My friend Laura fulfilled a life long dream of hers - to own a pure bred German Shepherd.
Laura is a dog trainer, and like most of us, was on a mental quest for the perfectly bred, perfectly imprinted pup, so that she could teach everything she knows and have the perfect canine companion and dog sports competitor.
And like some of us, Laura is aware of the need of countless homeless and needy second hand dogs, and her dream of the perfect pup was just that - a dream. She dedicated (and still does) her life to dogs that nobody else wanted. Old ones, sick ones and behaviorally challenged ones.

Till yesterday - when registered GSD "Keeper of the Night" joined her social group. I wish you well, Laura and little Keeper. And Barry and Bailey, your chosen human mate and sweet, sick rescue girl. I wish you fun at agility, and many years of friendship. You deserve the best - and knowing you also means that I know that your heart and home will remain open for rescue dogs as well.

Chances are that Laura's dream and the envisioned relationship with her Shepherd Boy will come true. Because she did everything correctly.
- She knows the breed, having researched, met and worked with many German Shepherds in the past. That means she knows the work that is involved and the intrinsic personality traits a GSD can come with.
- She waited until the time was right.
- She bought local. That means that she was able to inspect the kennel herself. Paper is cheap and words written do not necessarily reflect the truth. By seeing for herself what the kennel is like, and, more importantly, what the pup's parents are like, his siblings and the relationship between all dogs and all humans with all dogs, she was able to make sure that Keeper had the best breeding and imprinting.
- She bought from a small breeder who sells his occasional litter of pups through word-of-mouth advertising only. The best indicator that he is not in for profit, but for the love of the breed.

It is not enough to educate the public at large to not buy a family member from Pet Stores and on E-bay. Large breeding operations aren't any better than puppy mills. Kennels that advertise world-wide delivery to anyone who can pay for it fall into the same category as puppy mills. They are only profit driven.

Good breeders don't sell in the Bargain Finder. Good breeders don't sell to Pet Stores. Good breeders ask many questions and want references. They may inspect your home. In turn, they welcome potential owners to their kennel and proudly show off the pups' parents and other relatives. Good breeders own well behaved and balanced dogs. Good breeders will have a contract and will have a life time return policy - which means that they stipulate that the pooch has to be returned to them in the event that the owner can't take care of him/her any longer.

If everyone would as conscientious about acquiring a dog as Laura is, the suffering of that sentient species would be diminished drastically.