I never grew up with a pet so getting one was a new experience. I had always heard kill/no-kill shelters whatever... I got my new dog Crosby from ARL which happens to be a "kill shelter". Thinking about this, I felt truly good getting him there because I felt as though I was saving him from some other destiny. However, he is so cute that I'm sure someone else would have adopted him...
The shelter itself is large and the volunteers and vet-techs that you interact with are very friendly. The dogs are constantly walked and you can tell the animals receive a ton of love from the staff. Adoption is made easy unless you rent in which case you should probably bring a letter from your landlord stating you are allowed to adopt. Another perk is that when Crosby had "kennel cough" we went after hours to get him some medication and they still let us in and treated him...In short, great adoption experience at ARL.