What breed and where to start?

[Asdoggypals]

Hello

We are considering getting a dog for our 8 year old autistic daughter. She adores dogs and is so happy and calm when around them. I just know how happy and settled it will make her.
Our son is allergic (mildly but still a consideration).
We'd ideally like to get a rescue dog.
It would need to be not too old but not a puppy. Placid and cuddly temperament but also like playing catch.
Is there a good place to start? What breeds might suit us?
Thanks in advance.

Have a look at Many Tears rescue. They get lots of older puppies or ex-breeder dogs in, including non-shedders like poodles, bichons and their crosses. I have a delightful, gentle and loving Cavalier, but if allergies are a concern then a Cavalier crossed with a poodle or bichon might be a safer bet.

Thank you everyone. So much research to do. We won't go ahead unless we know it's the right thing and we're happy to wait as long as necessary to get the right fit.

We got a lab based on that they make good support dogs. Terrible idea. He's been hard to train and is quite anxious so my boisterous ds is not a good fit. They basically ignore each other and I have to fit 2 hours of walks into the day.

Seconding Whippets or other sighthounds. They are like cats in terms of cuddliness/sitting by you /on top of you on the sofa, they prefer people in the house most of the time, they’re not as exercise mad as you’d think if they can have a good run, and very chilled around the house - I couldn’t cope with a yappy dog that’s always on the go!. We rehomed two during lockdown who are half brother/sister.

I'm going to give many tears (terrible name for a charity!) a call and see what they think.

I've got three autistic boys and a rough collie, they get on brilliantly. He's very sensitive to people who are upset, and tries to comfort them. I did however, do my research first. He's partly American lines so a bit bigger and his fathers temperment particularly impressed me. We got him at 12 weeks of age so did have to go through the shark teeth puppy stage, which can put some children off. We meet a lot of other rough collies at dog shows, the adult female ones are especially motherly to my middle son. Being a male, he barely sheds, he hasn't properly dropped his coat yet either. The girls drop their coats twice a year.
I also considered golden retrievers.

I'm allergic to many dogs and other animals.

We got a Labradoodle / poodle cross - no issues at all. Can have her right up to my face with zero reaction.

I wouldn't describe her as placid though...