Private Nonprofit Dog & Animal Shelters
Most animal shelters are private nonprofit shelters do the best they can with what they have to work with on low funding levels. Their buildings could use some work, their budgets are always tight, and they do the best with what they have to provide for the animals in their community.
New buildings don't necessarily make a good shelter, but you certainly want to work with a shelter that clearly cares enough for its charges to make sure they are kept in areas that are clean and don't facilitate the spread of disease.
Shelter work is difficult and stressful, and employees and volunteers can suffer burnout quickly. A well-run shelter is as compassionate to its staff as it is to the animals, because one has a lot to bear on the treatment of the other. Look for a shelter where employees are helpful and knowledgeable and clearly interested in helping the shelter's animals find responsible new homes.
The best shelters have a good handle on a dog's history, health, and temperament before putting her up for adoption and have done what they can to enhance her chances of success in a new home, through socialization and screening for the right home. They provide not only pre-adoption counseling but follow-up help, with behavioral advice or reduced-cost training classes.
These are the shelters you should seek out when looking for a dog or puppy. If you want to go one step better, look for ways to help the shelters that don't measure up. Usually it's a question of money and volunteers, and you can do a lot to contribute in these categories. Contact your local shelter to find out how.
"Humane Society" and "Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals" ("SPCA") are generic terms freely used in the United States and Canada by animal organizations that have no connection to one another or to national organizations such as the Washington, D.C. based Humane Society of the United States or the ASPCA in New York City. And yet, local shelters are often stymied in their fund-raising efforts by people who have "given to the national organization" and consider their charitable efforts complete - even though money given to the HSUS and ASPCA is used to fund their own programs, not the local shelters'. Which is why it's important not to forget your local animal shelter when giving.
A bit of a war in the animal-welfare community occurs over those organizations that call themselves "no kill" shelters. There are more pets than there are suitable homes, which sets up a grim game of "musical homes" resulting in the death of millions of animals every year. "No kill" shelters get that way by refusing to accept animals that are not adoptable or by refusing all animals when they are full. The turn-aways often end up at another shelter, one whose staff often very much resents having to be the bad guy.