It’s hard not to read about Nala, the pit bull-Labrador mix at the Humane Society of Redmond, without getting a warm, fuzzy feeling. Nala is, after all, a real success story.

Nala came to the Redmond society just about a year ago. Though she proved herself good with people, her dog skills were less positive, and she languished. When she saved a blind dog lost in the cold in December, she began getting the kind of attention it would take to place her in an appropriate home. Still, it took months to find just the right match. After an overnight visit last Tuesday, Nala became a full member of Janet Roberts’ family in Powell Butte.

Nala was lucky. She got an extraordinary amount of publicity about her rescue of the blind cocker spaniel. Her shelter “family” was patient and worked to make her as adoptable as possible.

Unfortunately, Nala’s tale is all too common. Local shelters have dogs aplenty, and most will never receive the kind of public attention that Nala got. That does not mean they won’t make good pets, however. All they need is some human to recognize their potential and adopt them.

Central Oregon’s four shelters, in Bend, Redmond, Madras and Prineville, had almost 150 dogs available for placement as of Friday. The Humane Society of Central Oregon in Bend had the fewest, with just a dozen. The Jefferson County/Madras Humane Society had 30, the Redmond society had 49, and the Humane Society of the Ochocos in Prineville had about 50. There’s also All for Dogs Rescue of Central Oregon. It usually has 20 dogs for adoption on any given day.

The dogs at these shelters and the rescue run the gamut of ages and breeds. With that many available, it’s hard to believe that all but the pickiest families can’t find the perfect pooch at the local shelter.

About 4 million cats and dogs are put down in U.S. shelters each year.

If you’re in the market for a new dog, keep those numbers in mind. Shelter dogs are not free — most shelters charge a fee for adoption — and new owners generally agree to have them neutered if that hasn’t already been done. At the same time, they’re far less expensive than purebred animals and are much less likely to come equipped with the genetic problems that can be associated with specific breeds. Moreover, they need homes in the way purebreds often do not.