Person 1: When it comes to family our four-legged friends usually at the top of the list. So, before you adopt a pet into your home, getting the right one is really, really important. Rhiannon sat down with better pet wellness and lifestyle expert, Jenn Fedal, all to find out the best breeds for your lifestyle in today’s Better Pets.
Person 2: Hi Audra! We’ve all seen that doggy in the window who had a friend that try convince us to maybe buy a dog or a cat. But there’s actually a lot of things that go into choosing the right dog for your family and that’s what Jenn Fedal is here to talk to us about today.
Lots of stuff to think about right Jenn? It shouldn’t be an impulse buy.
Person 3: Yes! It should not be an impulse buy because you do not want to have buyer’s remorse about a dog or a cat. That’s the worst. Something definitely to be thought through and investigated in research to make sure it’s the right one for you, you and your family.
Person 2: You got to do your homework.
Person 3: You got to do your homework.
Person 2: Okay, so let’s talk about this. So how do we choose the right dog for our family? What things do we need to research and look at?
Person 3: Well, you really have to be realistic about your lifestyle. So, if you’re more of a sedate person who doesn’t like really going outside, exercising a ton, and, you know, after work you’d rather go have a cocktail with your co-workers, then go to the dog park.
Person 2: Then go to the dog park!
Person 3: Yeah! Then go to the dog park. Then, you know, you may want a dog like Parker, a little Chihuahua. They require just that little bit of exercise and they’re great apartment dogs, great city dogs. If you want a bigger dog but still don’t want to exercise the dog, an English bulldog is a fabulous choice. Even a greyhound, believe it or not, do you think that they’d be running around and wanting to have a ton of exercise? Greyhounds are considered the world’s fastest couch potato.
Person 2: Oh really!?
Person 3: They just like (Voice Overlapping).
Person 2: I love that. That’s cute.
Person 3: They’re perfect. They’re kind like of a cat-dog almost.
Person 2: Yeah, I had a friend who had a greyhound and he absolutely adorned him. They loved that all.
Person 3: They’re wonderful. And you just had a great thing when you adopt a greyhound.
Person 2: Yeah.
Person 2 & 3: Absolutely.
Person 2: What about if you have kids? Are their certain dogs they should or should not get if you have kids?
Person 3: Okay. In my opinion, kids and dogs can work well no matter what the breed is a child is trying to proper manners and the dog is trained proper manners. However, there are dogs that are always good family dogs, and that’s a Labrador retriever. They’re always ranked in the AKC as the number 1 top pick for families. And they’re just easy going, they’re fun, they’re just playful. German Shepherds are wonderful for families. Some people think of German Shepherds as scary. But they’re not; they’re great with kids and they’re protective.
Person 2: And what about allergies?
Person 3: There are a few breeds that produce less dander. And that would be a Bichon Frisé, a Poodle, a Schnauzer, even a Portuguese Water Dog. And some of the new mixed breeds like the Schnoodles, and the Labradoodles, and the Shepadoodle. They’re all great for hypoallergenic.
Person 2: Thanks for all the great tips.
Person 3: You’re welcome and always adopt.
Person 3: Always adopt and thanks for bringing Parker on the show today.
Person 1: And Jenn says if you want to find out more about breeds, you can check out the website www.AKC.org.