Dog shelters perform an important role in society, and one that goes largely unnoticed by the general public. In most cases the shelter will take in a dog or puppy and care for it until a new owner is found, although this isn’t always possible.

Animal shelters in general give homes to those pets that are lost or abandoned by their former owners. Sometimes depending on the condition of the dog when it is brought into the shelter it may have to be put down – although the shelter will always do the best it can to keep the animal healthy and find a new loving owner. This varies from shelter to shelter, with some having a time limit on new ownershiop before the dog is put down while others will keep any dog that isn’t in distress due to injury or illness.

To help dog shelters you could could consider adopting a dog rather than buying a puppy, or by donating to help them stay open. To find out more, have a read of 100 ways to help a dog shelter.