Volunteers like you help to groom, train, and socialize animals, to help them get adopted. Volunteers like you help to place animals in new homes, do home visits and follow-ups. A pound's mandate is to keep the streets clear of loose dogs. A pound must dispose of excess dogs, either by returning them, selling them, or killing them. A pound has no inherent humane or moral mandate.
Businesses have bottom lines.
In the lower mainland the SPCA is the private pound contractor in 18 municipalities. This is the type of pound that most people think they have, but in fact there's not many of them. The employees are employees of that municipality, just like other city staff. In the lower mainland, only the City of Vancouver, West Vancouver, and the City of New Westminster, have municipal pounds. A municipal pound is the kind of pound we want because decsions as to pound policy can be influenced through the democratic process of appealing to the mayor and council.