My wife is very sick and stays home alone all day while I’m at work. She is not dealing well with her depression and loneliness. She loves animals and I believe she would feel a lot better if she had a companion dog. Our problem is that we live with her parents, and her father is allergic to dogs. Do hairless dogs elicit the same allergic reactions as “normal” dogs? I’m wondering specifically about the Xoloitzcuintle (Mexican Hairless) dog.
Is there a test for allergies that can be performed to tell us if my father-in-law would be affected? He does not get much of an allergic reaction from his business partner’s Miniature Poodle, but gets a severe reaction from shedding dogs.
Try contacting the Xolo USA Club. I’m sure they could set you up with someone who could answer your specific questions about the breed. Hairless breeds do need extra care but from the little I know about this one, it may be a good choice for a companion.
Best wishes to both of you. I hope that this idea works out.
The dogs I have always heard suggested for allergic people are poodles, Portugese Water Dogs, etc. You mentioned he isn’t much bothered by a poodle; is it a “not at all” kind of not much or a “not as much deathly wheezing as usual” not much?
Also, have you considered getting another kind of pet that doesn’t have dander? I mean, the only things that come immediately to mind are iguanas and boa constrictors, but a boa is cuddly, right? To the mouse, I mean.
Hairless dogs are supposed to be good for some allergy sufferers. Other dogs (with hair) that are often tolerable are soft coated wheaten terriers, shi tzus, kerry blue terriers, havanese, bichon frise, and malteses. There are always some people who have allergic reactions to these breeds though. If you contact a breeder and tell them what you need, they’ll often send you a piece of cloth that they’ve rubbed over their adult dog. If your FIL doesn’t have a reaction to that, he might be okay with the breed. Remember, lots of people don’t have allergic reactions to puppies because they don’t produce much dander, but will have a reaction to the dog as it ages, and it’s skin dries out.
I hope you can find a dog that will work out for you all.
Italian Greyhounds are touted as good pets for allergy sufferers. Speaking from personal experience, now that my lab and cat are out of the house and I am down to just my Italian Greyound, all my allergy problems have vanished.
