I find it really interesting how people choose or find their dogs @LibisMum . Or, in some cases, the dog finds them.
I've never been brave enough to take on a rescue dog although we have had a couple of rescue cats. It's partly because I think I'm a one-breed person but also partly space. If I had more room I'd consider doing Pyrenean rescue, but we have a small house and small garden so puppies are easier.
We are semi-rural, we do a lot of walking and have easy access to moorland, woodland and open fields so although we're in a small property we manage fine.
I've had 8 Pyreneans and one Anatolian. The first Pyrie, when I was 13 and we lived in a city flat, was a guard dog for my parents business. My dad chose the breed and he chose well! She had 11 happy years of being a pet in a lovely location in Cumbria after we relocated when she was 18 months. My folks also had an Anatolian boy (very rare breed back then), and followed that with another PMD. So while I say 8 PMD, strictly speaking it's only six in my adult life here in Lancs with my partner, but I was very much involved with my parents three dogs also.
We've had three boys and three girls here, all overlapping so two dogs or three dogs together, including half-sisters that were only 4 months apart. We had planned to get another girl while we still had our previous boy, but we lost him prematurely aged 7 to a Nobivac reaction and it took almost three years for us to feel ready for another dog. So Brie is currently an only dog. We are considering a boy pup when she is 18 months or 2 years, we have a few connections in the breed so we're looking into it and, as we're getting on a bit, we know that will likely be our last pup. We won't be breeding; we'll spay Brie once we commit to a pup.
We love the breed, it suits us well. I have very bad anxiety and I'd never cope with a high energy dog or a yapper. I really should have been opting for a smaller dog at 60, but just couldn't, it was a Pyrie or nothing, I just love their character and strange breed traits. They're fascinating and wonderful to live with. They aren't easy, they're incredibly stubborn, very dodgy recall (frankly, nonexistent in the bitches), and are immensely strong. They moult heavily, have a loud bark and get separation anxiety, but for us they've been worth every sacrifice. They're very calm, quiet and well-mannered at home, great with the cats, not particularly demanding of exercise but we love doing long walks with them.
I'm far from being a natural dog person, but I know my own breed inside out and that, here, is probably my downfall. The weirdly idiosyncratic brain of LGD dogs means I really shouldn't offer advice.