About why shelters charge for their dogs, besides helping to pay for their care and expenses, there is another important reason. If they were to just give the dogs away, a percentage of them would soon wind up back on the streets, or worse, be used for dog-fighting bait.

Anyone who cares enough to pay to adopt a dog is not likely to abandon it again, but will make every effort to give it a good home.

Anytime I see an ad for a dog being offered "free to good home", it saddens me because I know the chances for a happy life for that dog are not very good. Anything free is usually not valued very highly.

Dottie