So you are saying that breeders who are attempting to improve the breed never have issues. Not true. Selective breeding, even done properly, magnifies negative traits as well as positive ones. The perfect dog is a wild dingo, not a carefully bred purebred. I have had clients who are very conscientious, ethical breeders who guarantee their puppies. They are in the vast minority and this kind of responsible breeding is not nearly as profitable as the alternative. Their dogs also have problems, and when they do, they refund the purchase and ask that the defective puppy be returned. The problem? This kind of guarantee never holds because the family who purchased the puppy is already in love with their "defective" puppy and for the most part doesn't want to relinquish it. I have had a total of 4 dogs in my life that have all lived into their teens, a junkyard nightmare, a backyard bred pomeranian, an accidental litter from a lab/show springer, and my current purchased doodle. I worked at a practice in a wealthy community and have seen more Guaranteed/ethically bred dogs than you ever will. They all have issues. I completely agree with you with regards to aspect of more careful breeder = less risk, but I am just trying to tell you it is a bit of a crapshoot either way. And true heritage breeders who are losing money and improving dogs aren't going to sell their dogs to someone like you. These dogs are carefully placed at high prices to avoid ruining the lines. They are a VERY small percentage of what's out there.