Monique....there are some great dog breeds that don't require exercise. One is the french bulldog. They're smaller dogs, and pretty calm (at least from what I read). Not sure about them as puppies, though.

Our neighbors got an 8 month old poodle/spaniel mix. She's the sweetest dog, and she was already over the hyper puppy stage when they got her (and potty trained, too).

I think if you get a dog over 8-12 months, or select a breed that is not high energy, you should be fine.

I know how you feel missing having a pet. My daughter is very allergic to cats, and somewhat allergic to dogs. We waited for quite some time to get a pet, and only after we found a "hypoallergenic" breed that didn't cause her problems. I really missed having a pet, as we always had both cats and dogs while I was growing up.