You have to remember there are shelters and there are "rescues" and there are "breed rescues". And they can tend to be WAY different.
Unfortunately there are a few people out there now who go to animal control and kill shelters to snag placeable dogs before they are euthed who are doing it for money. There are other people doing it just to save the dogs and their intentions may be sterling. But unfortunately there are people who are making quite a living out of pretending to be a "shelter" or "rescue" who don't care and who will do anything for quite a hefty adoption fee. They may even claim to have vetted the dogs and some do -- some don't.
I say "unfortunately" because often folks like that are waiting at animal control to snag any purebred dog or anything 'cute' almost before normal people can go in with the intent of trying to rescue a dog from death.
HOWEVER -- beyond that there is "breed rescue" -- and usually in order to get breed rescue to TAKE a dog from you most of the time you have to be willing to pay quite a big fee (which goes towards getting the dog vetted, etc.) -- it all depends.
Breed rescue is usually going to be way way pickier about to whom they adopt dogs out. A lot of rescues out there are doing a GOOD WORK and try really hard to be resonsible about placements. I can name TONS of people on this board who try their hardest to make sure dogs are placed well and responsibly.
But Lisa -- there will always be the jerks out there who don't really care. They just want the dogs "out" of there or they want the adoption fee.
What kind of pups are there? It all depends -- some are simply litters of people who could care less and don't want to pay to have the dog altered (or someone has their dog's sexuality mixed up with their own *sigh* or who thought it would be a "great experience for the kids to see";) -- it could be free and certain people just won't bother to do it. And usually they're glad to take MONEY for a dog.
Breed rescue may handle some "oops" litters -- but usually you're going to know it, and usually they're gonna be darned picky ... particularly in the case of a dog that may be suspected to be deaf, etc. (simply because there can be liability there if nothing more)
but in all of the above puppies tend to go fast because puppies are cute. The ones that break MY Heart are the ones who are 5 - 12 months old -- someone took on a puppy on a whim, and then realized it was WORK. Or they didn't do any research and suddenly realized that a herder is gonna HERD (and a biting, herding puppy can be a royal p.i.t.a. particularly if it didn't get socialized at all as a puppy and then someone gave it up because it "nips";) or because they realized that they've had the dog for a few weeks and it didn't just magically get housetrained like that book they bought at Wal-Mart promised ... or the couple "broke up" and no one could get another apartment that allowed dogs.
Lisa -- the reasons are soup to nuts. People get hold of crass mis-information and think they can sell that merle coat for big money -- but they didn't bother to find out enough before they started to realize that the black one wouldn't bring as much money and the pure white one may be a "lethal white" and just MAYBE they had attack of conscience enough to toss him at a rescue rather than just bash him in the head with a hammer.
Really? Yeah -- the whole merle issue is a nightmare in any breed groupd that HAS merles -- because you only get a couple of that "good coat" -- and you'll get one dark one and usually at least one "white" or pup that is likely gonna be deaf.
A lot of breeders will simply "cull" the white one (yes, kill it). For some people (no friends of MINE) that's what they consider an acceptable business decision, and for folks like us it's heart-breaking.
And Lisa honestly -- you'll see much of the full 'gamut' on here -- you'll see good breeders on here (many of whom will question YOU as to why you're looking where you're looking) -- not so much because they're trying to find fault with you, but simply because they tend to be on the dog's side and try and spread the word of how GOOD breeders do it.
But don't think folks are trying to be mean -- it's just that trying to help you raise questions is a good way to help educate.
In fact, with this post I'm not trying to point fingers ANYWHERE.
But honestly, in large part YOU can determine how good a "shelter" or a "rescue" is by what sort of questions they ask YOU. Some are folks out there trying to do a good thing, but often in WAY over their head and they may stretch a point to try to place a dog. Some folks ARE way, way over their heads because they won't compromise an inch (good folks but on their way to burn-out that way too).
And then there are the scum trying to make money. 20 years ago they didn't exist -- but unfortunately we're seeing them more and more. After Katrina we saw a ton of people take dogs from the New Orleans area and take them all the way to Maine to place them -- and a lot of them were sick and heartworm positive and never even saw the sign on a vet's office as they drove by. *sigh* People like that make my blood boil.
Some are found litters (pups found abandoned) and worse.