A pound is a place that shelters animals when they have been surrendered, stray, lost, and abandoned. For many animals a pound is a safe haven, where they get feed and are given proper care. In pounds mostly dogs and cats are homed but pounds can be home to a variety of different animal species. Many pounds are a safe home for animals of all kinds but other pounds are not so great. 

Some dogs and cats put into pounds are neglected and not protected. Some pounds will chain animals and neglect their right to live. They do this by not feeding, keeping them locked in cages, and never letting them play like the curious animals they are. While in a pound animals are known to lose so much weight that it leads to health problems. And instead of giving the animals the help and medical attention they need they continue to neglect the animals and let them lose more than weight their lives. 

Some pounds have a no-kill policy but others do not. When many pounds are giving an animal thought to be sick or dangerous they will put the dogs down. Additionally when an animal is not adopted soon enough and they can no longer house the animals they will put them down or leave them in the streets to fend for themselves.