in stray dogs are usually referred to as dog pounds. Some dog pounds also carry out rescue and rehoming work and are effectively rescue groups that operate a pound service. Some rescue groups work with pounds to move dogs to rescues. By law, a dog handed in as a stray to a UK pound must be held for seven days before it can be rehomed or euthanized. In the US, there are three classifications for pet rescue: A municipal shelter is a facility that houses stray and abandoned animals, as well as animals that people can no longer care for, on behalf of local governments A no-kill shelter is a usually private organization whose policies include the specification that no healthy, pet-worthy animal be euthanized Not-for-profit rescue organizations typically operate through a network of volunteer foster homes. These rescue organizations are also committed to a no-kill policy. Many modern not-for-profit rescue organizations now not only focus on rehoming rescued animals, but rehabilitating and training them as well. Severely abused animals cannot move quickly from their previous environment into a new home. Specialized and trained rescue staff must identify signs of aggression and anxiety and work to remedy these behaviors. Like people, the recovery process is different for all animals. Some might recover immediately while others might always should signs of trauma. Rescue groups and shelters There are two major differences between shelters and rescue groups. Shelters are usually run and funded by local governments. Rescue groups are funded mainly by donations and most of the staff are volunteers. While some shelters place animals in foster homes, many are housed on-site in kennels. Some rescue groups have facilities and others do not. Foster homes are heavily utilized in either case. Within the dog rescue community, there are breed-specific and all-breed rescues. As its name implies, breed-specific rescues save purebred dogs of a certain breed, for example, Akitas, Boxers, Dalmatians, Labrador Retrievers, etc. Almost every breed is supported by a network of national and international rescue organizations with the goal to save abandoned dogs of this breed. All-breed rescues are not limited to purebred dogs. Instead they save dogs of any breed. Many work with specific shelters to support their efforts. Adopting through a rescue group Most rescue groups use similar adoption procedures, including completing an application, checking a veterinary reference, conducting an interview (can be in person or by phone) and