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59-424: An animal shelter or pound is a place where stray, lost, abandoned or surrendered animals – mostly dogs and cats – are housed. The word "pound" has its origins in the animal pounds of agricultural communities, where stray livestock would be penned or impounded until they were claimed by their owners. While no-kill shelters exist, it is sometimes policy to euthanize animals that are not claimed quickly enough by

118-459: A low kill shelter euthanizes few animals and usually operates programs to increase the number of animals that are released alive. A shelter's live release rate is the measure of how many animals leave a shelter alive compared to the number of animals they have taken in. A no kill shelter practices a very strict high live release rate, such as 90%, 95%, or even 100%. Since there is no standard of measurement, some shelters compare live releases to

177-524: A pet store chain in Atlanta . It provided for the licensing and regulation of pet shops, stables, kennels, and animal shelters, and it established, for the first time, minimum standards of care. The Georgia Department of Agriculture was tasked with licensing animal shelters and enforcing the new law through the Department's newly created Animal Protection Division. An additional provision, added in 1990,

236-495: A dramatic drop in the number of animals euthanized in shelters, due mainly to a successful push to promote spaying and neutering of pets. Animal pound An animal pound is a place where stray livestock were impounded. Animals were kept in a dedicated enclosure, until claimed by their owners, or sold to cover the costs of impounding. The terms " pinfold " and " pound " are Saxon in origin. Pundfald and pund both mean an enclosure. There appears to be no difference between

295-494: A few square metres (some square feet) to over 0.5 hectares (1.2 acres). Pounds are known to date from the medieval period. By the 16th century most villages and townships would have had a pound. Most of what remain today would date from the 16th and 17th centuries. Some are listed buildings, but most have fallen into disrepair. The Sussex County Magazine in 1930 stated: Nearly every village once had its pound for stray cattle, pigs, geese, etc. to be driven into and there kept at

354-432: A glistening grey balloon, with a puppy inside, is propelled through the vulva . After further contractions, the sac is expelled and the bitch breaks the membranes, releasing clear fluid and exposing the puppy. The mother chews at the umbilical cord and licks the puppy vigorously, which stimulates it to breathe. If the puppy has not taken its first breath within about six minutes, it is likely to die. Further puppies follow in

413-432: A multiple birth) signifies the end of stage two. The cow scrambles to her feet (if lying down at this stage), turns round and starts vigorously licking the calf. The calf takes its first few breaths and within minutes is struggling to rise to its feet. The third and final stage of labor is the delivery of the placenta , which is usually expelled within a few hours and is often eaten by the normally herbivorous cow. Birth

472-435: A period of time, called stray hold . After the holding period, an animal is considered forfeited by its owner, and may become available for adoption. Animals involved in attacks or bites are placed in quarantine and are not available for adoption until investigations or legal cases are resolved. Animal control's interest is mainly public safety and rabies control . Many shelter policies allow individuals to bring in animals to

531-548: A pinfold and a village pound. The person in charge of the pinfold was the " pinder ", giving rise to the surname Pinder . The village pound was a feature of most English medieval villages, and they were also found in the English colonies of North America and in Ireland . A high-walled and lockable structure served several purposes; the most common use was to hold stray sheep, pigs and cattle until they were claimed by

590-472: A previous or new owner. In Europe, of the 30 countries included in a survey, all but six (Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Italy and Poland) permitted euthanizing non-adopted animals. The shelter industry has terminology for their unique field of work, and though there are no exact standards for consistent definitions, many words have meanings based on their usage. Animal control has

649-436: A proper reason. Generally, proper reasons are slaughtering or hunting for food production (cats and dogs are excepted from that), control of infectious diseases, painless killing "if continued life would imply uncurable pain or suffering" or if an animal poses a danger to the general public. The latter will be a reason for euthanasia only if an authority concerned with public safety orders it based on an investigation. Because of

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708-622: A series of sculptures in several of the pinfolds in Cumbria. Birth#Dogs In some species, the offspring is precocial and can move around almost immediately after birth but in others, it is altricial and completely dependent on parenting. In marsupials , the fetus is born at a very immature stage after a short gestation and develops further in its mother's womb pouch . It is not only mammals that give birth. Some reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates carry their developing young inside them. Some of these are ovoviviparous , with

767-439: A shelter has four outcomes: return to owner, adoption , transfer to another shelter or rescue facility, or euthanasia . Return to owner is when a stray animal, that was found and housed at the shelter, is picked up by its owner. Most animal shelters practice adoption, where an animal in their care is given or sold to an individual who will keep it and care for it. Some shelters work with rescue organizations , giving an animal to

826-465: A similar way one by one usually with less straining than the first usually at 15-60-minute intervals. If a pup has not been passed in 2 hours a veterinarian should be contacted. Stage three is the passing of the placentas. This often occurs in conjunction with stage two with the passing of each offspring. The mother will then usually eat the afterbirth. This is an adaption to keep the den clean and prevent its detection by predators. An infant marsupial

885-498: A specific dog breed, or they pull hard-to-adopt animals such as those with health or behavioral issues with the intention of rehabilitating the animal for a future adoption. Many rescues don't have brick and mortar locations but operate out of a home or with foster partners. A foster will temporarily take animals from the shelter to their home to give them special attention or care, such as a newly whelped litter of puppies, or an animal recovering from an illness. An animal sanctuary

944-413: A temporary placement. A retail rescue takes advantage of right-of-first-choice of the free or cheap inventory of animals from shelters to flip shelter-pulled animals under the banner of 'adoption', with little or no retraining or veterinary care in between pulling a dog and selling it. They may also obtain animals cheaply from auctions or puppy mills and command high dollar for their adoptions under

1003-406: A time, although they may have twin or multiple births on occasion. In these large animals, the birth process is similar to that of a human, though in most the offspring is precocial . This means that it is born in a more advanced state than a human baby and is able to stand, walk and run (or swim in the case of an aquatic mammal) shortly after birth. In the case of whales, dolphins and porpoises,

1062-544: A very few give birth to offspring that are miniature versions of the adult. The aphid has a complex life cycle and during the summer months is able to multiply with great rapidity. Its reproduction is typically parthenogenetic and viviparous and females produce unfertilized eggs which they retain within their bodies. The embryos develop within their mothers' ovarioles and the offspring are clones of their mothers. Female nymphs are born which grow rapidly and soon produce more female offspring themselves. In some instances,

1121-401: Is an alternative to euthanasia for difficult-to-adopt animals; it is a permanent placement which may include secure kenneling and care by staff experienced in the handling of animals with serious aggression or permanent behavioral problems, or a home for aged animals that will be cared for until their natural death. Adoption and sending to rescue or sanctuary are permanent placements; fostering is

1180-453: Is born in a very immature state. The gestation period is usually shorter than the intervals between oestrus periods. The first sign that a birth is imminent is the mother cleaning out her pouch . When it is born, the infant is pink, blind, furless and a few centimetres long. It has nostrils in order to breathe and forelegs to cling onto its mother's hairs but its hind legs are undeveloped. It crawls through its mother's fur and makes its way into

1239-408: Is external protrusion of the amniotic sac through the vulva, closely followed by the appearance of the calf's front hooves and head in a front presentation (or occasionally the calf's tail and rear end in a posterior presentation). During the second stage, the cow will usually lie down on her side to push and the calf progresses through the birth canal. The complete delivery of the calf (or calves in

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1298-416: Is termed whelping in dogs. Among dogs , as whelping approaches, contractions become more frequent. Labour in the bitch can be divided into 3 stages. The first stage is when the cervix dilates, causing discomfort and restlessness in the dog. Common signs of this stage are panting, fasting, and/or vomiting. This may last up to 12 hours. Stage two is the passage of the offspring. The amniotic sac looking like

1357-615: The Dogs Trust . In the United States there is no government-run organization that provides oversight or regulation of the various shelters on a national basis. However, many individual states regulate shelters within their jurisdiction. One of the earliest comprehensive measures was the Georgia Animal Protection Act of 1986, a law enacted in response to the inhumane treatment of companion animals by

1416-424: The right ventricle starts to flow to the lungs for gaseous exchange and oxygenated blood returns to the left atrium , which is pumped into the left ventricle , and then pumped into the main arterial system. As a result of these changes, the blood pressure in the left atrium exceeds the pressure in the right atrium, and this pressure difference forces the foramen ovale to close separating the left and right sides of

1475-429: The uterus are not obvious externally, but the cow may be restless. She may appear agitated, alternating between standing and lying down, with her tail slightly raised and her back arched. The fetus is pushed toward the birth canal by each contraction and the cow's cervix gradually begins to dilate. Stage one may last several hours, and ends when the cervix is fully dilated. Stage two can be seen to be underway when there

1534-656: The 1990s. No longer serving as a lifelong repository for strays and drop-offs, modern shelters have taken the lead in controlling the pet population, promoting pet adoption and studying shelter animals' health and behavior. To prevent animal euthanization, some shelters offer behavioral assessments of animals and training classes to make them more adoptable to the public. Most shelters also provide medical care that includes spaying and neutering to prevent overpopulation . Shelters and shelter-like volunteer organizations responded to cat overpopulation with trap-neuter-return (TNR) programs, which reduced feral cat populations and reduced

1593-602: The Dog Control Act 1996. In Poland, it is allowed to euthanize animals in shelters only because of illness. However, it is permitted to kill blind litters as they are considered dependent. In the United Kingdom , animal shelters are more commonly known as rescue or rehoming centres and are run by charitable organizations. The most prominent rescue and rehoming organizations are the RSPCA , Cats Protection and

1652-551: The Tarangire National Park of Tanzania, estimated to have been born in August 2017. Birthing in cattle is typical of a larger mammal. A cow goes through three stages of labor during normal delivery of a calf. During stage one, the animal seeks a quiet place away from the rest of the herd. Hormone changes cause soft tissues of the birth canal to relax as the mother's body prepares for birth. The contractions of

1711-524: The burden on shelters. In the United States , many government-run animal shelters operate in conditions that are far from ideal. In the wake of the financial crisis of 2007–2008 , many government shelters ran out of adequate space and financial resources. Shelters unable to raise additional funds to provide for the increased number of incoming animals have no choice but to euthanize them, sometimes within days. In 2012, approximately four million cats and dogs died in U.S. shelters. However, recent years have seen

1770-401: The buttocks in a breech birth ) of the baby is pushed against the cervix , which gradually dilates until it is fully dilated at 10 cm diameter. At some time, the amniotic sac bursts and the amniotic fluid escapes (also known as rupture of membranes or breaking the water). In stage two, starting when the cervix is fully dilated, strong contractions of the uterus and active pushing by

1829-455: The eggs being hatched inside the mother's body, and others are viviparous , with the embryo developing inside their body, as in the case of mammals. Humans usually produce a single offspring at a time. The mother's body is prepared for birth by hormones produced by the pituitary gland , the ovary and the placenta . The total gestation period from fertilization to birth is normally about 38 weeks (birth usually occurring 40 weeks after

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1888-437: The expectation that a small number may survive to become mature individuals. Terrestrial invertebrates may also produce large numbers of eggs, a few of which may avoid predation and carry on the species. Some fish, reptiles, and amphibians have adopted a different strategy and invest their effort in producing a small number of young at a more advanced stage which are more likely to survive to adulthood. Birds care for their young in

1947-414: The expense of the owner, till such time as he should pay the fine (the amount claimed by the person on whose land they had strayed, for damage done), and the fee to the pound keeper, man or sometimes woman, for feeding and watering the same. If not claimed in three weeks, the animals were driven to the nearest market and sold, the proceeds going to the impounder and pound-keeper. An ingenious form of receipt

2006-520: The genera Tiliqua and Corucia , give birth to live young that develop internally, deriving their nourishment from a mammal-like placenta attached to the inside of the mother's uterus. In a recently described example, an African species, Trachylepis ivensi , has developed a purely reptilian placenta directly comparable in structure and function to a mammalian placenta. Vivipary is rare in snakes , but boas and vipers are viviparous, giving birth to live young. The majority of insects lay eggs but

2065-463: The genus Nectophrynoides are ovoviviparous, developing through the larval stage inside the mother's oviduct and eventually emerging as fully formed juveniles. A more developed form of viviparity called placental viviparity is adopted by some species of scorpions and cockroaches, certain genera of sharks , snakes and velvet worms . In these, the developing embryo is nourished by some form of placental structure. The earliest known placenta

2124-423: The heart. The umbilical vein , umbilical arteries , ductus venosus and ductus arteriosus are not needed for life in air and in time these vessels become ligaments (embryonic remnants). Large mammals , such as primates , cattle , horses , some antelopes , giraffes , hippopotamuses , rhinoceroses , elephants , seals , whales , dolphins , and porpoises , generally are pregnant with one offspring at

2183-422: The last menstrual period ). The normal process of childbirth takes several hours and has three stages. The first stage starts with a series of involuntary contractions of the muscular walls of the uterus and gradual dilation of the cervix. The active phase of the first stage starts when the cervix is dilated more than about 4 cm in diameter and is when the contractions become stronger and regular. The head (or

2242-678: The location they were picked up. In Quebec , there are two types of animal shelters: Larger cities in Germany have a city shelter (Tierheim) for animals or contract with one of the many non-profit animal organizations in the country, which run their own shelters. Most shelters are populated by dogs, cats, and a variety of small animals like mice, rats, and rabbits. Additionally, there are so-called Gnadenhöfe ("mercy-farms") for larger animals that take cattle or horses from private owners who want to put them down for financial reasons. The Animal Protection Act prohibits killing of vertebrates without

2301-424: The mother expels the baby out through the vagina , which during this stage of labour is called a birth canal as this passage contains a baby, and the baby is born with umbilical cord attached. In stage three, which begins after the birth of the baby, further contractions expel the placenta , amniotic sac, and the remaining portion of the umbilical cord usually within a few minutes. Enormous changes take place in

2360-416: The municipal function of picking up stray dogs and cats, and investigating reports of animal abuse , dog bites or animal attacks . It may also be called animal care and control , and earlier was called the dog catcher or rabies control . Stray, lost or abandoned pets picked up off the streets are usually transported to the local animal shelter, or pound . Uncomplicated stray cases are usually kept for

2419-412: The nest and provide for their needs after hatching and it is perhaps unsurprising that internal development does not occur in birds, given their need to fly. Ovoviviparity is a mode of reproduction in which embryos develop inside eggs that remain in the mother's body until they are ready to hatch. Ovoviviparous animals are similar to viviparous species in that there is internal fertilization and

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2478-444: The newborn's circulation to enable breathing in air. In the uterus, the fetus is dependent on circulation of blood through the placenta for sustenance including gaseous exchange and the unborn baby's blood bypasses the lungs by flowing through the foramen ovale , which is a hole in the septum dividing the right atrium and left atrium . After birth the umbilical cord is clamped and cut, the baby starts to breathe air, and blood from

2537-400: The number of healthy, adoptable animals , while others compare live releases to every animal they took in – as such, the terms high kill, low kill, and no kill are therefore subjective. Shelter partners include rescue groups, fosters and sanctuaries. Rescue groups will often pull dogs from shelters, helping to reduce the number of animals at a shelter. A rescue group often specializes in

2596-462: The owners, usually for the payment of a fine or levy. The pound could be as small as 20 square metres (225 sq ft) or as big as 0.20 hectares ( 1 ⁄ 2 acre) and may be circular or square. Early pounds had just briar hedges, but most were built in stone or brick, making them more stock-proof. The size and shape of village pounds varies. Some are four-sided—rectangular, square and irregular—while others are circular. In size they vary from

2655-417: The pouch. Here it fixes onto a teat which swells inside its mouth. It stays attached to the teat for several months until it is sufficiently developed to emerge. Joeys are born with "oral shields"; in species without pouches or with rudimentary pouches these are more developed than in forms with well-developed pouches, implying a role in maintaining the young attached to the mother's nipple. Many reptiles and

2714-673: The pound-keeper, and if the two pieces tallied, it proved he had paid and his beast was freed. Hence the word tally-stick and the pound-keeper being referred to as the tallyman . Although pounds are most common to England, there are also examples in other countries. In Americans and Their Forests: a Historical Geography , author Michael Williams writes: "There was hardly a town in eighteenth-century New England without its town pound..." In some mountainous areas of northern Spain (such as Cantabria or Asturias ) some similar enclosures are traditionally used to protect beehives from bear attacks. The artist Andy Goldsworthy has produced

2773-413: The rescue rather than adopting it to an individual. Some jurisdictions mandate that shelters cooperate with rescues; some shelters utilize rescues to offload animals with health or behavior problems that they are not equipped to deal with. Many shelters practice some level of euthanasia. Euthanasia is the act of putting an animal to death. A high kill shelter euthanizes many of the animals they take in;

2832-580: The ruling, all German animal shelters are practically no-kill shelters . Facilities must be led by a person who is certified in the handling of animals. Most shelters contract veterinarians to provide medical care. Goshalas are a type of shelter for homeless, unwanted or elderly cattle in India . Cows are venerated by many Hindus and slaughter of cattle is illegal in most places in the country. In New Zealand, dog pounds are run by each territorial local authority , which provide animal control services under

2891-717: The ruse of having 'rescued' the animal. A retail shelter operates like an ordinary animal shelter but with more of the flavor of a pet store than a traditional shelter by selling pet supplies. They may even obtain animals from out of the area to increase their inventory of animals, rather than serving only their geographic service area. Many shelters routinely spay or neuter all their adoptable animals and vaccinate them for rabies and other routine pet diseases. Shelters often offer rabies clinics or spay-neuter clinics to their local public at discount rates. Some shelters participate in trap–neuter–return programs where stray animals are captured, neutered and vaccinated, then returned to

2950-665: The shelter, often called owner surrender , or relinquishing an animal. An open admission shelter will accept any animal regardless of reason, and is usually a municipal-run shelter or a private shelter with a contract to operate for a municipality. Municipal shelters may limit incoming animals to those from the area in which they serve. A managed admission shelter requires an appointment and will restrict admission of animals to fit their available resources. Limited admission shelters are usually private or non-profit shelters without municipal contracts, and they may limit their intake to only highly-adoptable and healthy animals. An animal in

3009-403: The single calf is normally born tail first which minimizes the risk of drowning. The mother encourages the newborn calf to rise to the surface of the water to breathe. Large mammals which give birth to twins is much more rare, but it does occur occasionally even for mammals as large as elephants. In April 2018, approximately 8-month old elephant twins were sighted joining their mother's herd in

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3068-441: The vast majority of invertebrates, most fish, amphibians and all birds are oviparous , that is, they lay eggs with little or no embryonic development taking place within the mother. In aquatic organisms, fertilization is nearly always external with sperm and eggs being liberated into the water (an exception is sharks and rays, which have internal fertilization ). Millions of eggs may be produced with no further parental involvement, in

3127-420: The walls of the oviduct. The Lamniforme sharks practice oophagy , where the first embryos to hatch consume the remaining eggs and sand tiger shark pups cannibalistically consume neighbouring embryos. The requiem sharks maintain a placental link to the developing young, this practice is known as viviparity . This is more analogous to mammalian gestation than to that of other fishes. In all these cases,

3186-412: The young are born alive and fully functional. The majority of caecilians are ovoviviparous and give birth to already developed offspring. When the young have finished their yolk sacs they feed on nutrients secreted by cells lining the oviduct and even the cells themselves which they eat with specialist scraping teeth. The Alpine salamander ( Salamandra atra ) and several species of Tanzanian toad in

3245-416: The young are born in an advanced state, but differ in that there is no placental connection and the unborn young are nourished by egg yolk . The mother's body provides gas exchange (respiration), but that is largely necessary for oviparous animals as well. In many sharks the eggs hatch in the oviduct within the mother's body and the embryos are nourished by the egg's yolk and fluids secreted by glands in

3304-643: Was found recently in a group of extinct fishes called placoderms . A fossil from Australia's Gogo Formation , laid down in the Devonian period, 380 million years ago, was found with an embryo inside it connected by an umbilical cord to a yolk sac . The find confirmed the hypothesis that a sub-group of placoderms, called ptyctodontids , fertilized their eggs internally. Some fishes that fertilize their eggs internally also give birth to live young, as seen here. This discovery moved our knowledge of live birth back 200 million years. The fossil of another genus

3363-518: Was found with three embryos in the same position. Placoderms are a sister group of the ancestor of all living jawed fishes ( Gnathostomata ), including both chondrichthyans , the sharks & rays, and Osteichthyes , the bony fishes. Among lizards, the viviparous lizard Zootoca vivipara , the Jackson's chameleon , slow worms and many species of skink are viviparous, giving birth to live young. Some are ovoviviparous but others such as members of

3422-412: Was sometimes used. The person who found the animals on his land cut a stick and made notches, one for every beast, and then split the stick down the centre of the notches so that half each notch appeared on each stick; one half he kept, the other he gave to the pound-keeper. When the owner came to redeem his property and had paid for the damage done, the impounder gave him his half stick. He took this to

3481-557: Was the Humane Euthanasia Act , the first state law to mandate intravenous injection of sodium pentothal in place of gas chambers and other less humane methods. The law was further expanded and strengthened with the Animal Protection Act of 2000. Currently, it is estimated that there are approximately 5,000 independently-run animal shelters operating nationwide. Shelters have redefined their role since

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