Glossary

Animal shelter

A facility that houses stray, lost and surrendered dogs and cats, run by a city, county or non-profit, which returns pets to owners or places them in new homes.

Also called: dog shelter, animal shelter, humane society, pound, animal control shelter, open-admission shelter, no-kill shelter

An animal shelter takes in stray, abandoned and surrendered animals. Some are run by a city or county, often alongside animal control, and others are non-profit humane societies or SPCAs. A municipal shelter usually must accept strays, and it holds them for a set period so owners can reclaim them. After that, dogs may be adopted, transferred to a dog rescue, or, in some places, euthanised for space or health.

A no-kill shelter aims to save nearly all healthy and treatable animals, often using limited intake, and a typical definition is a live-release rate of 90 percent. Open-admission shelters take every animal, which makes their numbers harder to compare.

Adopting from a shelter usually includes an adoption fee and may include vaccines, a microchip and sterilisation. If you lose a dog, visit local shelters in person, because a microchip or a dog license helps return it. Many shelters also run foster programs.

Last reviewed November 8, 2026

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Related terms

Dog rescue A non-profit or volunteer group that takes in dogs from shelters, owners or the street and places them in new homes, often through foster homes. Foster A temporary home that cares for a dog until it is adopted, which frees kennel space and helps the dog adjust to life in a house. Adoption fee The payment a shelter or rescue asks when you adopt a dog, helping cover vet care and running costs, often including vaccines, spay or neuter and a microchip. Microchip and registry A rice-sized implant that holds an ID number, which links to your contact details only if you register it; it is not a GPS tracker.