all the great information here has helped me narrow my search. I'm not going for dogs that need a lot of grooming...or with really long hair - I keep my hair cut short so I don't have to worry about it, why should I expect more of a canine companion. I'm not concerned with allergies personally, but have a great-great nephew who visits a lot and he has allergies - they haven't yet spread to dogs, but why push the envelope in that perspective? (He can't even go into a room where a cat has recently been due to allergies, so that's why I"m going with a dog.)
Pound puppies, which are probably mixed breed, are the ones for me as well. I'm not a purebred and I turned out OK, so go with what I know.
Love the idea of taking the airline carrier with me when I go to the pound...and plan to do that.
Now the shopping - I am having my knee replacement surgery in the next couple of months, so planning to wait till after that to make a purchase, but will start visiting the pound and looking around at options. Thanks so much for all the input and I'll let you all know when I get my new friend and I'll post a pic at that time. Thanks again.