Mayaness - my grandfather stopped buying shepherds, the continued loss was too much for him. He and my step-gran have Tibetan Spaniels now and although their first died young, from cancer, their current two are wonderful, healthy (relatively) pets albeit very spoilt

We had a brilliant 'Oopsie' after our red setter died. Like the story you told, the litter had two different fathers. Our gorgeous Tess was riddled with fleas and worms when we took her home - we paid $20 for her, a silky terrier cross. She was a fabulous dog (and one tall silky, lol!) my parents pride and joy. She lived to 15 and ended up dying of an aneurism in my parents arms. Other than that she was honestly the perfect dog, perhaps a rare find. She gave us all hope in the bitza breeds though.

The OP sounds like a very caring dog owner who is doing the right thing by researching her options. I just wanted to reiterate that I personally don't think all accidental puppies are bad news and I like to believe there are dog loving families out there that feel the same way. Maybe I'm naive, I like to call it positive thinking though, but I hope that the possible puppies will find fab homes even though they are crossbreeds. That was the point of my ramblings.