Check out the Goldendoodles. They come in small, medium, and large sizes and are truly a wonderful loving dog. :wave:

I've thought of a golden doodle. They are adorable. The ones I've seen were way too big for how old we will be in 6 or 7 years--same weight as our golden, but many inches taller and just as strong.

I've seen a miniature golden doodle, around 30 lbs. It's a good size, but this particular one is too much of the poodle look for our taste. NOTHING AT ALL against poodles! We just prefer a squarer, blockier face

My friend (on their fourth golden) just sent me links to a mix between a golden and a cocker spaniel. Gets 30-45 lbs. I think they're called Dakota Sport Retrievers.

I was considering a Wheaton terrier, but our groomer just gave me a blank stare when I mentioned it. Then she said, "They can very, very weird."

Oh little tweetybird, What you said brought tears to my eyes as well.

So glad to see this thread. We're struggling with the decision to get a puppy. We've been dog-less for 3 years after we had to put down our 15-year-old Border Terrier. The previous year we lost our Scottie/Cairn mix who was also 15. The struggles of a geriatric dog were very hard to go through once, let alone twice.

That being said, I have two major concerns. Our children live in other states so we would often have to board the dog. The second is that our house is new and I'd hate to have to haul out the Pet Bot to clean the carpet. Been there, done that, too many times to count. Wish my husband liked hardwood or tiled living rooms. We do miss the wet nosed kisses and wagging tails. I've found a Cairn breeder that has a litter due in a few weeks so we could have a puppy around April. We aren't really interested in a rescue for a number of reasons. If the right one came along, we'd consider other small breeds/mixes as long as they are puppies.

Feeling the emptiness of not having a dog.

Love my Wheaton Terrier - we've had two - this one a rescue. Molly is wonderful and everyone loves her! Don't taken what your groomer says too seriously - they are great pups.

When/if I get to a point I feel I can no longer adopt... I will foster!

lafter having pets most of our lives we now no longer have a dog or a cat. Its just too hard to let them go so we decided no new puppies or kitties for us

Well, I wondered about that, Deb. One winter in Key West there was a Wheaton at the dog park. The owners travel up and down the east coast printing and selling T-shirts at events, and they needed a medium-sized dog who would be good with people and not mind living in cramped RV quarters. He was the nicest, friendliest dog, and very playful--loved to retrieve. I came away thinking what a nice dog, size- and temperament-wise.

Maybe my groomer had a couple of "off" ones. It is a small town, and maybe they came from the same breeder. She didn't elaborate. I should have asked.