Caught some Lassie this afternoon, one of the sucky ones, with the sniveling, whiny Timmy.
Who would have thought that there could be worse than the arrogant, wooden Jeff?
Lassie did a huge disservice to Collies. Collies are wonderful dogs, superb companions. Unlike the TV show, they are not usually the smartest member of the family. None benefit from a scriptwriter, and tend not to save lives on a weekly basis.
The show ran for 18 1/2 years, and featured at least 16 Lassies, all male, all with that distinctive white stripe on the face, which some people don't particularly favor. The "Official" Lassie website says all Lassies are from successive generations, and the latest and greatest Lassie is from the tenth, but I think this sample is much too small to cover the timespan.

Many people do not seek pure breed dogs, for reasons good and bad.
A very good reason is millions of unwanted family members, dogs and cats, are killed at shelters annually. The best guess, from several searches, is that there are between six and eight million dogs and cats given up every year, and half are destroyed. Okay, the term is "euthanized", like there is a good way to do it, but that's bullshit. These "pets" are slaughtered, horribly. A widespread method is decompression, which causes your pet to explode from the inside.
Three to four million is too many, way too many, and I very much approve of and totally respect those who choose to reduce this horrifying total through adoption.
These wonderful people tend to disprove of and otherwise reject breed dogs.
A concern for many is puppy mills, nearly as disgusting as the sickening process of poultry production, but much more repulsive, as puppies are more photogenic than chickens.
I have seen a puppy mill, just to the east of Monterey, in the very north of Pulaski Co. IN.
The sight is indescribable.
There is law effected since that should have closed this operation, but I don't yet know if it has.

The case for breed dogs is simple, really. With some research, anyone can select the puppy or dog that suits him or her. The 19th edition of the American Kennel Club's The Complete Book of Dogs describes the conformation, characteristics, and behavior of 146 breeds.
With little diligence anyone can find the perfect canine companion. Ideal breeds are available for all. And careful selection would significantly reduce the number of unwanted pets dumped at shelters.

One line of oft-repeated crap from "those in the know" is that bench-show dogs are "high strung", "overbred". Absurd. Demeanor is second only to conformation. High strung dogs are not well-bred dogs. Check the breed descriptions and choose your dog.
If you choose a Dalmatian, know that the dog is bred to walk 20 to 30 miles every day, and, unless you are a distance runner, you can't possibly meet that need for exercise. The Dalmatian is a Coach Dog, and you don't have a coach. Every damned Disney movie places thousands of these beautiful canines in family situations where they must surely fail.
If you choose a St. Bernard, know they are huge, they drool, they are far from lethargic, and they have a nasty side. When any of this happens in your home, you will find a place out-of-doors, often on a chain, but the dog is not to blame. It's breeding.
The Sporting Group, one of seven AKC groups (the others: non-sporting, herding, working, terrier, hound, and toy. A miscellaneous group has been added: proceed with utmost caution) are among the most striking and distinctive of all. The setters, the most docile, require an hour each day of strenuous exercise, while others in the Group are indefatigable.
The Einstein of the canine world, the Border Collie, requires challenge and stimulation every waking moment, so, unless you have 6-8 hours to make fun for your Border Collie, or you are a sheep or goat rancher, let them thrive elsewhere.
And, unless you have very understanding neighbors, near and far, stay away from the hounds.
The Basenji is silent, but I saw one bite his handler, and that is a stop sign.
I once saw a St. Bernard knock his handler down, not playfully but aggressively, so, again, this wonderful, beautiful dog fits maybe one home in two hundred, unless there are children, when the viability becomes zero in three thousand.

One other Lassie tragedy is human perception. A few years ago, I had a big, beautiful, blonde Golden Retriever and a quite wonderful collie, and kids in the neighborhood always wanted to play with the Lassie dog, who was not in the least interested. My golden, on the other hand, would fetch tennis balls until your arm fell off.
By all means, get a dog, or another. But do your homework. A mistake may inconvenience you for a few weeks or months, but if it doesn't work out, that dog has about a 50% chance of surviving a trip to the shelter.
And the fault isn't the dog's, who didn't choose you.