<p>Glad you think this night work out!</p>
<p>I’m glad things are going better with your dog. Many dogs are fine if they get a bit of hard exercise every day, and awful if they don’t.</p>
<p>Generally, if you have very particular requirements for your dog, I think you are better off getting a purebred of appropriate temperament and working closely with a breeder. There are lots of wonderful mutts in the world–I’ve owned my fair share–but it’s harder to predict what you’re going to get, especially if you start with a puppy. In this case the breeder is absolutely key: you need to find somebody knowledgeable and trustworthy, who has dogs you like, and understands where you’re coming from. Every breeder I’ve bought a dog from has a written contract stating that they will take back the dog at any point in its life, if it turns out to be incompatible with me or if I am unable to keep it for any reason.</p>
<p>If this dog doesn’t work out despite your best efforts, you might consider an adult Cavalier King Charles spaniel: small, on the gentle/quiet side (some call them “love sponges”), generally compatible with cats. They are medium-lively but not hyper; some tend to be a bit shy. A somewhat larger dog with similar traits is the English cocker spaniel. Like many dogs bred to retrieve game, ECS’s are horrible chewers as puppies, and they are a bit slow to housebreak, but once they are grown up they are sweet, fairly calm, and unassertive. Many people use them as therapy dogs because they are intuitive and empathetic. They look like small springer spaniels, but they are much less rambunctious. Another breed to look at is the Cardigan welsh corgi–less barky than its Pembroke cousin. Adult rough collies (NOT border collies) are also sweet, medium-energy dogs, as are show-line (NOT field-line) English setters. Any of these dogs will love whatever exercise you can give it but won’t be in the border collie/Australian shepherd/vizsla/field lab category.</p>
<p>Good news! Maybe I can meet her when we come to Houston for D’s ordination in June!</p>
<p>I have a lot of mixed feelings about breed rescue organizations . There are a lot of puppy mills in somewhat close to us ( we live in southern NJ , puppy mills run rampant in Lancaster, Pa )
Most of the breed rescues that I have searched deal with female breeders that have never lived in any home environment…clearly disclosed on their websites about the multiple behavior problems as well as health problems.
I am not as experienced a dog owner as many of the posters here , but I have has wonderful experience with the two dogs we have from an awesome breeder …both dogs were acquired as young adults and I am happy to NOT have had to experience the chewing, soiling and other puppy issues.
It means a lot to me to have background info on my dogs and know how they were raised and cared for…as a result , we have two fantastic love sponges as our family members that are well behaved , clean, reliable examples of their breed…no mysteries is good for some of us who are not as patient when it comes to the joy of dog ownershp</p>
<p>@MoWC–Oh excellent!! I didn’t realize she was getting ordained in Houston!! That’s fantastic. 
We would, of course, be more than happy to see any and all of you. (Chloe is pretty much happy to see anyone.)</p>
<p>It makes me crazy to hear about unethical rescue organizations – and I am actually hearing a lot about different groups misrepresenting their dogs. </p>
<p>I’m a big fan of the pet-quality purebred dog from a show-quality breeder for myself. I think someone is about to do a big expose on where the “shelter” dogs are coming from. The information I recently received is an eyeopener.</p>
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<p>(Tabby is Alpha Cat… Princess is Beta Cat… Dog is Eta Cat…?)</p>
<p>I’m sorry… It’s morning; I’m an engineer. I kind of drool puns when I’m tired.</p>
<p>Ha ha ha! That’s great, aibarr! :)</p>
<p>Sounds promising. Fingers crossed, and if you do decide to rehome her, I am certain you will give that as much care and thought as you are giving this relationship, and in the meantime, Chloe is becoming a better, more placeable dog. Win/win</p>
<p>Glad to hear that things are normalizing. I second what theorymom said.</p>
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<p>Excellent. This is exactly how it should be. The creature with the sharpest teeth should always stay at the bottom of the household “food chain” :)</p>
<p><a href=“http://cheezburger.com/kitycat/lolz/View/2537047808[/url]”>http://cheezburger.com/kitycat/lolz/View/2537047808</a></p>
<p>Follow-up:</p>
<p>Chloe is getting along great! She has turned into just a fabulous member of the family. She’s social and friendly and smart, and she’s just the happiest belle of the ball at the dog park. 
Still some friction with the cats, but it’s not for lack of trying on Chloe’s part. She lays her snout on the ground, averts her eyes, and sits stock-still for minutes on end to try to convince the cats that she’s not so bad. We have whole minutes where everyone’s relaxed and snoozing on the bed together! There is hope… Peace talks are ongoing.</p>
<p>So glad that we kept her!! Thanks to all of you who gave advice and lent wisdom.</p>
<p>Oh, so glad this worked out! Its great to hear good news. Hugs to Chloe.</p>
<p>Hi aibarr, I’m so glad to hear from you! Also glad that Chloe is doing OK and the kitties are adjusting to their new family member. :)</p>