Hypoallergenic Dogs

[tk421beth]

Hello everyone!

 

I hope it's okay if I start this topic here. I'm sure it is okay :rolleyes_anim: :P

 

My family (hubby, 14-year old son) and I are looking for a dog! We have only owned cats, and we have one cat at home.

 

My son, Jacob, is allergic to dogs, but seems okay around them. This past week Jacob was at my nieces' home, and they have two Goldens.

 

My hubby and I want a Bernese Mountain Dog, or Swiss Mountain Dog...but, they shed, and we are worried about Jacob.

 

I think a great family dog(s) for us would be an Airedale, Black Russian Terrier, Giant Schnauzer, Samoyed, Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier, or Bouvier de Flanders.

 

We REALLY want a Bernedoodle  (half Bernese Mountain Dog, half Standard Poodle)...

but they're almost $3,000!

 

All dogs listed above are 'hypoallergenic'. Low-dander, low shed. All dogs shed.

 

I don't want to spend that much on a dog. Our cat was from the pound. We would like to do the same thing with a dog...we want to adopt from the local animal shelters, or Arizona state rescues. I've been looking for over a month. They dogs listed are hard to find!

 

We also are looking for a dog that is over 8 months old - 2 years old.

 

Do any of you guys have experience with owning a dog and having allergies? Any info would be appreciated so much! :wub_anim:

[Mouseykins]

I've heard Poodles are good for people with allergies.

 

I sometimes become allergic to our pup, but that's normally only when she needs a bath and brushing. She's a Jack-Russel and sheds a little bit, but she does have the soft, long and wirey hair. Our pups brothers had short, soft, fine hair and hardly shed when they were little. Not sure about when they got older, since we sold them. You could look for a smooth coat dog. I think shitzu's are good for shedding too.

 

With any dog there will probably be allergy symptoms, but the main the is to keep the dog clean so the pet dander (allergen) gets washed away. My pup hates being dirty and will jump in the tub/shower to be washed. It doesn't matter if she's allowed to join us, she will anyways. In the summer she gets a bath about once a week to once every 2 weeks. All depends on how many baths with the kids she invades, how muddy she gets with the sprinkler or if it rains. I do not like having a muddy pup in my bed lol.

[Rune Valentine]

Poodles and Labradoodles are the ones doctors mostly recommend to people like me (who have allergies) :P I can't speak for Bernese Mountain dogs as they're not very common here, but they are large and furry and I doubt they are "low allergy". They might be if allergy sensitivity isn't too high, though.

[S_A]

Hey! So I'm allergic to pretty much all pets with dander and have tried a million medications, home remedies, and whatnot to help me be able to love on animals a wee bit. All of our pets growing up were from the pound, and I sort of just sucked it up, but now I'm 32 and take Ready in Case All Day Allergy Relief Cetirizine HCl tablets (14 tab). They are usually on the bottom shelf in the allergy aisle at Walmart for only 88 cents per box!!! I stock up when they have them, and I'm able to hold my mom's terrier mutt, she rescued, without any problems.

[Venus0523]

We have an American Bull Dog - My daughter-in-law (who used to live with us) is very allergic and found that like stated above the daily allergy meds took care of smptoms most of the time. The American Bull Dog s a large dog, but a VERY good family dog.... I know it's not on your list, but wanted to share.

[CylonPirate]

If you'd prefer a rescue dog petfinder is a great site that lets you sort by area, breed, and age. A bunch of regional and local shelters list their animals up for adoption on there.

[Venus0523]

Petfinder is where we found our dog - He was  years old when we got him and is 5 now :) 

[aminoshiki]

Vacuums and air purifiers will be his best friends when it comes to pet dander and allergies. Make sure you look into HEPA filters, both for the vacuum and for the purifier. They do cost more than other filters, but they are specifically meant for small particulate matter, which dander is considered. Don't be fooled by those silent ionic purifiers out on the market. They are not as effective (if at all), and release small amounts of ozone, which can cause minor health problems if they are used in smaller rooms.

[charelan]

I do not have experience with dogs and allergies but I do have experience with Schnauzers. They are really nice dogs! My parents had one for years and I have met various others. They are very smart and very loyal, but I do find them to be a bit hyper - better for a family that would spend a lot of time walking/ playing with their dog. If that sounds like your family then a Schnauzer might be a good match!

[tk421beth]

Oh, wow! I am so happy with all of these responses! Really, you all helped me out SO much! :woot: <3 

 

Mouseykins: I would LOL so hard if my dog jumped into the shower with me. That would be hilarious! We do know we all will have to make sure the dog getsa bath weekly/brushing daily. Thanks!

 

Rune Valentine: I am looking for ANY Doodle dog out there! They would be perfect! The Bernese Mtn. Dog is what we want...but will not get, because of Jacob. Thanks! 

 

S_A: Thank you so much for the allergy medication info! I will check that out!! 

 

Venus0523: The Bulldogs are too cute, agreed! I am not sure if that is the dog for us, though. 

 

Cylon Pirate and Venus0523: Yes! I check Petfinder A LOT. We so want to adopt a dog, instead of going through a breeder. We hope to find a dog local...but we live 3 hours N.E. of Phoenix, and there are not many choices here to choose from. If we do find a dog in the Phoenix area, we will travel to get it, no biggie! Thanks! 

 

Aminoshiki: Thank you! Actually, we got a really cool vacuum that works wayyyy better than or old one, buy far. It really sucks up everything. The HEPA filters will be no problems for us to purchase. 

 

Charelan: A Schnauzer is one of the dogs we are looking for! I did not list every dog on this post...that would have taken forever! All the Schnauzer dogs would be great for Jacob and our family! 

 

Everyone...thank you so much for your input! I really appreciate ALL of your help so much! I promise once we find the dog for our family, I will post pictures of him or her for you all to see!

 

<3 <3 <3 <3

[Mouseykins]

Though Allergy medications can reduce the symptoms I'd try to avoid having to take them if you can get a dog that won't bother Jacob's allergies. You'll have to remember to keep him constantly dosed up and probably not the most ideal situation.

[tk421beth]

Thanks, Mouseykins! He does spend time at a friend's house, for several hours at a time, and doesn't have a problem with their two dogs. They are little white terriers, too cute! They are companion dogs for the kids.

 

This is why it will take some time to get the perfect dog for our family. We will have to be careful with the breed of our choice. Believe me, if he was not allergic, we would have always had a dog in our home.

 

:)

[tk421beth]

Everyone meet Misha! I found her listed adoptable Tuesday night on Facebook w/the local shelter in Show Low, AZ. They say she's a 2-3 year old Samoyed, but we are not sure of her age (and what she may be mixed with).

 

I called Pet Allies (the shelter) Tuesday night and left a message. I made sure hubby saw her first thing Wednesday morning. He LOVES her, and says she is so cute, and cuddly and loves people AND cats! Wow!! We adopted her for $175-so she is ours!!!

 

Misha will be groomed tomorrow, see the vet, check if she is spayed, and if she's not, they will spay her. Misha will get a microchip as well. We can't wait to have her in our home! Misha should come home approx Wednesday or Thursday next week. That Friday she will see our personal Vet, so she can check him out further.

 

Our fence guy is coming tomorrow to fence a half an acre for her. She will be an indoor/outdoor dog.

 

She is being groomed tomorrow, and I will bring her another toy tomorrow as well as one of Jacob's sleep shirt. We want her to bond with Jacob. She loves him already... ^_^

 

Isn't Misha cute?!?!? :wub_anim: <3 :happydance: :dance:

[Scoobert_Doo]

Wow! That is great news! I know you have been looking, wanting, waiting since your first post. Sometimes it is good to wait, especially for the perfect pet! Just think of the great adventures all of you will have. Congrats!!!

[Mouseykins]

Such a pretty puppy! I'm glad you were able to find a dog to join your family. :D

[tk421beth]

Okay, so this happened in the last 24 hours :sad02: We are very sad, and Facebook has totally blown up over this. Our phones are constantly ringing, buzzing, etc.

 

I posted this on FB after the millionth text/call I got this morning. Tom and I agreed not to adopt the dog. We live in a very small town, and don't want the backlash. Tom spoke w/the previous owner and told him to please contact that animal shelter in regards to the dog. He was very nice to us. We don't know this family, but know OF them. Typical small town, lol. Everyone on FB is going on Pet Allies and blowing FB up. The only good thing is that NO ONE has accused us directly of anything (including the previous owner), and it should be that way.

 

Here is what we posted on FB:

A story for the dogs...
As many as you know, we have been looking for a certain breed dog to accommodate Jacobs allergies/asthma. It's been a hard and difficult road finding a particular dog that meets our criteria. Last Tuesday, we felt fate had stepped in and gave us Hannah/Misha. This is the exact dog that we were looking for. The post from Pet Allies stated that a Samoyed mix was available for adoption. As you may or may not know, a Samoyed is considered a hypoallergenic breed. We felt our prayers had been answered.

 

On seeing the post, Tom left a message with Pet Allies, stating that we were very interested and would come in Wednesday to make arrangements. That's exactly what we did.

 

On visiting Pet Allies on Wednesday morning, they stated that there was no interest in the dog, and was available for adoption. Upon hearing this, we filled out the application and started the process.

Thursday, we finalized the process and Misha was ours. But before we would bring her home, she needed to be checked by the vet, spayed, etc. In the meantime, I had contacted someone to install a 1/2 acre chain link fence. (Got a great deal, approx $2,500)...because Misha was not spayed, we had to get her groomed before hand (she can't be groomed after the spay for at least two weeks).

 

We all met Misha and immediately fell in love with her. It seemed that our search was finally over.

On Friday, RJ contacted Tom, stating that the possible previous owner had come forward. She also stated the dog was legally ours and there was no recourse that could be taken by the assumed owner.

 

RJ did tell us that if we decided to return the dog to Pet Allies (we signed a contact that states we cannot give the dog away, we have to return it to them), that it was not certain that the proclaimed owners would be eligible to adopt the dog...reason being that they did not meet the criteria for the adoption process (in a fenced yard to contain the animal).

 

At this point, there is no legal issue. Misha is ours. But we find ourselves with a moral dilemma. Even though we are heartbroken of the prospect of giving up the dog we have been searching for and legally obtained...we would not feel comfortable with causing another family the heartache we are feeling now.

We are currently waiting for more information from the governing board of Pet Allies before we can make an informed decision. Thank you all for your love and concern. We will keep you posted on the outcome.

 

UPDATE: MARCH 22, 2016:

We now have a new dog. Her name is Zuzu and she is a 6-1/2 month old Samoyed. Please say hi to Zuzu! :laughingsmiley: :wub_anim: <3

 

Zuzu trying to befriend Metal, our cat:

 

Jacob walking Zuzu:

 

Our baby!

[RihanaBB]

Some dogs have a lower chance to trigger certain allergies, but no breed is truly 100% hypoallergenic. It is best to go to a breeder's home in person and hang out with their dogs, to see if your allergies can tolerate them. I have been allergic to most breeds but live pretty well with Entlebucher

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