Dogs...?

I am thinking about getting another dog (after I find homes for the kittens as I don't need this many cats!). I was looking at the humane society website today and saw several that might be good matches. Here is what I am looking for:

• I want something bigger (I am not a little yappy dog person).
• I want something a bit older (I don't want to do the puppy thing right now and I figure the older dogs are harder to place in homes because most people want a puppy).
• I don't want anything with long hair (picking burrs out of manes and tails is enough of a pain- I can only imagine what would happen with a long haired dog).
• It must be good with cats, horses, other dogs and kids. Obviously I have cats, horses, and Tess and though I don't have kids I hope that eventually I will and I don't want to have to give my dog up because by then surely it will be quite old and my pets are family. Plus I have lesson kids out here all the time.
• I don't want a roamer. I do not have a fenced in yard and our dogs in the past have never left the property- I don't want something that will wander and get lost or hit by a car.
• I want an indoor/outdoor dog. Tess is perfectly happy to spend the day laying out in the sun or sleeping on her big floor pillows. I want a dog that will be content to spend time outside everyday but that will sleep inside beside my bed.
  

These are the dogs I have found so far that might make a good match (none of these dogs have the no cats, no dogs or no kids symbols on their ads):

Above is Max he is a 1 1/2 year old boxer/lab mix. He is a bit younger than I was thinking but it says in his ad that he gets along well with other dogs, cats and loves kids. It also says he stays in the yard and has very good manners.

This is Myles. He is a 10 month old german shorthair/lab mix. Again a bit younger than I was thinking. He is house trained, great with other animals and kids. It says that his previous owners had him chained in the yard before they dumped him at the shelter. I wonder if that means he is a wanderer?

This is Omar. He is approximately 4 years old and is a lab/german shepard mix. His ad says that he is super gentle and very laid back. He is great with kids and listens well to commands and the only reason his old family gave him up is because they had to move and couldn't take him with.

This is Amity. She is a 2 or 3 yr old lab mix. Her description says she gets along great with other dogs and cats. It also says she listens extremely well and knows basic commands. She is already house trained.

This is Bear. He is a chocolate lab and is about 5 years old. His description doesn't say much except that he is like a big teddy bear and that he needs to lose a few pounds.





This is George. This is all his ad says: George is a big friendly lug who weighs in at almost 90 lbs. He is very lovable and playful. He is primarily a Chocolate Lab. He would enjoy a home in the country or in a large city yard.

This is Molly. Her ad doesn't say anything about how she gets on with other animals but says that she is super friendly and loves attention. It also says she is a dry mouth St. Bernard (which is why I didn't click on her at first because I couldn't deal with lots of drool but apparently she doesn't really drool).


Last but not least is Goliath. He is a lab mix and it says he is a gentle giant and is worth every bit of his weight in gold. He is happy, fun to be around, walks well on a lead, is very friendly and looks good too. He tops out at 98 pounds, and is just a hunk.

Any advice? I am going to go into the shelter sometime soon and check out what else is there that isn't online. I also want to talk to the people and make sure I find exactly what I am looking for. I don't mind training (manners, etc) but I would prefer not to start from scratch with a little puppy. I have been thinking about this for a while and Tess still just seems so depressed. We would both enjoy and benefit from adding another dog to the house...