I was asked for dog advice today!

Walking up to the library with my two kids, and another two I was looking after today, and the 2 dogs a guy went to walk past us and then stopped and asked me the best place to get a dog. He explained that he had 2 small children and they were after a family pet. I really wanted to give him the most responsible answer but knew I only had minutes so I told him to...

Consider a rescue dog (although I did mention that this would be limited because of his young family)

Pick a breed that was suitable for his lifestyle (ie not just on looks)

Contact the breed society for a good breeder

Take the puppy to puppy classes

Do research online (I strongly recommended this site! Hello, if you're the bloke I spoke to on Northfields Avenue today!)

I could have gone on for ages, I think I covered the essentials, did I miss anything?

J

Sounds like good advice. The main thing has got to be 'research your breed'. Too many dogs end up in rescue because people have unrealistic expectations of their dog. How small were his small children? It depends on the individual but some kids should not be mixed with dogs IMO. A good breeder will want to see the kids and how they are with the dogs though. Rescues often won't let families with young kids have a dog at all, as you say.

The main thing I would say is , what was the dog bred to do and what do you want to do with it ? If you just want a little companion then there is no point in getting a gun dog or border collie ? If you want a dog which will be happy to walk many miles in all weathers then there is no point in getting a chihuahua ? I think too many dogs end up in rescues because people get the wrong type of dog for what they want to do with it