Animal Shelters And Pet Stores, Similarities And Differences

        1. Pet stores pay taxes. Animal shelters do not.
        2. Both sell dogs and cats and get money from the sale.
        3. Animal shelters expect, or hope for, a lifetime of contributions after selling the pet. Pet shops do not. It is a one time sales transaction. One pet sale for an animal shelter can mean thousands of dollars in contributions generated.
        4. Animal shelters usually get dogs and cats for free. Pet shops usually do not.
        5. It is possible some animal shelters and some pet shops get dogs and cats from puppy mills. There is a lot of money to be made from the sale of dogs and cats, and just because animal shelters are nonprofit does not mean they are any less money oriented than pet shops.
         6.  Some animal shelters are nothing but nonprofit tax havens for animal hoarders and animal abusers.
         Non profit animal shelters have proliferated, as this can be a very lucrative, tax free business. It is poorly regulated. Some of the big name animal organizations take in huge amounts of money. They help a tiny number of animals, and make fortunes in the process.
          Serious issues such as dog fighting and animal cruelty continue to be exploited by many animal organizations and animal shelters, or remain out of their radar.