If you've never had the experience of adopting a pet from a shelter, it can be a lot more grueling than you might expect. Particularly when they're placing puppies, they like to be certain that they're going to a good home.

The adoption process started three Fridays ago. We got a tip from Michelle's sister that there was a fresh litter of adorable little puppies down at the Delaware Humane Association (DHA). The puppies weren't publicly available just then, they still needed a round of shots before they could leave quarantine. But we were told to ask for the dog trainers and tell them who sent us for a sneak peek.

When we first entered the shelter, we were met with skepticism and disbelief. No one wanted to admit there was a litter of puppies in the back. Everyone, from the women behind the front desk down to the lowliest volunteer questioned our motives, where we heard about the puppies, and where we got authorization to see the litter.

We had our shoes disinfected, our hands scrubbed clean, then we had to wait for the public to filter out of the hallways. The coast clear, we were smuggled quickly into the back room where the door was shut behind us. Even then, we were interrupted twice by volunteers checking that we really were allowed to be in there with the puppies.

After just a few moments with the little puppies, Lacie (then known as Jan), stood out from the rest of the pack. She was more playful, more attractive, and she seemed to be one of the dominant ones.

Our pick made, we had to come back a week later, after the next round of shots, to meet with the dog trainer. They checked Riley's and Miss Kitty's vet records and in the interim between meetings, we had to get both of them a series of updated shots.

The next week we brought Riley to the shelter and met with the trainer, Lacie, and half of the DHA volunteers for about an hour before we were cleared for adoption. Even then, we had to call the next day to confirm our decision and set up a date to pick her up the following week, after she got spayed.

All the hassles aside, I have to admit that after spending our first full day together, she's an absolute dream of a puppy. Granted, it's only been one day, but she's got a wonderfully compliant personality, she's quite healthy and has been well-cared for at the DHA, and she's been a breeze in the back yard on duty walks.

But as I said, it's only been one day. We've yet to see how she'll be once she gets comfortable here. My initial impression, at least, is that she's worth all the hassles of the shelter procedures. I'm sure she'll be happy here.