"poor" people owning dogs

Gonty, you may be right. I am definitely not an expert on the subject but I bet in addition to people not being prepared for the amount of work and attention a pet needs is also not having the money for care. They all go hand in hand as what should be prerequisites to owning an animal - education, time, commitment, an appropriate home, and financial stability. I wish love was enough, but unfortunately its not!

Well, RK I think I do qualify as an expert on this subject after 15 years of sheltering/ACO law enforcement. You are correct - people that have animals in such bad shape that cruelty complaints have been filed - you require vet care - they have no money for so they sign the animal over. They have money for fancy hair doo's & fingernails - huge TV's & new cars - just not for the dog. Or they just plain admit "they ain't spending no money on the dawg". I would always give them a choice - pay the judge or pay the vet. Then of course there's the lot of them that got the dog free or found it stray so "ain't spending no money on that dawg" either. we also often find when checking vet records for an owner surrender that the vet told them the dog needed treatment or surgery etc - but they chose to dump it in the shelter & tell us they were moving, no time for, kids allergic or what ever. But the REAL reason was "ain't gonna spend no money on the dawg".

Wow...is that right? I stand corrected. I'm sad that is what happens to "dawgs". I don't work in a shelter. I am aware of many situations here in my province. In my town, where I live, there are a few shelters. Poverty is not prevailent here. The issue sound very different. We are also not living in the U.S. and we have less poverty in our country. I'm Canadian. But, I do stand corrected and I'm extremely sorry to hear it...