Need advice regarding getting new dog.

[bkgirl]

Hello,
we have taken rescue dogs ever since I was a child myself and quite often they were quite old or damaged in various ways. They have rewarded us with total love and loyalty.We normally have 2 at once.

2 days ago, our little Jessie passed away after 13 years. She had been on heart meds and even though we could see it coming,it was a dreadful loss.

Anyway, we still have Susie a 3.5 year old collie - we have had her 2 years and when we got her from the pound she was a deaths door and very abused. She is queen of our living room and knows she is adored, only barked after she was with us for a year, we thought she couldn't bark!!!

So this time as a once only, we are going to get a puppy. Our 8 & 11 year olds need the experience and frankly I don't want to experience grief again for many many years.

What kind of dog do you think we should get? Our house is medim size but we do have a half acre fenced garden.I am not worried about if it is a breed or a mongrel, just not an aggressive type (mastiffs scare me). Jess was a jack russell crossed with a collie etc....

You can rescue puppies too you know? And very young dogs. My foster is only 18 months old. My ex poundie is only four and we have had him for two years.

Sorry to hear about Jessie.

We have a Maltese/Cavalier and she is adorable. Sweet and loyal, gentle with the DC.

How much time do you have for walking?

Friends of ours have a lurcher - if I was going for another dog, it would probably be a lurcher. So good natured, loves to curl up on the sofa all day, after a good run.

I think most dogs are fantastic. It really depends on what you want out of living with a dog. The dogs Trust are really good at asking the right questions and finding a suitable animal for you. We went to Battersea and came home with a border collie, which in the initial stages made me quake in my boots. Now we have 3. I love greyhounds and sighthounds generally, but I'm not sure how I would cope with the chase instinct. There again we have a collie with no recall whatsoever off lead. Some people love small dogs, and some people love big dogs. It's important whatever you get that you understand what the dog was originally bred for.