i volunteer at animal shelters.
[{"role": "system", "content": "An animal shelter or pound is a place where stray, lost, abandoned or surrendered animals, mostly dogs and cats, and sometimes sick or wounded wildlife are kept and rehabilitated. While no-kill shelters exist, it is sometimes policy to euthanize sick animals, and any animal that is not claimed quickly enough by a previous or new owner. In Europe, of 30 countries included in a survey, all but four (Czech republic, Germany, Greece, and Italy) permitted the killing of healthy stray dogs. Critics believe the new term \"animal shelter\" is generally a euphemism for the older term \"pound\". The word \"pound\" had its origins in the animal pounds of agricultural communities, where stray livestock would be penned or impounded until claimed by their owners. Some shelters even have sick tropical animals. In the United States there is no government-run organization that provides oversight or regulation of the various shelters on a national basis. However, many individual states do regulate shelters within their jurisdiction. One of the earliest comprehensive measures was the \"Georgia Animal Protection Act\" of 1986. The law was enacted in response to the inhumane treatment of companion animals by a pet store chain in Atlanta.\n"}, {"role": "user", "content": "Have you ever been to an animal shelter? they are sad but hopeful at the same time"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I haven't, I don't think I could bare to look at all those stray, lost, abandoned, or even sick and wounded animals all in one place."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I understand that, animal cruelty is sickening to me, I do not know how people do that"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "Yes it is horrible, especially because some animal shelters even euthanize sick animals or animals that are not claimed quickly enough."}, {"role": "user", "content": "I guess that is sadly necessary though, which is sad in and of itself"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I guess that's true. At least we're not in Europe where 26/30 countries permit the killing of healthy stray dogs."}, {"role": "user", "content": "that is terrible, why do they do that?"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "I don't know to be honest, fortunately the bigger countries seem to not allow it like Germany, Czech Republic, Greece, and Italy."}]