The search begins....

Back when I adopted Lola, I was able to walk in to the pound, fill out some paperwork, pay a fee, and Voila! you are now a dog owner.  The same was true I adopted Xander and when my roommate Leanne and I also adopted Quinn.  Evidentaly things have changed DRASTICALY!  When looking for a pet on PETFINDER.COM, I was confronted with pages of applications, fees upwards of $400, and home visits?  While I am a dog lover and I can appreciate having to screen applicants, and wanting the pets to go to a good home, this was quite a shock.  After having 2 puppies from 6 weeks, and one at 6 months, I swore I would never get another puppy.  I started looking for a Lab, at least 2 years old, within 100 miles.  Needless to say there wasn't much to look at.  I even spent several days driving around to the local shelters only to see pitbull upon pitbull.  After going to the shelters and even walking some potential dogs I decided that, despite my previous experiences, the only way to train a dog the way I wanted, was to start from scratch, from a puppy.