The first shelters intended for keeping pets left without owners began to function in the United States in the 19th century. In Australia, the first such institution was organized in 1912, it operates to this day. In Russia, such shelters operate as municipal enterprises, but most of them exist on private donations or are created by public organizations where volunteers work.
How dog shelters work
Depending on the form of ownership, pet shelters have different purposes. Municipal shelters, of which there are not so many, are intended for the temporary housing of stray animals caught on the streets. The meager funds allocated for their maintenance only allow placing several dogs in rather cramped enclosures and providing them with one-time meals, which are the cheapest food that does not contain anything but bone meal.
The time of keeping an animal in a municipal shelter is limited to six months and if during this time the owner does not find him, the animal is simply euthanized. Naturally, in case of illness, the dog will not be provided with veterinary care. It is also not necessary to count on the humanity of the personnel - low-skilled workers mainly from the southern republics work in municipal shelters.
Those shelters that are created by public organizations are constantly experiencing difficulties. This is the lack of funds for maintenance, and the lack of a sufficient number of workers, and the unwillingness of the authorities to provide assistance or at least officially allocate a land plot for a shelter. But in such institutions, the animal can count on veterinary care, which is provided free of charge by specialized clinics, and on maintenance until old age. We must pay tribute - the volunteers of these shelters are doing everything possible for the dog to find a new owner.
In private shelters, professional dog handlers work, who are able to provide the animals with qualified assistance, but they are also calculated on the fact that the owners who donate the animal to the shelter will allocate money for him at least for a veterinarian and food.
How to take a dog to a shelter
If your situation is really desperate and you just can't keep the animal with you, try to first attach it to some kind-hearted people, there are still a lot of them. In the event that this did not work out, find out through the ubiquitous Internet which shelters for homeless animals operate in your city. If you have a choice, try to leave the dog in a private or public shelter and support the well-wishers from it with at least some material means or, perhaps, with building materials for building enclosures, food, medicines. But you must understand that shelters are not a place where animals feel good, no matter what kind of maintenance they are provided there.
