I agree to check local shelters, rescues or humane societies. We adopted Max from the humane society and will definitely do that again should the time come that we want another. After having him, I am definitely partial to labs and lab mixes, and you can find them smaller than Max's 65 lbs. Labs do not need to be bathed often, which is a plus for us since our other dog has to be groomed regularly. I understand wanting an older dog, well out of the puppy stage. Whatever you decide, do some research on a site like dogbreedinfo.com or greatdogsite.com. Good luck deciding and let us know what you get!