Animal shelter

An animal shelter is a facility that houses homeless, lost or abandoned animals; primarily a large variety of dogs and cats. The goal of today's animal shelter is to provide a safe and caring environment until the animal is either reclaimed by its owner, placed in a new home, or placed with another organization. Many progressive shelters temperament-test animals before they are put up for adoption (PUFA) to determine the appropriate home environm... more

An animal shelter is a facility that houses homeless, lost or abandoned animals; primarily a large variety of dogs and cats. The goal of today's animal shelter is to provide a safe and caring environment until the animal is either reclaimed by its owner, placed in a new home, or placed with another organization. Many progressive shelters temperament-test animals before they are put up for adoption (PUFA) to determine the appropriate home environment. 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 or impounded until claimed by their owners. Some animal shelters 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. There are several distinct types of animal shelters. Animal control agencies, also known as municipal shelters (or "dog pounds"), are usually... less