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You're certainly correct...my Ranger, a Tervuren, was a Katrina rescue who I fostered for about a month before adopting him outright, and there are any number of mutts and mixes I know from the dog park who are great, intelligent dogs. My point is that careful, selective breeding optimizes the chances of getting exactly what you want, and for my money, nobody does that better than they do at New Skete. Like anything else in life, if you want the very best, you have to expect to pay for it...and that's not to say that New Skete dogs are qualitatively "the best" (although they'd contend for the title), but simply that it's hard to find the meticulous maintenance of the line, and the time and effort invested in producing great dogs anywhere else.

Ford and GM may produce excellent, perfectly serviceable, generally affordable vehicles, but this has yet to put Ferrari out of business.

I think it really comes down to what is important to you — if you want “the best” that you define as pure bloodlines, etc, and can and are willing to pay for it, nothing wrong with that.

However, if one finds a rescue, you can sleep well knowing you just saved the life of a wonderful dog. And for a family pet they can be just as wonderful as the most expensive dog bought from a breeder.

MsLady — in your family situation, you might actually consider a German Shepherd that is a few years old, more mature. Young dogs can be very rambunctious, and at the beginning they don't know how to be gentle, they just want to play.

As LongeElegantLegs says, there are advantages to adopting an adult dog. Especially if you can adopt them from a place that rescues that particular breed and can tell you a lot about the particular dog's temperament.

Basically, to each his own, as they say, as long as you take good care of the dog, as I am sure all of you here would.

It still boggles one’s mind, how this 26 year old woman, could have the dog for a while, then stop feeding him and giving him water, while keeping him tied up, so he couldn't even go and find water and food.

Ahh, but you see it then comes down to what ones definition is of “the best”

The best what? the best as far as purity of bloodlines? The “best” as far as coloration, size and bearing? Or maybe the best as far as lovable, maybe a bit goofy and silly but sweet and gentle. It’s different for all of us and a matter of what we want in a (for me) GSD. I think we can agree all of them are protective and make wonderful “watch dogs” in that the will at least bark when someone rings the bell (at least mine always did)