<p>I want one thats friendly and wont bark alot. Its going to be an inside dog and be in my room, so i dont want one that sheds alot either. And it has to be friendly with my cat. Im hoping that if i get a puppy, my cat will be able to raise it and he'll like cleaning it. And my cat is a male, so should i get a male or female dog or doesnt it matter? And i want a dog that doesnt look mean, so no boxers or rotwillers. I like golden retreivers, but they shed alot. They are really friendly, but they shed and they smell bad too.
I hope nobody gets mad at me for posting this here, but i bet theres lots of people who know about dogs who go here. If i asked in the parents room, they would go crazy. I asked in the cafe, but nobody answered. So if you write back, then i'll ask you my next question. Thanks!</p>
<p>I strongly encourage you to check the rescue shelters in your area and consider adopting a “mutt”. My d interned at a vet’s office, and you’d be surprised how often pure breeds come with inherent health problems. She also volunteered at the local humane society, and that’s where we found our black lab mix. She’s sweet, short haired- so very little shedding, and after living in the shelter for the first 11 months of her life she was so grateful for a home she follows us around wagging happily much of the time! No problem with her and our cats, either - once they got their bluff in.
A great resource is petfinder.com You’ll be able to search for pure bred dogs and mutts alike in your specific area.
It sounds like you are mainly looking for a certain type personality (not barky, friendly) vs a breed, so you really should go visit a shelter and ask alot of questions to find your perfect match.
Good luck to you.</p>
<p>Thanks timeflew! 
Theres so many dogs at shelters i kind of feel bad for them. And thats one of the reasons i told my mom to let me get one, but she still wont let me get one. And its good to hear your cats get along with your dog. So do you mean they didnt like your dog at first, but then were ok after they were friends?
Timeflew im going to send you a friend request. And if you want to be friends thats cool, but if not, thats ok too. Thanks! Bye.</p>
<p>Kollegekid1, if your Mom is hesitant about you getting a dog why not look into volunteering at your local shelter? I know our local Humane society accepts volunteers age 16 and up, and there is always a need to walk the dogs and help with chores.
It would be a win-win. You can earn those much needed service hours AND get some major dog time! The animals are always SO appreciative!</p>
<p>I absolutely agree with timeflew on this one: If you don’t have help (from parents or whoever else you live with) raising a puppy by yourself is really, really, REALLY hard. I did volunteer stuff at our local SPCA shelter in 7th and 8th grade and had a blast.</p>
<p>That being said, my parents have a schnauzer-poodle mix who is medium size, non-shedding, hypoallergenic, and an absolute sweetheart. She gets along great with my parents’ female cat, with other dogs, and with all humans (except for humans on skateboards.) On the other hand, she requires a lot of exercise and is smart enough to open containers, jump up and pull stuff off countertops, etc.–the penalty for owning a dog that’s a mix of two very smart breeds!</p>
<p>I agree 100% with timeflew. I volunteer at a local shelter and have a great time with it.</p>
<p>I have 2 medium sized dogs at home, a mutt and a basset hound. Every dog has a different personality and traits.</p>
<p>I’d recommend waiting until you are out on your own and out of your parents’ house to adopt your own dog. Vet bills are expensive. I’ve spent over $2,000 at the vet this year on my dogs.</p>
<p>Do you think if i helped at a shelter they would let me take some of the dogs home overnight like maybe on the weekends? And do you have to be 16 to work at all of them? Dont you only have to be 14 to work? Whats a hypoalergenic dog? They charge way to much at the vet. My cat was like $150 for just a check up and the frontline was almost $100. And theres barely anything in the little tubes. My cat goes outside and chases squirels and other animals so i dont want him to get rabies, so i guess the shots are a good thing. Why do your dogs cost $2000 every year?</p>
<p>And does it matter if i get a male or female dog? (My cat is a male)</p>
<p>You can’t bank on your pets being healthy every year. The costs you mention are only for preventative care (checkups and vaccines essentially). One of my dogs had to have 3 tumors removed this year as well as dental work. He is also prone to skin and ear infections and has had 3 or 4 of them this year. He also has hypothyroidism which is a chronic condition that requires medication twice daily for the rest of his life. They are living creatures and eventually will get sick. It is inevitable. What if your dog gets hit by a car? Will you be able to pay for the emergency vet bill? They charge astronomical amounts at the ER vet.</p>
<p>Typically you can’t take animals home from the shelter for only a night. If this is something that you’re interested in, perhaps you should look into studying to become a vet tech. At the shelter I volunteer at, the vet techs sometimes take sick animals home to observe overnight.</p>
<p>Also, you can talk to your parents about becoming a foster family for a rescue or shelter. The rescue will pay for his/her food, medication, etc. while he lives in your house. It is a temporary setup though. The hope is eventually the dog will be adopted permanently by another family.</p>
<p>I have a maltese that doesn’t shed fur at all. She doesn’t bark very much, only when she hears strange noises. She’s extremely friendly and gets along with my sister’s cats. The cats always tend to groom her and she just acts nonchalant about it.</p>
<p>I am also planning to get a Welsh Corgi. Those are incredibly cute and pretty loyal at the same time.</p>
<p>I know someone with a maltese and it is a fun dog, but kind of small. The welsh corgi looks ok, but kind of small. Its kind of long enough, but its legs are stubbly. I want a dog that can run and play, just one that’s not so big i can’t walk it on a leash. (And I don’t want it to take up the whole floor when he’s sleeping, and he might sleep on my bed when my cat isn’t) And some of the really big dogs eat alot.
I didn’t ask a shelter or vet about working there yet cause I don’t really want to work, but im thinking I can call them and ask if they will let me keep a dog for a while, like a month or more and they can pay for the food and if it gets sick. Whatever kind i get i want one that wont need to take medicine everyday. My friend has a cat that’s like that. And if I get a dog and it gets hit by a car, then i’m going to get them to use their car insurance to pay for vet bills, but it probably wouldn’t happen cause i won’t let him out in the street unless he has a leash on.</p>
<p>male/female doesn’t matter as long as both the animals are spayed/neutered. Hormones tend to cause territory issues among males. If you have a male and a female, the pheromones may bring out bad behaviors in both. Also, (although it wouldn’t be applicable to your situation given you would have a dog and a cat) there is a massive overpopulation problem amongst pets leading to unwanted animals and suffering. So please, please, fix your animals.</p>