What is a no-kill community?
The no-kill movement started as a radical notion, but today it is becoming mainstream. The goal is to correct our collective failure to value and protect the lives of homeless pets — lives that matter.
Achieving no-kill is not only possible, it has already happened in communities both large and small, urban and rural, across the nation.
As a Network Partner of Best Friends Animal Society, we believe the no-kill philosophy is underpinned by one simple fact: Every healthy or treatable animal should be saved. That belief is also the main driver for our their to action, Save Them All®. For a community to be considered truly no-kill, it means that no healthy or treatable animal is killed. The community’s focus should be on saving as many lives as possible through positive outcomes (adoption, transfer to rescue groups, etc.), not solely on reducing the killing to achieve a numerical goal.
Community safety and good quality of life for pets are guiding principles of the no-kill philosophy and are attainable when animal welfare professionals engage in best practices and protocols.
The no-kill philosophy acknowledges that euthanasia may sometimes be an appropriate choice in rare cases of irremediable canine aggression in which public safety cannot be reasonably assured and other interventions would compromise the animal’s quality of life.
Lifesaving programs and best practices:
Targeted spay/neuter services to reduce the number of dogs and cats entering shelters
Adoption and community foster programs to drastically minimize the amount of time animals spend in shelters
Community cat programs that use trap-neuter-return (TNR) and return-to-field (RTF) strategies to keep unowned, free-roaming cats (aka stray or feral cats) out of shelters
Various other programs, such as neonatal kitten nurseries and transport programs
Definitions
Healthy or treatable animals: This segment of the population includes animals who are fully healthy, and friendly to both humans and other animals. It also includes animals with behavioral and medical issues that are correctable or manageable.
Unhealthy/untreatable animals: This category includes animals with severe behavioral and medical issues who are irremediably suffering with no possibility of a positive outcome.
Euthanasia: Defined purely as an act of mercy, euthanasia should be reserved for animals who are in irredeemable medical situations, or whose behavior obstacles make them unsuitable for rehabilitation. Euthanasia should be reserved solely for ending the suffering of an animal who has experienced serious and irreversible reduction in his/her quality of life.
Killing: The definition of killing is ending the life of an animal who is healthy or treatable (either medically or behaviorally) as a means of creating space for incoming animals in a shelter or for other considerations.
A dog or cat is killed in America’s shelters every 90 seconds, simply because they don’t have a safe place to call home.
This is where we come in …
Lo-Cost Spay/Neuter Programs
Spay/neuter programs are among the most important techniques in achieving no-kill goals.
Comprehensive Adoption Programs
While spay/neuter programs reduce the overall supply of pets, adoption programs allow pets to go to permanent homes and make space for other incoming animals.
Pet Retention Programs
Offering information on behavioral advice, food, low-cost veterinary care, behavior classes and dog training can reduce the number of animals surrendered due to avoidable issues.
Education
Educating pet owners and potential pet owners is key. The community needs to understand the role of puppy mills and breeders in the community versus the adoption process from reputable shelters and rescues.
