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We have decided to get a dog, now the main debate is over what model to get, missus and small person firstly wanted a Dachshund but being 6'4 I think it would look silly so that been discounted, now maybe Corgi or Beagle, although also veering towards a rescue (from Romania maybe).

Any suggestions, caveats seem to be, shouldn't be too big, dumps shouldn't be too big and whilst it needs to be lively to live with a 6 year old, should also be a lazy twat like my good self a lot of the time.

I've got a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Small, big heart, very lazy (although he is a Spaniel and does have Spaniel esque energy when he wants), big appetite and great personalities. He's good with kids as he likes playing with them but most of the time he just chills and doesn't really require long walks although he loves going out to the big country park by my house. Obviously I'm a bit biased, but they are great lap dogs. Biggest downside is the amount of hair he sheds, but you get used to it and I've got one of thse animal dysons which clears it up pretty neatly.

From your description a similar breed might be good. Have you looked at cockapoos? Super popular atm. Smaller dogs with great temperaments and they don't shed.

This might help decide what type you want...

https://dogtime.com/quiz/dog-breed-selector

https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2014/12/05/12-low-energy-dogs.aspx

When we inevitably get a dog, it will be one from this list. :-)

We like the sound of the King Charles.

No intention of getting a dog myself but do love Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. Was around a few of them when I was little and they were great.

Yeah they are lovable little dogs, which  is why I got one! My missus HATED dogs before she met me and was terrified when she first met him and now they are best mates. Same with my friends who don't like dogs, they all love him.

Bit of advice. Do not take insurance out. Instead put the money aside each month. Pet insurance companies are a nightmare. Trust me. We had to pay out £5k as they wouldn't pay for surgery.

We have a cockapoo. She is a right bitch.

Hadn't thought of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, friends had a Cocker when I was a kid and she was a good dog, Springers are too big and lively!

Will add that to the list.

Aren't KCS's a bit "toy"? Proper small but tough is a Jack Russell (flop ears, longer legs, no tail-dock). Fantastically game little dogs and great companions.

If you want a stress free life, don't get a Beagle.

Please consider getting a rescue dog if you can. Loads of dogs here and abroad that need rehoming.

Rescue dogs are a big risk though especially if you have young kids.

No they're not, as long as you go via a responsible rehoming organisation. They don't just grab dogs out of the shelters and sling them out to anyone. The dogs will be fostered and assessed to see what kind of home they are suitable for. There are some rescue dogs that need a bit more TLC than others because of their past history but any responsible rehoming organisation will tell you that and wouldn't rehome the dog with you if (e.g.) the dog wasn't good with kids or needed someone to be around most of the day and you are out at work all day. You're far more likely to encounter problems with an irresponsible breeder or puppy farm than a good rehoming organisation.

We use petplan for our cats and have never had a problem with them. Been advised against the cheaper ones though, as they’re the kind that will stinge you

All true and agreeable. It's still a risk in my opinion, but like with any dog it's always a risk when kids are involved!


I've known people to have issues with petplan as well. It's like with any insurance, be it pets, home or car. You don't know what they are like until you need them.

We got a rehomed 5 year old Cocker Spaniel 6 weeks ago (rehomed as owners family circumstances changed and unable to look after her as well as they did before). Best thing we ever did, she has a beautiful temperament, is perfectly house trained, and with all KC documentation, vaccination records and the like. If we ever get a dog again that is the route we would take.

Got her through Pets4Homes on web

If you get a rescue dog from a responsible organisation that has been fostered and assessed, there's actually less risk as they will have a good idea of what the dog's temperament is and how it will get on with kids, other dogs, even cats.

Springers can be mental if not cared for correctly. My in laws have had a few springers but all have been trained as gun dogs so are good as gold. The current one is still young so a little lively at times but his discipline is incredible.

I agree with sippo, it doesn't matter how well behaved or docile a dog is, there is always a risk especially with smaller children. My in laws springer treats my boys as if they were his own but when my youngest was a baby he would pull the dogs ears and tail and what not. Luckily the dog did fuck all, but you can never be too sure.

We have a beagle rescued from a puppy farm. I heartily recommend rehoming a rescue dog.

Fair enough, but that's a risk with any dog, irrespective of whether they are a rescue or not. I was arguing against his suggestion that rescue dogs are inherently less safe than dogs bought from breeders or (worse) puppy farms. Which I don't think they are if you check out where you are getting your dog from properly. At the end of the day you are bringing a living animal into your family, not a hoover.

I'd definitely go the rehoming route too. If you get one from the dogs trust or blue cross both you and he dog will be assessed before they allow any dog to go to you.
Best thing we ever did getting ours and from the blue cross.

Any dog can bite regardless of where you acquired it. I'd actually say a dog that has been assessed by experts in a rescue centre will be safer than a dog from a breeder in many cases.

I'd also endorse petplan insurance. Ain't the cheapest but they've always paid out when we've needed them to.

out of curiosity, whats the average "running costs" of your dogs? a breakdown would be great especially insurance.

What's a DAG

I seem to remember from Neighbours, it's an Aussie insult

Snatch: D'ya like dags.

Depends on if you want to feed your dog a quality diet or the shite supermarkets sell.(A quality diet sees less out the other end) Ditto insurance. The best ones cost more. My dog is coming up to 12 and his insurance is now nearly £50 a month(it goes up every year)
We feed him decent food and it works out about £2.50 a day. Then there's the annual jabs which ain't covered by insurance, excesses if you have to have treatment etc. The biggest factor is that you'll have what is essentially another kid for over a decade. It's a big commitment if you do it right and you have to sacrifice alot in my opinion. I certainly have.

Very true,  try adopting one and see the amount of questions they ask and the vetting they do.   They would not let a dog go to a family they felt they were not suited to.  Agree, there may be the odd occasion they do get it wrong but would have a rescue dog every time.   Pauld is spot on, plenty of dogs looking for loving homes, you don't need to spend hundreds of pounds to secure a good dog, plenty of dodgy dog dealers and puppy farms out there who will gladly take your money and don't give a shit about the animal you have just purchased.
Go and have a look at any rescue center, you'll be amazed how many loving dogs there are just looking for that forever home.
Got our last Golden Retrevier through a rescue center and although we lost him three years  ago theres not a day go by that I don't think of him, absolutely amazing dog, and our next one will come through a rescue centre again for sure. Many dogs are in there through no fault of their own and are just waiting for a new loving owner.  Please don't waste your money,  these dogs have almost every test done on them, you can almost guarantee they will be far more healthy than a dog you buy over the internet.

Without doubt a retired greyhound is a great pet. Universally laid back, loves people, will willingly go for a walk anytime, or just chill out on the sofa - no problem.

Had them for over 20 years - never met a bad one, not once.

Agree with everything that's been said on here about adoping a crossbreed and a rescue. Ours came from Many Tears, who rescue dogs from Ireland (they told us that Irish dog wardens put dogs down if not collected within 48 hours, so they have a van rounding them up and bringing them over on the ferry into Wales). He had been fostered for 2 months for assessment before being put up for adoption.

If you're not quite sure about a decade-long commitment to a dog, there are plenty of older dogs needing homes. You can see some at www.oldies.org.uk (http://www.oldies.org.uk).

They’ve got 7 days in Ireland.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXILzUpVx7A

For anybody considering a Westie, I can recommend Westie Rehoming http://westierehoming.net
My cousin Jacqui has been running this organisation for several years, originally from Liddington and now from Ashbury.

Got a beagle/scnauzer cross and a norfolk terrier cross.

Love the little fuckers i do

The ilder one is just coming up to 9 yrs old and they tried to increase my policy by £50 a month, despite never claiming on it. Soon got told to fuck off

Just got a whippet puppy - 12 week old called Lemmy (aka Motorhead  8)
They are brilliant placid pets after about 12 months.
At the moment 75% whippet 25% gremlin so full of fun, energy & naughtiness.

We love a bone chew.

Well in a first step we are going to see a rescue Pointer on Monday, he has some separation anxiety issues (which with us both working from home we could address so the rescue people are quite keen on us) so we shall see.

Long story short the rescue route failed miserably for us as the pointer was way too big (thankfully has found a home on a farm now) so instead we took on a Jack Russell they were re-homing.

However on taking her on (being told that she had been rehoused through no fault of her own, come from a happy homes etc etc) it transpired that she suffered terrible separation anxiety (could never settle and even if one of us left the room leaving the other two she would have a nervous breakdown running back and forth barking), wasn't properly house trained and had a real problem with blokes (Although she was fine with me), after a bit we realised we just didn't have the skills to sort all her problems (really pissed me off just how much the previous owner had fucked her head up and then bullshitted the rescue place about how she was (cannot deny not being a bit pissed of with the shelter as well as they seemed to have taken everything on face value)) and as we were only fostering at first they decided best option would be to home her with a specialist psychologist via Dogs Trust who might be able to sort her problems systematically.

So being left with a heart broken 6 years old, and a missus who realised that she really wanted a dog as she coped brilliantly with the problem hound we went down the puppy route on the understanding that we could start from scratch getting things right, we now have a French Bulldog who is pretty good (bar the odd defiant piss on the kitchen floor) and growing fast.

Reason for this rambling nonsense is insurance, we are getting quoted £40-50 a month and part of me is inclined to just put say £60 a month into an account to cover this on the proviso that if we don't have to spend a fortune we still have the cash when she passes, but not sure really, any ideas?

A friend of mine has a French Bulldog.

A lovely dog. Very friendly and boisterous. VERY strong for her size.

Very friendly and boisterous. VERY strong for her size. Your friend?

Put the money aside. Pet insurance companies are a nightmare.

Sounds familiar, ours is a social butterfly wants to know everyone and be in everything, she can be a dickhead and a right thick twat at times although mainly in a funny way!

We are doing puppy classes with her after the previous debacle to mix her with more people and other dogs and she is doing dead good.

Bit of a gamble and not a chance I'd want to take. For run of the mill routine stuff, you'll be fine with this and probably end up ahead of the game, but if the dog has a serious accident or gets a serious illness that requires (say) an op or ongoing treatment over a period of months, vets bill can quickly run into thousands. We never wanted to be put in the situation of not being able to afford the treatment the dog needed (or being able to fund the 1st 6-9 months and then facing difficult choices around what we prioritised) so have gone down the insurance route. Like all insurance, it's really poor value if you don't need it, but when you do it's a life saver. Fortunately we haven't to date so pardoxically I'm very happy that we've pissed a load of money away needlessly :)