<p>Well, sigh, our 10-year-old Westie seems to have run away, and has been gone for almost a month, and we are not hopeful. Boo-hoo.</p>
<p>Prior to that we had a wonderful Airedale-Shepherd mix, without the intelligence of either, who made it on her looks!</p>
<p>So it’s new dog time. I didn’t want to get another Westie (who would always remind me of the other one.) I agree with my wife that, at this stage in our lives, an Airedale is likely too big.) (But smaller than a Westie is out! We’ll trip on it.)</p>
<p>We are thinking strongly of a Welsh. We’ve heard good things, met a couple, and found two reputable breeders. (We won’t show dogs, though - we only do that with our kids! LOL!) </p>
<p>I wasn’t sure which terrier was a Welsh terrier, but from the pictures on google, it looks like my H’s old family pet from years back. They still tell stories about that dog; although he was beloved, he was trouble.</p>
<p>Maybe other people are better terrier owners than I am (or luckier with their dogs) because our Yorkshire Terrier is 7 pounds and 100% aggravation. Even the vet said that it was a good thing that she didn’t weigh 100 lbs. because she is such a handful. I am done with anything that has a terrier in it. Give me a lab or a Golden Retriever any day (oh they get into trouble too, but at heart I think they are much easier to live with.)<br>
When we missed our lab who passed away, we got a Golden. (I do think those Westies are cute dogs.)</p>
<p>We had a male and female Welsh Terrier. The female went missing when she was about 6 years old, but we had the male until we had to put him to sleep due to old age ailments. We certainly loved this dog hugely, but he was a terrier in every way - wonderful to be around but a bit barky and a little aggressive (never nipped or bit, but would growl when fearful). He loved to ride in the car. He was a beautiful dog, but their coat needs regular cutting or stripping. No major health issues. He was a house dog until our son was born. At that time, he started marking his territory (the house!) and we could never break him of it and he had to go outside. Otherwise, he was always a fun pet for our son.
Now we have two whippets, and while they have their own issues, I would have another one in a heartbeat. Wonderful dogs.</p>
<p>I another thread, New Dog…, someone mentioned dogster.com. I went on it and you can look up certain breeds and get a description of their personalities. I looked up my two breeds and thought they seemed accurate. I also would check out the Welsh Terrier Club of America site. They will have a lot of information. I have never owned one but I think they look adorable.</p>
<p>I’m sorry about your dog. I know that such things could happen to even the most responsible pet owners, but here is a heads up: if the breeder is indeed reputable, be prepared to answer a lot of questions about your proior pet ownership, including what happened to your previous dog. Unless your dog was stolen, killed in a feak accident (e.g., electrocuted by a lamppost in Seattle), or died of old age, some breeders will refuse to sell to you.</p>
<p>Dogster and Catster are very helpful places when it comes to pet-related information (unfortunately, they are being acquired, and things typically go downhill from there). There is a community of dog owners on that site that could answer your questions.</p>
<p>Welsh Terrier or Border Terrier. Both of them are lovely terriers (as terriers go, and I’m NOT a terrier person). I have a friend who’s been fostering a lovely Patterdale terrier who desperately needs a permanent home, if that appeals to you? Adult dog, no health issues, sweet. She’s in Bellevue, so you could easily meet her. (She also has a bunch of Jack Russells in need of homes, but… that’s a whole different can of worms.)</p>
<p>Definitely a terrier person here–my sister had a Welsh who was a handful but great fun. We have a Soft Coated Wheaten terrier–delightful and mellow now at eleven, high energy but never difficult when younger. Have you considered a Wheaten? They are supposed to be the most “trainable” of the terrors, I mean terriers…</p>
<p>I have two terriers. They are unique, one-of-a-kind terriers, so you can’t have dogs like mine. They are wonderful, bright, pets & terrific companions.</p>
<p>I got them each, at separate times, at the local animal shelter. I recommend the same to you. Dog #1 was waiting there for me when I arrived – it was love at first sight. Dog #2 had to meet the additional companion of being a good buddy for dog #1, so that took a little longer. There were several trips to the shelter before the day that we found him. </p>
<p>I didn’t have to ask any questions about their personalities because I simply tested them out in the visiting area at the pound. Dog #1 was about 8 months old at the time, dog #2 about 11 months old – so their basic personalities were pretty much set. </p>
<p>Anyway, there are tons of terriers at my local shelter. Mine were both picked up as strays, but my guess is that one or both were dumped or abandoned by owners who couldn’t handle their high energy and independent spirit. </p>
<p>So of dmd77’s friend’s Patterdale doesn’t work out for you, check out the shelter. The place is full of dogs that need a home. </p>
<p>You might even surprise yourself. I didn’t think I wanted a terrier – my last dog was an aussie/mix – but I was looking for a smaller dog this time around and the terriers charmed me.</p>
<p>We do keep checking the shelter, but no terriers here (so far). Patterdale is smaller than what we want. Wheatens are a little larger than we think we want, and many - depending on coat - are said to require more brushing than we are up for.</p>
<p>We have also considered Lakelands. And wire foxes (we’re too old for them!) We are currently fixated on Welsh’s 'cause of my love of Airedales (I know that doesn’t make any sense, but purebred dogs don’t make any sense either, especially when we are mutts!)</p>
<p>mni, have you tried Petfinder? I have to warn you - it is a dangerous place. Last time I browsed it, we ended up with a white fluffball that grew into a mountain lion sized cat :)</p>
<p>I ask because I think it’s something of a myth that you can predict the dog’s personality by breed. Breed characteristics are a stereotype, which sometimes holds true – but there’s no guarantee. </p>
<p>I mean, I understand that some things – like size and type of coat – are obviously genetically determined and it would be risk to get a small puppy without knowing breed-- but if you adopt an adolescent or young adult dog – you can tell by looking. </p>
<p>I like mutts. They are special and you never have to worry about inbreeding. (Somewhat fewer hereditary diseases for that reason as well – for example, when you are researching Welsh terriers you will learn that they are somewhat prone to epilepsy and several different eye diseases.)</p>
<p>Anyway - please use your breed research to get a sense of what you are looking for in terms of general size, coat, and personality – and then open your heart to a dog who really needs a home who seem to fit within those guidelines.</p>
<p>Try a rescue group. I have one terrier mix (schnauzer and cairn) that we adopted from friends who could no longer keep it, but have worked a long time in setter (Irish, English Gordon, Irish Red & White) rescue. Most pure breeds have a dedicated rescue group, and the group’s members foster the dogs until the right home can be found. This way you know up front what the dogs personality is (hates cats, not good with small kids, etc) and its less of a crap shoot. We usually have mostly adult dogs but from time to time, puppies are available too. So I would suggest checking out Welsh rescue.</p>
<p>I very much like Border terriers–they’re spunky, but easier to train and not as likely to be dog-aggressive as Welsh terriers. They also don’t need a lot of elaborate grooming. They’re not as elegant-looking as Welsh terriers, though.</p>
<p>Michelle Lowell’s [Your</a> Purebred Puppy, An Honest Guide to Purebred Dogs and Dog Breeds](<a href=“http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com%5DYour”>http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com) offers frank accounts of the plusses and minusses of the various breeds. It’s much fuller and more reliable than the other dog breed sites I’ve seen.</p>
<p>Another Wheaten fan here, Our guy (7+) is absolutely wonderful. As a puppy he did some digging in the yard, but not now. He’s very much a people dog – the only time he gets really excited is when we have visitors OR when D or S come home from school. He doesn’t shed AT ALL. I take him to the groomer about every 6 - 8 weeks; H combs him out about once a week. (Probably should be more, but it seems to work.) He’s just under 40 pounds – a perfect size, in our opinion. We got him from a great breeder in MN.</p>
<p>Same on the Wheaten grooming here–should comb him out more, but it works. My husband also washes him in the shower between grooming appts. They are fantastic loving dogs and very family friendly–although would not recommend one to a family with small children.</p>
<p>Totally understand the relationship between Welsh and Airedales…love all terriers, but don’t ever trust them off leash unless in a fenced area.</p>
<p>We are getting a Welsh terrier puppy! He will arrive mid May when we get back from younger Ds graduation. I miss having dog, though we need to do some serious puppy proofing. It has been 10 years since we had a puppy.
Ellen</p>
(Somewhat fewer hereditary diseases for that reason as well – for example, when you are researching Welsh terriers you will learn that they are somewhat prone to epilepsy and several different eye diseases.)</p>