Quiet companion gets nurse for dog (7)

I believe the answer is:

lowchen

'dog' is the definition.

'quiet companion gets nurse' is the wordplay.
'quiet' becomes 'low'.
'companion' becomes 'ch' (I've seen this in other clues).
'gets' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'nurse' becomes 'en' (abbreviation for enrolled nurse).
'low'+'ch'+'en'='LOWCHEN'

'for' acts as a link.

I've seen this clue in The Independent.

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