i found my dog starving on the street. occasionally i worry that im keeping him prisoner but he also doesnt have enough sense not to run into traffic. so in the sense that an alive dog is better than a not alive dog i think its a good thing overall.

I think that adopting animals is a good and positive thing-- honestly even if you are only meeting a basic standard of care and are not an over-the-top amazing owner. It's a good idea to try to adopt pets who are likely to be happy in the conditions you're able to provide (like aim for cats or 'couch potato' dog breeds if you don't have a lot of space/energy), but like, I think odds are good that whatever you're providing is better than the shelter, even if they're doing their best. Is your yard fenced in? Cause even if it's small, free access to the outdoors outside of walks is pretty dope enrichment for a dog. You might be underestimating yourself!

Even with that aside: when you adopt an animal, not only are you giving that animal a nicer life, you're clearing a spot in said shelter for another animal who now doesn't have to be put down for lack of space. You're saving two lives! This is also why I think it's almost always immoralto buy animals(exceptions for stuff like service dogs obv), no matter who the breeder is. It's failing to help the animals already here, while also actively funding people who are making the problem of 'too many animals too few homes' worse.

Is it right to keep a pet?

other people have talked about this but i dont think that owning pets is inherently immoral. owning pets is a net good for both you and the pet, generally.

I want an animal friend but i also know that animals don't feel about me as i feel about them.

https://barkpost.com/dogs-love-us-like-family/

https://www.livescience.com/58438-cats-like-people-more-than-food.html

Most common pets like humans. Animals that don't like humans generally aren't kept as pets, right? I don't know about like, lizards or bunnies or anything, though.

However, I also started feeling bad and wondering if the dogs were really happy living in a small house with a not that big yard.

I suppose that big dogs wouldn't like living in small homes with no outside area to play in. But small/medium sized dogs would suit small houses/outside areas fine, especially so if you take them for walks often. I don't know about keeping a dog if you're in like a studio or 1br apartment, though. You would have to talk to people at the shelter or pet store.

Small dogs can be perfectly happy in small homes. You just have to be sure to get them regular exercise and provide them with attention and love.

As toast said a dog rescued from a shelter is better off than not. Dogs are extremely social creatures and need a family. Though many shelters do their best they still fare better in a home with a human to give teem more attention than a shelter could.

I'm allergic to cats so I don't really understand how their brains work but from what I know they're also good for small homes?