After reading all the scathing reviews on Yelp and weighing my options, I decided that the puppy I found on the Lifeline website was too good to pass up. We were very happy with the service we received during the adoption process but there are some things that I want to point out.
1. If you have a specific puppy in mind that you want, get there EARLY!!! 1 hour early is not nearly enough if you want one in particular. We pulled into the driveway at 8:00 am, a full 3 hours before they opened, and were the first car in line but the 2nd car arrived less than 5 minutes later. By the time 11:00 rolled around there were 25-30 cars lined up. Every car in line will receive a number about 10-15 minutes prior to the gates opening. When the gates open, you will pull in, park and then everyone will stand behind a rope waiting to be let in to view the puppies. Myself and the 2nd car to arrive were let in first prior to the bigger portions of the group and had all the volunteers ready to help. If you are looking for a specific companion that you will have for potentially over 10 years, I cannot stress how important it is to arrive very very early. Charge your phone, bring a snack, and take a nap. It's worth the wait.
2. If you do not arrive early, plan to be among groups of 7-10 families that are released all together based on the number you received in line. As there are only so many volunteers you may not immediately get the help nor the puppy that you want. That has nothing to do with the volunteer's willingness to help, but rather the overwhelming number of people that all think they deserve to be helped immediately as well.
3. The puppies are NOT kept permanently in the kennels that you see them in during the adoption time like other reviews have stated. I watched no short of 20 different cars driven by fosters arrive prior to opening to drop off the puppies.
4. On to the health of my puppy. Although many reviewers have stated that their puppies had Parvo or any number of problems after adoption which I agree can be horrible, I on the other hand have a perfectly healthy puppy. Upon adoption, Lifeline will give you a list of 40 vet clinics around Colorado that will give you a free puppy wellness evaluation which is great and a service that you should take advantage of. I was able to call my current vet and they offered the same exam at no charge so do not feel like you must go to one of those 40 clinics given by Lifeline. I did pay for them to look at a stool sample where they found a very slight Coccidia infection. My vet assured me it is very common and treatable. The total bill for the stool sample eval and 5-day treatment for the Coccidia came to just over $50.
I cannot speak to, nor am trying to speak to, any of the interactions others have had with Lifeline in the past, but from my perspective, this place is run as smooth and organized as possible. If you are even considering adopting a puppy, at least give Lifeline a shot. If they were intentionally adopting out sick puppies, they would no longer be in business; there are always risks when adopting from a shelter. Think of it this way, if Lifeline hadn't intervened and taken in these puppies, they would have been euthanized at the shelters they were at previously.
TL;DR Get there very early or you will wait and possibly miss out on the puppy you want, my puppy is healthy, give Lifeline a shot.