Cool, thanks all. I'll take a look at some shelters instead.

 

I will be a monkey's uncle before I let a woman talk me into/force me to get a "girly" dog (ie: poodle, Pomeranian, etc.)

My buddy's girl talked him into getting 2 Poms for their place and there is nothing manly about walking a fluffy, 3 lb dog with a pink leash... lol.

 

[QUOTE=JLUDE,May 15 2009, 01:15 PM] I will be a monkey's uncle before I let a woman talk me into/force me to get a "girly" dog

 

Dude I have a five pound Chihuahua and he is a straight gangster...CHICK MAGNET!!

 

My gf's sister has two chihuahua's lol.

 

A type of dog does not define someone.

 

My experience with Breeders (at least for Boxers) was worse than the rescue. The Breeders all wanted me to do a lot of leg work before they would even tell me if they had puppies available! One wanted me to write a 3 page essay about "Why I wanted a dog" before she would tell me if she had a dog for adoption!

I ended up going to a local rescue where I could play with all the dogs and pick out which dog I wanted. I needed to pay and fill out a bunch of paperwork, but I was able to take the dog home that day for a 24-hour evaluation and then I had to bring her back so she could finish her shots and all (and be fixed) and then I took her home. A home inspection was listed as a requirement, but the rescue never performed one beyond asked what my house was like.

I recommend you try calling around a looking first. If you find the perfect dog, it would be worth it to go through a little hassle like a home inspection to bring home the right one. Personally, I was looking specifically for a boxer because I wanted to know what I was getting in terms of temperament and some basic personality traits -- muts from the pound are great and you can have a lot of success with lowered medical expenses -- but you don't really know for sure when you get one -- you might have a lot of luck, but you also might not. You sort of have some expectations with a pure bred or an actual breed of dog and a lot of resources online for popular breeds too.

I will say one thing for reputable breeders, many will do genetic testing on the parents to ensure lowered probability for medical problems. You'll pay through the nose at first, but that can often result in lowered medical bills over the life of the dog. I've already spent about $3500 on unexpected (not normal annual care) medical bills for Nina who is a rescue dog.

If you're interested in a Boxer, let me know and I can give you the contact info for the Boxer Rescue in Reston, VA.