Not all "animal welfare" orgs are focused on the same issues. The short story is that if you are looking for an organization that is genuinely interested in placing safe, rescued animals with forever homes, they should label themselves "no-kill" or something similar. These organizations bend over backwards, often essentially taking permanent custody of some more challenging animals, to avoid putting them down. The only animals that are destroyed are violent, aggressive animals that cannot be safely placed, even in adult-only homes. The ones in between, the not-such-attractive adoptees, generally end up in foster homes for extended periods of time. There's a special kind of person. There are also "breed" rescue groups that focus on a particular type of cat or dog. They, too, are chiefly focused on placing animals into homes.

From their site: "PETA focuses its attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: on factory farms, in laboratories, in the clothing trade, and in the entertainment industry." They are not a rescue organization. They are a liberation organization. Again, in their own words: "We at PETA very much love the animal companions who share our homes, but we believe that it would have been in the animals' best interests if the institution of "pet keeping"—i.e., breeding animals to be kept and regarded as "pets"—never existed.

This is not a rescue group, folks. If you have a pet to surrender, please look for a no-kill organization focused on placing unwanted pets. And all reputable shelters should be focused on reducing the pet overpopulation problem with spaying and neutering.