Japanese Spitz. Totally chill, friendly dogs from day one. Cuter than Poms and other small breeds, with none of the obnoxious traits. Might get a little warm in CA, but they're fairly adaptable, and I bet there are some breeders out there.
Rescuing dogs is admirable, but you never know what issues you're inheriting, and by the time you do, it's usually too late. Life is too short to try and fix other people's mistakes, particularly when it comes to dogs imo.
sptiz (resized).jpg