Not all animal shelters are created equal. With so many options available when adopting a pet, it can be hard to tell if you’re choosing the right one. As a prospective pet owner, you have a responsibility to ensure that the shelter you support exists in the best interest of the animals it houses. To better understand the differences between a proper animal shelter and a for-profit animal mill, check out the evaluation guidelines we’ve included below.

A proper animal shelter will have:

• Staff with some level of formal or informal training
• Accurate and up-to-date records of the animals in their care
• Educational programs or opportunities to gain skills and knowledge
• A will to engage the community
• Posters or documents requesting volunteers
• Housing of appropriate size and cleanliness for every animal
• Proper ventilation
• Water readily available for every animal
• A schedule to ensure that every animal gets daily exercise
• Standards in place to evaluate an animal’s fitness for adoption
• Standards in place to evaluate a person’s fitness to adopt
• Biosecurity standards to prevent the transmission of diseases
• Emergency items available, including but not limited to a fire extinguisher, a first aid kit, and a smoke or fire detector
• Adequate protection from the sun, wind, rain, snow, and excessive cold and heat for every animal
• Registered charitable status
• Local animals available for adoption, not exclusively imported animals

Adopting a pet is a noble choice, and with these guidelines you should be able to ensure that the shelter you choose has as good intentions as your own.