Which dog would you recommend in our situation?

[hairycabbage]

We recently lost our elderly sighthound. She was wonderful, the easiest dog ever and just slotted into our lives perfectly.
We're now thinking of getting another dog but don't want another sighthound as fear we will constantly make comparisons but also a slightly smaller dog would be our preference for practical reasons. However, we'd love a dog with some or all of the same characteristics!
We loved the fact that although she loved walks, she was also happy mooching around the house with us. She was an opportunistic food thief but nothing major, loved a game of fetch but her favourite thing was snuggling up next to her humans. She had no separation anxiety so could happily be left for several hours and barely moulted. Prey drive was pretty high but she never managed to catch anything.
We definitely don't want a puppy and I'm not sure we would pass rescue screening as we have a huge garden that has various walls, fences, hedges etc that aren't all over 5 feet tall (only fields all around us and we wouldn't ever leave dog unsupervised in the garden), we have dc and work. Realistically, we're looking for one as 'easy' as our last, after the initial settling in period of course.
Dc are all aged 10+, one an adult who is home most days.
Although we both work (one FT, one school hours), we wfh a lot and my job is flexible enough to be able to take any dog with me if we were out the house longer than a few hours and dc weren't home.
Everything else- holiday care, back up dog walker etc is already in place.
Can anyone recommend a breed that would work for us? I would love a poodle but dh isn't so keen. And if there are any recommendations of flexible rescues or other ways I'd be grateful to hear them 😊. I've been warned off pets4homes etc but how do you find a dog if not through a rescue?

I dont think youd necessarily be discounted by rescues for the garden. Plenty of dogs are not escape artists, especially adult dogs

Thanks. When we adopted our old dog they were very firm that we had to have six feet fences and we had to add trellis to the top )which they then checked) and most rescues I've looked at have specified at least five feet. Maybe it would depend on the specific dog

Just to clarify, we've since moved!

Would a greyhound suit you? We don't have them as we jave many many cats and I believe they have very high prey drive but otherwise might tick your boxes?

Staffordshire bull terrier but a smaller one? They are very affectionate a bit lazy, love walks and mine hardly barked at all! She was a rescue but from a lovely family who just couldn't afford to keep her due to a death in the family.

I'd get a lurcher, just a different look to your previous sighthound so you compare less. EGLR are a rescue that are very flexible on conditions and all about the needs of the individual dog - I know of dogs rehomed to people living in houseboats, flats, houses with no garden, and those with huge unsecurable gardens. But also dogs who have needed secure 6ft fenced gardens as they would be unbearable without off lead running but couldn't be let off out and about.

We didn’t have a big garden when we adopted from the dogs trust and didn’t have anywhere near a 5 foot fence. We live rurally and they were happy we were close to lots of good walks.

Thanks all, I will try contacting some to explain our setup and see what they can offer. I assumed it was a blanket rule!

We are very close to this area so could be ideal. I just don't want a dog that reminds us of our old dog too much, for our sake and theirs!

My friend had a rescue whippet, he was just like your old dog.
I would rule out terriers of any kind. Poodles are intelligent and can get very anxious alone.
I would say whippet or whippet cross would suit you. Lurcher maybe but all the ones I have known really hated being left alone.

Smaller rescues tend to be a bit more flexible. A staffy could be a good fit. You get a few daft ones but most that I know love walks but are generally chilled in the house.

Border terrier?

Lurchers or a retired greyhound sound like they could be a good match.

A flat coat retriever could be a good match too. They need good walks but are very, very affectionate. We had two and both were fine to be left during school hours (my mum was a teacher) as long as they got walked before and after school. Beware though they are prone to skin cancers / melanomas which can shorten their lives to below ten years.

Bedlington terrier.

@whataboutsecondbreakfast second vote for bedlington

Or Bedlington whippet, may be a bit big but fit the other criteria

You won't beat a sight hound ! We rescued our lurcher and he is the best dog we have ever had. Would never get another breed. If you get a rescue lurcher there are always smaller ones they come in all sizes and there are so many crying out for homes !!

Definitely lurcher!! You can get smaller ones! We rescued from dogs friends in weston super mare, they were happy with us working (flexible hours but dog is left for parts of day) and with our fences - I just did a facetime type call with one of their people so they could see the house and garden setup.

Whippet, I think. Or possibly a small lab mix.

Our 18th month old show cocker fits the description you’re looking for. She loves a walk on or off lead and sleeps for most of the day. She likes to play fetch in the garden and is the most affectionate dog we’ve had. We’ve had no separation anxiety problems but we had her from a pup and although I’m home most of the day she’s fine to be left for 4 - 5 hours at a push. I think there is a rescue called Many Tears in Wales but I’m not sure what their stipulations are.

Thanks all. We just lost our lurcher but obviously she ticked all of the boxes for us so you're probably all right that we should just get one again. Maybe one a completely different colour would be easier for us (she was black all over and fabulous)

We had a slinky black lurcher girl to start with ,now a rough coated lurcher boy.., totally different dogs

The old girl is mainly whippet, I think, and sounds just like your dog, she's a princess, so quiet and dignified and just loves to be comfy

The boy is mostly deerhound and is a totally different character, outgoing, bouncy and goofy

They both are very easy in the house, snuggle up and snooze mostly, with occasional bursts of zoomies.

I could never cope with a yappy or barky dog, or a smelly one (lurchers don't have oily coats, the way labs have, so don't have that dog smell) or one with never ending energy

Basically, I am telling you that lurchers and sight hounds are the best, and you know that too

Another vote for lurcher 😍 they give the best snuggles!!

I see that a couple of pps have suggested a staffie. I have one (second staffy in my lifetime) and she is absolutely delightful. However, she does have separation anxiety. I can leave her for a few hours but she won't eat any meal or treats I have left her until I am back, however long that is. That might also be because I live alone so we are very much one to one. My previous dog, an otherwise independent collie cross who had been a stray in Greece, was also reluctant to eat in my absence however lovely her pet sitters.