I've had pets for as long as I could remember. We started with a german shep -- Mica, who lived to the age of 15. I felt sorry that we couldn't take her to Canada with us, but she was already getting very old and we didn't know if she could survive the quarantine, so my grandma took care of her until she had to be put down. We literally grew up together.
Since then, we had 2 cats, both adoptions. One from a neighborhood cat's litter. Lucky Thomas Tiger's been with us for about 6-7 years and is (knock on wood) a perfectly healthy neutered house-cat.
The Bandit was literally a wildlife rescue. His mom was killed by a wild animal in a rural area 1hr north of Toronto and his litter-mates were already starved to death when my stepfather found him, so underdeveloped that he was mouse-sized. We took care of him as best as we could, but he always had health problems and died of a heart attack (on his way to the vet's) at the age of 5.

In any case, they all made great pets but next time I get an animal, I will adopt a "domestic" dog or cat, probably at least a year old. They are less likely to be adopted by people who want cute kittens and puppies with mile-long pedigrees, thus more likely to be put to sleep simply b/c noone wants them.

Therefore, gentlemen, if you're considering getting a pet, give a mutt a chance! They make great pets and its more likely that your adoption will save that animal's life.