Here's where you separate good breeders from the not so good breeders.  Many breeders say they are in it for "the betterment of the breed" because that is a phrase used by all breeds that has become popular but are they really?  Do you see real proof that they are actively rescuing dogs in their breed or any breed at all?  Anyone creating more dogs to the population should do their share to not only collect and re-home animals that they have produced by families that no longer are able to take care of them but also to save the dogs in their area that would be put down in kill shelters.  I believe that if anyone looking for a puppy uses this as a MAJOR criteria for picking their would be breeder you can drastically narrow the pool of names you are choosing from.  Ask what dogs they have taken back as puppies and how their re-homing went.  In today's economy chances are likely that if they have produced puppies they should have also had to take at least one back and re-home it when the owner lost their job etc.  Ask what rescues they have worked with and what happened to them.  Do they currently have any rescues at their home/facility?  There are certainly enough dogs in rescue that if all breeders were GOOD breeders there would be some more foster homes as well as permanent homes. If the breeder you are speaking to has an excuse to not be associated with rescue in some way then they ARE NOT involved with breeding for the betterment of the breed, rather for the almighty dollar they think they can make off of puppies.  We not only have rescues but we offer re-homing assistance to local families, or anyone that contacts us, that got their dogs from breeders that don't care enough to help re-homing them.  We also take back our puppies and re-home them as shown by looking through our extended furfamily pages.  These are some examples of things that you should look for.  So now, without further adue, meet DIESEL DOG (4 pix below taken at approximately 9 yrs young; many more on Facebook!):

Rescued:  at age 2 or 3 years, according to Maricopa Animal Control in Phoenix, AZ, August 2004

Coloring:  Brown/black mismarked pinto

Coat:  Extremely thick and dense and slightly longer

Weight:  Approximately 115 lbs

Diesel came to us from the Maricopa Animal Shelter in August of 2004 at the age of 2 or 3 years according to them.  We were told by the county workers that after jumping his owners’ privacy fence three times and being collected by county officials on each occasion, on his last escapade he attacked a horse.  His previous owner was then asked to relinquish his rights to Diesel.  Diesel was forced to live at the pound for 2 to 3 weeks while awaiting his paperwork so that he could be adopted.  Although during this time, Diesel was extremely popular for his rugged good looks and congenial attitude, the workers were not fond of Akitas and dissuaded people from adopting poor Diesel until we came along the day his papers were ready and snatched him away (our vet told us he was there knowing what suckers we are for Akitas).  The 3 pix below were taken right after his adoption/rescue.

As a young man:  He is a dedicated babysitter but does expect rewards for his giving career such as alone time with his owners.  He bows down to the much younger Kabuto’s need to dominate without altercation.  He has never been in an altercation of in kind while a member of our family that lead the injury of any human or dog although we will share a funny story with you about his babysitting experience:

When Kabuto was a puppy, among his first visits to the dog park, he was often drooled on a dominated by any dog around.  We let him walk around on his own to get used to playing with other dogs in a social setting.  On one occasion he was being picked on by an overly interested Boxer mix whose owner was no where to be found.  His master went to pick him up to remove him from the situation before being traumatized, when the Boxer started jumping on Kabuto’s master and grabbing Kabuto’s feet in his mouth.  The Boxer’s owner was still nowhere to be found, if they were present at all, so he was obviously not being corrected.  All of the sudden, Diesel to the rescue….

Diesel had been playing with other dogs and not around for Kabuto’s experience with this Boxer.  However, when he saw the Boxer jumping on his owner and grabbing Kabuto’s paws, his instincts to protect took over.  We are still not sure who he was protecting, Kabuto or his master, but either way, the end result was effective.  Diesel ran over from approximately 40 yards away, and with the full force of his body weight, ran straight into the boxer.  He never opened his mouth to bite; he didn’t stomp on the Boxer; he just let the Boxer know that Kabuto was his puppy and not going to be bothered any longer. 

As you can imagine, the Boxer ran off to new prey, allowing Kabuto’s quick escape and Diesel to go back to congregating with his peers.