I'm not a dog person, despite spending at least the first third of my life with them. I'm too damn lazy to want to take one for walkies when it's peeing down. However, I don't begrudge people wanting to have one, just so long as it's properly trained. Case in point, my brother and his partner, who have five cats and three ferrets got a dog recently. Honey is a golden Lab or retriever, not sure which, and she's beautiful. Very intelligent, and even when excited chasing after her favourite toy, a fluffy seal I found, hardly ever makes a noise. She's a delight, and would be perfect for you. Some have mentioned Jack Russells, now they can be a problem if not trained, but they have incredible stamina. I did one of the first Salisbury Plain Challenges, and rode the 25k route. A couple from up north rode it on a tandem, and they brought a Jack Russell. Which ran the whole way round, including his own diversions, then ran to all the returning riders, tail wagging, asking to go for a run! Fantastic little dog, again, sounds like the ideal animal, plus they're small enough to pick up when nessessary, which is more than I could do with Honey, now she's around eight months old!