I really don't have any advice, but I'll tell you of my experience. I got my dog through a free dog ad in the paper. Jeffrey is a 2 year old basset/lab mix. My parents had the same type of mixed breed dog and he was a great dog. I met with the owner and was told Jeffrey had received all of his shots, and had been treated at a particular clinic. They were giving him away because they were moving into an apartment and wouldn't have room for him. My daughter and I met Jeffrey, immediately fell in love, so naturally, we took him in. I called the clinic to have his medical records transferred to my vet and guess what? They had no record of him being treated. To be on the safe side and on the recommendation of my vet, Jeffrey received all his vaccs. He had ear mites, had an ear infection which caused him to have a temperature of 105, suffered from separation anxiety, and tore apart everything in the house when left alone (I found out later he had been locked in the utility room all the time.) One of his toes hab been ripped off, although I don't know how. I thought it was a birth defect, possibly from inbreeding. I've had to work extremely hard with Jeffrey to calm his anxiety. I'm lucky that I live near my job so I was able to come home during the day to spend time with him. We are scheduled to go to obedience classes next month. He terrifies some people by jumping on them; the only damage he will do is lick them to death (drowning by dribble ) Although he has "tried my patience", as my mother would say, he has adjusted well. In your case, you are talking about puppies, maybe there won't be scars like my Jeffrey has. The only advice I can offer is to consider carefully if you really want a dog. Research the breed and decide if he/she is right for you. If you decide to take the dog, first trip should be to a vet. I wish you the best of luck and I hope everything works out. As I read what I have written, I hope this doesn't sound too negative. With a puppy it will be probably different. This is my experience. My Jeffrey is a wonderful dog and I wouldn't change a thing about him.

[This message has been edited by Genia (edited December 02, 2000).]