Not every dog can be rescued. There are some dogs that simply have a bad temperament and will never be completely safe. Agreed. No-kill actually means "90+ per

Not every dog can be rescued. There are some dogs that simply have a bad temperament and will never be completely safe. Agreed. No-kill actually means "90+ percent live release" because some animals are so sick (physically or mentally) that euthanasia is the humane thing to do. Temperament in dogs is a heritable trait, and selecting a dog from a conscientious breeder [...] than selecting a dog from a shelter at random. Perhaps, if only because of the pernicious effect of the puppy mills. 99 percent of shelter cats are mutts and just fine. I'd guess that in terms of average health and temperament, the order is random/natural-bred mutts > well-bred pedigree > puppy/kitty mill animals.