Trying to find a dog that fits well with us was soooo hard!

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In the past 5 yrs we have had 3 new dogs. When our 9 yr old lab mix, Nick, died it was a sad time. He was loving, well disciplined and my guard dog. My husband sometimes worked late into the evening and Nick made me feel secure. I love dogs and wanted to get another one. We opted for a 9 month old cocker spaniel named Katie. She was adorable! But she had a problem with 'submissive' peeing. At least that's what the vet called it. Anytime anyone would pet her she would pee. Not good. I had been doing in-home child care and was offered a job outside the home. Katie was going to be left alone. I really felt bad because cocker spaniels need a lot of attention. So I started asking friends if they wanted her or new of anyone who did. I felt like a bad person but I just couldn't keep her. I wanted to find someone who was familiar with her condition. One of my friends had a friend who also had a cocker spaniel. I talked to her friend and explained it all and she knew that some cocker spaniels had that condition. We let her have Katie and I checked in with her twice a week for 2 months. By the end of the 2 months she was able to get her to stop the submissive peeing. I knew Katie was in the right place. A year past with no dog and I was really wanting one again. One of our sons had moved back in with us and said he could care for the dog while we were working. I did research this time by going to the library, talking to veterinarians, and looking online. With this information we decided on a 3 month old pug. This was the pug from h*ll. We named him Dax and kept him for almost a year. He was very, very stubborn, shedded profusely (don't remember reading that), extremely hyper, bit everyone, chewed everything (my new kitchen chair legs!), Then people started telling me that pugs are stubborn, strong willed and physically strong. I said "REALLY!!?" I really thought I did my homework in choosing a dog. Now it was obvious to me that I should have talked to people who owned pugs. I put an ad in the paper. I felt like a very bad person to be finding a home for another dog. Two people who came to our house said he was too hyper. A mom with her 3 kids came over and tried him out at their house for a weekend. While at their place he tore up 2 pillows, chewed and pulled down curtains and nawed on their furniture. So we took him back. Then this dad and his 14 yr old daughter came to look at Dax. When I was explaining what he was like to the dad, we looked over at his daughter and Dax was sitting beside her and she was petting him! I couldn't believe it. They were looking for a dog for grandma. They took him for a try out. I called her 3 times a week for a month and he didn't do anything bad for her. I still wanted to find a dog. We found the sweetest shitzu! She is adorable! Never chews anything, potty trained fast, quiet and lovable. She understands our voice tones - if she tries to jump up on a chair that we don't want her in, we tell her and she doesn't go there.