You may wish to consider a rescued retired racing greyhound. They are still quite young since they are usually retired ( a euphemism for euthanized ) once they are not winning races anymore.
There are organized groups who go to the tracks to rescue these dogs before they are put down. They then spend however much time in foster care in volunteer’s homes is necessary to acclimate them to living in a home.
The advantages to you are several. Firstly each dog is thoroughly cat tested. Some see them as prey while others are indifferent to cats. The rescue volunteers want to be as certain as possible of a forever home for them so will be very diligent about this when placement in a home with a cat is considered.
Another point to consider especially with a young child is that these dogs have had all of the aggression bred out of them by necessity. Any dog who is into fighting with other dogs or their human handlers is impeding the moneymaking process so…..
Google greyhound rescue with your location and talk to some of the folks in these groups to see if this might be a good fit for you.
Everyone to whom I have spoken who has adopted a greyhound or two has been thrilled. They are just great loving couch potatoes who love to cuddle up next to you and they so appreciate living in a home instead of a cage. They don’t need as much exercise as most people think since during their racing career their actual running time was brief compared to their time in a cage.
If after speaking to one of these groups that isn’t for you, you could do a little phoning around to the shelters in your area.
The better managed ones have adoption counselors whose specific job it is to guide people in their search as to what would be the best match for them. They know what type of key questions to as etc. You would stand a much higher chance of success in going to a shelter which specifically has an adoption counselor available. A little telephone detective work beforehand could save a lot of time and possibly heartbreak if that impulse choice doesn’t work out.
Also, once you have a more definite idea of what you want in a dog some shelters have ” wish lists ” and will notify you when what you are looking for comes in be it breed, size, temperament or whatever.
Good luck in your search and good for you that you are looking to rescue a dog instead of making some pet shop or puppy mill richer. There are some really wonderful animals to be found in shelters and rescue groups everywhere.