Shelter or Rescue – Do you know the difference?

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between an animal shelter and an animal rescue?  We hadn’t until we got deeply involved in the process.  There actually is a distinction, however many people use the terms interchangeably so it can be a little confusing.  

We’ve been visiting shelters most of our lives but didn’t really have it clear in our minds, either nor did we consider it.  Here we will try to clarify. 

Shelters

An animal shelter is the first place people go to surrender their dog or a stray that they have ‘found’.  They are usually larger operations with a full-time staff and many voluteers.  They tend to have lots of kennels and lots of animals of all types, as well as veterinary services to spay and neuter unsterilzed animals and treat other ailments.  Often times these operations are directly associated with The Humane Society of the United States or  the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty (ASPCA),  both of which are are charitable organizations for the benefit of the animals.  The other big shelter operation is often a county or municipality’s animal control department.  The animals here are strays, but can also be surrenders.  Much of the funding for these operations come from taxes and adoption fees.   

All of these operations, no matter how large they expand, do not have the capacity to keep up with the unwanted pets brought to them on a daily basis.  So, tough choices have to be made.  The sick or badly injured are often euthenized shortly after arrival and for the rest every effort to get them ready for their new forever home is made. 

One way shelters attempt to cope with the ever present capacity issue is seeking out foster families to offset the burden on their kennel space.  Foster pet parents typically get food and veterinary care for the foster pet, as an incentive, but the process can be nearly as in-depth as vetting an adoptive family.  

As the shelter approaches capacity, they again must assess the adoptability of the animal in terms of age, health, and behavior relative to the next animal surrended to their care and put them on a euthenasia list.  This is where the rescue’s come in…

Rescues

 #AdoptDon’tShop