Puppy

My oldest son is obsessed about getting a puppy. Our "oldest child" Trudie, is 11 and thankfully, pretty healthy. She is showing her age, however, with some grey hair, slower to get up, and sadly, I think her vision is going a bit. BUT, God willing, she still has several years left to give us.

Here is my question: Is it better to get a puppy now, when she is still here so she can help "teach" the pup? I mean, Trudie is a wonderful girl. She needs no leash. She listens. She isn't a chow hound. (Yes, she can beg when she knows she can get something, but otherwise, she rarely begs.) There is so much that Trudie can show a new dog.

I have reservations about a second dog though. If I get another dog, I want her to be a dog for the boys. Trudie, since we got her before we had the boys, is OUR dog. She follows Ryan and I around the house from room to room. She sleeps in our room. She doesn't play with the boys, but acts like their mother. If they get up at night and leave their rooms, she barks and growls at them and makes sure that I know.
But if we get a pup, would it just follow Trudie around and bother her, in a sense, ignoring the boys to play with Trudie instead?
My other reservation is that we are renting. Our current contract states that we can have 1 dog. I wonder if the new owners of this home will let us have a 2nd dog?? Especially a puppy.

The sensible side of me is against a puppy right now. Trudie is enough for us. She, to me & Ryan, is the perfect dog. She is our only girl. Whenever you get a 2nd dog, it changes the dynamics of the first dog.

Yet, if you could see and hear Brendan talk about another dog, you would want to get one. He talks about it daily. Seriously. He asks what kind of dog he should get, what name, etc. But he wants a boy dog. And I will not have a boy dog. Female dogs only for me, thanks. And she will get fixed.

So I'm taking opinions on this. Do I consider getting a 2nd dog? (Depending on whether the new owners will even let us.) And second question: What breed? Brendan's picks are a long-haired doxie, golden retriever, chocolate lab, or bloodhound. And yes, I have been trying to tell him the benefits of a mixed breed, which he is finally starting to agree with.

Holy Wah! 2 posts in a day, so yeah, I've missed this!