Places that take care of stray or unwanted animals:
- usually full or even overcrowded due to the pet overpopulation problem (caused in part by irresponsible owners who fail to spay or neuter their pet)
- often run by a combination of county and donated funds
- divided into two categories: normal and no-kill shelters...No-kill shelters have a policy of not euthanizing animals. This results in them requiring more space, and/or having to turn even more animals away than a normal shelter
- often run, at least partially, by volunteers...these shelters have the best chance of weeding out the potential abusive adoption applicants: one who adopt without realizing how much work the pet will require, or worse yet, has evil motives, such as running an illegal dog-fighting operation
- happy places, because of so many wonderful animals...and sometimes because an owner finds their lost pet
- sad places, because of the hard reality of abandoned and unwanted animals