Been following this thread closely as I straddle both camps..... our first dog Moses we re-homed (via a breed rescue society) as a four year old three years ago. He was living with a family who had a second daughter who was allergic to him and was banished to the shed for three months before they contacted the breed society. He's a great dog who ticks all our boxes. The breed, Finnish Lapphund, will take as much exercise as a collie (they're used to herd reindeer by the Sami nomads in the far North) but are equally happy to chill in the house for days on end, are very placid in nature and are renowned for being good with kids (the Sami use them as child minders when in camp). This year we decided to get another dog as Moses is starting to slow down a bit and contacted the breed society again. However, as the breed is very small in the UK, rescue dogs are like hen's teeth but we knew we wanted another Lapphund. In the end, we got a pup, Otso. I wrangled for ages with myself about the ethics of getting a pup and think that some of the attitude of some breeders of some breeds and the KC is abhorrent. That said, the Finnish Lapphund club in Great Britain is very forward looking regarding health testing, genetics, not line breeding and importing new blood into the country and even scouring the far North for dogs amongst the herdsmen (Otso's maternal Grandmother ran with the reindeer). I understand what Longdogs is saying about it being a myth about knowing what you're getting with a pedigree but, we knew the breed and knew both his mum and dad well and have made 100% sure we've looked after the nurture side of the equation with an intensive socialisation and training regime. When it came down to it we loaded the dice as heavily as possible to get us the right dog at the right time and, at 5 months, he's ticking all the boxes. I'm sure in 6-7 years when we're looking for another dog, we'll explore the rescue route first again but, we've found a breed that suits us and our lives perfectly, so, chances are, it'll be another Lapphund.