Back in the day, it seems you knew people who had dogs. You knew the sire and dam. You visited the litter, maybe a couple of times.

Now, it seems it’s all on the internet. Or a rescue.

I found Hunter, my lab/beagle mix, last February by using Petfinder.com. It's a very versatile, searchable database of listings from various humane societies, animal shelters, all-breed rescues, and the occasional breed-specific rescue. You can narrow your search down to geographical area, breed (generally mix of breeds), age, size, gender, and many other variables.

I had gone over a month without a dog in my house and was having trouble finding a Doberman, the only breed I had owned for 35+ years. The ethical, responsible breeders I knew of had very long waiting lists, Dobe rescues near me had few dogs, and each one I saw had an issue that wasn't going to work for me, like needing to be an only dog, or needing a six-foot privacy fence, or one very nice boy who panicked on car rides (how was I even going to get him home from three-plus hours away?)

I know it's something not all of us appreciate, but the Internet has made itself indispensable to most of us these days, and next to having a large network of dog-owning friends, it probably will be your best chance of finding your next dog. If you have a particular breed in mind, search for that breed's national registry. There, you should find a list of breeders that comply with their code of ethics. Or search for that particular breed's rescue groups. If you're open to a mix, look for all-breed rescues near you. You could even try a search term like "farm dog rescue," etc.

If you find a dog you like on a rescue site, you always have the opportunity for a meet-and-greet before making any commitment.

Well, thePinker came off the internet.
There is just so much information that you get when you see the litter.
I long to sit among them, and choose. To be able to say, “not that one, THIS one.”

Just whining for the old days is all...

My latest addition to the pack was Eleven- we had just lost Drift - Toni (and Paul) were both going through some pretty major depression. A friend had mentioned a working line GSD litter that was a bit of an oops- he busted out of his crate, broke down a door, and bred her through her crate. Where there's a will, there’s a way LOL. Anyway, I went down to see them at about 5 weeks and got to play with them and picked the one I thought would suit Paul best. 3 weeks later we brought her home. She has been Paul’s shadow ever since. He tells me I chose well.

There are some places where you can still play with the puppies and pick out the one you like best. Up here you typically find that with farm dogs that hooked up. My neighbors just got a nice little Lab mix and were able to go pick out the puppy- Craigslist for $300.

Rescues are all well and good, but up here, you are hard pressed to “adopt” a dog from a rescue for under $600- one that I looked at was $1200. The county humane society is much cheaper, but if you have something specific you need the dog to be able to do, odds are you will be waiting a long time to get one from there that can do what you need.

I agree that there are things you see when you get to see the litter together. When you see the parents. How the mom is with the pups, how the pups play together, etc. Sometimes, there is just a “connection” when you see the litter- you just know which one will be coming home with you one day- most often, the pup picks you.