Ok, low maintentence, low energy dog that has an independant personality, preferably low alpha types that listen to and are good with kids and don't have doggie odor. Oh! and quiet too! Hubby doesn't like excessive barking. Barking at the dog or an intruder is ok though. A dog that doesn't need another dog would be nice as well.
Is there even such a dog out there?
That is funny - your list is very similar to our list when we were deciding on a breed. We needed a dog that was calm in the house even as a puppy, and did not need to have an hour exercise daily - would be happy with less, but still enjoy the odd hike.
We needed a dog that was excellent with very young children (we had three under three), had a low prey drive and very tolerant to friends and neighbours dropping in.
We needed a dog that was QUIET, not barking for the sake of it. The kind of dog, who, if he did bark, we would pay attention because he was not one to enjoy the sound of his own voice.
I needed a dog that was happy to be with me, but not on me. A dog that was content to lie by itself, happy to be petted but not competing with the three young children for attention.
And, the last requirement was to have this dog be big and handsome.
After spending a month doing endless research, visiting various breeders and going through breed after breed, we came up with our perfect fit - the Saint Bernard. He is our second Saint and fits our bill perfectly. Drool and shedding are small prices to pay for a big, calm, quiet dog we can trust with our kids and friends children, who also has no alpha issues and is very obedient to boot.