NOTES FROM SORD: Why We Are Here
Dogs get to S/R for a number of reasons that we know about from our experiences, and from hearing people at the S/Rs talk.

We get to S/Rs as "strays". Helen says that means that we "strayed" or wandered away from where we were supposed to be, like chasing a squirrel or exploring and going away from familiar places. Then we are picked up by someone who takes us to the S/R. Sometimes this is a person called an ACO or Animal Control Officer.

We may also be "owner surrender", meaning that our person gave us over to the S/R to find a new home for us. This may be because
Our people are moving and cannot take us with them.
Our people do not have enough money to buy us food or to take care of us.
We take more time or energy than our people thought.
Our people get sick or go away, so someone else needs to take care of us.
We get older (not old) and have problems that people do not want to deal with.

Sometimes our people do not take care of us or are in some kind of trouble and we are taken away from them.

Sometimes we behave in a way that hurts another animal or a person. This may because we are hurt ourselves or feel threatened or --- sometime we don't know why we hurt others.

Parsi: Someone found me wandering around and called the town's ACO, who brought me to the shelter. I don't know if my people knew what happened to me, or where to look for me. I never heard from them or saw them again. I don't know why.

Millie: I lived in a place that raised puppies for sale. I had several litters of puppies in 3 and a half years. People came and looked at the place. I guess that we were not getting the right kind of treatment, so we were all split up and sent to other places to get new homes. Several of us came to Maine, including 2 others who came to the same shelter that I did.

There are so many reasons why dogs get to S/R. We hope that people do not judge us because we are here.