Originally Posted by greytone

I am glad to see that others have pointed out the third option of a breed rescue group. There really is not one right answer to your question. The right answer depends on your situation and that might change before you are ready to adopt. Just remember that stores that use puppy mills are always the wrong answer.

We had two pure bred beagles when I was growing up and they were fantastic pets/friends. There are legitimate reasons to desire a specific breed and a reputable breeder is the best way to find a puppy.

As an adult I live alone and work long hours. A puppy would be out of the question. A high energy breed like a retriever would really suffer while I am at work. My sister's golden tended to trigger my allergies. It became clear that I needed to rescue a short haired grown trained dog. That seemed unlikely, but then I learned about greyhound rescue. The last I looked into it, almost a third of racers are euthanized so rescue is the right word. Greys are sighthounds and therefore behave a little differently than other hounds. They hunt by sight and not smell. The breed has been around for thousands of years and they are bred well by people looking at behavior as well as speed (an uncontrollable dog will not win a race). They are raised in crates but are trained early on to interact with a number of people.

When greys first leave the track they are taken into the homes of people who volunteer to get then used to being pets. They evaluate the personality and tendencies of each dog and a good rescue group will work hard at making good matches. I have been blessed by my two greys they have been such good pets that I am sure that I will always have rescued greys in my home. They are like Lay's chips. No one can stop with just one.

Get a good book on choosing a breed. I read several and I was surprised by what I learned. I am sure that helped me avoid mistakes in adopting the wrong kind of dog. If a greyhound would not be right for you, there are lots of other rescue groups. I know people that have had great luck with golden rescues.