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Dog at a no-kill animal shelter in Washington, Iowa
Dog at a no-kill animal shelter in Washington, Iowa

An animal shelter is a facility that houses homeless, lost or abandoned animals; primarily a large variety of dogs and cats. The dog ( Canis lupus familiaris) is a domesticated Subspecies of the gray wolf, a Mammal of the Canidae family of the order WikipediaManual of Style (spelling, articles should conform to one overall spelling style of English typically the one most linked to the article topic (if it is geographic The animal is kept at the shelter until it is either reclaimed by an owner, adopted to a new owner or placed with another organization. In the past, they were more commonly referred to as "dog pounds", a term which had its origins in the pounds of agricultural communities, where stray cattle would be penned up until claimed by their owners.

Some animal shelters humanely euthanize animals that are not adopted within a set period of time, others have a policy of only putting down animals that are in distress due to age or illness. Put to sleep redirects here For its literal meaning see Sleep or Anaesthetic.

Contents

Types of shelters

There are several distinct types of animal shelters.

Emma, at the Seattle Animal Shelter
Emma, at the Seattle Animal Shelter

Animal control agency

Animal control agencies, also known as municipal shelters (or "dog pounds"), are usually nonprofit organizations that are contracted by cities to enforce animal-related ordinances, and to provide animal related services. An animal control officer may be an Employee of or a contractor to a Municipality, is charged with the responsibility of responding to calls for service In addition to housing animals many animal shelters also provide education services for pet owners/adopters, low-cost spaying and neutering surgeries, vaccinations, veterinary care, and behavior training or resources. Neutering, from the Latin neuter (of neither sex is the removal of an animal's Reproductive organ, either all of it or a considerably large part Veterinary medicine the application of medical, diagnostic, and therapeutic principles to companion, domestic, exotic, wildlife

No-kill shelter

Main article: No-kill shelter

Some shelters have taken on a "No-kill" policy, and will support the "healthy" and "adoptable" animals; for the remainder of its life, or until it is adopted. A no-kill shelter is an Animal shelter where animals are only euthanized if they are too sick to be treated or too aggressive to be suitable for adoption Due to limited funding, the number of animals that can be accepted by these organizations is often quite limited. Some animals may not be accepted because of behavior or health concerns that make adoption unlikely, or may be euthanized if a sufficiently serious medical condition emerges. Many believe no-kills accept any and all types of pets, but many are refused due to lack of space or their unadoptability status.

Animal sanctuary

Animal sanctuaries will look after animals for the rest of their natural life, without necessarily attempting to find them any other home. An animal sanctuary is a facility where Animals are brought to live and be protected for the rest of their lives Many of these establishments will take in animals that are not adoptable, such as Feral animals (unsocialized cats), abused pets requiring special/unique care, or animals with medical/behavioral concerns that make adoption of pet difficult and possibly unrealistic. A feral organism is one that has escaped from Domestication and returned partly or wholly to its wild state

Rescue organization

Animal Rescue Organizations are not animal shelters, but share the same goal as animal shelters in placing homeless pets with adoptive families. A rescue group or rescue organization is dedicated to Pet adoption. Animal shelters are characterized as having a physical location dedicated to housing and caring for many different types of animals, whereas most rescue groups work with one specific breed or type of animal and have volunteers who keep the animals in their homes until adoption, also known as foster care. Foster care is a system by which a certified stand-in "parent(s" cares for minor Children or young peoples who have been removed from their birth parents Rescue groups often obtain animals from local animal shelters, with the larger of these groups often transporting animals from locations that have a high number of homeless animals to locations where animals are more in demand. Rescue groups are often tied to national breed clubs for a given type of animal. A breed club or breed association is an organization dedicated to the breeding and welfare of one single Dog breed as opposed to a diverse mixture of dogs

See also

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Pet adoption usually refers to the process of taking guardianship of and responsibility for a Pet that a previous owner has abandoned or otherwise abdicated responsibility for

Dictionary

animal shelter

-noun

  1. An organization that provides temporary homes for stray pet animals.
  2. A facility providing such shelter.
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