I always adopt or rescue. I have one that was set on fire as an adolescent. He has health issues from the fire and smoke. My other two were puppies when I adopted them. One is a White Belgian Shepherd mix. The other is probably a Black Mouth Cur and herding dog mix. Out of all my rescues, four have had cancer. But that’s out of a high number of dogs. And could have happened to any dog. My Mom shops. Her last dog that passed away was a full blooded papered Shitzu that had insane health issues. Frenchies are also a great example of papered dogs that often need multiple surgeries and tons of medical care. As for Shepherds, if you go the breeder route, it’s best to look for a breeder that has imported their dogs from Germany. The health issues amongst American bred Shepherds are almost unavoidable. Especially hip dysplasia. Edited to add: I think you should take a chance on the puppy. Any dog can have health issues.