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We've had seven dogs over the years, obtained six different ways: inherited a purebred collie... excellent animal; street rescued a mutt... disaster, psychotic alpha; purchased a Kuvasz from a breeder... mixed results, dysplasia; street rescued a miniature spaniel... cute, lovable dog; adopted a beagle/terrier mix... yappy, but the family loves her; and rescued Great Dane... beautiful, lovable dog, and attention hog, but that's the breed.
Our conclusion is that we would always go the rescue route. Great Dane Rescue is a fantastic organization that tracks the dog's history, researches the prospective adopters, and follows up to help both dog and new master adjust to the situation. A year and a half later, we're still in contact with GDR and in love with our Dane.
If and when we look for another dog, it will most likely be through a greyhound rescue group.
Great dogs can come from any source, though. Do a ton of research, resist the "aw... he/she's soooooo cute!" factor, and don't settle for less than what you absolutely want.
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"Regret can be a harder pill to swallow than failure .With failure you at least know you gave it a chance..." David Howard
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