Have you thought about a pug my youngest son has one and he is the most easy going dog I have ever seen
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I LOVE pugs. Have you read the Tao of Pug books? Hilarious.

Sadly, hubby claims that smooth-coated dogs bother his allergies.
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Between hubby's stipulations, and the lack of breeders in our remote corner of the world, my choices are pretty limited. Still, with work, I know we'll find a great dog - because all dogs are great.
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I absolutely love my French bulldog that my mom rescued from our county shelter. She is a total Velcro dog and is beyond affectionate. She is incredibly intuitive to how I'm feeling and has never once pumped into my "bad" arm. When I'm up for it she has plenty of energy and when I'm bed ridden she just snuggles in. She loves her stuffed animals, and in some ways seems very puppy like still. She loves other people and likes to play with other dogs, but she has a special bond with me. She was 2 when rescued. There are a few Frenchie rescues and some need to be in single dog homes. The slightly larger ones 25-30 lbs often have fewer health issues. She has all the wonderful qualities pit owners rave about with none of the aggression and little nubin teeth.

Maybe consider fostering to find the perfect fit for your daughter?

Hockey wrote:

Quote:

All the best therapists have fur.

Loved that line so much I had to repeat it in a post of its own. So very true.

Hi Hockey,

I have always had large breed dogs so I don't have any suggestions for a small or medium breed.

The biggest problem with the larger breeds is they take up the whole bed.
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(And you can't pick them up.)

My neighbor has two miniature Schnauzers that are adorable and love to cuddle. I do not know if they would get along with a cat or not. As far as grooming, ??? They are professional groomed when the owner wants their hair trimmed. I do not think they need much brushing or grooming other than personal taste of appearance.

My smallest dog weighed about 75 pounds and the largest weighed in at 130 pounds so you can see, I don't have much personal experience with smaller breeds.

I love the gentle giants. Burmese Mountain Dogs, Great Pyrenees, Newfoundlands, etc.... are wonderful, patient dogs. When I trained, I used to tell prospective first time owners: "When picking a family pet, the smaller the child, the bigger the dog."

I had to chime in here because I love dogs, especially Airedales! They don't shedd , are smart and funny. Too big for you but so happy your family will be growing !!
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We used to dog sit a friend's Airedale. He was a rescue, blinded by abuse, but that didn't slow him down. Who wouldn't love a giant terrier: so much personality, so much courage!

Let me also mention Frenchies don't generally do well left alone for long periods. They were bred to cling to their person/people.

I always preferred larger dogs as well, and I'm still not a fan of the toy variety.

I do believe you can sometimes figure out your connectin with a dog just within a few minutes.

You might consider a Boston Terrier as well. They're much less expensive if you wish to buy a puppy, have fewer health issues, and can be more independent if needed.

Boston's are also among the most kid friendly of the small breeds. Sadly, my husband seems to have allergy troubles with smooth-coated dogs. Funnily enough, our former heavy shedders never bothered him.

Anyway, that restriction does limit our choices.

The toy breed requirement stems from hubby's concern that, due to my disabilities, I couldn't handle a big dog if it lurched on a walk, etc... In some ways though, a bigger dog would be easier because I wouldn't have to bend down to tend to it.