And the winner is (dogs)

[Windsor]

what about a wheaten terrier? I had thought that they were only available for upwards of 1000, but there are also wheaten terrier rescue sites.

Do those dogs have a pretty good temperament (generally)?

Yes they generally do. I've had two bad eggs in the last six months at my training club but they both came from the same breeder. Those are the only two I've seen with issues. They are terriers though. They require training or they will absolutely take over, and my wheaten friends tell me 'a tired wheaten is a happy wheaten'. All in all they seem to be very nice dogs. Moderate size, sturdy, adaptable.

The advantage of rescue organizations is that they tend to be brutally honest as to why the dog is in resuce...unlike the SPCA's who don't usually know and aren't always forthcoming with information. A rescue has almost always been fostered in someone's home so they can tell you exactly what the dog is like to live with (we interupt this message for a hearty round of applause for all those who foster dogs - I've done it once or twice and it is really tough)

If you go through rescue be sure and tell them what activities you plan to do with the dog...if the dog will go runnng with you tell them that. They will probably do a home check, and if you have had pets in the past they will check with your vet to make sure the previous animal received proper medical care (current on shots etc)

[YmoBeThere]

How did Bacon Burger Dog do?

[merry]

I'm late to the thread but wanted to add my three cheers for Uno. Our half beagle rescue dog (his mom was a beagle rescued from Katrina and he and his six littermates were born in foster care) would add three cheers too if he had enough brains to know what was going on, or any brains to speak of, really. Beagles tend to have loads of personality though. At least fans of Uno who run out and adopt a beagle pretty much know what they are getting - a dog that barks a lot and pulls stunts like this:

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Westmi...f3d3fb78616dd2

(wow that's a heck of a link...sorry)

Anyway, beagles rule!