I vote for Maltese- they're very sweet.

And why not a Bichon? I was thinking of getting one, since I had read that they too were supposed to be allergy-friendly.

My in-laws have a Havanese. He is a really cute and is a very happy dog. He loves children and is a lot of fun to be around. Unfortunately, I can't refer a breeder as they live on the west coast. The only issue I know of is that one of his paws is turned in and most reputable Havanese breeders try to avoid this genetic issue. Their dog does in fact have a front paw that is turned and feel as though their breeder knew about this all along. Hard to know for sure.

We have a 7 year old cotton. Got him from a breeder when he was 6 months...he was a left over after a large litter. The breed is great...so far ours has been very healthy and very affectionate. The breed (and ours) has separation anxiety and does not like to be alone for long. I would definitely recommend the breed if you are going to be home a lot....they are great with kids (we have two toddlers). I would not recommend our breeder...cadauex cotons in Bethesda. I think he uses his dogs and over breeds and inbreeds...it's too bad because they are such a great breed and not a ton of locoal breeders. My in laws got a cotton from the shelter who has been wonderful so you may luck out there too!

Does anyone here own either of these breeds? Ideally, we would like to adopt a dog from the shelter, but because of my allergies and my sons allergies we cannot. So I these are the two breeds we have narrowed it down two. I know that they are somewhat similar, as both are related to the Bichon. I am just looking for some personal experience. Also, if you have this breed, what breeder did you get them from? I have looked into rescues, but because they are not very common/popular breeds, there are not really many resources. Any info you have would be great. Thanks!