12/30/2025
I have been yelled at plenty of times and been told that because I am a rescue I have to take the cat.
There is often a misconception around the word âshelterâ. By definition, a shelter is a place that provides temporary protection. And that is truly how many of our local, rural animal shelters are designed to function. They exist to provide short term housing for misplaced, abandoned, or surrendered animals.
What many of these facilities do not do is offer ideal conditions, long term stays, or extensive networking. Not because they do not care, but because they were never built or funded to operate that way.
So letâs break down the different types of animal intake facilities you may see in your community and how they function.
1. Humane Societies:
Humane societies are typically nonprofit animal welfare organizations. Many operate independently of local government. Because they rely on donations, grants, and fundraising, they often have more flexibility in resources and staffing. This allows some to achieve or maintain no kill status. These organizations generally have the ability to choose which animals they intake based on space, funding, and medical or behavioral capacity.
2. Municipal or County Shelters:
Municipal shelters are government run facilities, usually county specific, and funded through a limited county budget. In many rural areas, these shelters are operated by or in partnership with the local sheriffâs department and/or animal control. Their primary responsibility is public safety and controlling the animal population, not long term housing or rehabilitation.
These shelters typically do not have the right to refuse intake. They are supposed to accept animals brought in by animal control or residents, regardless of space, health, temperament, or resources. Intake numbers often far exceed capacity simply because they cannot say no.
3. Rescue Organizations:
Rescue organizations are usually 501c3 nonprofits. Some have physical facilities, while others are entirely foster based. Larger or more established rescues may operate both ways. Like humane societies, rescues can decide which animals they are able to take in based on foster availability, funding, and medical needs.
âš So what does all of this mean when it comes to euthanasia risk and intake capacity?
Privately run organizations such as humane societies and rescues generally have the right of refusal. County run municipal shelters generally do not. Because municipal shelters are intended to accept everything that comes through their doors, they often face impossible choices when space, funding, and time run out. This is why you see higher euthanasia rates in these facilities.
Euthanasia for space does not mean the animals are less deserving. It does not mean the staff cares less. In fact, animals in underfunded, municipal shelters often need public support more, not less, due to limited resources, strict regulations, and reduced visibility.
đŸ Not all shelters are created equal, and not all animals face the same level of risk. Every animal deserves help, but understanding where the greatest risk lies allows us to respond more effectively.
This is not about bashing one type of organization over another. It is about education, empathy, and working together. When we understand how these systems function, we can support them in ways that actually save lives!
Letâs aim for unity, not blame. đ€
