Sorry to sound like a broken record but I agree with adoption. We rescued a boxer pup last Thanksgiving from a "puppymill/backyard breeder". We could tell he had been abused quite extensively between his presence and attitude. He was really nice and shy but scared of anything and everything that made noise, he wouldn't play fetch cause he was scared of sticks-he saw a stick and put his tail between his legs and cowered. It was sad but slowly we got him through it; unfortunately by him being bred by someone who wasn't educated in breeding or registered, he was born with a congenital kidney disease that effects only 3% of puppys worldwide. He only lived until he was 7 months old and that was so heartbreaking. We were going to go through a breeder, a reputable breeder, and almost paid $2000 for a boxer....almost that is until I came across petfinder on the internet. We saw bower and couldn't resist. He may be a mixed boxer but he loves us the same and we him. The most important is that he is very healthy and will live a long happy life with us. Good luck to you in your search and again I praise adoption.