Shelters and Why They Are Not All the Same – Open Admission vs. Limited Admission
Chances are in your city you have at least two shelters – one that is bright and cheery with healthy and happy looking dogs and cats and one that is what likely feels like one step out of hell that is dark and gloomy and has a heartbreaking vibe to it. If that is the case, you have experienced the difference between “open admission” shelters and “limited admission shelters”.
Your local Humane Society, probably supported by ladies who lunch, slick marketing campaigns, endowments, and has a beautiful facility is likely a “limited admission shelter”. They can be selective with the dogs and cats they take in. Old? Maybe….Sick? Probably Not…..Behavior issue? Definitely not. Limited admission shelters can pick and choose the animals they take in, they take those that are “adoptable” and turn away those who are not for age, behavior, or medical reasons.
Where do those dogs go you ask? They likely go to the County or City shelter which is “Open Admission” meaning that they HAVE to take in every dog and cat that comes to them for governmental and public health reasons. This is the shelter funded (likely underfunded) by the county with very limited medical resources, vets who are overworked and emotionally assaulted every day by what humans do so animals.
How a dog comes into the shelter plays a huge role of how and even more heartbreakingly – if – they get out.
Strays
Strays are dogs/cats that are picked up on the streets by Animal Control or strays found on the street picked up, and brought to the shelter by citizens. If a stray is healthy, most county shelters will have a “stray hold”, usually 5 days where the shelter waits to see if a family comes to claim that dog. After the stray hold, an animal can be euthanized for space (because remember a municipal shelter HAS to take every dog and the shelters are often bursting at the seams), held for adoption, or sent to rescue if warranted (more on that later).
Owner Surrenders
All shelter animals are heartbreaking, but owner surrenders (or OS in the rescue world) are some of the hardest to hear about. Each day in shelters across the country, owners bring their animals to the shelter to surrender for every reason under the sun – moving and can’t them with us, baby is allergic, having a baby, no time, sick, and the most heartbreaking of all – “this dog is too old”. In many shelters, an OS can be euthanized immediately for space because the owner is known and thus, nobody is coming to look for that dog after they got lost.
Any animal’s chances of being “chosen” and making it out of the shelter can be further compounded by understandable behavior issues upon getting to the shelter (wouldn’t you be scared and probably act a bit tough in their shoes?), shelter induced medical issues (think kids in a day care – germs everywhere, lots of dogs whose immune systems are lowered due to stress or lack of property care- one URI or Upper Respiratory Infection and a dog is labeled “rescue only” and moved to a medical ward), and even color of their fur. (Did you know that statistically black dogs and cats are significantly less likely to be adopted? This phenomenon even has a name – Black Dog Syndrome).
County Shelter Adoptions and What You Get
These animals have a heartbreakingly limited amount of time to find a home. The county does what they can with what they have to move as many animals as possible. They all deserve a chance and they all deserve a home.
- Medical Care – All animals coming from a shelter will be spayed/neutered (unless there is a medical reason not to). They will have had their vaccines and possibly may come with some antibiotics if need be.
- Adoption Rates – Adoption fees from a shelter are traditionally less than from a rescue (less than $100). Shelters need to move dogs quickly and for all the understandable reasons, they do not have the resources to provide complex medical care.
- Background Check – Background checks are minimal to non-existent for county shelters. As long as the dog you are adopting is not subject to BSL (Breed Specific Legislation) a shelter is happy to have that dog out. No vet check necessary, no home visit necessary, just take the dog. (Limited Admission Shelters may have more of a formal process involving a meet and greet, etc)
- History/Behavior – Through no fault of their own, a shelter will not be able to provide any history or background on an animal. Behavior information will amount to either passing a somewhat arbitrary and unfair “behavior test” or the absence of any aggressive behavior. A shelter will not be able to tell you if the dog is potty trained or not, with minimal information about how they get along with other dogs IF that dog has had the opportunity to participate in play groups
There are many things a shelter cannot provide an adopter, but what they can provide an adopter is an animal that more than deserves their chance at a happily ever after. By choosing to adopt from a county shelter you have LITERALLY chosen to save a life.