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Pit bulls are by far the most common breed seen in animal shelters, but that's just because they're misunderstood. While most people assume the animals to be aggressive and vicious, one study conducted by the website Dognition found that pit bulls were ranked out of 35 common breeds as one of the least aggressive.

One major thing that stops people from adopting a dog from the shelter is the worry that their dog will have hidden health or behavioral issues. However, according to Kenny Lamberti, vice president of companion animals at the Humane Society of the United States, "the vast majority of dogs that would come from a shelter are evaluated for behavior and health." And not only do shelters properly analyze each and every animal that comes into their care, but they do so in a manner that is more thorough than most breeders and pet shops.

Though people are aware of how many dogs remain in shelters, the ASPCA reports that 34 percent of dogs are obtained from breeders, whereas just 23 percent are adopted from animal shelters or humane societies

Though millions of dogs are still without homes today, there are fewer dogs in shelters now than there were before. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), there were 7.2 million animals in shelters in 2011, meaning that shelters nationwide have seen a welcome decrease of about 10 percent

Of the 6.5 million animals that enter animal shelters nationwide every year, 3.3 million of those are dogs

People think that the only way they'll ever find a purebred dog is through a breeder, but that's far from the case. On the contrary, DoSomething.org notes that a staggering 25 percent of all dogs in animal shelters are actually purebred.

One common misconception that deters people from adopting is that all shelter animals are on their last legs. However, research published in the Macedonian Veterinary Review found that, in 2013, the average age of a shelter dog was under two years old, proving that there are dogs of all ages available for adoption

Though some dogs surrendered to the shelter do suffer from behavioral issues, the majority of them are given up either due to circumstances out of their control (owners' allergies) or because of minor mishaps that are handled easily (like peeing in the house).

From a fiscal standpoint, going to the shelter to pick out your new pet makes more sense than working with a breeder or pet shop. While the average shelter won't charge more than $250 for an adoption fee, some dogs from breeders have price tags that'll run you as much as the cost of a cheap car.

Dogs suffer from vagrancy just as much as humans do. In fact, according to volunteer website DoSomething.org, there are five homeless animals on the street for every one homeless human.