Thanks so much for taking the time to do that, but I'm in Washington State, not Florida.
Lots of responses, I hope I don't miss anything. First, you guys are awesome, thank you so much for all the help.
I do plan to get him in to an allergist. We just have to get our Ped to refer us, and he keeps assuring me that I don't need to have him seen until he's 2. I don't know why. He has excema, and gets watery eyes and blotchy skin.
He reacts to my mom's dog only on his face, and it's only if his face touches her. He can pet her with his hands just fine. He also reacts immediately. It doesn't cause him breathing trouble, or sneezing so far. I have terrible allergies, to dogs and cats and mold and pollen and a ton of other things. I was on medication as a child, but I seem to have adjusted to the animal allergies. I'm 25 though, and it's only been recently.
Even if he does have allergies, I think having pets are so important for children. Not for responsibility, because they are too young for that, but for companionship. And I want a dog. I absolutely do not want to jump into getting a dog and then have it not work out. It isn't fair to my kids or to a dog, which is why I am asking so many questions and taking my time. I think I've been looking into this for about a year.
I want to be able to meet a dog before adopting, so I can rub my son's face on the dog
and see if he reacts. I feel comfortable doing that, since his reactions seem to be mild. And we plan to call the dr this week and insist that he refer us to an allergist (mostly because his excema isn't getting better and I'm tired of him being uncomfortable).
I would still like to look, and unfortunately it sounds like I'll be pretty limited by breed. And the breeds that will be good for us are pretty pricey.
For those who have suggested PWDs, how did you find yours? I can't even find a breeder around here, and the rescue won't adopt out to people with kids (per their website). Also, considering that I am looking for a certain kind of dog, do I just need to resign myself to the fact that it's going to be expensive?
And the bichon thing, I don't worry about my boys being overly rough, they do great with our cat and he's about 15 lbs, they aren't rough with him or anything. They do like to hug him. But I have heard horror stories about smaller dogs getting back injuries from young children (trying to ride them, maybe, I don't know...my kids have never done that to my parents 80 lbs black lab so I can't imagine they'd do it to a smaller dog either). I have heard that bichons are great with kids.
And Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers, those are hyper and strong willed like other terrier breeds? They look so gentle, like great big teddy bears.
If anyone asked me any questions and I forgot to answer them, I'm sorry. I tried to cover everything.
I really, really appreciate the help. I just want to make the right decision for my family, and also for any potential dog that could come into our family.