They can be harder to find- so sometimes people will make acceptions on where to get them. I beg you not to do this. Many don't realize how important it is where your dog comes from. But it's very crucial, and you need to be very careful.
Here are some of your options, and not all are ideal:
Animal Shelter
This is one of the better places to go to find your IG. They are less likely to have them, but idealistic because of the care they recieve. They have low costs, always neuter and spay ( a good one will) and give reliable vet care. Some shelters are better than others but one thing is for certain: they're all trying to help the community and adopt out animals to loving families. You will probably have to "apply" to adopt a dog, but don't be offended, they're trying to take care of the dog. Keep in mind, I am considering "shelters" and "city pounds" differently. By shelter, I mean a non-profit organization (in most cases) that takes in animals that are surrendered, lost, sick, or ferral. People who think you can't find terrific dogs at a shelter are sorely mistaken, plus you can have the confidence of have supported the good guy.
So how to I find an IG at a shelter? Look at their website and call often. Also, contact them to see if they have a purebred waitlist. I got Bella from a shelter, and a friend also got her purebred IG there too- so don't rule it out!
Rescue
A rescue is very similar to a shelter, except it's a much smaller organiztion that specifically looks after a certain breed. You rarely find rescues that take in mixed breeds as well as purebreds. Check out the IGCA to find an IG rescue near you. Keep in mind, some of these dogs are in comprimising health conditions: that's why they're at the rescue. Some are perfectly fine and were surrendered or lost. But all of them are in need of good homes.
Breeders
There are people out there who breed specific purebreds as a business to breed them. Breeders can offer great dogs, AND awfuls dogs. You need to be very careful in their realm. Breeders who advertise in the papers are often times what we call "backyard breeders" or sometimes "puppy mills". They are simply out there to make money off the dogs, and keep their bitches and studs going all the time to keep the puppies coming. This opinion is arguable, but I am not new to this "industry" and have learned a lot about breeders. There are also breeders who are very devoted and into what they're doing. A responsible breeder will have papers on the dogs and histories to insure that inbreeding hasn't been their thing. This is very important. A responsible breeder will usually advertise in better ways, and often times has a waitlist for people wanting their puppies.
However, it's my personal opinion that no breeder- papers or not- is responsible. I've worked at animal shelters and have seen the number of dogs, purebred and mixed, that go without homes everyday because people aren't being responsible and neutering and spaying their animals. It's my belief that it's wrong to try and make money off of a dog breed while so many animals in shelters and pounds need homes today. This country is over-run with homeless animals. It's fun the have purebreds- but I've known quite a few people who have gotten purebred without having supported a breeder directly. If you choose to go through a breeder: that's your choice and business. But I do recommend being careful to spot the more responsible ones at least- and those ones will be able to provide history, references, education about the breed, and up to date health care as well as a selective adoption process where they don't just sell a dog to anyone but make sure they realize what they're getting into first.
Petshops (or indirectly: Puppymills)
If you decide to get an IG, please try to avoid petshops. This is by far the worst place to get any animal.
First, by supporting a petshop, you are inadvertently supporting what we call a "puppymill". Puppymills breed animals year-round, mainly for the sake of making money. They usually have inbred puppies and keep their bitches in seemingly cruel living conditions- typically keeping them locked up for the greater amount of their lives so that they can simply produce puppies. These animals, from petshops, are the most likely to get sick, have health problems, be inbred, and be treated cruelly. So you'd think you'd want to get the animal out of the petshop. But by giving them money, you're helping the puppymill business thrive and grow and this is not ideal.
Not to mention all of the animal cruelty and abuse found in petshops as well. I strongly advise against this course.
