Need help picking a breed for my family

Question
Hi, thanks for looking into my question.

My family's looking to buy a dog and so I'm trying to do my part of the research.  I'm 19 but I'm a college student so I'm not home all the time, but the people who will mainly take care of the dog are my Mom and Dad, who are moderately busy, and my 13 year old sister.  My grandparents also live with us, so that might affect it, too.  The only person who has had experience raising a dog is my Mom, but that was long ago, maybe 30 or 40 years ago.  It would be a new experience for my sister and me.  We have a pretty big piece of land that is chain-link-fenced, and our house is a decent size.

In terms of breeds we're very open-minded.  My sister, after looking around, likes the Australian Shepherd but she can be attracted to anything that is "cute."  My Mom used to have a German Shepherd so she would like that.  I am open-minded, and I'd most like to have a dog that melds perfectly with our lifestyle.  I was thinking a Lab or a Golden Retriever would be friendly and easy to train, but they might be too boisterous for my grandparents.

Also, they are determined to get a puppy.  I was able to convince them not to get TWO puppies at the same time, but I don't think I can persuade them that an adult dog would be easier for owning a dog for the first time.  However, I do think that they can keep up with the responsibility of raising a puppy if necessary.

Answer
Well the best place to get a dog is at a shelter,since you don't care what kind of puppy you get,shelters always have litters of puppies,and all kinds and sizes as well,it won't hurt to look around at your local shelter and see what they have,even if that time they don't have what you are looking for,they may the next time around