The biggest difference is that most shelters keep their available pets in a single facility, while most rescue groups keep theirs in the homes of volunteers. Also, shelters usually have some paid staff as well as volunteers, while rescue groups are almost always all-volunteer efforts.

There is no best diet, despite all the marketing claims to the contrary. Every pet is unique and the goal is to find the best diet for the individual pet. Expense doesn't necessarily equal quality. There are some inexpensive diets that have years of rigorous scientific testing behind them and some very expensive diets that are lacking in vital nutr

All private shelters will ask you to fill out an adoption application. Sometimes they do this before you’ve met any pets, and other times, they don’t have you do it until you’ve selected a pet you’d like to adopt. Sometimes, the questionnaire is mostly about practical things like your experience with pets, landlord informati