Understanding Dog Shelters

A dog shelter is an establishment, especially one supported by charitable contributions , that provides a temporary home for dogs offered for adoption. An institution that temporarily provides a home until the dog is adopted. 

There are many ways for dog lovers to find the right dogs. One of these options is adopting a rescued dog from one of the dog shelters. Dog shelters are full of amazing, but misunderstood dogs. ‘Misunderstood’ meaning they had had owners who did not speak dog language. 

Some dogs were unlucky in that, for different reasons, they lost their homes and the owners, with whom they had bonded.  Some were given away, some rescued from irresponsible owners, and some got dropped off at dog shelters when their owners are moving and do not want or cannot take them along.

Many dogs stay at dog shelters for months on end and some live with foster parents until they are adopted.  Whichever way they end up, these dogs go through a huge emotional roller coaster while they are being re-homed.  Despite the efforts of shelter workers or volunteers doing what they can to prepare and make the dogs adoptable, they still may have some difficulties.

The two main reasons a dog develops issues are lack of exercise and lack of leadership. Humans often forget they are dealing with a canine animal and too many times do not give the canine what it needs as that animal; when the dog does not act from the get-go like the ideal image they had in their minds they assume the dog is not a good match for them. That's the bad news. The good news is since dogs live in the moment - meaning they do not dwell in the past or think of the future - it is absolutely possible to take a full grown dog and start over as if it is the first day of the rest of its life. If you do it right, you will see a totally different dog from the owners who abandoned their family member.

The people who work at dog shelters must do the same things most pet owners do to care for their pets. They feed the dogs at least twice a day, make sure they have enough water, clean their cages, walk them, pet them and care for sick dogs that need special medical attention. Dog shelters usually cooperate with various other pet-care companies, like pet clinics, vets, and animal grooming services.

It’s also mandatory in many shelters to spay or neuter all pets they accept. Dog shelters are more and more including the animal grooming services into the mandatory procedures, wanting to make their new proteges being well taken care of, and looking their best to catch the eyes of the prospective new families. 

A single shelter can house hundreds of animals, and there usually isn’t a lot of money available for hired help. For that reason, volunteers are essential parts of shelter operations. Though they don’t get a paycheck, the tail wags and purrs they get in return are ample rewards for most volunteers.