Taking Care of Animals: Kill Versus No-Kill Shelter

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Recommended: should animal kill shelters be supported

Animals are beloved creatures among the human race, and are deeply cared for. As caretakers of pets, those caretakers have a responsibility to these animals. One of those responsibilities includes making sure all animals are properly taken care of and are placed in a loving home. Many of these poor animals, mostly cats and dogs, are cast unwanted onto the streets to fend for themselves. Once they are cast out, where are they to end up? The ones that survive being discarded by neglectful owners are usually found and taken to a nearby animal shelter. These shelters are set up and designed for stray animals to be taken care of until a new owner can be found. Shelters also graciously accept pets from owners who choose to surrender their animals, and are re-homed by the shelter. Some of these shelters have what is known as a no-kill policy, which states that any animal fit to be adopted out, will be. Other shelters do not have this policy, and will euthanize a healthy animal for a variety of reasons. The most common reason for euthanizing a healthy animal is space. Most shelters are not well funded, and cannot afford to take care of a large number of animals; unfortunately, more animals are being discarded than are taken in by local shelters. Though most people would claim that killing animals to make space is wrong, there are actually many practical reasons for it; in most cases shelters that lack a no-kill policy are better for the animals in the long run.
The modern shelters established are what used to called dog pounds, and there are numerous kinds of shelters and rescue groups established throughout the United States. The most common kind of shelters are the ones set up and funded by counties or states, some are even funded by ...

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...elters, it is simply choosing the lesser of the two evils. Kill shelters do not inflict any kind of pain or suffering on the animals in its care, and try very hard to save every animal.

Works Cited
“’No-Kill’ Label Slowly Killing Animals.” PETA. n.p., n.d. Web. 18 February 2014.
“No-Kill Mondays Inspire Animal Shelters to End Euthanasia.” PR Newswire. 23 December
2013. Student Resources in Context. Web. 20 February 2014.
“No-Kill Mondays: Saving Animals One Day at a Time.” Life with Dogs. Life with Dogs,
January 2014. Web. 20 February 2014.
“No-Kill Shelters.” Black Dog Rescue Project. BlackDogRescueProject.com, 2009. Web. 18
February 2014.
“No-Kill Shelters?” New Moon Girls May-June 2013:8. Student Resources in Context. Web. 19
February 2014.
“No-Kill Shelters May be Harmful to Animals.” NBCNews. The Associated Press, 2012. Web.
18 February 2014.

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