Does this breed exist?

[PosiePootlePerkins]

Thinking ahead to a few months time when we will hopefully be in a position to get a dog. We would like a dog which is:
Friendly - we have two boys aged 7 and 12 and would like an affectionate dog
Not too big - can cope with a medium size dog but not a huge one
Doesn't need loads of exercise - could manage two walks a day but not long ones in the week. Longer walks at the weekends. We do have a large garden which we would dog proof.
Can be left for a few hours, up to 4 maximum. Would use a dog walker twice a week when I work until 4pm to break up the day. Other days I am in at lunchtime.
Obviously I know that each dog has its own individual temperament and personality but in general, do any breeds fit the above?
Thanks

South East, Hampshire: the following are fairly near to you:

Wimbledon Greyhound Welfare/Hersham Hounds Their kennels are in KT12, they have volunteers who come daily to walk the dogs, lots of adopters send their dogs to the kennels when going on holiday. Looks like a good bunch of supporters. They seem to know their dogs very well and could easily help with high/low prey drive and all those issues.

Holbrook Animal Rescue As well as rehoming local dogs, they also work with Zante Strays and Desperate Greekies and advertise their dogs on the website. If you wanted a puppy, there are always a lot of lab/pointer type mixes from Greece/Cyprus. I know this is a massive generalisation, but Greekies have a great reputation for being lovely, easy dogs. There are a lot of poodle type crosses in Cyrus/Greece, exactly like cockerpoos here!

Desperate Greekies They also have an FB group you could join. Rehome mainly in the SE. You could also offer to foster for them.

Diana Brimblecombe Animal Rescue A bit further away in Berkshire but worth keeping an eye on.

Silver Fox Dog Rescue Rehome all over the UK. Can also offer to foster.

Poodles in Need If you like a cockerpoo, why not go for a poodle? Proper dogs, if you don't have the daft show-type clips. They have a lovely 8 month old (ref AV296) black miniature poodle at the moment on their website.

I would say that you have to be fairly proactive if you want to consider a rescue. Join all the relevant FB groups as they're always more up to date than websites. Also, "popular" family type dogs get rehomed much more quickly so often don't even get to the website, so you'll see these more on the FB groups. You can also get a feeling for the rescue, see how they react to any problems adopters post about etc. Make contact, get homecheck(s) done, keep in touch, don't expect them to ring you, they are so busy and lacking in manpower that they simply don't have time, so you have to make the effort. I know it seems a lot of work but, if you've got a bit of time, you will save 2 dogs (space for another one at the shelter) and have saved £100s that you would have shelled out for a pedigree.

You can also look here for other rescues. I would avoid the one which has a name like the liquorice "many varieties" sweets as I've heard they don't have a great reputation.

We have a whippet and our list of requirements matches yours. She is a brilliant family dog. Doesn't need hours of walking but hapy to come if we do go out for a few hours. Playful without being silly. Affectionate and trainable. Slight food issues and will mug the toddler if she thinks she can get away with it. But a lovely family dog!

Here she is looking hopeful that she can have left over pizza!

Trionic I just scrolled back and saw your picture! Wow, so lovely, would the collective noun be "a sofa of whippets"

Thanks bagel that's such a helpful list. I understand what you are saying about rescues. And as I said we can wait for the right dog to come along. Missbehiving how funny, dogs are such little characters, I really think the right one will bring joy to our home. You are all convincing me of one thing, we need a dog in our lives! My two best friends are dog owners so I would have walking companions too.

Trionic I have just scrolled back too! Lovely whippets!

My one is also show bred and also has a high prey drive. We mostly avoid the beautiful lake 10 mins away and instead hang out on the less pretty rugby field! But my sisters whippet was bred for coursing and adopts anything and everything as her babies. She has acted as nanny to kittens, rabbits, ducklings and turkeys bought in for Christmas lunch.

The turkeys never made the table. Had to retire them to the allotment so the dog could still visit.

That miniature poodle boy looks a little cracker, Bagel - or the 7-yr-old one that's meant to be good with cats.

One of my lurchers was bred for coursing. He's scared of the chickens, and cat2 sometimes sleeps on top of him and he's too worried to move!

I'd second what Bagel says about keeping in contact with rescues - we saw ddog1 the day he came into rescue as we were in contact with them. Often the cat/child friendly dogs are reserved before they go on the website, only appearing on FB

www.oldies.org.uk/category/adopt-an-oldie

Try here. Oldies who need a forever home - I challenge you not to want one! I fancy this one - www.oldies.org.uk/2016/tess-german-shepherd-dog-rescue-gloucester because she opens the door and fetches the phone!

Omg I can't believe a previous poster has been sold a husky cross as being low energy! Huskys are well known for being aggressive and destructive when bored and under-exercised, just google husky damage there's a whole website dedicated to it! Literally the worst dog ever to put in an apartment with no garden! If the idiot breeders are spouting such rubbish I'd guess it's a poorly bred dog as well, poor thing!

I would also suggest a Boston terrier. Ours is now 6 months old and I spent 2 years choosing breed and breeders, and he is an absolute joy. He doesn't shed, doesn't smell doggy, is fab with our kids and easy to train. He has 2 walks a day and happy to curl up by the radiator in between!

Hey guys sorry for late reply.. I did more research on the pomsky and you are so right they are little cute things on amphetamines lol.. The good news is I can still cater to that as my partner works from home and due to illnesses (long story) I am currently not working so in a way it's great for me as I can potentially play all day with him.. He's arriving at 2am tonight (long story again) so I am still excited. I will do whatever it takes to cater to his needs x

Framboise as you may end up with a dog far more energetic than you were expecting I'd advise training the dog to settle and be calm at home right from the start. Kikopup on Youtube has done an excellent series of videos about this called 'Capturing Calmness', the first one in the series is .

The Dog Training Advice and Support FB group has lots of excellent information here in their files section.

Is there any particular reason the puppy has to arrive at 2am? It's much easier to settle them in the first day if you bring them home as early as possible.

Puppy arriving at 2am and bad cross of breeds screams puppy farm dodgy dealings, I hope you've huge savings accounts or very good insurance cover for the vet bills that are likely to follow!

Can I ask if you've met the puppy's parents, Framboise?

boston terriers are brachycephalic and therefore riddled with health problems - breathing issues (which in turn cause a lot of heart, circulation and respiratory problems because the dog is permanently oxygen starved) not to mention skin and eye problems because of the unnatural and overbred flat faces

Buying a brachycephalic dog like a Boston, pug or bulldog is promoting nothing short of torture. The dogs have miserable lives because they are unable to breathe properly. That's the reason they are also low energy - they are too ill to do a proper amount of activity

Totally off the point but I noticed on pre loved last night some puppies for sale near us described as chunky husky X labradoodle , IIRC they are asking £650 , who on earth pays that sort of money for these mad crosses , it's lunacy . I have a patterdale X ( was a Battersea pup) , I wouldn't recommend them unless you are a lover of proper working terriers .

sparechange - my Boston is perfectly healthy thank you. He does not have breathing, skin or eye problems and can run and walk for miles and miles.

I absolutely agree with you that badly bred Bostons can, like other brachy breeds, suffer health issues but actually Bostons are less flat faced than many other breeds. But like with anything - if you take time and do research finding a good breeder, you should get a dog that lives a good age - the average is 14 years which is considerably longer than many dogs.

Not all brachy dogs are the same - Bostons are good swimmers for examples unlike many.

I'm sure your dog is healthy at the moment but he is only 6 months old. Statistically he has a huge chance of developing health problems.

They are not in any way a responsibile or sensible choice of breed and with all the research in the world, you are still only choosing between breeders who prioritise stupid cutsie features and money over the health and happiness of the dogs they breed.
They aren't alone in doing that. Plenty of other mutated breeds have the same problems but people shouldn't kid themselves they can bypass the risks to the dog by 'researching breeders'

Err no, he isn't six months' old. He's 9. I think you're confusing me with the person who posed the photo of their puppy?

Statistically, Bostons are pretty healthy actually - I'm sure I know a lot more of them than you do and I do know some that have problems, sure but then I know a lot of labs with hip problems.

And do fuck off with your 'mutated breed' bullshit. Bostons have been around for over 100 years

And how is a labrador breeder any more responsible or sensible than a boston terrier breeder?

I wouldn't change my whippet for anything else!!!!!
Obviously many of the same traits as greyhounds. Smaller though. I have mine off the lead all the time and she is easy to call back.

Wow jiggy did you mean to be so rude?

To be fair many breeds have issues specific to their breed but you have to conceed surely that a boston (lovely as they are) have specific problems because of the way they are bred to look. They do suffer from breathing difficulties and eye problems and other less obvious conditions.

One might argue that it is irresponsible to breed an animal that will likely suffer duscomfort because of the breed standard.

Labradors are working dogs and not bred for peculiar traits such as a deformed skull. They do have breed specific issues although with a greater gene pool these are less common.

I work in a vets and witness a lot of heart ache of owners of brachycephalic breeds of dogs, especially at the moment as they are unfortunately the latest fashion statement dog and as a result of this more and more issues with bad breeding are coming to the fore.

It is good for the OP to be made aware of issues common to specific breeds. So she can make an informed decision about what is right for her family.

And how is a labrador breeder any more responsible or sensible than a boston terrier breeder?

The difference is that whilst hip dysplasia is more common than it should be in labs it's not caused by the shape the breed is. Additionally although the hip scoring system isn't infallible it does give breeders something to work with in terms of trying to avoid that particular health problem.

Many of the issues suffered by Bostons are as a direct result of their construction. Even though they're not quite as brachycephalic they're still at high risk of suffering the associated issues but possibly the biggest conformation-related problem in the breed is the difficulty they have giving birth naturally. UFAW estimates that the rate of c sections in the breed could well be over 90% and that's as a direct result of the large head and relatively narrow hips which typify the breed.

It really needs to become widely accepted that some of the shapes we have bred dogs into just aren't compatible with genuinely good health.