adopting older dog

Question
I'm looking for an older dog for my 80 year old mom who lives with me and my husband. Mom has Parkinson so she can't walk a dog, but we have a large fenced in yard. She need a companion who is low energy and not underfoot when walking. She is used to my past dogs, Dobermans, but she couldn't handle one of her own. We've been to local pounds and they just want you to take a dog home without giving any information. The last dog she seemed interested in was a Wheaton terrier, but after reading up on them, a digger would easily get out of the yard, via ground hog holes or just under our 4 foot chained fence. Mom is home almost full time. I hope you can just give me an idea as to which dominate breed might be a good match. There are so many dogs over 5 up for adoption, it's hard for the to lead her in the right direction. I'll always be around to help her, but I want it to be her dog and I'm not looking for my next dog for another year or so, but she doesn't want to wait.
I thank you for your attention.

Answer
Hi April,

I  think it's a great idea to adopt an adult dog for your mother! There are so many wonderful older dogs in need of a home.

The big bonus in adopting an adult dog, is that you'd be adopting a dog who's personality and temperament is already known. For that reason, I don't think you need to limit the possibilities of which breed would be adoptable. Any dog which fits your criteria should be considered, no matter the breed.

While it's true that purebred dogs can be prone to certain tendencies, not every dog of a particular breed will have those tendencies, or they might have them to varying degrees. Since you're only considering mature dogs, they might be a lot more sedate than their breed description implies.
I think it's safe for you to judge each individual dog on it's own merits.

Many small and toy breeds want nothing more than to sit in their owners lap, and to be doted on. They require a minimum of exercise, and are big on accepting love, and giving it right back. Most small dogs are quite good at not being underfoot.

They also live longer than larger dogs, so adopting a toy breed (or breed mix) that's 7, 8...even 9 or 10 years old is a dog with many years before him. Perhaps a smaller dog would be a good companion for your mom.

Have you tried browsing PetFinder for a dog? http://www.petfinder.com/
Do the "Quick Pet Search" on the left side of the PetFinder homepage.

Most Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers are bred with a temperament for family life, and are even recommended for apartment living. That Wheaten Terrier you were interested in, do you know if he is a "digger" as his name implies, or not?  

Since you asked for specific breeds, here are a few you can consider:

Bichon Frise
Papillon
Pug
Basset Hound
Tibetan Spaniel
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
English Toy Spaniel
French Bulldog
English Bulldog
Miniature Schnauzer
Whippet
Italian Greyhound
Japanese Chin
Boston Terrier
Standard Poodle
Miniature Poodle

A breed is a potential for behavior, a dog's actual  temperament should be what you're looking at.

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,

Patti