Hi New2Puppies,
I would also recommend a rescue. Our first dog was a beagle puppy (Spooky). We chose a puppy at first, because we were, like you, afraid of getting a dog with "baggage", we also thought that in getting a puppy, we would "get more out of having the dog", since he would hopefully live longer, than if we had gotten an older dog. Well, Spooky was a really great dog who we loved very much, but he died or cancer a few days before his first birthday. After that happened I didn't have any problems anymore getting an older dog, since puppies can die just as soon as older dogs.
As far as the emotional baggage goes. Many people get puppies because they are adorable and they believe that a puppy will bond better to them and not have any baggage. Well many people overestimate their dog training abilities as well and make mistakes with their new puppy, thus giving him the emotional baggage that they tried to avoid in the first place. And if you visit the dog several times before taking him home and talk with the rescue staff, you will be able to get a good idea if the dog has baggage that you can handle or not.
Since Spookys death we have rescued two older beagles, one at 6 months, and one at 2.5 years. After having experienced both sides of the coin - life with a puppy and life with an older dog - I would almost always choose an older dog over a puppy. Rescue dogs have a sort of gratefulness about them that you don't see in a puppy. It's a wonderful feeling to see how they really blossom in their new home and really start to enjoy life.
There are also many other advantages of rescue dogs over puppies:
-they are easier to potty train
-they already sleep through the night
-they may not chew as much as a puppy (depending on age)
-they are very grateful for their new home
-what you see is what you get, a puppy is more of a surprise in terms of personality, health, size and prey instinct
-you can start with obedience training much sooner with an older dog than with a puppy and you see results sooner
-training and socialisation mistakes don't make as much as an impact as in puppies
-dogs older than about 1 - 1.5 years are already done with their defiante phase
-older dogs are also a lot calmer than puppies and don't need constant attention
-older dogs are adorable too
As I already mentioned, I would almost always choose a rescue over a puppy. I really can't say that enough. Go for the rescue beagle, you'll be glad you did! And I'm sure if you and your girlfriend visit a few rescue beagles, you'll find at least one that you can't say no to. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif