A well-mannered rescue of any breed.

Adopt , don’t shop.

Here’s some useful information.

Plus, what @Seek said.

Some breeds are more suitable than others for a family pet. Beauty should have nothing to do with it, temperament is everything. Many purebreds have certain health conditions, a mixed breed rescue is probably your best bet and yes, adopt don’t shop. Shelters are overflowing with dogs and cats that need homes.

Dogs need a LOT of time and attention, so evaluating your families schedules, ability to give the dog the proper amount of attention and exercise is crucial. Owning a dog is a huge responsibility and everyone in the family needs to be prepared to be involved. Training, walking, feeding, cleaning up after, playing with, a dog is a lot like having another child. If you don’t think you’re up to the task then maybe consider getting a cat or 2 instead.

Put any kid next to an Australian Shepherd and you have a Kodak moment.

I am totally going to agree with @Seek on this one.

Seek has the right idea as does Coloma. I would look for temperament first. In my experience, I have found terriers very playful and energetic. Golden Retrievers are calm, protective and caring. I would look for these mixes in adult dogs. But any dog treated well from the beginning and is assured that they are a member of your pack will be a great, caring, loyal, protective friend. They are pack animals and need a slot in the pack to be happy. I don’t know of any other animal that so blatantly show and act on empathy and I believe they help children develop the same in themselves.

It depends entirely on the type of household. If the children are older and the parents have a lot of dog experience, it would be very different than a household with young children and parents who have little to no experience with dogs. For the latter I would only recommend a rescue from a breed rescue group where you would have a better idea of the background for the dog. A smaller, more compliant breed is better in those circumstances. A pit-bull is an incredibly physically strong dog, and would likely be inappropriate in that case.

If you want to raise a puppy, the same applies. As romantic as it sounds to rescue, experience with dogs counts a lot.
Buying a pure-bred dog is not the bad thing. Abandoning any dog is.

There is a danger to getting a rescue, even if they initially appear to be calm. You don’t really know what they’ve been through or what you’re getting. I’ve had two rescues; the first, a pure bred Cocker that I adopted at 10 months was a love; Frodo seemed calm but turned into a biter. There is something to be said for buying a well-bred dog where you can see the parents even though that is not a popular belief here on Fluther.

I question your use of the term ‘beautiful” – do you mean you want an accessory for your children or are you using it to mean temperament?

Got to be a Golden Retriever, do you agree?

A malteze, although the length of hair will be a maintenance problem, whereas the pitbull’s coat will be easier to maintain. (Pitbull, not to be confused with the bullterrier.)

@janbb Yes, you never know what you’re going to end up with when adopting an adult rescue dog. Regardless of shelter and rescue evaluations of the dog I think the odds are 50/50 of either it being a good fit or the dog ends up being a problem animal.

I’ve had three dogs in my life.

A hand-me-down 2-year-old Basset Hound (from a neighbor who couldn’t handle all her kids and animals).

A 12-year-old rescue Yorkie.

A new born Maltese/Havanese from a friend of a friend who had puppies.

All have been great with kids. I think it’s really luck of the draw. From you choices above though, I’d go with the Maltese.