I was the same way... after my first rescue dog, I was a convert! They just seem to "know" they've been "saved". I hope you can post a picture of your Buddy soon!

This is yet another reason to research the bitch and sire (the breeding pair). USually a perfectly healthy pair will not have a litter with genetic problems.

There is a breed called a Morkie which is half maltese and half yorkie and adorable, I was looking into them when we decided to get a dog but none of the local places had any (I did check the local shelter for a small apartment sized dog but they were all big dogs). I ended up getting a yorkie-poo, half yorkie and half poodle and she is wonderful, she was easy to house train, spoiled rotten, loves to go in the car with us and having her head out the window, i made a strap so I could attach her harness to my seatbelt. She'll be 4 in december and is probably more valuable to me than anything else we have. Not afraid of any large animal no matter how big but terrified of thunder and small chickens. I learned how to trim her hair so that it can be kept reasonably short in the summer but I let it go in the winter except for a bimonthly trim, she's only 5 pounds and really feels the cold. So far she's been very healthy. The people in the apartment below us had two 10 lb maltese and they were very nice dogs so we went looking for something similar and I did an online search for maltese and discovered the Morkies and fell in love with them. I'm glad we got Angie but I wouldn't mind getting her a little sister.

Please adopt from your local shelter. Save a life.

Unfortunately, it's not that simple. I, of course, don't know all genetic problems in all breeds, but the one I do know, there are some proven recessive problems. If the parents are only carriers, and do not actually have the disease, when paired, can create disastrous litters.
IMO, it's not worth the "usually," educate yourself on the breed you're considering