Beagle looking sad at animal shelter

Why do people drop off their dogs in shelters or, even more sadly, leave them in the streets to fare for themselves? Although the housing crisis and the rough economy are forcing people to give up pets, long-standing trends suggest a different crop of reasons why dogs end up homeless:

  • Moving
  • Landlord issues
  • Cost of pet maintenance
  • No time for pet
  • Inadequate facilities
  • Too many pets in home
  • Pet illness
  • Personal problems
  • Biting
  • No homes for littermates