>>I'm all for adoption but adoption is not the best option for everyone. A lot of shelter dogs have severe behavior problems that take a time and skill to fix.<<<
The SPCA and most other shelters put dogs to sleep with behavior problems.
So.....
I adopted a female Boxer from Boxer Rescue. This dog has behavioral problems. There is no violence or aggressivness in the dog. None. The most lovable and kind hearted dog around.
But she is unable to learn a single damn thing. The dog is not trainable. Period. I think she has brain damage from when she got hit by a car prior to my getting her.
Shelters perform cookie-cutter behavior testing that is designed to uncover fear biters and garden variety aggression. They frequently miss the mark on phobias, certain types of problem shyness, house-breaking issues, destructive chewing and dominance problems. Not to mention failing to pick up on hearing and vision problems which can both lead to behavior problems.
I'm in and out of shelters all the time and I have a lot of respect for the workers and volunteers but they are often understaffed and under-trained and turn over is HIGH. Many shelters don't have the time or staff to work with a dog long enough to uncover these problems. If the dog looks okay, acts friendly with staff, has normal interactions with other dogs and is mostly quiet, this is often enough along with a brief temperament test.
Two weeks later the problems start to emerge. Adoption is great - 3 of my Shelties came out of rescue, 2 of them by way of shelters that shunted them on to kill list. It's just not the best option for everyone.
In a lot of societies they put troublemakers to sleep regardless of species.