Then don’t expect a free pet.
The shelters don't provide a free pet. They charge a small fee.
If you want a free pet you should hang out along the river and pull in burlap sacks. Once in awhile, one out of five burlap sacks will have something twitching. The rest will have the makings of a fine gumbo.
Adopting a shelter animal is NOT free. There is usually a multi-hundred-dollar charge to adopt.
Our family went through this too. The problem was that although I had owned many dogs over the years, it was long ago in another part of the US, so I couldn’t provide vet references from a small-animal vet. We finally did adopt but not from a shelter. We have two dogs now. They have the perfect life.
>Then don’t expect a free pet.<
Rescue/shelter animals are anything but free.
Rescues generally aren’t free. I paid $185 each for my two new dogs. They have been neutered, one had a hernia surgery, and they have had all of their shots and wormings. That would cost about $185 anyway, if not more.