My kids have been wanting a puppy for some time now. I know a breeder who has a litter of Pomeranians due next week. Anyone have one and can tell me more about them?

My brother and sister-in-law have one (it was hers prior to their marriage). Tinkerbell (the dog) is the cutest and sweetest little thing. Even my father, who dislikes animals, likes her and lets her sit on his lap. My sister-in-law dresses her up for holidays (bridge outfit; leather, etc.). She even liked my 9 1/2 month old great niece and let her pull her fur.

I will warn you, though. I have seen Poms that are nasty snapping little creatures. I guess it is the temperament of the dog.

I use to have one and my mother has had several. They tend to be possive. They are really not a great kids dog. They are very fragile. You can break their legs etc very easily. They are not very good for rough housing. They are nice for older people (adults). I got mine for my 16th birthday. I had pebbles for about a year or so when my sister came home one afternoon while I was letting pebbles out to potty. My sister was mad at a friend and wasn't paying attention and the dog went to jump in the car and she caught the dog in the door. Because it was such a small fragile dog its neck got broken and it die. It was horrifing. They are so small and can slip past you in a heart beat. So if you have small children can you only imagine how hard it would be to keep it from getting step on, shut on, slip out the door when not closed, etc. But that is my personal opinion.

Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that they really like to ride (lack of a better word) you children. I think because children tend to have a smell to them, whether it is sweat from playing or dirty hands from playing with stuff. Get the point.

My suggestion for a puppy would be a cocker spaniel. We had one for 12 years and had 2 children after we had the dog. Dutchie had the most laid back attitude with them. They could play, rough house, and just cuddle and she just appreciated every minute. I know that some say cockers aren't the best for children, but I'd get another in a heart beat!

The college pastor at our church has one. My daughter dog-sits for her when she is out of town. The dog is extremely hyper and very destructive. Makes me not ever want one. I really am partial to Scottish Terriers - we've got three.

Have you considered adoption one from your local animal shelter. If you can stand a mixed bread, we have adopted many cats, and dogs over the years and each has been an absolute treasure.

I can't tell you anything about pommeranians. Have you checked out the library to see what the books say about them and children?? If your kids are small you will want to make sure the dog can tolerate ears being pulled on and anything else.

Do the research to make sure you are getting a child friendly dog. When we were researching we found labs and beagles are supposed to be good with kids. We have a beagle now. The only problem is he gets so excited he can knock over small children. A little more discipline on our parts would probably keep him from jumping up on anyone. Good Luck with your decision!

I will echo the sentiments of either adopting from a local animal shelter or a breed-specific rescue group. I could help hook you up with Dachshunds who can be good with children, or you could simply do a Google search for any specific breed, ie "St. Bernard Rescue Groups".

Adopting from an animal rescue group has a few advantages: the dogs are vetted and fixed prior to adoption; you are providing a permanent home to a dog that was surrendered or found as a stray; and the foster parents who live with the dog can tell you about the dog's personality.

You might try this list of Pomeranian Rescue groups and you might easily find one that is wonderful with children.

Good luck. If you would like a sweet, wonderful, Heinz 57 puppy (medium size), my wife has started an animal rescue and we can figure out how to ship from Kentucky

If you can handle all the fur, Shelties are smallish and have good dispositions. Pomerainians always seem so nervous that I would not want them arround small children. I have a 11 month old chocolate lab. She is too strong for small children and knocks them over in an attempt to play with them.

Coton de Tulears are the most wonderful dogs out there (pardon anyone who has a different breed LOL) They're wonderful little play mates, and look like foot tall sheep dogs. http://www.dogomania.com/breed/breed145/

They love kids and have the added benefit of being non-alergetic. Apparently their fur can be tolerated by nearly all folks who have dog allergies due to it's unusual make up.

My sweetie wants one terribly badly but I tolks him it must have a house, and parents who stay home on occasion Some day though!!!

Dogs I would not recommend:
Dalmations (I have one and yes, they are very needy and very hyper),
Huskies (the most cat-like dog you'll ever know - very stubborn and independent - but not to be confused with Malamutes which can be great dogs),
if your kids are under 7 years old then I don't recommend anything small, nervous and fragile such as a Chihuahua, Pomeranian, Min-Pin, Minature Poodle,
Cocker Spaniel unless you are VERY sure of the temperament of BOTH parents,
Beagle (used to be a great dog but breeders seem to be breeding them to be more high energy)
Jack Russell (see comments on Dalmation),
Boxer (depends on the dog, but see comments on Dalmation), Pit Bull (unless you are VERY sure of the temperament of BOTH parents and ALL grandparents),
Rottweiler.

Dogs I would recommend -
Labrador Retriever,
Golden Retriever (be carefull about hip displaysia - if you're going to buy then be sure to check out both parents),
German Shephard (same comments as a Golden),
Great Pyrenees (an excellent dog with kids, but they are huge and very furry),
Collies (but be carefull, some breeders have bred the intellegence right out of these dogs in order to have a sleek head shape),
Irish Setter (see comment on Collies),
and many times the Heinz 57 can be the best dog in the world.

Be sure to spay or neuter your pet!

Here's another website that has recommendations on dogs and kids:

Dogs and kids

and here's another: More dogs

I agree with pretty much everything Bonnie said; also watch for heart problems in Shephards and Goldens. Newfoundlands are good but humongous - the kids will think they got a pony!

Labs make awesome pets for families. They are gentle and bright. My lab is a big one (last weight at the vet was 127 pounds) but is so sweet and has a distinct personality. We aslo have a Redbone that is pretty cool but is a definite hunting dog. He gets along great with my lab and uses him as a chair frequently and my lab doesn't mind at all!

Thanks everyone. I still haven't decided what we will do yet. Thanks for the list Bonnie. However, I do have to disagree about the huskie. My brother had one before my nephew was born and he let that kid do anything to him. If he didn't want to be bothered he would get up and walk downstairs. He was also very protective. When they were going for a walk he would constantly check the stoller to see if he was ok.
Miss that dog. Some sicko fed him poison for no reason.

Not sure how far south you are, but catahoula's tend to be very good dogs. Short hair (not much shedding), not too large (typically about 50-60 pounds) and typically good with kids (they are natural herders, and tend to herd kids (and cats they know!) away from percieved bad things). Just a thought, but they tend to be more available down south.

I have two labs (1 and 3 years old) and two kids (5 and 9 years old) they are terrific together. But I did take both dogs to obedience classes. Having a dog that obeys sit, down and stay makes all the difference in the world...regardless of breed.

Lab Work
If you buy a registered lab, check lines for both hip and eye problems. I had my chocolate checked for retinal displacia at about 10 weeks. It gets more difficult to detect when they are older. The only silly part is by the time you have the puppy you would not give it up regardles of the test results!

Nikko...being from your area and having dachshunds just a word of advice if you go towards the smaller dog or that breed. They do not care for the cold. With our two we would have to shovel the snow on the lawn so they would have a place to "go" and then you would have to carry them out there because they would freeze in place within about 2 minutes...of course that is when the highs were below zero for a long time. They are great dogs but with our two little girls they don't want much to do with them now but at the same time if the kids play rough with them, they take it pretty well. They are older and that may be why they try to steer clear of the kids.

Bonnie, I think I have the one Beagle on the planet that is the exception to the hyper rule. She is 3 years old and when she is really hyper she snores louder , of course, she has been brought up as a lap-baby, so that may be part of it with her as well.

Looks like everyone has their preference. I've had Cocker Spaniels....one was awsome and the other was well kind of stubborn and Labs. The Labs were good dogs, but mainly used for hunting....

I have a granddaughter and the last dog we had was a Bassett Hound. Sophie was veeeeeeery laid back. That little girl rode the her, laid her head on top of the dog, hugged her, kissed her on the tummy and on the lips...(do dogs have lips?). At times I had to slow Trinity down. I was afraid that she was being too rough, as little 1-1/2 yr olds can be. But Sophie didn't mind at all. When she had enough, she simply went under a chair or under anything where she was just out of reach....

We miss that dog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So does my granddaughter.

Oh,I don't know, but I think I'd stick with a declawed, indoor cat. They do not bark and they do not need to be walked. And mine just adores my son, they give each other kisses.

My family had the most amazing Cocker Spaniel when I was growing up. He had a great personality and was wonderful with kids. When my son was little, my parents still had the dog and my son would sit on his back, a few times he pulled the dogs ears (which he got in trouble for ) and the dog never ever bit him. The only time the dog nipped at my son was when my boy sat on the dog's hip and by that time the dog had arthritis (he was 13 years old). Our dog didn't actually bite my son but he made it very clear that my son was not to do that again. Our cocker spaniel was also very protective of kids. My dad was wrestling with my son and the dog started to bark at my dad becouse he thought that my son was going to get hurt.

i had a german shepherd growing up, Sara was awesome, she put up with me trying ride her (she was quite big and i was like 6), trying to put clothes on her and two cats... she was the best dog... lived to be 18... still miss her... but a big dog can be hard to deal with... i'm hoping to get a corgi or a wiener dog... until i get more land i beg for a dog everyday... one day my husband will give in... or i'll start asking for a baby instead

My reservations about Cocker Spanials are because some of the purebreed dogs have personality problems created when breeders concentrated on coat and certain confirmation characteristics and ignored temperament. In my experience, Cockers from 20 years ago are much different in temperament than many Cockers today.

Also purebred Irish Setters and Collies have become "fashion victims" as many breeders pursued the very flat head profile in the Setter, and the long barrel head on the Collie. Setters and Collies got a reputation of being quite stupid because the shape of the skull caused the brain to be smaller. I actually saw a Collie where the barrel/cone shape of the head was so pronounced that the poor dog's eyes were on the side of his head rather than on the front. He seemed very confused!

My experience with Huskies has been that unless you know how to properly train the dog for obedience from a very young age, or can take the dog to a good trainer, they tend to get very stubborn and disobedient. It's not that they are mean, but they can become too smart for their owner. (Yeah - Mea Culpa!) On the other hand, Huskies (and Malamutes) do have a very amusing "bark." My dog sounded like he was cussing me out.

As for the Dalmation - anyone want one?