08/03/2012:
I recently adopted a puppy from the 27th Ave Facility - my main complaint about the process that makes the rating low - he was infested with fleas and ticks (which I found out when I took him directly from the shelter to my vet). They should at least make sure the adoptable animals have had flea/tick treatment/removal prior to going home with the adopted family - even include it in the adoption fee if they have to - I would have gladly paid more to not have to deal with this after bringing him home. My last dog was adopted from a shelter in CA, and I didn't have this problem with him. So while adoption is totally the way to go - make sure you are prepared to deal with fleas/ticks on your animal when you adopt from here
08/15/2012:
Okay - so an update on the puppy that we adopted from the 27th Ave Facility - he was diagnosed with Parvo 5 days after we brought him home - he was only at the shelter for 3 days so chances are he was exposed to it at the County shelter. Thankfully he has survived -but only because we took him to Sonora Animal Hospital and they gave him the best treatment (also very expensive) and of course the County Shelter won't assist with the medical bills. So needless to say this has been a bad experience.
I would just say that if you choose to adopt a dog from the Maricopa County Shelter - go in with your eyes wide open - you may be getting an animal with multiple issues that may lead to expensive treatment within a very short time of adoption.