Compared to pet-free households, research shows that pet owners are more likely to donate to animal charities. Why? Because they already share an emotional bond with an animal and are therefore softer targets for fundraising appeals featuring distressed cats and dogs. But do the very animal nonprofits that capitalize on this dynamic follow through for homeless pets?

Short answer: It depends.

Local pet shelters are certainly bright spots. These facilities and the volunteers who staff them are the unsung heroes fighting the homeless pet crisis. Local pets shelters operate on shoestring budgets and are often bursting at the seams with abandoned animals. Despite the adversity, millions of cats and dogs are safely housed, fed, and cared for at these community safe havens every year.

And shelters have a track record of success. In the 1970s, up to an........

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