Hey, in keeping with my suggestion of seeing who the shelter staff suggest, did you see that the Tucson Humane Society has a “staff picks” page? On top of that, it looks like they are running a sale on mutts right now ($5 for big mutts?!). Anyone on there sound appealing? 
I had bad luck with pet insurance - when I made a claim (Kaia broke her tooth) the immediately reduced my coverage and put a 6 month hold on further reimbursments. At that point they had collected more from me in premiums than they had to pay out on that claim.
We cancelled the insurance and started putting the same amount of money into a savings account, basically self insuring. We continued that for almost a year before I decided to get serious about getting out of debt and we used that money to pay stuff off. Now our emergency fund covers pet emergencies too.
Well. When the boy got home from school, I figured we’d just take a quick trip to the humane society, just to look around and… um… Milo came home with us. My son picked him out- he was actually the first dog we saw, and we both fell in love with him. He is so cute! He’s a poodle/shepherd mix, but he doesn’t look like he will be very big- he’s 8 weeks old. I really kind of wanted a dog that was already house-trained, but I didn’t see that as a reason to not get him. He’s already following my son around everywhere he goes, and he does whine a lot if you don’t pick him up. I’m so glad that Christmas break starts tomorrow from school, so he can start being responsible for him right away!
Thanks for all of the input from everyone- even if I didn’t acknowledge your post, I did read it and appreciate it and you all helped me see that we could do this, as nervous as I was about it. I think this is really the beginning of a beautiful relationship for my son, and it will help him tremendously. Thanks!
That dog is so CUTE!!
Uh, I mean that’s a fine dog you have there. I like poodle mixes and have never really lived with any other kind of dog, though they’ve mostly been the pets of various girlfriends over the years. I rarely had to do much of the daily dirty work myself, but I was(and am) the best damn doggy-eye-hair-trimmer that ever lived!
I do have one suggestion that’s kind of dark. Do keep an eye out for how he behaves around the dog when he believes no one is around. I’ve seen nothing to indicate your son would ever hurt the dog, but bullied and abused kids sometimes take out their frustrations and anger out on small living things. I’m sorry if this is out of line, it’s just a general concern and nothing specific to your situation.
No, I understand why you would caution about that, and I agree. I feel good about it because he has never acted badly towards our cats, even though he does have anger management problems as a result of being bullied. But I will definitely be watching him with the dog very closely the first few weeks.
LOL! That was fast! Wishing you many, many years of love and happiness with darling Milo’
StG
I know! At first I was like, “Oh no, we can’t just get the first dog we see! That would be inappropriate!” But then I realized that that’s a dumb reason not to get a dog that you want!
Awww! Milo looks adorable. 
It’s awesome that he found a home for Christmas and beyond, and that you and your son have found a wonderful friend.
That’s great. As you see from my earlier posts, I think that a poodle mix is an excellent choice. I’m sure that dog will be a great friend for your son.
With a shepherd mix in there too, I bet he will be a great guard dog. Even small poodles are instinctively territorial and protective of people, so don’t be surprised if he barks at the mailman.
Hope you keep us updated about him as he grows up.
I know, I saw your post right after we got home with him, and I was glad I got a poodle mix. I just hope he doesn’t end up being really big, but his paws aren’t huge so I think we’ll be okay. And yes, I plan on posting about him enough that you’ll be sick of him soon! 
I’m very happy that I did it!
Congratulations! You’ll keep us posted, of course. 
Since Milo is a poodle mix, I’m gonna recommend this comb. Looks like Milo’s hair is fairly short now, but depending on what’s mixed with the poodle, her hair will probably get longer and curlier. If he gets regular combing early, when it’s easy, it won’t be a chore later. Same with toenail clipping and tooth brushing. Start early.
What a cutie!!
Good to know, thanks! I do plan on doing his grooming myself to save on expenses, but I will not be doing the anal gland expressing, thank you very much- that is where I draw the line.
Milo is ADORABLE!!! Can’t wait to see how he grows up.
As soon as he has completed his puppy shots I highly recopmmend a good obedience class; see if you can find one that’s not PetSmart or PetCo, but a real obedience club or trainer. You will get a much higher level of instruction. You could also get your son a book or 2 on training for openable gifts on Christmas. Training is the best way of bonding with your dog.
Wonderful news! Lots of luck to you all. I don’t suppose either of your cats is named Otis? Anyway, I hope you keep the name Milo, it’s a good one.
Congratulations Milo, on your new forever home! Who’s a good boy?
:: scritches Milo ::
I misread this as are you going to let the dog pick you? Which sounds like it kind of happened anyway 
Congrats on Milo!
Wow! Milo is cute!
Um, I’m a day late and a dollar short – but a friend of mine just posted an essay about why *not *to give your child a dog as a gift: “The Gift of a Dog Is No Gift at All”. HOWEVER, I think this is a different case. My friend’s points are about dogs not being toys, dogs not being good surprises, and dogs needing to “belong” to the parents rather than the kids, since kids aren’t always cut out for that much responsibility AND will probably be moving out of the house during the dog’s lifetime, and may not have the resources to care for a dog when they do.
In your actual situation, I think Milo was a great idea. So long as Milo (or responsibility for Milo) can also be partly yours. Milo should have both his person (your son) and a grandperson (you). Your son should know you have his back when it comes to caring for Milo, even though the responsibility is still his.
We used to have next door neighbors who would leave their dogs with us for a while when needed. We quickly learned to rotate the covered litterbox 180° so the opening faced a wall.
He looks just like a poodle-mix I had when I was a kid. She was the smartest dog!
Although puppies can be a pain (housebreaking and chewing), they do have the advantage of no existing habits. It’s a lot easier to train them in some things (like crate training and grooming) because they don’t know any other way to do things.
Just remember - the habits you teach Milo now will be yours for life. There are a lot of things that are just adorable in a little puppy, but not so much in a few years. So think about what habits you’re teaching him.
And send your son to obedience classes! It will be good for them both.
Good luck and happy hounding! 
QFT. Like whether or not you’ll allow Milo on the furniture or in the bed. Big difference between 5 pounds and 60 pounds when it comes to your lap.
When we got Sadie, a Doper or a Raffer recommended Puppies for Dummies – great book. One really valuable hint from the book was using kibble as a training tool – cheaper than doggie treats and just as effective.
One tip we ignored (and later regretted) relates to chewing. We let Sadie have an old shoe when she was teething and of course she didn’t know the difference between old shoes and new shoes. She’s two and a half now and we’re finally at the point where we can leave shoes on the floor. We still can’t leave socks on the floor though. Girl loves socks.