If you have your heart set on a GS, I would phone and talk to breeders. They sometimes have to re-home older puppies or young adults for various reasons and these dogs are often a lot less expensive. My sister just got a pup who has one undescended testicle so he can't be bred or shown but is the perfect pet and she plans to neuter him anyway so there is no problem. My girl was rehomed from her breeder at one year as she is such a dominate girl that she was causing all kinds of fights at her breeder's house. Here she is the "queen" and an only dog so we have no problems. The dog for you is out there. Good luck.

Rescue dogs are the best! No breeding problems lurking to surprise you later. What you see is what you get. My purebred poodle is prone to epilepsy. The rottweiler mix was such a lover. My retreiver/Aussie is a great gal and so happy to be fixed.

Good luck on your search!! I know you're not interested in a mix but I love them. They seem healthier to me, just my experience though.

Hoping that Legend is still available this a.m. when you call. He looks beautiful!!

Oh, I would love to have another GS. My favorite dog I ever had was a white GS named Casper. He was wonderful. I got him when he was 8 wks old. So easy to train, lovable and intelligent. He was quiet, gentle, but always ready to defend and never threatening but obedient to my commands. He was so quiet and peaceful but people had great respect for him. His only fault was liking to chase the UPS truck. He got out of the yard one day and got hit by one and was killed. Have never had a dog like him. Had a samoyed, pekes, cocker spaniel, and presently have a jack russell who is really sweet but none compare to my Casper...

We got our GS from our local German Shephard Rescue Group.
I wanted one that would be gentle with my grandchildren. "Gunny" LOVES my grandkids (and other dogs) and is my sewing companion. Our daughter is a dog lover and has rescue several (one of which she gave to us) dogs from kill shelters. They all seem to know you've rescued them and are so loving and grateful. Please consider a rescue group to get your dog.

Oh, btw, I got Casper from an ad in the paper. He was the runt of the litter out of 4 puppies and the only white one, which I wanted and searched many months for. The rest were sold to police officers!

If you go to a breeder, tell him/her that you are looking for 'pet quality'. In the AKC shows, people look for bloodlines to make sure the good qualities are emphasized (which is the basis for the cost factor).

Oh, Legend is beautiful! I hope you can get him!!

I agree about rescue dogs being the BEST. The specific rescue group will evaluate a dog before they will release it. They do not let problem dogs go to inexperienced homes. A problem dog will only go to a family that is aware of the problems and are willing to work with the dog. The group will do a background check and home visit on the adopters. It's not easy to adopt a dog from a specific bred group. It's not free, either. The rescue groups are all volunteers and get their funds from fundraising and adoption fees. Every dog coming into rescue has to be vetted and up to date. The group does not make money from adoption fees. The money is all used for other dogs. The goal of rescue is to find a forever home for a homeless dog, not to find a dog for a home. But, they will match up a dog and family. There are so many wonderful dogs in rescue that need homes. Please consider contacting a GS rescue group.

The above information is about 'rescue groups', I don't know how shelters works. I know shelters have wonderful dogs, as well. I just don't know how they go about placing a dog.