choosing a pet

Question
Ashley: Do you think a puppy who is a pomeranian/mini eskimo cross would make a suitable pet for a home with 4 cats and no children.  Also, if we become owners of a dog would a puppy integrate with the cats better or would an older dog used to cats be best.  We are debating on the merits of each. Thanks for your answer.  

Answer
Hi Carol,

The puppy sounds like it would make a great addition to your family. Breed doesn't play as large of a role in determining a puppy's ability to interact as socialization and training do. With any new dog I recommend going through basic obedience training, it is highly beneficial in a number of ways. As far as a puppy vs. an adult dog, it really doesn't matter. With a puppy, you certainly have the advantage of them growing up around your cats so that they are used to them. Dogs who have been around cats since they were puppies often see cats as pack members. However, there are many, many adult dogs that do just fine with cats. Unless the dog is aggressive or has a problem with cats you'll be fine - and usually, if you are adopting from a rescue/shelter, they already know how the dog responds to cats. For example, at www.petfinder.org, you can locate rescue dogs available at shelters in your area. The site has symbols next to each dog indicating if it is suitable for a home with other dogs, with cats, and with children.

That being said, I know you already have your eye on a puppy, and that puppy should do wonderfully if you go about this the right way. The puppy or new dog needs to be properly introducted to the cat in a controlled environment. There is a lot of great information available on the web to help you with this. I provided a link to an article on this from the ASPCA below. Don't let this overwhelm you. You should definately read over this information, but I can tell you that if the puppy is very young, bringing him into your home won't be as difficult or require quite as much as these sites reccomend with adult dogs.

http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pets_introducingdog

Ashley