

I hope I did not make any spelling errors or gramatical errors because I can not go back and proof it. I cried while writing it and I am not work. Can't.show.weakness.

my best advice is this: personality first, breed second. dogs are a lot like ppl, they can't be easily catigorized by looking at them, so don't rely on the breed. spend some time, get to know the dogs. let the DOG pick YOU. don't just grab "the cute one" take the dog who gravitates toward you naturally.

mine is a rescue, and we'd looked for months, then i saw that face in the pen. he stole my heart. we had the one-on-one time and he cared more about me then about the employee who he knew. he's MY dog and i am HIS human.

take the time to let your dog find you.

I have a standard poodle (65 pounds). Wouldn't be the best "apartment" dog. He is high energy and needs room to run. He has long legs and would make a GREAT partner for someone to run with (maybe that will be me one day). I have walked him 4+ miles with him having no trouble in the middle of a Mississippi summer. So he is very sturdy. I got him from his breeder at 7 months old - already had shots, was kennel trained, basic commands, and house broken! Awesome deal on him (1/3 asking price) because he was an "older" dog. He is the best dog I have ever owned. No doggy odor, doesn't shed, hypo-alergenic. He is extremely smart, but is a hopeless counter-top surfer. I have to have all food put away if he is left unattended. His stomach is easily upset if he has a food change, so I try not to let him have much people food. AND he is, at times, GASY... But he sleeps on the foot of my bed, so gasy is not a good thing!! hehe

I feed him a mid-high end food ($40 oer 35 pound bag) He and my 4 pound palmapoo eat about 35 pounds per month. I do my own grooming, but he needs grooming every 6-8 weeks. If I was paying for the grooming it would be about $60 at Petsmart. I bought a $100 pair of clippers and have been using them for over a year - well worth the investment. Booster shots/checkups all done in one visit was about $200. Other than that the maintenance issues, flea preventive, heartworm preventive - all of those things are much cheaper online. So shop online sites for those medications.

If you decide to go with a "breed" try the breed rescue organizations too. I know there is a Standard Poodle Rescue organization. They will pair people and dogs and help arrange transportation to get the dog.

We adopted a lab/irish setter mix a few months ago and she is fantastic! She shed a TON when we got her, but as soon as we took her off her gross grocery store dog food and put her on Canidae Grain Free dog food she stopped shedding completely, her coat looks so shiny and healthy, and she poops a lot less. Feeding a dog good high quality food is so important. Her dog food is about $50 for a 35lb bag and she only eats 3 cups total a day, so it lasts a while. Since she is 3 she only has to go to the vet once a year now and I assume that will be less than $100 each visit. I do get her heartworm prevention meds and the tick meds, together those are around $80 for a 9 month supply.

Labs and Irish Setters are both awesome dogs, so mix them together and you get perfection, um until she sees a squirrel or a bunny that is! :noway:

Beagles are definitely espace artists - my mother breeds and shows them.

And I LOVE pitbulls.

i love pits too

I love pits! We have two rescue dogs and they are worlds apart from each other, as far as personality. One is a Pit/Lab mix who is very lovable, loyal and a bit needy since he was abused when he was a puppy. Then we have a Rott/Chow mix who gets a lot of compliments still, whom we rescue from a shelter after my mom fell in love with him. We've had them for about 7 years now, and they're both terrific dogs! Neither of them are the type to get if you don't like sweeping your floor often though, because they both tend to shed quite a bit. But they're both very protective, easy to train and take care off...Oh, they do eat a ton though! :noway:

Oh yeah - He's a major chewer. Destroys any toy in 15 min tops and I have stuffing all over. We do toys very rarely now. The first time I had to leave him home for a full day he chewed up the couch in the basement (It was ok cause I hate that couch).

He hasn't chewed on furniture since that couch though and now I just buy bones instead of toys.

Well...I have a pure bred Rat Terrier who is a lovely dog. He doesn't bark (but that is just my dog...my mom has two...well, one recently passed on) Rats and one is a huge barker and the other (was) not. They are great little dogs, tho...and for a terrier, pretty good with children (we have three kids and our Rat loves to play...and he is almost 9). Very loving but he doesn't like to be held a lot. He needs his space.

We also have a part Daschund part Jack Russell that a friend found on the side of the road when he was about 8 weeks old. He is SO sweet and loving and his ideal day would be for you to sit and hold him all day long. He is curled up next to me right now

I prefer small dogs, but if I were to get a large dog, I would have to go for a Boxer or a Great Dane. They have great temperments and they are lovely dogs Mutts are generally good ones, too!

I don't buy the most expensive food for them ~ but they do have to have lamb and rice because my Rat (and a lot of Rats have this) has food allergies. His skin on his belly would get red and raw on stuff w/ lots of fillers. He does great on Pedigree's Lamb and Rice. I pay about $12 a bag...cheaper if I can get a coupon...and they eat a bag a month. They only weigh 10 pounds each and I leave food out for them all the time. I know some people choose not to, but it works for us. We take them to the mobile vet, so shots are a lot cheaper there. Maybe $50 a year? However, a few years ago, my Rat snapped his leg in half and we had to go to an orthopedic. After all was said and done, we had shelled out $3k to get it fixed...so you can't just think that shots are the only thing you will spend on the pets!