Originally posted by wolflady
Sounds like you've done a lot of good things when it comes to animal rescue and all, and working for a vet, you should know that spay/neuter doesn't harm the animal at all under 6 mos of age. Usually, it's best to get them fixed before their first heat (in terms of females) or before they start spraying/becoming agressive (in terms of males). That's not to say to have it done at 8wks of age (which is also now becoming more popular), but rather before they start these other things. The vet can usually tell you when it is safe to have them fixed, and typically it's based on body weight. It may or may not be at the age of 6 months...some dogs may mature faster then others and go into heat at 5 months of age. These are things you want to avoid.

As far as getting a dog from a breeder, even I have thought about it because I would love to have a Belgian Tervuren later on down the road, and I can say there are not any in shelters around here, and there are only a few in rescues. But, my question is...HOW do you find a responsible breeder? There are so many backyard breeders out there (and sure, they even have family lines, AKC papers and what not...but I don't necessarily consider them reputable).
Neighbors of mine got their dogs from a breeder (which was supposed to be reputable) who only bred that particular type of dog (which is a positive thing, since puppymills breed more than one type of dog typically), but the way the dogs were treated at the breeder's was lousy. They were all kennel dogs, and apparently this breeder didn't like the male dogs, but preferred the female dogs and treated the male dogs poorly.
My neighbors actually ended up rescuing an older male dog that was used as a "stud", but treated poorly and he still has a strange personality today because of the way he was treated. Both of their dogs are beautiful, but even for a breeder...the "standard" isn't evident, as their female dog is way too small to meet the breed standard...so even with breeders, you may or may not get what you're expecting.
These have been my concerns for turning to a breeder, and I of course rescued, of all things, a little mixed-breed dog! LOL
Any pointers on HOW to find a reputable breeder would be interesting, because there are SO many breeders out there...that I find it hard to find a reputable one? How do you do it?

Yes, it sure can be tricky to find a good breeder.

Here are a few sites that will help you out:

http://www.weeno.com/art/0499/33.html
http://www.hsus.org/ace/11758