Most shelters, by law, must keep strays for a minimum number of days (usually 3-5) before trying to place them in new homes or before killing them to make room for more homeless animals.

If shelters are overloaded and every cage is taken, owner turn-ins, which are NOT protected by law, are killed immediately--usually that very same day--with no real effort made to find them homes. This is simply reality.

Also some shelters that call themselves "no kill" shelters simply send unadoptable animals elsewhere after a certain time, and they are killed anyhow.

Please, no matter what breed of animal you want to give up, try rescue first. It may save your pet's life!