I was about ready to give up on trying to find a dog through a shelter or rescue because of similar issues mentioned (not finding the right "fit" for the dog or our family, or not fitting some of the stringent requirements like "One dog parent must sign a contract to stay at home full time with the dog and not work (yes, really!), or to feed the dog only raw food, which I would do if I had to for medical issues, but I think it's a bit restrictive as a blanket requirement for all adopters), and things like that, but I finally found our dog through a really great rescue that I hadn't initially heard about. As an added bonus, they only charged $200 per adoption as opposed to $500 for most rescues. I would have paid the $500, I knew dog ownership is expensive, but at any rate I won't complain about the money saved, more to spoil the dog with
Vaccinations and spaying was also provided by the rescue, which is a huge savings, and another bonus was that all the dogs with the rescue are in foster care, so we had an idea of temperment and all of that beforehand. That was important to us because we wanted it to be both a good fit for the dog, and for us. We were looking for a dog that would be happy with being around our kids and our other dog, and vice versa, and it was a great fit. So I would say those are the drawbacks of Craigslist, you wouldn't be saving any money on initial vet expenses the way you would with most rescues, and you'd have not a lot or maybe not accurate info about the puppy's temperment (although I guess that part applies more to adopting a grown dog than a puppy). Also I'd be worried about the dog through Craigslist having something fatal and awful like parvo
Whereas the reputable dog rescues are going to screen for that. Also, it's just such a great feeling to know you saved a dog from maybe being killed, versus promoting backyard breeders on Craigslist. Our rescue organization took our dog out of a kill shelter, she was taken there and surrendered by her previous owners. I just look at her sweet face and can't imagine anyone leaving her to potentially die, she is such a gentle, loving soul. Not that looks matter, but she is also a strikingly beautiful dog that people comment on all the time (I am just saying that part because you said you wanted a certain breed. Our dog is not a purebred (but we joke that she should be cloned and needs to be recognized as her own breed because she's so cool looking lol), but the rescue groups in our area do have purebreds as well as puppies available.
If you want to I'd be happy to try to find some rescue groups in your area, if you feel comfortable messaging me where to look. I am sad that we are at our limit of two dogs, but I still love to see the dogs that are available and want as many as possible to find good homes