Dale was from a very resposible breeder. Our breeder actually brought one of the first Swissie's into the US from Switzerland. And he is very strict on who gets one of his dogs...alot of times, the waiting list is up to 1 year long for a Swissie...b/c they don't want you to buy one on a whim and then later think that you made a mistake...they make you wait and wait and wait, and if for ANY reason the dog doesnt work out, they insist that you take the dog back to the original breeder. (you have to sign papers and contracts saying such)..you rarely see one in a shelter We lucked out, though, we really impressed our breeder and were able to get Dale sooner We love him and may get a sibling for him, either from the same breeder, or maybe even a shelter....