Finding a puppy

Here's how I thought the puppy-finding process would go:

• Step 1: Research where the local animal shelters are in the area.
• Step 2: Visit said shelters.
• Step 3: Play with a number of different puppies, find one we like, begin adoption process.

Instead, it's gone more like:

• Step 1: Research where the local animal shelters are in the area.
• Step 2: Navigate through varying hours of operation, trying to visit as many shelters in one go as possible (because it turns out they're all [but one] 30+ minutes away).
• Step 3: Discover that not a single shelter carries puppies. The youngest dogs are 1.5 years old.
• Step 4: Observe the horrible conditions of the shelters. Dogs kept in sparse cages the size of a closet (a generously sized closet, but still), barking and wagging and desperately, desperately trying to get our attention. Deal with awkwardly manipulative-yet-judgmental shelter workers. They try to be helpful, but they end up coming across as pressuring and condescending.
• Step 5: Okay, maybe getting an adult dog isn't a terrible idea: take a few of the younger dogs out, try to get to know them. Watch them be so excited just to be out of their cage, they completely ignore us.
• Step 6: Observe that most of the dogs are not good around kids -- a deal breaker, since Mike has a 9-year-old sister.
• Step 7: Ask the shelter workers if they ever get puppies. Accept the "no"s with grace. Drive away.

So we thought to ourselves, well okay. We wanted to rescue a dog from a shelter, but the ones around here are all no-kill shelters anyway (which is GREAT), and we didn't see any dogs we fell in love with. We figure our possible next options are:

1. Check out local breeders. Reputable, AKC-certified ones (NOT puppy mills). They'll have puppies!
2. Visit shelters in Philadelphia and Atlantic City, about an hour and a half's drive in each direction to each city. See if they have a bigger selection.
3. Check the local classifieds. Anyone selling or giving away puppies?
4. Consult the Internet. The Internet knows all.

I have to say, I was really surprised how difficult this process turned out to be. Aren't there hundreds, maybe thousands, of dogs (both puppies and adults) that need rescuing? Where are they? Maybe we just need to expand our search into nearby states (or even far-away ones).