No Kill Shelters

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According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (2016), nearly 4 million dogs enter animal shelters in the United States every year. Just over one third of these dogs are adopted to new homes and another quarter of the shelter dogs that were brought in as strays are returned to their owners. On the other hand, virtually the same number of dogs that are adopted from shelters are euthanized. The American Humane Association (2012) confirms that the majority of owners who surrender their dogs do so because their landlord does not allow pets, as well as other extenuating circumstances such as not having enough time for the pet, divorce/death and behavioral issues the owner is not willing to or cannot resolve. Other common …show more content…

Since its inception over 20 years ago, the no-kill effort has been attributed with reducing the number of euthanized pets, from some 20 million down to about 3 million each year (Allen, 2014). In order to maintain the title of ‘No Kill’, there are certain parameters the shelter must meet and stay within to be considered no kill. Though ‘No Kill’ facilities that never euthanatize exist, most ‘No Kill’ shelters can destroy up to 10% of the animals they receive for health and temperament reasons and still preserve their "no-kill" status. Paws Chicago (2016) adds that the title can be subjective, stating that some shelters will ensure that they rescue every “adoptable” pet and only kill the dogs considered “unadoptable”. This begs the question: what makes dog adoptable or unadoptable and who regulates these standards? If a puppy is very young, if a dog is middle aged or older, or if a dog is sick or has been injured, they may be considered “unadoptable.” Some poorly run shelters will determine that a dog of a particular color or breed is unadoptable, such a black dogs or bull breeds. This is where lines can be blurred for a shelter to maintain the ‘No Kill’ status, dampening the importance of the welfare of the

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