A
free-ranging dog is any
dog that is not contained. The term encompasses various loose categories relating to the ownership, behavior, and descent of such dogs, including
wild dogs,
feral dogs,
stray dogs,
street dogs, and
village dogs, as well as dogs allowed to come and go freely by their owners. It sometimes overlaps with the
polysemic term
pariah dog. The term is used when distinctions of ownership are irrelevant. These dogs are put either in a pound or in a shelter.