Yeah, you can get a dog off Craigslist for free or very cheap. The difference is:
1. People lie
2. You won't have their support if something goes wrong or if the dog doesn't work out.
Rescues offer support for the life of the dog.
I got my German Shepherd from Craigslist, only because there were no black shepherds in our rescue at the time I was looking. The previous owners banished her to their backyard and gave her water from a nasty cow trough. When I got her home she had an accident and her urine smelled horrible, very fishy. Took her to the vet and she had a raging UTI. The jackass owners never knew because they kept her outside!
Sometimes going the cheap route is not the best route. 4951