you're pulling me. >> animal rescue league, can i help you? i'll be there soon as i can. >> i feel like i'm saving these dogs. >> yeah. >> what are the fishing nets for? >> cats. >> every vision you have a dog catcher, like here i am. ah, i've got you. got you. ♪

in most american households it's a rite of passage to get your first pet. pets help teach us responsibility. they're our best friends. and members of our family. >> as americans we spend more than $60 billion a year on our pets. whether that be on the perfect purebred puppy or a hyperallergenic designer breed or even one of these adorable little guys. most of these guys will likely find a good loving home. what about the millions of dogs every year who aren't so lucky? each year about 7 million cats and dogs end up in shelters across the united states. like this one, the animal rescue league of berks county in reading, pennsylvania. so why are there so many homeless animals, and what happens to them once they're in a shelter? most of us don't want to think about it, but this week i'm going to work at the a.r.l. and find out. >> hi, how are you? >> hi. >> i'm morgan. >> hi, morgan. >> i'm your new volunteer. >> have we got a job for you. >> great.

>> are you ready for your tour? >> i am. >> reporter: the a.r.l. was founded in 1952. >> we have 18 kennels up here. >> just about 30 employees care for between 9,000 and 10,000 animals every year. that's more than 200 a day on average. >> and this is the adoption cat room. >> aw. >> about 100 cats, 70 dogs. >> is that a puppy? >> mm-hmm. >> and 30 to 40 critters or farm animals. >> there's a chicken in there. >> i want to take like 15 pets home with me this week. my landlord will kill me. >> you're going to be working with jamie, who is our kennel team leader. >> hi. how are you? good to see you. what do we do first? >> we're going to check the dogs in that were left in our stray building. >> okay. >> there's three ways animals come into the a.r.l. they're either picked up on the streets, dropped off at the front desk, or left in the stray building. the stray building is a 24-hour drop-off site where people can bring animals after business hours. >> there's paperwork hanging up for them to fill out. sometimes they do. sometimes they don't. >> reporter: and every morning

shelter workers find a new group of freshly abandoned animals, all of them needing temporary homes and care at the shelter. >> our cages must have been full. so they decided to put the puppy in a package. >> aw. can i pick the puppy up? >> yeah. >> am i carrying her okay like this? okay. >> might want to support her bottom a little bit so she doesn't feel so afraid. >> it's okay. >> each animal is checked into the shelter, and state law requires that each one is held for a minimum of 48 hours in case an owner is looking for them. >> do you name them? >> i think we should name her lucy. >> lucy. i like that. that's a good name. and she's a stray? >> yes. they actually didn't leave a note for her. so i believe the owner came last night and they don't want to face people. so they kind of just leave them in the straight building and that's what we find in the morning. you know, could be their dog had a litter of puppies and they couldn't find enough homes.

she's sweet. >> oh. that's a good place for that. there's a drain right there. so what's next for lucy? >> well, actually, this morning we're full. every cage is full. hopefully we do some adoptions. that'll open up some case. every day is different. you just don't know what you're going to get in and what's going to go out. >> reporter: the a.r.l. is an open admission shelter, which means it doesn't turn away any animal for any reason, regardless of medical or behavioral problems. they try to make room for everyone. but that can lead to serious shelter overcrowding. and that forces them to euthanize many unhealthy, aggressive, or unadoptable animals. >> we try our best to not have to euthanize to make room. it just depends on the amount of incoming animals. >> right. that's got to be hard. >> it is. >> yeah. >> it's very hard. these become our pets. >> next one? >> she's going to bring in one

that just came in through the front door. >> okay. we're ready. >> the neighbor left the dog behind when they moved. >> oh. his owners moved to north carolina. >> just left the dog at the house? >> yeah. that's what the neighbor said. >> who does that? like who moves and just leaves a dog? >> you'd be surprised. >> yeah. just leave -- they at least left it in the back yard or what? >> yeah. >> aw. the dog is so scared. >> it's okay. >> it's a male, not neutered. >> we should name this dog petey. he reminds me of petey from "little rascals." >> probably say he's about 7 or 8. >> a dog like this, how hard is it going to be to get him adopted? >> pretty difficult. having 15, 20 other pit bulls on the floor that young and can't find homes for those dogs. >> it's estimated that pit bulls account for more than 30% of the dogs admitted to animal shelters and make up more than 60% of the dogs that are put down. puppies have a decent shot, but

a full-grown pit can be very tough to get adopted. >> so now the dog is in here. how long will he be here? >> a lot of people think that, you know, they have a certain amount of time like, oh, we'll give him a month. and it's not like that. we'll hold on to these animals as long as we have space and as long as their behavior stays good. it could change. >> right. being in a place like this would probably drive you crazy. >> absolutely. even with going out for walks, you figure they're in a kennel 22 out of 24 hours a day. >> the kennel can be a noisy, stressful place to be locked up. just being there can actually make a dog more aggressive or, as shelter workers call it, kennel crazy. >> no, no. you're going to hurt your teethies. we'll get the last one out. he's a big pit bull, male not neutered. he's growling at everybody.

and he hasn't really been okay. >> okay. >> come here. so we're just going to go slow with him. good boy. >> he's a pit bull? >> pit bull mix. >> and was this no note? >> yeah. so again, probably the owner left him. >> he likes you. >> yeah. a lot of times they like the people who get them out of the stray room. i don't 100% trust him just because of how he was when he was in. but he's being okay. you want to go in your cage? come on. let's go here. >> the new animals are vaccinated. after that they'll get a temperament evaluation to see if they're ready for adoption. >> what do you think will happen to this dog? >> 50-50. >> right. >> i mean, it depends, again, on the evaluation, how he does. you have high hopes for all of them for the most part. but we do what we can.

>> it's hard, man, seeing these beautiful dogs. the strays. the strays i can understand. like this puppy who just like somebody found on the street. this is a dog that just got lost. but then there's like these other dogs that people just left behind. which is insane to me. i mean, i just can't believe it. and some of these dogs won't get adopted. okay. m their mom at the playgrod and i'm his mom at the dog park. the kids get trail mix, and here's what you get after a full day of chasing that cute little poodle from down the street. mm hmm delicious milo's kitchen chicken meatballs. they look homemade, which he likes almost as much as making new friends yes, i'll call her. aww, ladies' man. milo's kitchen. made in the usa with chicken or beef as the number one ingredient. the best treats come from the kitchen. and we're here in detroit ent michigan helping folks refinance

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look who's coming. >> the goal of any shelter is to find good homes for its

adoptable animals. and this week i'm going to do whatever i can to help make that happen at the a.r.l. >> this is our website. >> it's like doggiematch.com. hello. i'm pepper. do you have the time to give this sweet girl a home? >> so do you want to add one? >> i do. lucy. five-month-old black lab mix. is guaranteed to melt your heart. next thing you know, you're going to go home with somebody. >> as a healthy puppy lucy is safely on the adoptables list. but the two pits we checked in earlier today will need to be evaluated to determine if they're adoptable. >> trying to get the sense of him. he's already a little growly. he's not even making the effort to want to kind of smell me or sniff me. >> hey, morgan. i want you to meet missy. she's our temperament evaluator. >> how are you? >> nice to meet you. >> missy kalor has been working with dogs for more than 20

years. >> who's this? >> she came in as a stray. she's a beagle. she's got the hound personality where she's very food-oriented. she's very food-oriented. she's like, yes. yep. and again, it's not something that puts her as being unadoptable. she is an adoptable dog. >> how hard is it for you just in this little bit of time to be able to tell the dog's personality? >> it's very difficult. it's not like it's a blanket assessment. like you've got to really work with them in order to find out what you need to find out about them. >> next up for evaluation is the large gray pit who was showing signs of aggression. >> when i'm handling a dog that is potentially aggressive i don't want to challenge him. i want him to feel comfortable with me. >> and what do you look for when you do these evaluations? >> what i'm looking for is adoptability in a dog.

>> mm-hmm. >> hi, big guy. hello. >> i'm especially looking for aggression. whether it be human aggression, dog aggression, resource, guarding type of things. i'm also just kind of keeping an eye on his general body condition. >> like those wears on his arms? >> the wears on his arms. looks more like a scar. >> yeah. >> i see pressure sores back here. so that tells me he's probably been crated a lot. it tells me in general this dog has not been well cared for. >> mm-hmm. >> good boy. good boy. do you see how when i touch him he starts to lick his lips? >> mm-hmm. >> he's uncomfortable. >> why do they do that when they're uncomfortable? >> that's just their calming techniques. i wouldn't be surprised if this guy had very little interaction. >> with people? >> with people or in a home environment. and i would personally not feel comfortable making him available for adoption. if i have an ounce of doubt in that dog, i won't put it out on the adoption floor because all's

it takes is that wrong situation for that dog and that dog to bite somebody. >> yeah. >> and i can't take that back. all right. well, we'll put you back so that way you're not so stressed. good boy. good boy. >> after his 48-hour hold is up, missy will discuss his evaluation with the a.r.l. staff, and together they'll make a decision about this dog's future. >> after all her years of doing this she can tell like that if there's the potential for a problem. and that's the thing, is you have to be able to say, even the chance of a problem is a problem. >> even when someone can be found who agrees to adopt a potentially aggressive dog from a shelter, things don't always end well for the animal. >> euthanized. >> i'm sorry. >> i'm here to have her euthanized. >> okay. >> i got her -- i got her from manhattan. the police there -- she had

bitten somebody. >> and how long have you had her now? >> a little over three months. for some reason she took a bond to me. but everybody else. >> yeah. >> and no rescue will take her. they all say that unfortunately it's probably best that we put her down. >> if you'd like to take her over in the corner and have a seat. >> imagine how hard that is. you adopt a dog thinking you're going to be able to help it, thinking you're doing the right thing, and then three, four months later nothing changes. the dog gets worse. and now this poor guy's in the situation of having to put it down. that's terrible. i can't even -- i can't even imagine. ♪ >> shelter dogs need a break whenever they can get it.

so every night i'm fostering a different adoptable animal. >> oh, you come here. you come here. you come to papa. >> tonight i'm going to start with an easy one. lucy, the puppy. >> whoa. back in. >> this is my first day at the animal rescue league. it was equal parts fun and exciting and depressing. and you just think about that volume of animals that are coming through there. how do you keep up with that? every day they're having to put dogs to sleep just because nobody wants them. >> lucy, we're home. >> of course is this little furball didn't come with too much baggage, which is one reason puppies are so much easier to adopt. >> see, look, i'll show you. mm. that is so good. you can eat it. let me have some. mm. you should have some more of that.

>> you are such a sweet dog. hey, puppies. >> day two at the shelter, and today missy's taking a look at petey, the second pit who needs an evaluation. >> hi, baby. >> hi, petey. >> good boy. >> this is the one that the family moved to north carolina and just left the dog. left him behind. >> oh. >> yes. >> not uncommon, which i have a hard time comprehending it. if we wouldn't gone out and gotten it -- >> the neighbor brought him p n. >> it would have starved to death. and we've seen that too. >> when you look at this guy, what do you see? >> i see someone that's really, really frightened right now. >> yeah. >> good boy. i like that he's responsive. >> yeah. >> his eyes are big and wide. he's nervous. >> he's shaking. >> yep. he's shaking. he is frightened. >> a fearful dog can quickly become an aggressive dog. and aggressive behavior would make petey unadoptable. >> come this way. >> so missy needs to check for other forms of aggression to complete her assessment. >> ready to go outside. >> he's ready to go outside. >> what we're going to do now is the next step of his evaluation. we'll see how he does with other dogs.

>> jamie's going to be bringing out another dog? >> yep. she's going to be bringing out a siberian. he's a tough dog. >> the siberian. >> yeah. but i need to see if petey's going to be good with other dogs. if he's making the initial aggressive behaviors, that puts up that big red flag for me and makes it harder to put him up for adoption. >> now here comes the husky. >> yep. what is that? huh? what is that? >> and petey's definitely -- [ growling] no. and out of that interaction petey was trying to initiate play but the husky immediately took it to the next level, being that more dominant, aggressive type of dog. >> yeah. >> good boy. >> but he's doing good. >> petey passed the dog aggression test, but he's still showing signs of being extremely fearful, and that's a cause for concern for missy. >> let's put it this way. he's not out of the woods yet.

if i get like 20 dogs in tonight, he would be one of those dogs that would be on that list of having to make the extra room because he's not at this point in the game 100% adoptable. >> when the overcrowded shelter is forced to make space for incoming animals, they turn to the gray list, a list of potentially aggressive animals, sick animals, or ones with real behavioral problems. if they do have to euthanize to make space, these are the ones that go first. >> so right now would he be on the gray list? >> he would be on that gray list, yeah. it could go either way for him. so we do have a program called our kennel companions that we have a group of volunteers that will come in and work with dogs like this. that one-on-one interaction can sometimes get them over this hump. >> it can make a difference? >> it can make a big difference. >> maybe this week i could be his kennel companion. >> that would be fantastic. >> and every day i'll take him out. >> every day you can take him out. and i'll be double-checking him to make sure that you know, he's

gone in the direction we need him going. >> oh, my gosh. you're outside. he's like -- he's taking me for a drag. >> it's my first time as a kennel companion, but i'm hoping i can spend enough time with petey to make a difference and keep him safe.

we all know how much work it can be caring for on animal. well, these guys are caring for up to 200 at a time. >> good morning. good to see you. >> you ready? >> what are we doing? >> today we're cleaning the kennels. >> nice.

how thorough do i need to be? do i just need to scoop up the big chunks? >> yeah. >> and then we hose out the rest? >> yeah. >> that's a fresh one. mm. uh. what you can't really appreciate at home is just the rich, deep aroma that's coming out of here. >> at the animal rescue league shelter workers clean every kennel every day and give each animal fresh water, food, and clean blankets. >> they also each get two toys that get put on their beds. >> like the candy on your pillow at a hotel room. >> that's right. >> out for a walk. >> hi, puppy. >> hi, petey. >> i've heard that petey seems to be improving. and i'm excited to keep working with him. >> i'll be back. >> but today i'm taking a quick

break from the shelter, just to see how the other half lives. >> and by the other half i mean those wonderful dogs who not only get to be adopted or get into wonderful homes but who get to live lives probably a little better than even you or i do. >> good morning. >> hi. how are you? i'm morgan. >> i'm marisa. this is bella mia. >> roseanne belazny has had her purebred maltese for two years. >> this is my husband walter. >> this is my daughter. >> that's the daughter we never had. we have two sons. my son says there are less and less pictures of us around here. >> she's part of the family. >> would you like to hold her? >> of course. please. >> look, bella. >> you smell so clean. you don't smell like any of the dogs that i've been working with. >> this is bella mia's room. >> she has her own room. >> absolutely. >> and this is bella mia's closet. >> wow. that is a lot of clothes. >> these are all custom-designed

just for her. formal wear, casual wear, jewelry, hats. >> how much for a dress like that? how much would a dress like that cost? >> this one's $1,000. >> wow. >> it's a lot. but she's also donated a lot of money too. >> while bella mia may not know how good she has it, roseanne does. >> good girl. good bella. >> so together they participate in charity events and fancy dress fund-raisers to raise money for shelter dogs and animal welfare organizations. >> maria, do you do other dogs or is bella it? >> only bella. >> only bella. >> so did she end up coming from a shelter? >> she did not. my son got her from a breeder. >> okay. >> having done it again, i think i would have gotten a rescue. but i didn't have an awareness of that at that point. >> yeah. all i know is in a previous life that dog like saved a schoolbus full of kids or something. >> yeah. >> because she's got the life.

>> now that roseanne knows about the homeless animal problem, she's banded together with other dog owners who are passionate about rescues and helping to change the perception of shelter animals. >> i don't have a daughter, so this is my first tea party. yeah. >> all three of my dogs here were rescues. >> you look at this dog and you're like this dog was a rescue. >> yes. >> how do you change people's mindset? because i feel like when people go to a shelter kneel like there's something wrong with these animals. >> they're stigmatized. >> how do you change the way people look at shelters. >> it's not about what we can do with the dogs. it's about what we can do with the people. we have to educate people. >> and animal rights organizations are are trying to educate people about the often unknown issue of puppy mills. the humane society estimates that every year 2 million dogs sold nationwide are produced by puppy mills, sold in pet stores, online, or directly to the public, and can sell for more than $1,000 apiece. but most people wouldn't buy them if they had a glimpse at where they came from. animal rescue organizations have discovered mills housing up to 1,000 dogs in deplorable conditions.

stacked on top of one another, given dirty water, and covered in feces. these animals never see the light of day, and they have virtually no human contact in their lives except for when their puppies are taken away from them. and while it's difficult to tell which pet stores buy from puppy mills and which don't, why would anyone buy one of these dogs when so many adoptable ones are waiting in shelters? it's hard to say. but like anything else, animals are subject to trends. when a breed becomes popular, everybody wants one of those dogs. >> yo quiero taco bell. >> think of chihuahuas, dalmatians, bull terriers, and not so long ago pit bulls. >> we're going to go on a pickup. >> when that breed's moment fades those animals are abandoned and shops like the a.r.l. are called to pick them up. >> i went to take my dog to the back yard and she was there eating from the garbage. >> come on, baby. up and in. >> good girl. >> so how many years have you been at the shelter now?

>> 4 1/2. >> 4 1/2. >> i only wanted to work with cats. the dogs intimidated me. i see these pit bulls and i'm like, no. but then when i wanted to go full-time that was the position that was open. >> yeah. >> but i love it. i feel like i'm saving these dogs. >> it's okay. good boy. >> thank you. >> good boy. >> so where we're going to go right now, the garage is called carlito's way. there it is. >> oh, carlito's way. auto sound and security. >> hey, man. hear you've got a cat. >> this little one right here. >> oh, my gosh. that is a baby. >> we were working on a car outside, and he hears something crying. he's inside of the car. >> wow. how old is that cat, do you think? >> probably only like five, six days old. well, he can't keep him in there. it's too cold. you have to hold him. there's a little burrito. >> there you go. >> kitty burrito. >> bye-bye. thanks.

>> of course his name has to be carlito. and you're taking him with you tonight, right? >> of course i am. done. >> every two hours. >> every two hours? >> yeah. so do i. i have to eat every two hours as well. it's going to be perfect then. >> neverending stream of animals being brought into the shelter can be overwhelming. overcrowding at the shelter is the direct result of animal overpopulation. think of it like this. just one dog can have up to 16 puppies in a year and can produce puppies for about eight years. that's 128 puppies. a cat can have up to 24 kittens in a year. if that cat lives for just ten years it can give birth to 240 kittens. and if their offspring reproduce, that's thousands of cats and dogs, every one of them in need of a home. >> hi. amber? this is carlito. >> that's a good name and everything else. >> this is -- pretty much whenever he's crying you just -- >> give him a 40? >> yeah. >> come on. >> there you go. you're a good eater already.

>> what are its chances of survival? >> when they're that little it's hit or miss. i mean, i honestly can't even tell you if he'll make it through the night. >> yeah. >> when you get him home, you can bathe him -- >> okay. >> make sure he's warm. >> and then just feed him this all night? >> feed him that. >> okay. >> good luck, sir. >> cool. i'll see you tomorrow. >> good night. >> thanks. have a good night. >> what have we got in the tum tum? check that out. oh, there's a flea right there. got that guy. let's get you nice and warm now. >> you just think about how many millions of animals don't have homes. and people are still going and spending thousands of dollars on designer whatevers, cats, dogs, you name it. when somebody like that could go home with you.

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could mean less waiting for things like security backups and file downloads you'd take that test, right? well, what are you waiting for? you could literally be done with the test by now. now you could have done it twice. this is awkward. check your speed. see how fast your internet can be. switch now and add voice and tv for $34.90. comcast business built for business. good morning. he made it. >> good stuff. did he go to the bathroom for you? >> yeah. >> good job, carlito. >> most of the dirt got washed out. >> yay. look how clean. what do you think, little man?

>> so what will most likely happen to carlito now? >> we're going to try and find somebody to foster him. >> great. >> congrats. >> yeah. thanks. nice job. >> good job. >> who's working in the chair now? huh? are you the boss? you're the boss. >> the big green bean, jumping in puddles. go away, dog. that sounds like a perfect one for a cat. >> hey, guys. i'll tell you a story. come here. go away, you bad old dog. go away from me. there now. go away with your stick. see, look, he's throwing the stick. next time you can pick the book. hi, kitty kitty. meow. bye. >> i've been working with petey every day, trying to get him out of the kennel and into the fresh air for a little play. he's getting better. but missy still hasn't put him on the adoptables list. >> how's he doing? >> he's doing great.

so what else can i do in the next few days with him? >> the ball's going to be in his court, really. the up to him to start opening up and initiating play with you. >> it's all about trust. >> yeah. you're building up trust. that's exactly what you're doing. because we don't know what he's been through. >> right. good boy. >> i'm hoping my work with petey can help him open up and become adoptable. but in the meantime i'm going to try to help one of the other adoptable dogs find a forever home. >> so do you know what kind of dog you're looking for? >> blue nurse pit. >> we'll start with the full-growns. look at that big boy. he's a super sweet dog. he's also a very good dog. i'll show you my favorite pit that's in here right now, is this guy. >> hi. >> yeah? is that the one? yeah? awesome. fantastic. that's great. >> so this is the wall of fame. these are photos of some of the pets in their forever homes.

look at that pit puppy sleeping with that little girl. >> oh, you're adopting wonky? >> yeah. >> that's fantastic. did you see wonky on the website? >> yes. >> wonky's been up there for a while. that's good. yeah. >> alien dog. alien dog. >> here's your mommy. have a great night. bye-bye. >> any type of particular dog you're looking for? >> not really. >> no. okay. >> would take a puppy. >> great. this is marquee. we've got gunnar. >> he's a little older. >> this is lucy. >> oh, my god. >> yeah. lucy's about five months old. >> yeah. hi. >> i fostered lucy the other night, and she is a great dog. >> she is adorable. >> yeah. >> oh, i'd like to look at her. >> of course you can. it's showtime. you've got to come out here and meet mary beth. >> hello. >> i think you found a winner. >> i think so. >> this is mary beth, and she

would like to adopt lucy. i was getting a little emotional. that's like my little puppy that's getting ready to go home with somebody. >> what we're going to do is schedule her for surgery tomorrow. >> okay. >> the a.r.l. and most responsible adoption organizations require that all newly adopted animals are spayed or neutered before the day they're taken home. >> i'll see you in a day. >> for lucy that's just a quick surgery with a short recovery. then she'll be able to go home for good. >> very soon, pretty girl. i know. very soon. very soon. very soon. you be a good girl. so i'm going to go check in on the gray pit bull. it's been the 48-hour waiting period. and so now is when jamie and missy will make the decision as to whether or not to put him down. what's the plan with the gray pit, then? >> his 48-hour hold is up today. and of course our kennel space is tight. >> yeah.

>> so i think at this point we're in agreeance that we're going to unfortunately have to euthanize him today. >> yeah. >> he's too much of a liability, i believe. i don't think he'll be safe on the floor. yeah. >> so this room here is what we refer to as our sleep room. we put it to that since we're going to be in here. >> okay. >> how are you feeling? >> unfortunately, it's something that i've done, you know, many times. you know, even when the dog is aggressive or just plain not nice, i still feel horrible. because it's not his fault. like i don't know his past and why he acts the way he does. >> yeah. >> but you know, when you have nowhere to go with an animal and there's no rescue that will take it, it's dangerous to put in a home, what do you do with it? >> yeah.

what do you do? >> exactly. >> and how does that affect you? like having to work here and be here all the time. >> it makes me question myself. who am i to make that call. it's hard. >> yeah. >> it's hard. ♪ >> it's okay. it's all right. >> i am so nervous and just like my heart's racing. i can't imagine being somebody who does this day in and day out. but every day they have to make that call.

not only every day you have to make that call but then you have to be the person who puts that animal down, euthanizes it. >> it's okay. good boy. >> it's got to take such an emotional toll on you over time. >> it's all right, buddy. >> i can't fathom the baggage that that comes with. ♪ >> so it's actually really, really fast. he's going to start to relax. i'm sorry. you're a good boy. i'm sorry. >> and that's it? >> mm-hmm. that's it. >> that's so fast. >> yeah.

♪ >> you know, that dog is, you know, one of thousands of dogs that they have to euthanize every single year. this is one day. this is today. it's terrible. now at the end of the day i'm taking the wagon out to the incinerator where all the animals will be staged until they actually can burn them all. the question is what's going to happen now to the other dogs.

what's going to happen to petey the pit. you know, if things don't work out. even if it just gets to the place where they're full. a dog like petey is one of those that's on the gray list or on the fringe of who do you give up that space to. i saw this red, blistery, rash and i felt this horrible pain on one side of my back. i had 16 magic shows to do. i didn't know how i was going to be able to do these shows with this kind of pain that i was in. i told my wife what i had. she went on the internet and said "i think you have shingles." i could feel the shock in my back and it was like "wow its got to get better than this or i'm in big trouble." and i'm his mom at the dog park. the kids get trail mix, and here's what you get

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i'm calling about the dog that you have in your basement. >> it's another day at the animal rescue league shelter in reading, pennsylvania. and the constant stream of animals being brought in means it's another day at full capacity. and petey is still on the gray list. >> let's go, buddy. >> so what do you think should be done about the whole overpopulation problem? >> obviously, people coming to shelters and adopting. >> yeah. >> people spaying and neutering is huge. there's a lot of people -- and i'll say it, do you see all these animals that are homeless. some people still, they don't get it. you tell them, you know, we euthanize here and you're going to breed puppies and the puppies are going to end up being here in a year or two when they're too big and the families you think that are great don't want

them anymore. it's a cycle. >> you've got to educate people. >> yes. >> hi. hi. >> lucy's going home tomorrow. so today she's having her surgery. >> i'll be there the whole time. come on. >> and i'm going to see it up close and personal. >> there you go. >> i'm not a doctor. but i play one on tv. >> she's under general anesthesia. she's not going to feel any pain. so when we spay a dog, we want to take out the uterus. and an ovary on each side. >> so why do you think this is so important for animals? >> we have too many animals and not enough homes. >> yeah. >> so unfortunately, some will eventually have to be put to sleep because they don't have a good home. so i think it's very important that they get spayed and neutered. >> how painful is the recovery process for a dog? >> so a puppy this size, if you come back tomorrow, it's going to be running around like nothing happened to it. >> so from start to finish, from the time we brought her here, this whole surgery, barely 20

minutes. not even. it's incredible. >> but a simple step like that can save countless animals from winding up in a shelter. >> do you want to see a neuter? it's up to you. >> neuter, i'm all right. i'm good. >> it's up to you. >> yeah. i can honestly say i don't need to see that. yeah. >> back in the kennels, missy's got some good news. >> our kennels are full, as you can see. i'm going to call one of our shelters that come and take dogs from us. >> every once in a while no-kill shelters are able to lend a helping hand to the open admission shelters like a.r.l. today they're getting a hand from the humane league, a nearby no-kill shelter. >> it opens up more space for me to bring in more dogs and the dogs that are going to get pulled from here are going to be safe and i don't have to worry about them. so it does help. >> that's a great-looking dog. >> yeah, she's beautiful.

>> i'm with the guys from the humane league who are here looking at the dogs assessing which ones they think they can take back to their shelter. their shelters have less dogs. so the turnover there is much higher. so whatever dogs they take the chances of them getting adopted, even within the next five or six days, is very high. >> who's over here? look at that. >> you know, and this is the hard part because so many of them would do very well at our shelter but we only have room for so many. >> all right. so he's newish. >> you want to come say hi? hello. >> she's such a sweet girl. freedom. yay. >> hey, girlfriend. >> that dog is so excited to be out. >> the humane league took three dogs off the a.r.l.'s hands. that may not sound like much, but that's three more open spaces for dogs that might not have a shot anywhere else. >> great. [ male announcer ] hey, look at you!

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it's my final day at the animal rescue league, and today my big goal is to get petey on the adoption list. and best of all, lucy's going home today. she had her surgery yesterday, and her mom's going to come pick her up. >> lucy. oh, look how excited you are.

>> she's bouncing around. she's just a puppy again, just like the doctor said. >> come on. oh, i know you're going home. you're going home. look at that face. look how excited she is. there's your mommy. bye, pretty. she's ready to go home. >> she's a cutie pie. >> you got a good one. >> you did. >> bye. >> she's got a good home. >> it's been amazing to see the changes in petey in the short time that i've been working with him. >> you want to go in here and run a little bit? >> i just hope it's enough to get him off the gray list and on to the adoptables list. >> good boy. good boy. oh, that's a good boy. >> see, it's a really good sign that he's coming over to me, that he wants attention, that he wants to be petted. he's getting like positive affirmations.

>> i'm really pleased with where he's at and where he's coming along. you can see the big difference on how he was when he first came in to where he's at now. >> yeah. big difference. >> yep. so he can now be made available for adoption. >> that's great. that's fantastic. look at that. what do you think about that, buddy? >> makes you feel good when you're looking at a dog and you made it turn the corner and come back around. >> all right, buddy. >> i'll give you the honors. >> oh, that's very exciting. >> and that means that they'll know that he's available. >> good job, petey. you be a good boy. after spending a week here, i have a new respect for these shelter workers. it's impossible not to attach to these animals, even knowing that you might have to put some of them down just to make room for even more animals that need homes.

>> when i was a kid, all i ever wanted was a rhodesian ridgeback. i would show my mom pictures, here are breeders, here's how much they cost. and my mom and dad would say we've got two perfectly good dogs we got down at the shelter. and i told myself when i'm an adult and i can afford my own dog i'm going to buy one of those. but now after being here kind of seeing all the dogs that are just here looking for a home, i don't know why i would ever go buy a dog from a breeder. why would i ever go to a pet store? shouldn't we first rescue the animals that truly need a home? then we can actually start to make a difference. >> he's going potty. >> he's going to the bathroom. >> you want to pee, buddy. good boy. >> the dog's still peeing. this is the greatest day ever. >> when's the last time they let you out?

are you kidding? >> he's stilt peeing. that's why he's biting people. they never let him go out to the bathroom. there. he's done. good boy. >> welcome to our cnn special report "the trials of amanda knox" and the case that's held the world's attention for close to seven years just took another shocking left turn. the italian court that reconvicted knox of murder explained its reasons and they are almost as bizarre as the case itself. they include an entirely new theory of what happened that night and why, evidence that was never heard of before, even additional perpetrators. in a moment you will hear what amanda knox herself as to say about all of this. but first, let's remind everyone how we got here and what is in this latest ruling.