Any advice on breed and where to find a good breeder or rescued adult

Question
Greetings!

I recently fell in love with the GSP. I had a beautiful "young lady" invite herself to be our houseguest for awhile-you can guess this lady had a half length tail and beautiful brownish/chewstnut colored fur! She stayed with us for about 2 weeks and when her owner came to claim her, we were just heartbroken-I still secretly hope she will show up here again! My kids and even my husband just adored that dog. The thing that was most special about her was the sweetness of her nature-she was like an overgrown lapdog. She would get on my lawnchair with me just as if she was also a human and I just loved it. My kids loved to play with her and she was So gentle with them-my youngest is 5 and all my kids are very respectful of animals and love them too much, if anything.
Anyway, I realize all breeds have their good and bad points depending on the preferences and situations of the owner. Honestly, the only problem I had with her was that she jumped the fence when I tried to put her out(she stayed in the house most of the time and made herself very comfortable on our couch!). We have 2 acres out in the country and part of it is fenced. I also realize that they need a lot of attention and I like that as I am a stay at home mom and my youngest is off to Kindergarten in 2 weeks. I also realize that they are bred to be a hunting dog and we do not hunt. I guess there must be a way to satisfy this urge in them through some sort of play?
Anyway, now that I have talked your ear off, what I really need is any tips you can give me about finding a good breeder and choosing a good pup-I am not really interested in showing anymore and pet quality would be good for us. I used to raise Bouvier des Flandres and showed when I was a teen, but I don't have theh time(or energy) right now for all the effort that would take. I would not mind being able to adopt one either, but that seems to be an act of congress these days. I really do want a GSP and temperment is the big deal for me. Any help you can give me would be very appreciated!
Thanks for your time!
Cynthia Theriot

Answer
Hi Cynthia-

GSP's are wonderful animals!  After owning labs all my life and then getting into the GSP's, I wouldn't ever own a different breed...in fact, we have 6 of them in the house with us and our 4 kids!  You are correct in that they need attention and excercise.  They want nothing more than to please us and in return, we get their unconditional love and affection.  

Where are you located?  I don't want you to feel pressured into getting a pup from me, but I do raise them and the temperaments are just as you described.  People that come to see them are simply amazed at how laid back they are in the house.  In fact, I just was talking to a lady that has a pup of mine and she was commenting on how everyone always tells her that she must've goten lucky to have found such a calm pup (he's 4 months now).  It's not that she's gotten lucky, it's all in the breeding of them and the attention that they're given.  

If you'd like to get in touch with me personally, you're more than welcome to and we can talk more about my dogs and what to look for in choosing a pup/dog other than from me.  A lot of the work is done by meeting the parents of the litter.  The best idea of the temperaments is going to come by visiting with them.  If you'd rather find a pup through someone else, I'd be happy to help you look at pedigrees and tell you my opinion of them.    I would discourage you from adopting one from a shelter.  Reason being  because you're going to be told what you want to hear.  The complete history isn't there for you to be sure you'll like what you see.  Even if you should find one at a shelter and decide to take it, once you get it home and it begins to settle in and you see that there are traits in it that you would've preferred to not have, how do you break it to the kids that the dog needs to go back?  Starting with a pup/dog from a reputable breeder is your best bet.  The email address is countryside@itol.com .  I also have a website that you might be interested in looking at:  www.country-sidebreeders.com .  I'd love to help you find a pup/dog for your family!

I look forward to hearing from you soon-
Patty Lemke
Country-Side Breeders
920-863-2428
Denmark, WI