Sorry Malka

I'd blame the spell checker, but it's probably more a case of "fat fingers" and not enough proof reading!

Have you considered a Standard Schnauzer? A friend of mine who's into agility and tracking has one. They're very calm dogs, quick to learn, easy to train and being athletic are well suited to agility and field events and an added benefit is that they don't shed their coats. The downside is that they need daily brushing to keep their coat from matting and every 3 months a visit to the groomer for a trim and stripping.

I have a 1 year old Miniature Schnauzer (they have a similar temperament to the Standard but are smaller) as well as a Shar-Pei who because she spent months of her puppyhood partially sighted never learnt to play properly with other dogs, and also tends to suffer from anxiety. My little man is marvelous with her - when she has one of her "wobblers" he just ignores her, and gives her as much as he get when she's being too rough! I wouldn't be without him for all the tea in China!

Its rather fun being a crazy dog lady!

All my dogs are from Rescues , One came from the local RSPCA and two I found by browsing on line. All had been fostered so they knew a lot of how the dogs behaved and what issues they had.

WW I think a lurcher could well be a good choice for you, however, I would be looking at some of the dedicated lurcher sites before making a decision on where to get one from especially any 'breeder'. You may find some of the comments on this thread of interest.

If you were to pick on looks alone.... - Page 11

If you were to pick on looks alone.... - Page 12

There are a huge amount of lurchers in rescue of all different types, I'm sure you will find one suitable for you.

Thanks Spot, your concerns are duly noted.
I have read the thread you linked and it answered some of the questions I had myself.
Despite the fact that I go all goo-ey at the site of a puppy, I won't be rushing into anything, no matter how high the cuteness factor!
I have been waiting for 5 years, so waiting for a responsible breeder or taking my time visiting rescue shelters is not an issue. At the very least I have to wait till next year because I want to take at least 2 weeks off work when I get a dog to let him settle in before he has to be on his own for 4 hours during the week and I don't have enough holidays left this year to do that

I really do appreciate all your feedback guys!

And thanks @ Dibby, always thought sanity was overrated myself

WW - I wasn't recommending Hancock as a breeder, I was merely suggesting you look at his site so that you would be able to have an overview of a large number of collie X animals. I have seen a fair number of his dogs whilst judging at lurcher shows and in working trials. Please believe me there is nothing wrong with his dogs as regards their confirmation and physical quality, Whether people take issue with his method of producing same is a matter for them. I personally haven't bred for a good number of years on the grounds that it is extremely difficult to find the correct placements for puppies. Many of the people who have asked for one of mine in the past have been very offended when sent away with a flea in their ear! Also, as with all other spheres of the dog world/industry there are people with a personal axe to grind and others who are just plain jealous so you can never entirely rely on the opinions of persons who are actually unknown to you and are just anonymous posters on the web. I know that this does little but muddy the water for you, but felt I had to throw in my two pennyworth. I do so hope that when you make your choice of companion it is a good one, so you and your new friend spend many, many happy years together. I wish you luck with your quest.

Oy, at my age who needs sanity, as long as ya have a sense of humah...

Those collie cross greyhounds are gorgeous. Not wanting to hijack the thread but I'm guessing for the most part they have a high prey drive and aren't suited to being around smaller animals (rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets...).

I wanted to say that lots of rescues have in puppies and while it's not massively close are you aware that dogs trust has opened a centre in Manchester? That might be close enough to bus/train/taxi to the door if you don't have someone who can drive you. I would offer myself as a driver in exchange for puppy cuddles but I can't resist cute little puppies/big dogs or anything in between needing homes and I can't offer a home so I try not to look online never mind go to a centre! haha

Also, it's not just a case of puppies v rescue - as there are puppies in rescue. We just got a staffie/JRT cross from a rescue after our ancient bull terrier died. And have to say I have been really, really impressed by the level of info and support we got from Dogs Trust. And will continue to get for our pup's whole life, should problems arise.

I have worked for breeders in the past, and know that even the best intentioned are still, at the end of the day, breeders. It's about the bottom line or recouping costs and they will swear blind all their dogs are bred for temperament as well as looks. They will because let's be brutally honest, they are selling you something.

When our elderly dog died, we rang round rescues - only local ones - several times a week and it took us 8 weeks for a litter to turn up. But we'd already gone in, jumped through all the hoops, and had our names in the puppy file so when one did we could act quickly and managed to go and reserve a pup the first day they were up for adoption. Sounds to me like you also have the advantage of time - iof jumping through the hoops, home checks etc are a concern you have months to get them done ahead of time.

Our pup cost us £80 and for that she was flead, wormed, vaccinated (both shots - we just took her back for the second one), microchipped and will also included in the price, go back to be spayed when it's time. The vaccinations alone might have cost the best part of £80.

I'm middle aged and have owned a number of dogs - from top breeders and backstreet breeders and have to say this latest experience of getting pup from rescue has been hands down my best pup buying experience ever.

We were lucky as we love bull breeds and staffy/staffy crosses are the commonest puppies brought into rescue. But I know they had Shar Pei crosses and when I went back with pup for her 2nd injection, there were what looked like purebred GSD pups...

Rescue pup ticks all the boxes as you can bring pup up yourself in your way and hopefully sidestep ingrained issues some older dogs may have - at the same time you have got a rescue dog, who needed you.

There is the option of Breed rescues for your favourite breeds, too. They also occasionally get pups in. And often have fostered out the adult dogs, so have lots of info on them.

ETA: Forgot to say but every time I rung to ask if there were pups in yet, someone would say to me this was the longest time they had ever gone without a litter being brought in...

They also often get pups that are just a few months old.

If you work full time (I presume out of the house) a puppy would be a NO-NO. They need lots of attention, time and energy.

Give yourself the best of both worlds: adopt a 4-month old rescue pup. He will be passed the baby stage, will probably be house trained already. Will have some temperament formed, so you know how he is. Will also still have plenty of cuteness and playfulness. That's what I would do.