wwh, must disagree ... bad health and bad dispositions are generally the fault of careless breeders. The AKC is a registry and has no enforcement capability. (I await correction from the Dog People if I am misinfomed)
Dealing with reputable breeders is best if you want a purebred dog. The AKC book gives the conformation and disposition of the various breed which can be a great help even when adopting a mutt! I have owned purebreds and mixed breeds and loved them all. My son has two Labs, one purebred and one a Lab-Damation mix and guess which one has a mind of his own! The Lab-Dal mix of course!
Good shelters have counselors who can be a huge help when you are considering adoption of a mix breed dog.
Shouldn't this dog talk be in AnnaS's great idea : "Recipes& other non-language topics" thread in Miscellany?
wow