If you decide you want a purebred, make sure it's because you love the breed since purebreds are often not as resilient as mixed breeds. Consider carefully why you want a purebred. Many people will want a purebred because it conveys some symbol of status on them. Purebreds are prone to many illnesses due to inbreeding, and having a purebred could become a costly affair.

If you simply want a companion consider a mixed breed. There is nothing a mix breed puppy cannot offer you in terms of love, companionship and devotion, and there are many mixed breed dogs already born, looking for homes.

When you discover you are in love with a particular breed, do some research to find out if the breed is compatible with your lifestyle. Pay special attention to breed characteristics, size, hair length, and amount of exercise required.

Talk to breed rescue centers. They will tell you what to look out for. No one has more experience on the breed as the dedicated volunteers and professionals who rescue the purebred dogs when they are no longer wanted. Learn how a typical dog of your beloved breed behaves and whether that is a fit for your lifestyle and your entire family.

Keep in mind how much room your dog will have, how much exercise you are able to handle daily, grooming needs, and how much maintenance they will require. Your rescue organization will also give you the "dumping factor" what the most common reason is for this breed being abandoned by their families.

Make sure everyone in your family is committed to interacting with the dog daily - the quality of life for your dog is based on healthy and constant social interaction. If your family cannot provide huge amounts of time, and if your dog is going to be home alone during the day, consider getting two dogs so that they can keep one another company. No matter what the breed, two dogs are no more trouble than one.

Make sure that you can guarantee a lifetime of dedication to your new dog.

To locate a dog, check out the pounds online. As many as 25% of the dogs in pounds ARE purebreds, and surprisingly there ARE puppies. To find a dog in a pound in your neighborhood, you can go online at http://www.Muttshack.org, type in your area code and look at the photos of dogs in the shelters near your home.

Next try the special breed rescue centers. They frequently rescue purebreds from the pounds because of their love and devotion to the breed. They may give you truly valuable advice about your new dog. If they don