Why Dogs Go To Shelters

Posted by Joy Butler Jun 14, 2006

Working in a pet shelter you hear all kinds of stories about why dogs end up there. Some make sense, some don't. When an elderly dog owner goes into a nursing home and has no family to take their dogs, or when a soldier is deployed and has no one to keep their dogs, it makes sense. But when you hear the story that an owner is moving to housing that doesn't allow dogs you have to wonder why a dog owner would choose such a place. If you have children, you don't move to housing that doesn't allow children. A few of the other "reasons" given for why dogs go to shelters include shedding, digging, chewing, fence climbing, having puppies, lack of housetraining, too aggressive, too shy, too much barking or, for those wanting a watch dog, not enough barking. But the bottom line here is that most dog problems can be solved. Obviously the problem of too many puppies can be solved simply by a spay or neuter. And the majority of behavior problems, including shyness, can be dealt with satisfactorily, with a little effort. I will be addressing some of these problems in future articles.