Is it better to adopt a fostered animal instead of one left in a shelter - and if so, why?

There is not a simple answer to this question. It depends on the shelter you are adopting from. The shelter I work with is very good at evaluating the dogs and temperament testing them to see how they are in all different situations.

The one situation we cannot test on is children, for safety reasons.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.