Rocky is a great Rescue GSP who could do it all if time spent to train as he is a smart dog. Everything we do is for fun, not competition. We have tried agility, fly ball, dock jumping, Pheasant , grouse and quail hunting. Plus water dummy retrieves. Rocky loves it all and if I was a serious person about competition, I could have done it all with Rocky. Everything except show or breeding. We also have done biking and hiking!!  Four 4 years Rocky was a Registered Therapy Dog under TDI earning titles for making over 200 Therapy interactive dog visits. Lots you can do with a Rescue . Do have an ILP American Kennel Club # which makes Rocky eligible at Obedience Trails, Agility, Tracking tests, Rally, Herding , Lure coursing, Earth dog events

 and hunting tests. Lots you can do with a rescue

Not to add confusion, but AKC has renamed the ILP program to "PAL" and you'll have to apply for a PAL number if you cannot get registration information.  With a PAL number you would be able to participate in Obedience, Rally, Agility, Tracking, and Hunt Testing.  I'm not sure about Field Trials (if you have that interest).  Also note that AKC has initiated a mixed breed program for Obedience, Rally, and Agility if by chance you are not successful in getting a PAL number, but that would eliminate Hunt Testing and Tracking -- and the number of AKC trials offering opportunities to Mixed Breed registrations will be smaller (e.g. it is a club's option to open it up to mixed breed entrants).

It would seem likely you could get a PAL number however.  Also note that other orgs offer activities -- Flyball, Agility, Obedience, Rally, even Hunt Testing -- that you can do without AKC registration (although you may need to go through their registration process).

Anyway -- GOOD LUCK   I'm still torn at the heart for what happened to Leena but am excited that you are going down this route and I wish you the best!

Dave

I have been talking with a breeder out in Ohio.  He has an older puppy female for sale.  I'm just not sure..she looks a lot like Leena and even the same age.  She looks and sounds wonderful though.
 

Elizabeth,

Don't be too scared about getting a new pup that looks like Leena.  You won't forget or replace her, even if the new one looks similar.

And Leena was a very good looking dog, so a look-alike wouldn't be a bad thing.

I am completely inexpert but she looks lovely to me!  And as for getting one that looks like Leena--my family first had Weimaraners, who ALL look alike, so I wouldn't worry about that!  

BTW my current pair are both rescues, both were under a year when I got them.  I have to admit that Jasper isn't much of a specimen (although he's VERY sweet) but Chelsea is very sharp and a great athlete. 

I posted some of this on another thread a while back, but thought it would give you an idea of how I got where I am today. 

I wanted to tell you about my boy Dude (RIP 2005).  I got him for my birthday in 1998 from a no kill shelter at the age of 18 months.  He was the BEST dog I have EVER had.

We brought him home and realized that he was already trained beyond our wildess dreams.  My husband took him outside and walked the perimeter of the yard and every time Dude would step off the grass my husband would tell him NO.  From that day forward he wouldn't leave the yard unless he had permission.  He would chase squirrels across the yard and come to a ubrupt stop at the edge of the grass.  Shaking uncontrolably, wanting to get permission to chase further but would not do it without permission.  We realize that some one had put him through all the training and then found that he was gun shy.  ANY load noise and he would try to get under the furniture or us or anything he could hide under or behind.  We NEVER had to put him on a lead because he would stay right with us or at least within out sight if in the woods.  We did walk him on a lead for his safty and because of leash laws.  He would go with my husband to work EVERY day, as the SUPERVISOR.  We had a lawn care business.  Dude loved to go anywhere we went.  Even if it was just to drop off mail at the post office, he would go.  Well we lost of boy "DUDE" in June of 2005.  Somewhere he got into antifreeze and no matter what we did or how hard the Vet tried, we couldn't save him. 

I was lost without my boy.  I started looking on petfinder.com at all the GSPs available.  It took about 3 weeks and all of the sudden I pulled up a website for a rescue in NC.  On their front page was a picture that made my heart JUMP!  It looked like "Dude".  I sent the rescue a request for additional information about the dog.  He was, can you believe this, 18 months old.  They responded with BAD news.  He had already been adopted, and my heart sank all over again.  But, I sent her a letter stating that if for any reason this adoption did not work out or if this dog ended up back at her rescue that I was still interested in him.  About a week went by and she sent me an email.  He was coming back!  The guy who adopted him was a medical student and realized that he didn't have enough time to spend with him.  I immediately sent in my application for adoption.  They approved me after alot of begging and pleading because I didn't have a fenced yard AND I lived out-of-state.  We were planning on vacation in Aug. to NC, so we just picked him up on the way to my In-Laws.

He was absolutely terrible.  The devil in a dogs coat.  He wouldn't listen to us, he would run away and we would have to track him down, he was peeing all over my house and because he looked so much like Dude, my husband could barely stand to look at him.  Long story short..... He is now a good boy.  Oh and my husband LOVES him just as much as I do.

Here is a picture of Dude (RIP 2005):

And now a picture of Tyler:

As you can see they look alot alike, they both have their natural full tails.  BUT they are totally different dogs.  Nothing alike as far as their personality.  I just think it is a personal decision on if you get a dog that looks like the one you have lost.  MelB said she couldn't do it.  But for me that was what I needed. 

Good luck Elizabeth on what you decide to do.  Only you can tell if a dog that looks like Leena will be something that you can deal with.  I agree with MelB, you really need to see her in person, or any dog you are considering that might look like Leena.  Until you see the dog/pup in person, you really don't know how your heart will feel about it.

Sorry for the ramble..... JMO.    You are in my prayers that you find what you are looking for. 

I don't know the dam, but the Dunfur and Tonelli's stuff is nice running and working typically - although a few generations back so I'd be looking more at sire and dam plus grandsires and dams as an indication. I can't say I've interacted with those dogs on the ground, so don't have personal experience with temperment, but would imagine there's a good solid foundation there. Can you go see her first? And why is she for sale? If she's not proving to have enough run for field trials, she might be exactly what you're looking for in agility and obedience. When choosing a field trial pup, you're often times looking for the independent, more hard-headed one, where you want the more people oriented biddable one.

Jean

Elizabeth,

Jean hinted at something I wanted to mention...but I would like to expound upon her sentiments a little.

Because you don't plan on hunting your pup, I would be very careful purchasing a dog with strong hunting, big running FT dogs in her geneology.  Reason being...great hunting and FT dogs CAN be quite the challenge to train and IMO require a strong hand and high level of experience (not just with training dogs, but sporting breeds specifically).  They also want and need to hunt, hunt, hunt to be adequately exercised mentally and physically.  This isn't to say that all the pups will be like this, which brings me to my next point.

I would talk to the breeder(s) about your specific needs and wants in a GSP.  Tell them EXACTLY what you are looking for...obedience, agility, temperament, etc.  Then ask them if their dog(s) would be a good fit. 

Some of the breeders on here would be better at specific pricing, but I believe in the "you get what you pay for" philosophy.  I would have no problem spending upwards of $800 for a pup from a great breeder (all the usual...well socialized pups, health guarantees, litter updates, pedigrees, sire/dam temprament, registration, etc) that helped me pick exactly the type of pup I wanted.

I also think adopting an adult that you can evaluate yourself would be a great idea.