Dogs for people with allergies?

Okay, so we've done our research and picked a few breeds but I just wanted to see if anyone had any feedback before we make the plunge:

DH and I have allergies but we REALLy want a dog. We've heard that schoodles and morkies are good but I wanted to see if there are any other options as well.

I always said I wouldn't buy a dog but at this point, with our allergies, there's no way we can have a pet unless we know exactly what breed they are to prevent a hellish allergy-filled existence. And any rescues I look at all seem to be bad with kids and we're hoping for a baby in the very near future.

SO! If anyone knows any local breeders or reputable pet stores with allergy-friendly puppies or rescues, please let me know!!

I know this is long - I live a complicated existence sometimes. Thank you for your help in advance!

Edited to say taht we are no longer considering Shake a Paw because of a TON bad reviews I just saw online.

Message edited 4/28/2009 5:02:20 PM.

Re: Dogs for people with allergies?

I have terrible allergies and I am a firm believer in the fact that no dog is allergy free.

In fact, the hypoallergenic dogs bother me more. I've learned that I'm allergic to dander, not fur. Basically, the non shedding dogs often hold the dander in their flurry fur and make me sneeze more. On the other hand, shedding dogs lose the fur and the dander as they shed.

In a nutshell, I ended up seeing a mutt online, meeting him at an adoption event and playing with him. I never once sneezed. We adopted him and are diligent with swiffering/vacuuming/etc. and we haven't had any issues.

I'm not saying a mutt is the way to go for you but please don't rule out adoption. If you find a petstore breed you like and think would be good w/ your allergies, go on www.petfinder.com. There are TONS of dogs on there that are purebreds.

Best of luck!

Message edited 4/28/2009 3:32:09 PM.

Re: Dogs for people with allergies?

i know that there are a lot of issues with shake a paw, but someone else will tell you them.

my sister-n-law bought a dog that was hypoallergenic for her. a day later the dog was at my mother-n-law's. my sister-n-law was horribly allergic to it. not all dogs that are supposedly hypoallergenic are.

Re: Dogs for people with allergies?

Re: Dogs for people with allergies?

We have a Wheaten Terrier and my Mom has a Bichionpoo (sp?).. My dad is deathly allergic to dogs and my dog and my moms has NEVER once made him sick or anything.

When he goes to others houses that have like retrievers, labs etc he gets highly allergic and has to leave.

Both of our dogs were purchased at Sportsmans Kennels. Located in Manorville... A friend of ours also purchased his two dogs from there and they are great as well.

I highly recommend them. Our dogs are all healthy never any problems and very friendly and happy dogs...

Good luck in your search!

Re: Dogs for people with allergies?

Well, I really don't want to start a debate, I do feel pretty strongly about this... "Schoodles" and "morkies" aren't breeds. They are cross-breeds and, quite frankly, no responsible breeder would purposely breed them.

Do some searches here for "Shake-A-Paw" and you'll learn a lot... Then do some online research regarding puppy mills. Hopefully that will end your desire to buy from a pet store or back yard breeder...

There are hypoallergenic purebreds that you can get through a reputable breeder. There are also plenty of hypoallergenic dogs in shelters or rescues. Spending time with the particular dog you wish to get ahead of time is really important if you have allergies. Even hypoallergenic dogs can trigger allergies. For example, my DH's parents have a portugese water dog -- far longer than the Obamas, lol -- and that dog actually bothers my DH's allergies, despite being hypoallergenic... The dog does not, however, bother MIL's allergies.

Good luck, and I hope you find a great dog for you guys!

Re: Dogs for people with allergies?

Kara is 100% correct. morkies, snoodles, cockerpoos, etc are all cross breeds and not a real breed therefore you won't find a responsible breeder for them and any dog store you go to, i don't care who it is, is a backyard breeder or a puppy mill. no reputable breeder will sell their puppies to stores because they want to know where their babies are going and want to develop a relationship with you (ie seller) there's also a bunch of contracts you would have to sign from a reputable breeder regarding neutering/spaying, what to do if you don't want your dog anymore (give them back to the breeder and the breeder ONLY) and a bunch more. plus you don't know all of the tests the breeders have done with the dogs and that's REALLY important. you can still go through rescue groups and petfinder and find a mixed dog. there are tests to find out the specific breeds of a dog.

you can go with a "hypoallergenic" dog but no dog is 100% "hypoallergenic". alot of the times, people are allergic to the saliva of a dog so their hair doesn't even matter. I also wanna add that my DH is very allergic to dogs and he is completely fine with our jack russell, dachshund and pitbull. It really all depends on the dog. maybe don't rule out a short haired fur dog until you play with it? Same thing for my BIL and his allergies are BAAAAD. Here's a list of "hypoallergenic" dogs. some are cross breeds so be careful and try your best not to get one of those.

Affenpinscher Doesn't shed

Airedale Terrier Doesn't shed

American Hairless Terrier No hair/No Dander

Basenji Doesn't shed

Bedlington Terrier Doesn't shed

Bearded Collie Hair pH same as human hair

Bichon Frisé Recommended by AKC for allergy sufferers, along with some other breeds

Bolognese Doesn't shed

Cairn Terrier Sheds little to no fur. However, among the worst breeds for excessive barking, which thus produces saliva and dander.

Chinese Crested Has very little fur, doesn't shed much but still produces saliva and dander

Coton de Tulear Doesn't shed

Dandie Dinmont Terrier Doesn't shed

Fox Terrier (Wire) Sheds little to no hair. However, among the worst breeds for excessive barking, which thus produces saliva and dander.

Greyhound Short hair, single coat

Goldendoodle Crossbred with poodle, if coat is inherited from the poodle parent it will not shed, if coat is from the Golden Retriever parent, it will shed

Havanese Doesn't shed

Irish Water Spaniel Doesn't shed

Italian Greyhound Short hair, single coat

Kerry Blue Terrier Single-coated, short hair, sheds less

Maltese Doesn't shed

Peruvian Inca Orchid No hair

Pomeranian Minimal dander due to small size

Poodles of all sizes Doesn't shed. Due to extreme intelligence poodles need proper, consistent training to prevent excessive barking

Portuguese Water Dog Doesn't shed

Puli Doesn't shed

Samoyed No dander

Schnauzers of all sizes Short hair, sheds less. However, among the worst breeds for excessive barking, which thus produces saliva and dander.

Scottish Terrier Doesn't shed.

Sealyham Terrier Doesn't shed. Produces less dander.

Silky Terrier Does not shed. Hair will come out when brushed or combed. However, among the worst breeds for excessive barking, which thus produces saliva and dander.

Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier Doesn't shed

Welsh Terrier Doesn't shed

West Highland White Terrier Sheds little to no hair. However, among the worst breeds for excessive barking, which thus produces saliva and dander.

Yorkshire Terrier Hair has same pH as human hair. hair will come out when brushed. However, among the worst breeds for excessive barking, which thus produces saliva and dander.

Re: Dogs for people with allergies?

p.s. shake a paw and kanine koral have both been known to get sued a bunch of times and have their puppies die on new owners... please, do NOT buy a dog from these stores or buy anything from there for that matter. we need to shut down these horrific places

Re: Dogs for people with allergies?

My husband is allergic to most dogs so we got yorkies.
He has no problems from them.
This place is dedicated to yorkies
http://www.saveayorkierescue.org/ .
Another place that has many different breeds that is a great organization that I support ishearts united for animals .

Re: Dogs for people with allergies?

Thank you to everyone for such good information! We'll likely pick a breed that has local breeders so we can go visit the dogs and see if DH has a reaction. We certainly don't want to bring a puppy home and then have to bring him back if there's a problem.

As for Shake a Paw, we definitely will NOT being going there again. I've wanted a dog for so long, I kind of got sucked in when I saw all the puppies but now I know better and I"ll do my research on the breeder before we pick up our new baby.

Re: Dogs for people with allergies?

I'm not sure if I believe that there is any allergy-free dog, I just think you can get used to it. My dh is allergic to cats and dogs and we got a chihuahua. He was allergic to her initially, but after time he got so used to her that his allergies no longer bother him

Re: Dogs for people with allergies?

my dh is also allergic to dogs and cats, the poor man suffered so much going to shelters with me looking for a dog. we ended up getting a Maltipoo. he has not had any reaction to him at all.

Re: Dogs for people with allergies?

Posted by MrsList

Thank you to everyone for such good information! We'll likely pick a breed that has local breeders so we can go visit the dogs and see if DH has a reaction. We certainly don't want to bring a puppy home and then have to bring him back if there's a problem.

As for Shake a Paw, we definitely will NOT being going there again. I've wanted a dog for so long, I kind of got sucked in when I saw all the puppies but now I know better and I"ll do my research on the breeder before we pick up our new baby.

Re: Dogs for people with allergies?

good luck and alot of us can help you find a responsible breeder when you find the breed you want!!