apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I found my dogs on Petfinder. Here is a little movie of what they do to beach balls. In order of appearance: (1)Inga, found as a stray in rural Georgia (2) Elsa, tied to a box in West Virginia (3) Phineas, also tied to a box with Elsa, his sister.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OShU89vlSQ

Appluade AT, loudly, for bringing this topic up, domesticated animals in need of homes -- BRAVO, BRAVO!!!! A good friend of mine rescued a Katrina dog, who is so just wonderful, sweet-natured, and obviously so thankful to be in a loving home. All good!

kathleen, what beautiful dogs!

does anyone have any thoughts about good breeds of dogs that are hypoallergenic? my husband and i are allergic to most dogs but have been okay around dogs that are hypo, especiallly if they are well-groomed. we really, really want a dog. we live in an apartment in nyc but are close to a dog park.

i would like to find a breed that is hypo with a good temperment around people, in a year i'm going to be an occupational therapist and my ultimate goal is to train the pet as a therapy dog so that i could take him/her to work when possible to spread joy to others as well. love the labradoodles but they are on the big side for apartment living. any thoughts?

Hi christina,
Tibetan Terriers are lovely hypo-allergenic dogs. They are a perfect size for NYC, not too small, not too big, and have the sweetest temperment. They are very intelligent and would make a great therapy dog. Good luck with your search!

Tibetan terriers ARE great dogs, but poodles and schnauzers are also usually hypnoallergenic and they turn up in rescue/shelter situations a lot more frequently. Miniatures of both breeds are also apartment sized.

They are a little high-energy but adults are often both a touch calmer and still very easy to train.

Poodles do NOT need ridiculous haircuts. If you just want to give it a puppy clip that's easy to do at home. They are also love attention and would probably adore therapy work - they get to hang out with people and be told they're awesome all day! Many breed rescues can tell you who their "hams" are and who just loves to be cuddled by everyone.

Good luck in your search. You are doing two beautiful things if you get a dog out of a shelter and then train for therapy work. Much love to you from me and my shelter dog.

christina -
Portugese water dogs are hypo allergenic. I know one very well and she is great around people, kids, animals, everyone. Very sweet dog and probably the smartest I've ever met. The other Porties I've met seem to also be very good dogs.

Animal Planet has a dog breed selector:
http://animal.discovery.com/breedselector/dogselectorindex.do

I haven't been through it, but I know someone who selected a dog based on that test and says the dog is perfect for her.

American Kennel Club is a good resource too:
http://www.akc.org/future_dog_owner/index.cfm?nav_area=future_dog_owners

I'm glad you're doing this, too, though it breaks my heart to see all the animals I would love to adopt but can't (already have one very neurotic and temperamental shelter kitty). I don't really understand why people still insist on buying purebred animals. Every friend I have who's gotten a pet in the past couple years has bought one from a breeder, despite my stringent lobbying for them to adopt. I guess they feel like they want total control over the animal's personality development and social skills, which obviously you don't have if you adopt a shelter animal, especially one that was abused. But it still makes me sad and frustrates me. I mean, the people who foster these animals have plenty of opportunity to observe them and their personalities... I can understand not wanting a highly traumatized animal, but if all you want is an affectionate pet, shelters are full of them.

sigh. stepping down from soapbox now.

Christina,

Elsa and Phin have curly hair, and Elsa is especially fond of swimming in the pool. The rescue I work with thinks that they are Anatolian Shepherd mixed with water dog or labradoodle. Their fur is very interesting but still needs brushing like other dogs. But, the shedding is minimal. You might like a mix of water dog or labradoodle with something smaller that would fit well with your apartment. Good luck with the pet search.

This reminds me - and all you people looking for cats should take note - some of the peeps workin' these shelters are real crazies. Case in point: Petsmart. Petsmart on Union Square gives space to a local organization that arranges adoptions, but it's staffed by "volunteers" - aka: loons lookin' to make-up for not having human babies of their own. A friend of mine recently had a very sick kitten pass away, and the bizatches at Petsmart wouldn't give her the time of day. In fact, one of them started screaming, "I WON'T LET YOU KILL ANOTHER KITTEN!"

So there it is. It's moments like these that send me looking for a pet store.

Bobby McGee: I definitely know the type you describe but if you knew some of what I have learned about pets sold in most pet stores, you would paste a smile on, let the crazies be crazy and pursue your dream pet through your local shelter and/or rescue group. Don't like the people you meet at one? Go to another.

StarbuckNYC: To stick up 60% for your friends, I too look for purebred dogs. Dogs, much more than cats, have personalities and physical requirements VERY affected by their breed, and I don't like huge surprises and honestly am not happy with every kind of dog.

But there's so many rescue options for purebreds out there that its really worth looking to find a dog who a) fits your needs and b) needs a home.

WP, Josie, Pixie, Kathleen—THANK YOU! You have given me such thoughtful, kind responses. Guess I know what I’m doing tonight, researching some of these breeds further.

I am so inspired by dogs working as therapy and rescue dogs, they are so giving and seem to really love what they do. It will probably be a few months yet before we decide what to do (or maybe one of these adorable pooches will find us first!) but I truly appreciate your responses and encouragement. Thank you. : )

Hey Bobby McGee- I have to take a moment to defend rescuers. While their approach may often seem a bit fanatical or hard core, please remember that in the thousands of pets they rescue, they have seen it all. They are out there with the intent of finding a healthy and safe home not to give people a hard time. Trust me, rescuing can be heart-breaking work and extremely rewarding work and given that, rescuers have the best interest of the pet in mind. Evidenced by the fact that most rescue groups will take back a pet, no questions asked, no time limit, if it doesn't work out, rather than give up that animal to a kill shelter. Try finding a pet store to take back an animal. Also, most pet stores are selling you animals from puppy and kitty mills that have zero standards for the health and care of their little commodities. I am sorry for the loss of your friend's kitten.

Bobby McGee, I do volunteer work at an animal shelter - BARC in Williamsburg - and there are so many kittens there right now. If your friend is still looking please tell them to go to BARC and check out all the little angels there. I'm sure your friend will fall in love with many of them.

I got my two kitties from Anjellicle Cats and they are just the sweetest lil' things. Spoiled Brats pet store in Hell's Kitchen used to host some Angellicle cats in the back of the store--if they still do, it's a wonderful way to meet some kitties who need homes.

Hey, I second that emotion - I've dealt with the bitches at Petsmart before. Seriously. Cats are cats, not kids. It's too bad those harpies can't have kids, but gimme a break. If they don't find those things a home, they're getting gassed, so let's not pretend we're the UN or something.

I heartily endorse pet adoption from shelters, but let's remember that when we're talking about heartbreaking and draining work, and I do realize that there are many an abused and debased pet out there, that these people aren't working in social services or child welfare or homeless services. If they wanna get on a high horse, that's fine, but there are many a higher horse. That's all I'm sayin. I've been denied adoption before by overzealous nutjobs. I ended up finding the perfect cat at an animal hospital, and it's been a beautiful relationship. Suck on that, Petsmart.

Looks like there's another Joan here occasionally (above)--that's not me. I guess I'll be Joan A. from now on.

Geez, Joan... you're starting to sound a little extreme yourself. Based on your reaction above, I'd probably think twice about adopting out to you, human or otherwise.

I'm not defending a single-sided or abusive approach, but have you ever actually been through a child adoption? It IS stressful and draining, and human adoption reps get paid for the process, which animal reps rarely do. In fact, they generally put money out of their own pocket. Animal rescue reps come in all flavors, from reasonable to fanatical to downright insane. This is where a potential adopters common sense should kick in... if it's not working out, check out another rescue or a shelter.

Thought I'd get one more plug in here: if someone is interested in buying a purebred, at least do some quick research online on what makes for a ethical breeder. A good breeder will have health tests run on dogs (parents and/or pups as appropriate), will be able to knowledgeably discuss temperament, health, etc. issues for several generations on a particular litter and will be an active participant in some area of competition and (typically) rescue, too. Choosing the right breeder can make a huge difference in the long run.

christina, Also, in case no one has mentioned it, you may be able to foster a breed or breeds of dogs that you are interested in from a rescue group. That way, the dog gets a foster home for a while (nice break from the shelter, love, socialization, etc) and you get to see how you like the breed and do a good deed.