Best site for finding a dog?

Each shelter and rescue is different. They all set their own policies, adoption process, fees, etc. If you don't like the process at one, then look at others.

Fwiw rescue groups and ''no kill'' shelters tend to have a more involved adoption process and requirements. Open door (''kill'' shelters) tend to be far easier to adopt from.

I've adopted 4x from a local open door shelter. The process there is pretty simple and straight forward. Go in and visit. Staff help with meet and greets (gets dog, may direct you to dogs that meet wants, etc). Fill out the app for the animal you are interested in. Includes name, vet if you have/had other pets (do verify with vet that you are a client if you have or had other pets), other people living in home, basic info on all pets owned during the last 5 years ( type/breed, current pet or past, what happened if a past pet), housing type (need verification of landlord approval if renting), some info on how the animals will be cared for (daily life type stuff - how long left alone, indoor/outdoor, exercise, etc.) Also require that all people and dogs living in the home meet the potential pet. If staff feels it's an ok fit and vet and landlord (only for renters) checks out, adoptions are approved. Dog is scheduled for spay/neuter if not already done and goes home the following Tuesday. No home visits, nothing too invasive. Generally know if approved the next day the shelter is open.

There are never any guarantees when it comes to dogs regardless of source...

Dogs end up in shelters for many reasons...

Ime with my shelter (volunteer and serve on the board) and as a trainer, very often there's nothing wrong with the dogs. It's on the people end...

The majority of owner surrenders are there because the owner made bad choices. They chose a breed not suitable to their lifestyle and did zero training... They got a dog when not allowed by landlord. They got a dog right before a move. Then there the ''allergies'' and ''had a baby so don't want my dog anymore'' dogs. We also get dogs that are surrendered due to death or moving into a nursing home and family cannot take on the dog.

Even the strays are normally just loose dogs that go unclaimed for whatever reason. They are normally in good shape and often have a collar without tags. It's extremely rare we get a true stray.

Frankly most dogs in shelters are coming from the same sources and situations the vast majority of privately rehomed dogs do...

As for dogs from reputable breeders...
Still no absolute guarantees. I typically have approx. half rescue/shelter and half pb dogs from breeders (not always what I consider reputable) in classes. There's no real trend with one group having more behavior problems than the other. Stuff pops up accross the board. And generally all have the same normal dog issues like jumping, puppy mouthing, and pulling on lead.

Furthermore... And completely anecdotal, but thinking of the reactivity and aggression seminars I attend, there are actually often more dogs from breeders than rescue/shelter. Owners often have had dogs since puppies and intended to show... There are plenty of reasons to explain this trend (likely owner's original intent to show/compete plays a part) but also at least in my area, reactive and aggressive dogs tend not to make it out of the shelter in the first place as they are not deemed adoptable.


End of the day, you and your family made a poor choice in selecting a dog. You also made some poor choices and errors in management after bringing this dog home.

I do hope you find a good fit. But if you are unwilling to talk to and answer at least some simple questions you continue to run the same risk. Both good shelters/rescues AND reputable breeders are going to require info to ensure a good match.
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