We've all seen stray dogs roaming the street looking scared, hungry, and frazzled. It tears your heart out. It always makes me wonder how they ended up that way. Some slightly luckier strays might end up in shelters or getting rescued by a compassionate person. Not all dogs end up in shelters because they were necessarily "bad" or had behavioral problems. A lot of them end up in shelters because people buy dogs without considering the effort and expense of dog ownership. Some might end up there because an owner dies or goes into a nursing home. Some are also are either given or simply dropped off there because of divorces and neither person wants or can care for the dog by themselves. But there's many dogs end up discarded because they were used by breeders or puppy mills as sort of breeding machines. Then when they no longer serve that purpose, they are given up.
Rescued dogs who have been neglected or abandoned need training and gentle to be a good member of your household. However, they most likely will need less training than a puppy would. People don't know that a good percentage of rescue dogs aren't just mutts, but come from breeders (as mentioned earlier) or pet stores, and are pedigrees. Either way rescued dogs can make great pets and can, with your compassion and patience adapt to your lifestyle and family members. You'll then be rewarded with their loyalty and affection. An abandoned dog is usually eager to become part of a loving pack where they feel safe and loved - since they are by nature pack animals. Many who adopt these rescued dogs describe their new family members as eager to please and form strong bonds with their human "pack".
Should you go to a shelter or rescue society (usually for a specific breed such as greyhounds), there's usually a fee which covers a medical exam, spaying or neutering, and any necessary shots. It also contributes to the cause of the shelter which is after all to keep doing what they do. You will likely meet with a volunteer worker at the shelter so you can meet the dog before you adopt and to see if it's a good match. If the dog chooses you too with a loving gaze, then that's a good sign that you've been approved to receive their friendship hopefully for many years to come.
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