hey Annie! welcome! Good luck on your dog search. personally, I think you should look around *all* of the animals shelters in your area before you decide on anything. There are plenty of amazingly sweet mixed breed, and even purebred puppies in there needing good homes, if you are not particular about breeds. http://petfinder.org has a nation-wide listing of dogs in shelters, it can be very helpful ;D

hm... I'm not sure if a German Shepherd would best fit your lifestyle, just by what you've said. Especially if you have a small yard. Large, energetic dogs like GSD's need more than a walk a day, they usually need atleast one hour of vigorous off-leash exercise every day. Especially puppies! They can be very demanding dogs, just like any of the herding breeds and large breeds, though they *are* awesome dogs. There are GSD owners on these boards that know a lot more than me, though.