We got our dog from a shelter. She was about a year old & a plott hound/random mix. She is what I call "a dog sized dog", meaning she is what I think of when I think of a dog, about 40lbs and about two feet to the top of her back.
I didn't want a dog. Did . not. want. a. dog. Because I know how this whole 'let's get a dog' thing would go. The three people who want the dog are the three people who are gone all day and I was the person home all day so guess who would be dealing with the dog all the time? I flat out refused to deal with a puppy or any dog that cannot stay outside for periods of time. No shedding, no grooming & any training would be a family affair. After about 6 months of looking the guys found Athena at the shelter. She was an outdoor dog (inside is not interesting to her, it just smells so much more interesting outside I guess. we live in the country, with lots of free roaming hound mix dogs around) but housebroken & already knew a few commands. She was very very excitable the first few weeks but eventually settled.
She does shed a bit but no more than the cats. She has an odd habit of barking at thunder & insists on going outside when it thunders so she can bark at it. She is ridiculously lovey. She chased away a bear twice. (plott hounds were bred to hunt bear & boar)
I think shelters are kind of haphazard around here but they do try very hard to find out if the animal is good with other pets/kids/inside/outside/etc before they put them out for adoption so you have a fairly good idea of an personality quirks ahead of time.
