[blindkid] pet dog: what size to adopt?

[KW Kim Wylie (2795)]

I agree with Holly. When we got our rescue dog I knew a couple of things: 1 - I didn't want a puppy; 2 - I didn't want a small dog and have always loved lab mixes; 3 - due to my love of labs I wanted to ask extra questions about temperament of the dog we would get.

My reason #3 led me to a 2-3 year old dog that was a rescue but living in a foster home with other dogs. My son who happens to be blind had just turned 4 and had some self-stim habits that we were working on.  One of those was jumping and spinning - I didn't want a dog who would get wound up and start jumping with/on my son thinking he was playing. And while I knew we could teach a dog that, we honestly didn't have time to spend teaching manners, etc with our schedules. By working with the rescue organization, we found the perfect dog for us. He's a bigger dog which I like, is great with kids and is laid back.

Kim

-----Original Message-----
From: blindkid [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Holly Miller via blindkid
Sent: Monday, November 21, 2016 7:18 PM
To: Alison Stephens; Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children)
Cc: Holly Miller
Subject: Re: [blindkid] pet dog: what size to adopt?

It's not so much size that matters but personality. 
Granted, a tea cup yorkie might not be advisable but if a tea cup yorkie was your dream dog, well, there's almost always a way to make it work if you are willing to put in the work!

So, how to figure it out? take a step back and take blindness out of the picture. Think about what kind of dog would be a good fit for your family when it comes to each of your personalities & your schedule.  

Do you want a big squishy lab to play ball with?  Labs & Goldens are awesome family dogs. Trade off is they are big, boisterous and hairy. 

Greyhounds are awesome big dogs for "indoor" folks. Extremely low maintenance when it comes to grooming, don't need a lot of exercise. Almost cat like. Can be a little boring if you are looking for the old yeller type. 

Shih tzus are small but sturdy. Generally well behaved, not as neurotic as some small breeds. They shed very very little but high maintenance when it comes to grooming. 

And so on...  this doesn't even touch on mutts & mixes lol!  

When you talk to adoption groups, I wouldn't mention you have a blind child.  It's not important. Tell them the ages of the kids, what your day to day routine is like, all things like that. 

Holly









> On Nov 21, 2016, at 2:48 PM, Alison Stephens via blindkid <blindkid at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Our family is considering adopting a pet dog (not guide dog).  My 7 year old son is totally blind.  I also have two sighted tween boys.
> I would rather get a small-medium dog, but one rescue group says that a small dog could be injured if my son accidentally steps on or sits on the dog.
> Does anyone have insights into sizes of dogs?
> Thanks,Alison
> 
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