We have a big problem in my neighborhood (and in AL overall) with poorly contained dogs, free roaming dogs, dumped/stray dogs, and even feral dogs. In the past month, three dogs have simply wandered into the store that I work at on separate occasions. Two were likely strays, no collar or ID, wary, and unapproachable, and left on their own. Yesterday, this friendly fellow strolled in and was wearing a collar and tags, so we were able to contact his owners. They were out of town and could not retrieve him until about three hours later, but we were able to secure him at the store until their arrival. I've seen several dogs hit by cars lately and am glad he did not wind up being one of them; he was a sweet, happy guy but also very clueless about the road.
I have been out of dog rescue for about 7 years now aside from caring for our five resident dogs. For a time, the stray problem in our area was improving, but ever since Covid, things have gotten far worse for essentially every rescue community, and our local dog shelters are completely overwhelmed and back to frequent euthanasia for space. Rescues are also full and thus pulling fewer shelter dogs. America's rising cost of living, housing crisis, and economic uncertainty is resulting in steadily increasing relinquishment and abandonment, and I don't see it getting better any time soon. It's a rough situation, though I am pleased to see communities stepping up to provide support like pet food pantries and low cost spay/neuter/vaccine services to help keep dogs in homes that might otherwise need to surrender during times of financial insecurity that may be only temporary.
