Erin - I've adopted adult dogs. While there's something about puppies you gotta love, I am completely crazy about my grown up dogs, too. Not potty training? No teething? Sweet!


The largest non-allergenic dog I can think of is a Standard Poodle. Don't write them off - ugh poodles? They're brilliant, loyal, funny dogs with a pretty good life span for a dog that size. And easy to train, considering how smart they are. Often, the smarter they are, the more stubborn and less trainable.

They do have a high maintenance coat, but you don't have to opt for a really silly cut with bows and all. They'll need to go to the groomer every 4-6 weeks unless you want to clip them yourself, but they don't ever really have that dog smell.