We’re getting a dog!

The wife and I have decided to get a dog. She’s wanted to get one for a long time now, and after humming and hawing over what kind of dog to get, we settled on a Labrador Retriever. Last year she was all about Miniature Schnauzers. A few months ago, she decided to get something bigger that could also help fend off marauding strangers, so for a while we were considering German Shepherd dogs. We wanted a dog that would get along nicely with other dogs too, so finally we decided on the Lab.
Now we need to consider a time frame. I pushed for recyling a dog and getting one from the local Lab rescue group, or starting off by volunteering with them. But she wants to buy new. Fortunately, there seems to be a couple of prominent breeders in the area and not very far away for us to check out. That will be our next step.