We had made a decision that we would not have another dog until one of us had retired, this was about 15 years before the event! In the meantime we had a family of kittens and their mother from a rescue centre. They all lived to a ripe old age, and I was actually a year in to retirement before we were in a position to have our dog.
We had had a sweetnatured, somewhat '**** a deaf'n' cocker spaniel, who lived until she was 17, and a friend of mine bred standard poodles, so we had a fair idea of what the breed characteristics could be like - bright, fun-loving, friendly and playful. After living with four cats, a none/low shedding dog was a must as both of us had allergies which increased living with the cats, and there really is a limit to how much time I want to give to vacuuming!
Size was another thing to consider, at 63, It was a case of looking into the future, and thinking about what size and weight of dog we would be able to manage, particularly through puppyhood and as a young dog.
A cockapoo was just the ideal dog for us, on top of meeting our main criteria, they are absolutely adorable. We now have 2, which says it all!