This week we said a final goodbye to our very sweet hound, Jim, after six years together.

We are ruled by dual masters, and in my case, they rarely agree. My time with Jim has been punctuated by countless quiet, painful battles between my heart and my mind, especially his last few years when he was in and out of hospice care.

I met him as an old, strange community dog in Costa Rica with numbered days, so I don't think either of us expected a long, or especially deep, relationship. But love often sneaks up on us, and if we are lucky, our intellect still gives way to passion. This is what happened to us.

The arc of our attachment had a lot to do with external factors. I was determined to not bond too deeply, since, from the beginning, I knew he only had a few months to live. Then somewhere around the fourth or fifth time he had a medical crisis in which the doctor gave him only a few months, I began to feel as if my hardy Jim, who kept surviving the unsurvivable, might, in fact, never leave me. So I fell in love with this dog and his quirky hound-dog behavior. He became a guidepost for me, and the fact that he'd chosen me increased my net worth substantially.

Here is how it all began ... well, this is not really how it all began. Like so many of you, I can only imagine what my boy's life was like before I met him. I have reason to believe it was full of romping and play and that he was well-cared-for (if not well-loved). But at some point he became homeless. He, like many community dogs, seemed more at ease around other dogs than in the house with people. AT FIRST. Once he discovered things like pizza and dog beds, he began to fulfill his true destiny: to be a house-potato.

I met Jim, sick and emaciated, six years ago on a trip to a small village in Costa Rica, where he blocked my way on the sidewalk, looked me in the eye, and howled -- the most mournful sound I've ever heard. Old, starving, toothless, raw from mange, with a big gross tumor on his belly -- I'd never seen anyone more pitiful.

Once a month we select a reader question and answer it here. Have a question you'd like us to answer? Email us.

Q: I have been trying to adopt a dog from a specific rescue for a month now. They are yet to even call my vet for a reference or do the home inspection, which they say is required to adopt. When I call, the "person in charge" says it's all up to the foster parent to follow through. Is that "normal" for rescue groups? It's very disappointing. I hoped to pick up the dog the same week. --Barbara F.

A: Petfinder is a community and, like all communities, each individual or organization is a little bit different. Ideally, when you visit an animal shelter someone will greet you when you walk through the door, escort you in to meet the pets and answer your questions. Sometimes though, the person at the desk is on a tough phone call, everyone in the reception office is tied up with two boxes of kittens that just arrived, and the volunteer in the dog kennels just started and has as many questions as you do.

With rescue groups, you can find the same variety. One group operates so efficiently it makes your head spin. They have concise, clear forms, a person who answers or returns your call in short order, and a group of experienced foster homes who work so well together that each step is quick and clear. In short order you know if that dog you fell in love with online is a good match for you. Another group may be made up of a network of loving, but busy, foster families who volunteered to foster a dog because they heard the need was great. Their lives are hectic with jobs and kids. They may even be shy about talking with strangers, even though they know that's the only way to find that forever home for their rescued dog!

There are a wide range of people in rescue who have skills that range from "perfectionist" to "procrastinator." We know the majority of our members want to get back in touch with you as soon as possible!

After the jump: Tips for making sure you hear back and how we're working to improve customer service for adopters.

Recently, Katherine, a colleague of mine at Discovery Communications was researching French Bulldogs on the Internet. She came across a group calling itself a Frenchie rescue. But something about its website didn't seem right.

Katherine did some research and discovered a 2011 report by the Humane Society of the United States charging that the group was run by a Missouri breeder it called one of the state's worst puppy millers. The report claimed the pets on the "rescue" site are in fact cast-offs from that breeding operation.

"I was so angry," Katherine told me. "I will do anything I can do to raise awareness."

Unfortunately, her story isn't unique. "For-profit breeders have increasingly tried to take advantage of the public's desire to adopt homeless pets by posing as rescue groups, even using the term 'adopt' when selling their, all too often, puppy-mill-raised pups" says Kim Saunders, Petfinder's vice president of shelter outreach. "This makes it even more important that Petfinder remains a space for reputable shelters and rescue groups."

All the adoption groups that list their pets on Petfinder have been carefully screened by our shelter outreach staff. But if you're looking beyond Petfinder for a pet to adopt, there are some red flags to keep an eye out for. No one of these points alone proves a rescue group isn't legit. But if you find several of these warning signs, you might want to look for your adoptable pet elsewhere:

After the jump: 5 questions to ask about an organization before you adopt

We're kicking off a new series of Q&As about pet adoption! Once a month we'll select a reader question and answer it here. Have a question you'd like us to answer? Email us.

Q: I'm looking to adopt my next dog in order to save a life and help. It's very sad to see the outrageous adoption fees so many shelters are asking for these unwanted animals. I understand many shelters are giving them their shots, etc., but many vets will work with new owners on lower-cost care for pets -- so why don't the shelters? -- Stephanie D.

A: Hi Stephanie. Thank you so much for looking into adoption for your next dog! While searching Petfinder, you will find pets from more than 13,600 shelters and rescue groups -- each with its own adoption procedure and fees. Depending on the type of organization and type of pet, adoption fees can range from no fee up to several hundred dollars.

After the jump, some information on what helps determine an adoption fee amount, what that fee covers and how you can get a reduced adoption fee on a great pet.

Our friends at Animal Planet are running a contest: Puppies vs. Babies. Voting begins Oct. 22 and in the end, the top puppy and baby will go head-to-head in a battle of the cutest. Submit a photo of your canine or human cutie and you could win $5,000!

While my 11-year-old Pit Bull is no longer a puppy and my 23-month-old daughter is now more toddler than baby, the contest got me thinking back to how being a pet parent was in some ways good practice for having a newborn.

So if you're a pet parent considering having kids, take heart: You're more prepared than you think. Here's why:

You're already responsible for another life. For petless folks, having a baby represents a big loss of freedom -- no more spontaneous weekends in Paris (well, okay, my life was never like that, but it's nice to think someone's is!). But if you have a pet, you're used to thinking about someone else when you make plans.

You understand non-verbal communication. A newborn is a bundle of needs -- for food, sleep, comfort and going to the bathroom -- with no language to express them. Sound familiar? Pet parents have already learned the subtle art of reading body language, a skill that persists regardless of whether that body is furry and four-legged or otherwise.

October is Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month. We'll be celebrating all month with adopted-dog Happy Tails, ways to find the perfect dog for you, tips for the first 30 days of dog adoption and more. We hope you proud dog adopters will join in as well. After all, what better way to encourage adoption than to celebrate your adopted dog?

Here are some fun, easy ways to celebrate Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month with your dog:

1. Bring dog-themed goodies to your local shelter or rescue group. Thank the staff and volunteers at your local adoption group for all the lifesaving work they do. Bake some cookies in the shape of dog bones (and don't forget to bring some treats for the shelter dogs, too!).


2. Show off your pet-adopter pride. Visit the Petfinder store for a t-shirt,
   or our friends at the Animal Rescue site for a "Rescued and loving it"
   doggie bandana.
   


3. Throw a "Gotcha Day" party. Celebrate the day you "got ya" dog with a party, and ask your guests to bring something to donate to your local shelter or rescue group.


4. Tell others about Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month. Promote one adoptable dog a day on Facebook or Twitter, or write an op-ed about dog adoption for your local paper. (Check out 10 ways to help pets for Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month for more ideas.)
   


5. Attend an Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month dog walk or other event. You can find an event near you in our event calendar.


6. Make a donation to your local shelter or rescue group. Contact your local adoption group and ask what they need, or donate cash in honor of your adopted dog.


7. Sign up as a foster parent or shelter volunteer. Celebrate your adopted dog by helping other homeless dogs find homes. Sign up to walk dogs once a week during lunch, or take on a foster dog whom you can help find a home for.
   
   
8. Photograph local adoptable dogs for their Petfinder profiles. Pictures are worth a thousand words -- and good pet photos can save lives!
   


9. Post a picture of your adopted dog on our Facebook wall. We may pick it as one of our favorite fan photos!
   


10. Adopt another shelter dog! Check out our dog-adoption checklist for tips on finding the perfect pup for your whole family, then search Petfinder for an adoptable dog near you!

Berry, the black, senior German Shepherd who played the canine form of the character Sirius Black in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, has been relinquished to German Shepherd Dog Rescue in the U.K.

Fox News recently reported that 10-year-old Berry and his 13-year-old canine companion, Porridge, were given up by a professional stuntman who didn't have enough time for them anymore. (Read the full story here.)

The news comes on the heels of Petfinder's Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week, which highlighted the pets who can be the hardest for shelters and rescue groups to find homes for, including senior pets and pets with darker fur colors. (See which pets are the hardest to place here.)