animal shelter

[ an-uh-muhl shel-ter ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

an establishment, maintained by local government or supported by charitable contributions, that provides a temporary home for dogs, cats, and other animals that are offered for adoption, and puts to sleep homeless animals that have been deemed unsuitable for adoption:
The animal shelter is requesting donations of old towels, blankets, and other linens.

First recorded in 1890–95

Visit an animal shelter, pick out the sorriest mutt you can find, and then put it down.

She has answered it by starting a rescue animal shelter for the townships surrounding Cape Town.

To qualify as a no-kill shelter, the animal shelter must: maintain a 90% or better live release rate.

Elizabeth Hess is the author of Lost and Found: Dogs, Cats and Everyday Heroes at a Country Animal Shelter.

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