go to http://www.petfinder.com and go to shelter & rescue groups and click your area and you will probably find some info like some pages have "who we are" and their goal..but I think it'd be easier if you go yourself and ask about how adopting works there. here at the shelter where I volunteer it's $50 for a dog and if they aren't spayed & neutered (which I think a lot of them are) you have to pay for that. we have you make a vet appt. to schedule the spay or neuter BEFORE you can adopt from us. we also give you a free general exam and offer microchipping (it's a permanent identification and doesn't hurt the dog at all. it's the size of a grain of rice and goes in between the shoulders..if your dog were ever to get lost and go to the shelter we have a scanner to see if they are microchipped and if they are, we call the company and find the vet and track down the owner of the dog) we have you leave with an i.d. tag, too that we make for free. I hope I didn't confuse you too much! but the adoption fees do vary depending on the shelter or rescue you adopt from.