After years and years of dog rescue, I'd stay away from chows, akitas, and any mixes of the group. I disagree with Tofu on the chow thing. I would wager that 85% of the dogs that were given up through the rescue I worked with were chow mixes. Most often cited issue, snapped at the kid. Not that I don't think that chows are good dogs, personally I love them, but they require dedication and training that the average person will not give a dog.
However, I agree that a trip to the pound is a great idea. Here are some things to try with the dogs you look at. It's what I did when I was trying to evaluate if I was going to take a dog from the shelter into a foster home situation:
Ask to have the dog removed from it's pen and taken to a neutral location.
Observe the dog when the shelter worker goes in to get the dog. Does it cower? Shake? Jump? Spin?
Watch the posture of the dog. Is it's weight forward? Ears up or down? Tail wagging or limp or tucked?
As the dog walks, is it looking ahead, around, up? Does it strain on the leash?
Approach the dog slowly and observe what it does. Ask the same questions as above. Remember you have a 2 year old at home. If that dog jumps, it will do the same thing to the kid and before you know it, the kid will be crying and you'll be pissed at the dog.
I could go on and on...but here's a good article about temperment testing.
Dog Tip: Assessing Shelter Dogs and Temperament Testing And even if you get a pup, do the test anyway. I once rescued a six week old puppy and by the time it was 10 week old I had to have it put down...it had puppy rage and attacked me and I couldn't get near it.
Good luck!
