Thinking of getting a dog for emotional well-being

[Cokeacola]

But I’m also concerned about what stress a dog could also bring

what has been your experience of having a dog ?

I'm thinking Labrador, springer or beagle

Get a cat. I have both. The dog caused more stress than my children, cats are calm. They purr, they dont smell. They sit on your knee and curl up.
I love the bones of my pooch but gawd she's a pain in my ass 🤣

But if it’s a dog that has to be rescued, it may well not have calmed down, and may even have a whole lot of behaviours introduced as a result of the need to be put up for adoption.

I have always owned beagles and absolutely adore them but I wouldn't recommend them unless you have really done your research. They are extremely affectionate and love nothing more than snuggling up on the sofa with a human but the flip side is that they are really stubborn, hard to train in recall as already mentioned and are very food orientated! Often causing very overweight beagles.
Things to think about before getting any dog - how long will it be left alone, insurance & food cost, what will you do re: holidays/days out, having a dog can be really tying and make holidays expensive as you have to pay for kennels or a sitter. Who will walk the dog each day, who will do the training.
Having said all that our dogs have been amazing for our mental health and I do think they can help but maybe something smaller and not a working breed.
Just to add, lots of people suggesting a rescue and while that is great it can also be really difficult so don't feel pressured. We recently rescued one that was rescued & returned 3 times so I don't always think a rescue is for everyone and it is worse to rescue and then give it up again.

All my family and friends have dogs to improve their well-being (esp ND children).
What's the point otherwise?
Am I missing the part which the op has revealed she couldn't cope with a dog?
Yes they are work (most things you do in life are!) but very fur-filling (See what I did there) and can help improve your mental and physical health.

The can help with mental health but they can also make it worse. The OP is already worrying about the stress and she is only thinking of having a dog.

saying "oh, it will be just wonderful and there are never any problems" isn't helpful. Many people on this thread have said it has not helped their mental health.

People stress about most things, going on holiday, moving house, getting married, buying their first home, having a baby, changing jobs, going to Uni, having operations, meeting new people, leaving relationships.
We still get on with it. How do you do anything otherwise?

Again: I can't see anything in the post which indicates they are overwhelmed with stress/MH at this point?

I must say all my dogs (including the rescues) have been very easy and added to my life. I have one at a time and I don't pick difficult or unhealthy breeds.

Yeah, you're right and all the people who have said that a dog has had a negative impact on their mental health is wrong. And properly laughing at the "difficult breed" comment given what the OP is considering 😂😂

all this! And I’ll add:-

Also the op has stated they want a dog to help with mental health - not a single mention of what they, the op, can offer a dog. The op shows little understanding of what dog ownership can entail, and rightly posters are concerned that a potential new dog could be treated as a toy. Which they are not.
whilst there are positives to dog ownership, there are a lot of negatives too, which the op, in all likelihood wasn’t aware of off, but may now proceed with more knowledge than before.