I got my first yorky free.
I didn't place an ad in the paper though. I didn't even know what a yorky was when I got him. He was 10 lbs with floppy ears and a very smart dog with a stubborn streek. We became best buddies. I was given the dog because this man said he was going traveling on a motorcycle and couldn't take the dog and he thought the dog liked me and I would take care of him.
Just had to tell that.
I see people get free dogs all the time. But it seems when they have something come up like vet bills they can no longer take care of them . They have problems training them or something else. These are the dogs that end up in the humane society.
I think if someone atleast charges a rehoming fee that atleast shows that someone may be willing to take care of a dog if they are willing to pay for it.
When I got my new Lucy I did ask about weight. The reason was that I didn't want a very small one. I have always heard that they have more health problems. It was also important to me that mine didn't come from a puppy mill.