Types of Animal Shelters

There are different types of animal shelters but they all mean the same thing, ANIMALS ARE HOMELESS!!!!

The definition of an animal shelter is a facility that houses homeless, lost or abandoned animals until it is either reclaimed by an owner, adopted by a new owner, or placed with another organization. In the past they were referred to as "dog pounds".

There are different types of animal shelters that an animal may go to, each specializing in its own type of care.

ANIMAL CONTROL agencies also known as municipal shelters or "dog pounds" help to keep homeless pets in a safe environment until adoption. Stray animals or abused animals are brought to the local "pound" and sometimes people will call the agency to pick up a stray. Remember the "local dog catcher" they work for animal control agencies.

Dog pounds or animal control agencies often provide educational classes concerning pet care, obedience and behavior courses, discounted vaccinations and sterilization procedures all to help with the adoption process and cost of raising an animal.

Adopting from this type of shelter is a GREAT IDEA because dog pounds are usually a government run organization and space is limited so euthanasia is unfortunately a common practice.

OPEN DOOR shelters accept animals that come to their door without a waiting list and without a fee. Unlike other types of shelters, open-door agencies will not turn pets away. They open their doors to any and all pets, and work closely with the community to get the pets adopted.
If no pet is turned away then these establishments become overwhelmed with an abundance of kittens, puppies, dogs and cats.
Some kittens and pups may be too tiny for adoption so they need love and attention. Open-door shelters use "foster" care parents for these needy animals.
A foster family provides a safe and nurturing environment for the fostered animal, socializes a shy pet, gives a sick animal time to recover.
Most ODS will provide the necessary medications necessary to treat a sick animal, sometimes (if these items are donated) they will provide the food and litter needed and will also provide the necessary information on how to foster a pet in need.

NO-KILL housing establishments will not put an adoptable pet to sleep unless they have severe medical issues that would cause undue suffering.

No-kill shelters are growing in popularity. As the name suggests, lifelong housing will be provided for pets. They allow and encourage adoptions and foster parenting to ease the load of the shelter. It is often hard to get a new animal into a no-kill shelter because of the limited space. However, rescue organizations and volunteers often help ease the capacity of the no-kill shelter.

ANIMAL RESCUE groups or rescue organizations are considered a shelter and are often confused with animal control, but the two are very different.

Rescue organizations are often tied to breed clubs. Instead of taking in just any dog or cat, they seek out certain breeds of animals at shelters. For example a rescue organization may look and adopt only Pit Bulls. Some rescue organizations have their own shelters but many rely on the help of volunteers,like open door shelters, foster parents may be needed until the animals can be placed with an adopted family.

ANIMAL SANCTUARIES take care of animals for the REST of their natural life. Animal sanctuaries provide a peaceful haven and housing for animals who were either abused or that could not be rehabilitated due to issues of aggression.

Sanctuaries are usually located on large areas of property that care for dogs, cats, as well as for goats, cows, donkeys, pigs and other larger farm animals. Some animal sanctuaries even keep wild animals, such as lions and tigers.

In many cases, animals will stay at a sanctuary for the rest of their lives without ever being adopted.

One of the largest sanctuaries is in Utah called Best Friends Animal Sanctuary best known for taking in Michael Vick's dog after he was accused of dog fighting.

This is just an example of how animals end up at a sanctuary.