Shelters

Shelters and humane societies were created to care for stray and abused animals. They weren't meant to be a drop-off for people who don't want to be bothered with their pets anymore. Shelters, on average, take in 100 new animals or more each day. Unfortunately, there won't be enough good homes for all of them. Even the best shelters can't boast much more than a 50% adoption rate. Only the youngest, friendliest, cutest and best-behaved dogs are going to be adopted. By law, stray pets must be kept several days for their owners to reclaim them. They may not be destroyed until that period is up. These laws don't protect dogs given up by their owners. They may be destroyed at any time. Shelters don't want to kill animals but they don't have a choice. There just isn't enough room for all of them. Shelters today are so overcrowded that a dog could be killed the same day it arrives. Being a purebred won't help a dog's chances of adoption either - almost half of the dogs in most shelters are purebreds. If your dog is old, has health problems or poor attitudes towards strangers, its chances of adoption are slim to none. True "no-kill" shelters are few and far between. Obviously, no one wants to see their pet killed so the demand for no-kill shelter services is high. It is so high that they're forced to turn away many pets because they don't have room for them all. Sometimes they have to choose only the most adaptable dogs to work with.

Rescue

Breed Rescue services are small, private, groups (or individuals) run by volunteers dedicated to a particular breed. Most of them operate out of the volunteer's homes. Rescues survive on donations from private individuals. Like no-kill shelters, demand for their services is high. They may not have room to take possession of a dog. A breed rescue can still help to place a dog by providing referrals to persons interested in adopting a dog, but you must give them the time. They are not large organizations! They don't have full-time staffs. They don't get paid to do this. THEY DO NOT HAVE THE PROVERBIAL FARM WHERE THE DOG WILL SPEND ITS LIFE RUNNING FREE AND BEING CARED FOR. Rescue volunteers love these animals and try to do their best to save the animals they feel are "adoptable".