If I may suggest: With any new breed that you are interested in you can usually find a breeder referral through their national breed club. Talking to a few reputable breeders should help you out a lot! Also, you may want to hit some local dog shows to see some of these breeds in action.
So sorry to hear about your Shiba. 
Im not a dog person, but my sister as had miniature poodles for years. They’re nice little dogs: don’t bark to much; active, but not hyper; quite affectionate. She doesn’t give them stupid poodle cuts, so they actually look like a dog.
Noooooooooooooooooo. My neighbor has one. They are the world’s worst dog. Completely hyper, bark at anything, aggressive. The thing bit the beak off a parrot, and terrorized their other dog so badly it was constantly peeing itself. Avoid these miserable things at all costs.
If you liked a Shiba personality, chances are you won’t like Boston Terriers, Miniature Poodles, Miniature Pinchers, or Miniature Schnauzers. Those breeds can be high strung to the point of hysteria. Hounds tend to take off - Beagles are the worst.
I’ve owned several Basenjis in my time. In general, they stick around if they are by themselves. If they are lose with another dog, they can “pack up” and take off. I owned one bitch (and IMHO females roam less than the males) that never ran away and was let loose with her Rodesian Ridgeback friend almost all the time.
The Basenji personality is quite similiar to the Shiba’s, though. Both breeds tend to be “independent thinkers” and friendly rather than fawning.
If that’s the personality you prefer, some other breeds you might consider - Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Great, great dogs.
Smooth Fox Terrier - little coat troubles, generally don’t run away.
Tibetian Terriers - they are neither Tibetian nor Terriers. Kerry Blue or Soft Coated Wheaton Terriers - not as tightly wound as Bedlington
Puli - long hair, but it doesn’t shed so much as form itself into dreadlocks.
Another breed to keep in mind is a Bichon Frise. Pretty small, and not terribly active, but they are up for a good walk. My dad’s bichon is very well behaved, hardly ever barks, doesn’t even climb up onto the furniture. Much like poodles, bichons don’t shed, and so are very good for people with allergies (I am pretty allergic and have no problems with the bichon). They don’t shed, though, so you’d have to take the dog in every month or two for a haircut.
I’m sorry for your loss. I’d consider a Soft Wheaton Haired Terrier or a poodle. Either one is intelligent, friendly and both are fairly elegant. Both can be socialized to deal with another dog, and both are quite people oriented. Poodles can be barky, but they can be socialized to bark less. If your heart is not set on a puppy, sometimes a retired seeing eye dog could be a great pet, but I don’t know about the process for acquiring one. THey are socialized to generally not bark, and certainly not excessively.
You probably already know this but be extremely careful with the breeder that you choose. Go and visit their facilities if at all possible. Remember that virtually all dog breeders are a little nuts but some are downright negligent and inhumane. This advice goes double if the breed you choose is faddish, like Jack Russel’s because of the one on Frasier.
Haj
I’ll put my vote in for a pound mutt. Both my dogs were pound mutts and have been a pleasure to have around. We just lost our lab mutt yesterday (looks like we’re both in the same boat on this topic) but we still have our Rott/shepard who is a total goofball. The lab was work because of her past, but she turned out to be one of the neatest dogs I’ve seen. Full of personality.
The nice thing about getting a shelter dog is you’re getting an animal that NEEDS a home - not one that was made to be sold.
I say take a few weeks and hit up all the shelters in your area. Perhpas several times over. Find a dog that has the right personality and size. Bring the pug and have them meet, see if they hit it off.
Sorry about your doggie. That’s a hard loss.
Give me a sec and I’ll see if I can think of a breed I like…
**Jack Russell Terriers **
You mean Jack Russell Terrorist .
Every big dog I’ve ever known is not too much work.
They’re typically slow, lazy, and a good run will wear them out for the rest of the day. That goes for Danes, Akitas, Mastiffs, St. Bernards, Bernese Mountain Dogs, etc.
And, they’re not going to hurt your pug. First of all, a pug can take a lot of punishment, and second of all, they just won’t anyway.
And, since you like Shibas, maybe you could consider an Akita. Protective, loyal, cuddly. Ours is like a carpet who just has to eat twice a day. And he plays great with my smaller dog, and is good around kids.
Hmmm… have you ever had a small dog?
I ask because I typically had larger dogs most of my life, as did Mr. Athena. Not HUGE dogs, but 50-60 pound dogs. I was amazed at how much easier a small dog is. They’re just more compact, can fit in smaller spaces, and are cuddlier since they can crawl right up on your lap.
Anyway, thanks to everyone for their suggestions. Yesterday I called the breeder where I got my first pug, and not only did she have puppies, she had puppies that were from the same exact parents as our pug. So we headed out last night and picked out one of Edith’s new brothers - a 6 week old black boy. He’s too small to take home yet, so we’ll just have to visit until the 8th.
Haven’t decided on a name yet. Any suggestions? Two that we like, but aren’t set on, are Leo (as in Tolstoy) and Frodo (as in Baggins).
I’ve known plenty.
Springers, border collies (had one), Jacks, Boston Terriers.
All of those are tons of work.
Now, a pug is a different story. He can’t be too active because he can’t breathe and he gets fat too easily.
We just spent the day at a friends house who has a 7month old Great Dane.
What an awesome, quiet dog. Sure, she probably has her moments, but she was either laying on her doggy bed, laying in front of the fire or playing outside iwth the kids. It was like having a deer or something as a pet. Yeah, her head is as high as the countertops and she routinely cruises for a snack, but all dogs do that until trained.
She does have a deep fearsome bark, but deep down, she is a total wuss.
Makes me want to get one, except for the feed bill. And initial cost $1200. :eek:
I’m going to put a word in for the Papillon. I usually recommend it as a family dog breed - it’s a smallish dog, but with lots of brains and a good activity level (without being like a herding breed which demands way more exercise). Grooming-wise, they’re not terrible.
There were two on my flyball team at one point (they were our height dogs) and both of them also did agility really well. They are very bright and fun to train.
I’m not one who likes small dogs, in general. There are only three “small dog breeds” I don’t mind: the cairn terrier (I had one as a child), the papillon, and the King Charles.
I’m so sorry about your Shiba. Not a very good way to start the holidays…
How old is your current pug? A larger breed puppy, even if very friendly, can be stressful for an older dog depending on the temperment of the older dog (we had a Jack Russell who would put any puppy in its place regardless of size but our other older dogs would get fed up with large puppy antics and run for shelter).
As mentioned, Jack Russells are great, tough little dogs, but they have ton of energy. They’re not really bolters in my experience, but they do need room to run to burn off all that energy.
We had basenjis growing up and my brother has two now. They are great dogs. “Interesting” is a good term for them. In addition to not barking, they don’t seem to have that doggie smell. And they are very clean. Sometimes they’re downright fastidious. Some people like their yodel. To me it sounds like the inhuman wailing of the damned. The sound has been known to scare the neighbors. The basenjis I’ve known haven’t been particularly vocal, but when they get going it’s, well, interesting. They’re also sight hounds. They won’t bolt just to do it, but once they get on the trail of something they can be difficult to call off. Those I’ve known have also been more independent than most other breeds. They’re certainly trainable, but you have to work with them early and often. They don’t seem to have that slavish desire to please that other breeds have. They’ll come when called, but not in the same way my other dogs do. It’s hard to describe. My other dogs will come with an “oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, you want meeeeee” attitude. With the basenjis it was always “well, okay, if I have to.” They are wimps about the cold and ours always hated the rain. God forbid they get their paws wet! We had one who would prefer to wait 24 hours to go out and pee if it was raining.
Another pug would be great for your current pug and you do know and love the breed. If you’re still looking for something more “outdoorsy,” a smooth collie may be an option. They could be a bit bigger than what you’re looking for (they’re the size of regular collies), but they have short coats, are very gentle (with smaller dogs or children), quite hardy, and extremely easy to train. I haven’t known them to bolt, but they are herders so they will give chase when something runs from them.
JRTs are not for the faint of heart, that’s for sure. A vet friend of mine used to say that most JRTs died being struck by cars since they have the tendency to run off and chase moving vehicles.
While very smart, they are also harder to train and have that blasted terrier stubborness for a temperament. That said, it’s what they’re bred for. These little dogs are meant to go after them there evil vermin n’ take 'em down. My cairn successfully fought with a groundhog that was far bigger than she was.
That’s the problem with “small dogs” - some of them have the soul of a lion trapped in a little dog body. I have known far more large, easy going dogs that make far better family pets… the little dogs sometimes feel they have to compensate for their size by being really, really fierce 
(My cairn would have taken on any dog, any animal, hell - any human being - if push came to shove. That little thing was FEARLESS and an absolute bitch of the first order. Dominant, stubborn little shit, let me tell ya.)
Congratulations, Athena! And how could you not name a little black pug Frodo? It sounds like the perfect pug name!
Congratulations! I’m so sorry about your Shiba, though. I was going to suggest a Maltese, which is what I have. They’re fairly small, not too active, but will occassional frolick around and they’re really smart. But, I’m glad you found another pup! I vote for naming him Frodo. 
Labradoodle?
I will always be partial to beagles because I’ve had such great luck with them, but they do shed a lot. And the males tend to wander, though Buddy the Beagle belies that claim. (He’s a good boy; yes, he is. Here’s a treat!) Oh, and they tend to get fat because they look at you so imploringly with those liquid brown eyes.
If I couldn’t find a nice beagle, I’d go to the pound and search for a likeable chap. Mutts tend to have fewer problems, both physically and socially, than pure breeds.