Thank you. I've been so close to getting a puppy in the past, but timing is such a big issue. <sigh> But thank you for the words of support. I'm going to need all the luck I can get.
I tried looking for a puppy in Mexico, but they're not what I'm looking for. Plus, it seems to me like most of the puppies come from what I might consider puppy mills. Maybe not on such a large scale, but it sounds like their dogs live outside, etc. No socialization whatsoever, no human contact. I've even been tempted to purchase a puppy from a pet store, but I should know better.
I'll just have to keep looking.