most strays have been dumped out by a$$holes that don't want to care for them properly, so they put them out for somebody else to deal with. in reality, most of these dogs don't know how to fend for themselves in the wild and end up starving to death. when you see a stray, of course you can't safely pick it up and take it home because you never know if they're rabid or prone to attack you. so you tell me whats more cruel; a quick bullet or allowing the animal to suffer through starvation or some other long painful death?