Evan Landis, 1, and her family dog, Daisy, are pretty good pals and about the same age. Daisy was adopted by the Landis family from the Lawrence Humane Society, and her energy is a good match for the children she lives with.

When Michelle Sparks and her family decided to adopt a puppy, they weren’t sure they were ready. They had one dog already. But their hound dog, Bo, would grow lonely when no one was home. He wanted someone to play with.

So after talking with the vet and the pediatrician, Sparks and her family loaded up the car to drive to Dignified Doggies, Lawrence, to pick up Riley, an English bulldog.

Riley was different from Bo, says 7-year-old Brody Sparks, one of the dogs’ owners.

“Riley is kind of a crazy dog,” Brody says. “She kind of jumps over the couches, and if I catch something, like a bullfrog, she’ll want to eat it.”

Despite her quirks, Riley adjusted to the children quite quickly. And the boys got used to her just as swiftly. The reason for the smooth transition? Compatibility.

Riley and Bo have different personalities, but both are fun, says Brody. Bo likes to take baths, which works out nicely because Brody and his little brother, Ryder, like to bathe him. Riley, the bulldog, likes to chase Brody around when he rides his four-wheeler. And both dogs like to lay with the boys.

The dogs have about the same amount of energy as their young owners, which, according to Jen Bacus, a dog trainer for Dignified Doggies, is the ideal match.

“What kind of dog you select depends on the type of family you have,” says Bacus. “Some people want a dog that just lays around. Others want to take their dog hiking.”

To ensure a snug fit into the family, it’s important to pick out a pet whose personality reflects the family’s activity level. Never select a dog because of its appearance alone, Bacus says.

For instance, Bacus says she hears of families with young children picking Chihuahuas or Pekingese because of their size. These families operate under the assumption that small dogs pose no physical threat to their children. Unfortunately, that isn’t always true.

“You hear about a lot of people with small children getting smaller dogs,” says Bacus. “The trouble with that is, small dogs tend to develop possession issues because people baby them.”

Ownership issues with dogs are common. And aggression can especially be an issue with children, Bacus says. Dogs can grow possessive of toys, or food, and a child, unknowingly, might try to pick up the toy, or move the food bowl, to cause the dog to show aggression by biting. Bacus advises parents to avoid leaving their small children alone with dogs because anything can happen.

Lindsay Landis takes similar precautions when her dog Daisy, adopted from the Lawrence Humane Society, is around her children.

“We have a lot of safeguards and rules in place to protect them,” Landis says of son Spencer, 3, and daughter Evan, 1.

“For instance, the kids know that if the doggie moves away from them, they don’t follow her. They know that’s the dog’s way of saying they’re done for now, they want to be alone.”

Landis says the 60-pound pup has been a great match in the family.

“We had been dog owners in the past, and we felt we knew what we needed to know about dogs and kids when we decided to get a new one,” she says. “We couldn’t ask for a better fit for our kids. She’s still a puppy, with a medium to high energy level.”