The right Dog for us.?

[Juliet]

The best thing to do is ADOPT! If you adopt a dog from a shelter, you're not only saving a dog but making room for another that needs to be saved! Another benefit is a non-puppy age dog doesn't have to be crated all day every day if you are a working family. Life in a crate is no life for a puppy. Also, the benefit of an older dog (around a year old) is that you already will know its personality! With a young puppy, they will be destructive, need to be trained, and their personality could drastically change as they age. Shelter workers will know the exact personality of the dog, if it needs to be crated or not, if it likes to be outside, if he's well with other cats or dogs, likes people or children. And, with an older dog, this will not change. Labs also shed a TON. The mixed breeds at shelters have the great qualities of many dog breeds, and some shelters even have purebred dogs if you want something purebred. Good luck! Remember to adopt, not buy from a breeder!

[Jesse Lopshire]

I have to weigh in on the crate training. It might seem cruel to YOU because humans cannot imagine being kept in a crate for a few hours but to a dog who was introduced to a crate properly it isn't a big deal. When a crate trained dog is put in a crate they are more than likely just going to lay down and take a nap until you get back. It isn't cruel as long as you make sure the crate is large enough and that your dog was properly introduced to it. Crates aren't just there to protect your home and belongings from a bored dog. They are there to protect your dog. When we are gone we cannot control what our dogs do if they are loose in the house. A dog may get into something that is harmful. There is no such thing as a dog-proofed home. No matter how hard we try there will ALWAYS be something for a dog to get into. I feel better leaving my house knowing that my dogs are safe in their crates and that I won't come home to find that my dog has gotten into something that could harm him.

And just so you know, Cocker Spaniels CAN catch frisbees, jump in the air, and swim. You seem interested in Whippets. While they can also do all these things I have not seen very many Whippets who enjoy frisbees or swimming. However, any breed can enjoy these things. Just remember that you might even end up with a Labrador who hates water and won't retrieve a ball. Breeds have general tendencies but each dog is an individual.

[Megan]

get a husky they're the best dogs I've had and they're beautiful