K.G.
Definitely adopt a puppy from a shelter!!!! There are soooooooooooooo many amazing dogs/cats there that need homes. We adopted both our dog and cat from there and they are the best pets ever.... Good luck in your search! (PS if your looking for a pure bred, you can certainly find them in the shelters or there rescue breed name)
PS remember when adopting a puppy you will have the responsibility of potty training that puppy (in the beginning they need to be walked about every 3 hours), and the chewing phase (if you have small children they normally go right for there toys).... When we adopted our dog we decided to get one that was already potty trained and over the chewing phase (my son at that time was 2 and I didn't want the responsibility of having to do those 2 things), so we adopted one that was 3 years old.. BEST DECISION EVER. So you might want to leave that option open :0)