Kitt - You could find the local German Shepherd rescue group and probably end up getting more of a teenager dog than a puppy. Every breed has it's own rescue groups, so you could be sure of getting the dog you wanted without having to deal with puppy stuff like if you went through a breeder.

I got my Boston Terriers through a rescue and they came to me house broken, crate trained, spayed and all shots taken care of and 1 year old at the time. It was the perfect scenario for me to get the breed I wanted at a fraction of the cost ($75 per dog) with all the hard work done! My dogs were sisters and had belonged to an old lady who either died or went into a home, so they were thrilled to be adopted by a young family. The sister that is still alive is 13 and she has grown up with my oldest son.

heard from my friend today. She managed to get some sleep, even tho she jumped at every bump in the night. she felt much safer in the hotel vs the car. She is bruised and has a few scratches. She said she hopes that woman has a bald spot. She will finish her ride today and make it home, but wont soon forget that no good deed goes unpunished.

When in a strange land, dont pick up strangers! You cant save the whole world, and many who claim to need help just want what you have!

TY for your support about my friend. I was just terrified for her. Had this woman actually had a gun, she would have shot my friend. Things could have turned out so differently.

I pray she has a safe trip home.

Times sure are different nowadays. I can remember as a child we didn't even lock our doors. We'd go to the store or out somewhere and never thought twice about it.

Of course, identity theft and other now-common ways to steal weren't heard of back then. I miss those days so much. I have become so untrusting of strangers. But in order to survive I guess that's the way it is now.

I certainly agree with you. I really miss those days too. But, alas times have changed for the good or is it the bad.

How do i feel about gun control? Break into my house one night and find out. I also pack when I'm in my car..have a permit to do so. We were at church on a Wednesday night about 2 months ago, got home and we had following items stolen: a BRAND new riding mower (used once) old riding mower, pressure washer, leaf blower,weed eater. They left us the push mower (lol). About a week b4 this happened, a young man pulled into the driveway, knocked on the door..said he ran out of gas. I could tell that he was doped up on something..he just acted nervous and fidgety..(my hubby was gone at the time) I told this man to hold on a second.I politely closed and locked the door, grabbed my .38 off my nightstand, went to the door..told him to get the he** off my property. he took off running to his truck and left!! He wasn't out of gas! IMHO,he was "casing" our place. whoever stole our things should thank God we didn't drive up and catch them in the act,I woulda shot and asked God to forgive me. Can you tell I don't like a thief?? It's really a shame that you can't help people any more without being scared of them hurting or killing you.

Conventional wisdom back in the day was to let word get around that you had a gun. They even suggested setting up a target in your back yard and firing a few shots at it as a "warning" to would-be burglars. Now they break in specifically LOOKING for guns, so how can you win?

We're mostly concerned that someone might try to break in thinking we weren't home, but we would be. I think if (God forbid) I ever lived alone, I'd sleep all day and stay up all night "keeping guard", or at least listening! (Overstated, but you get the idea)

The ironic thing is, I don't think we have a single item in the whole place worth over a hundred bucks, except the car...my old computer is on its last legs, we don't have a Wii or electronic gizmos or smart phones, and we don't keep cash lying around.

A burglar here wouldn't score anything worth the effort, and I'd probably never be able to sleep again in my life.

BRAVO!!!! Good for you. Arizona passed a law that took effect July 28th that made it legal for anyone to carry, open or concealed. It has always been legal to carry open, before carrying concealed was ok with a permit. out of about 8 houses on my block, 5 of my neighbors carry guns all the time. I used to, but 1) my hands are not as reliable and 2) DW HATES guns. but most of my friends (coincidently) carry. Wish I could. it's a very important part of our constitution.

P.S. when the law was passed, the anti-gun people were all saying it would cause many gun crimes. Guess what, NOT ONE SINGLE problem. we are the 3rd state to allow this. Now honest citizens are equal to the criminals. "I would rather have a gun and not need it, than need it and not have it". - my gun carrying pastor.

I didnt intend to turn this into a gun control thread. I am against gun control. Criminals who use guns dont care about paperwork, permits or following the rules. Only those who are law abiding and do follow the rules are the ones filling out all the papers and registering their guns. btw, I do carry. I have a Baretta storm, and a walther PPKS. both fit my small girlie hand well, and I have a permit to carry concealed. I am well trained after 20 years in the prison system and my husband is an ex marine who fought for our rights to be able to carry and bear arms. If you dont want to have a gun in your home, I say HURRAY! You know your limits, and you know what is and is not good for your own home, and dont want someone impossing on you that you must carry one, anymore than I want someone impossing on me that I cant. As law enforcement I would be naked without it. My son an ex Marine was also in harms way for a long time fighting for our right to have freedoms and protections. We are all well trained, and well practiced. As a matter of fact I have special ammo in my home gun, that wont travel thru wall after wall. its meant for up close combat.

My friend made it home late last night. She is bruised, and scratched and the closer to home she got the more she allowed the incident to sink in. She is due back here in November (flying) and has asked me to take her to the range to learn to shoot and get her permit. As she got closer and closer to safety she allowed it to sink in just how much danger she was in. She did choose to rest at a stop along the way, but in Florida I guess they have armed guards at rest stops. She parked up front, and told the guard what happened to her in NC. She asked if she closed her eyes, would he watch over her. He told her he couldnt promise to be a private guard for her, but if she stayed parked up front, he could keep an eye out for her.

Thank you for all the prayers and well wishes. One of her first requests was prayers for the lost young woman who robbed her. Her second request was for herself.

I read here a lot and enjoy you ladies. I had to post a reply. I had my house broken into a couple of months ago. Please tell your friend that she may feel reporcutions from this for a while. I was having panic attacks and other issues and ended up having to get meds and am seeing a therapist. Its not unusual and it is helping. Your friend may find that she also has issues too. I hope not but if she does please let her know that its normal and its also normal if she needs to seek help to overcome this tramatic incident.

Thank you! I mentioned that to her that once at home where she is safe, she may start to feel some anxiety about situations and to expect to learn how to retrust parking lots, and enclosed spaces with strangers. She keeps saying she is fine, but you can hear the undertone of panic. She has no medical insurance, and is a full time caregiver for her mom, but thankfully in Florida there are several good free clinics that can help her. I offered to pay for an ER trip or where ever else she wanted to go. She so far has refused.