We are thinking about purchasing a small dog.....  

Small Dog Without children is best.

I have a Mini Schnauzer who is now 4 years old....Our last one lived to be 18 years old. They are a hearty dog that loves to play and really willing to learn...They also are good with kids. You can read up on Schnauzers at google.com... Just type in Schnauzers and see what you think. You do have to keep up on the grooming with them. But other then that they are Great...

I love minpins. They are friendly little dogs. I am not sure how they are with kids though. You really should contact someone at the humane society to see what they recommend. They have so much experience and knowledge and my have a dog that you could adopt from their kennel.

Small dogs tend to be high strung. What about a loving large dog. If you go on the net, you can put in the breed you are intersted in, and it will tell you the personality and character of it. Good luck.

The Bichon Frise is gentle and affectionate with children and is an ideal dog for kids. Bichons love to play with children as long as the children remember they are playing with a living animal and are not too rough.

I think big dogs are better with children. They seem to be more tolerant and less nippy. If you google best dog breeds with children you might come up with some good ideas.

I have owned many different breeds of dogs. I have found the dachshund to be one of the best small dogs for childeren. They are protective and will put up with anything. I got my son when he was 5, because he was so afraid of all animals. This helped him to learn to be around animals and how to treat them. My son is now 19 and the dog is still around being her cute self!

It doesn't particularly matter what breed of dog you get, as all dogs have the potential to attack. Big dogs may be more docile, but have the potential to do more damage should the worst happen.
You should concentrate your efforts more on training and teaching your kids how to treat the dog.

When I was a child we had two Jack Russel terriers. Although they have a reputation for being snappy, our two were well trained and we were taught not to play roughly with them. This carried on when we got older and other children were in the house, the dogs would put up with a lot from kids pulling their ears and tails, but go away into another room when they's had enough.

Above all, DO NOT LEAVE ANY DOG ALONE WITH SMALL CHILDREN. Your kids should be at least 5 or 6 and able to defend themselves incase the dog attacks for any reason.