No Kill Movement, changing lives one mind, one shelter at a time

Healthy Kitten at CASPCA, a No Kill Organization - K,. Kiefer 2010

As you go about the daily tasks of your life --  feeding the children, going to work, walking the dog, changing the litter box, mowing the lawn and dealing with a hundred more of the seemingly mundane if content bits and pieces of your life, somewhere in the country a healthy, adoptable animal will be euthanized.

Recent statistics are hard to come by, but  American Humane   -- not to be confused with the American Humane Society -- one of the founders of the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy, offers the following information from the National Council:

...the most recent statistics published by the National Council are from 1997, and only 1,000 shelters replied to the survey at that time. Using the National Council's numbers from 1997 and estimating the number of operating shelters in the United States to be 3,500 (the exact number of animal shelters operating in the United States does not exist), these estimates were made:
* Of the 1,000 shelters that replied to the National Council's survey, 4.3 million animals were handled.
* In 1997, roughly 64 percent of the total number of animals that entered shelters were euthanized -- approximately 2.7 million animals in just these 1,000 shelters. These animals may have been euthanized due to overcrowding, but may also have been sick, aggressive, injured or suffering from something else.
* 56 percent of dogs and 71 percent of cats that enter animal shelters are euthanized. More cats are euthanized than dogs because they are more likely to enter a shelter without any owner identification.
* Only 15 percent of dogs and 2 percent of cats that enter animal shelters are reunited with their owners.
* 25 percent of dogs and 24 percent of cats that enter animal shelters are adopted.
It is estimated that approximately 3.7 million animals were euthanized in the nation’s shelters in 2008. This number represents a generally accepted statistic that is widely used by many animal welfare organizations, including the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
Please visit  the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy for more information.

Gloria's shyness might lead to death in some shelters.  She is
safe and learning to socialize at the CASPCA.  K. Kiefer 2010

There are many ways to become part of the No Kill movement's vision to change those statistics and move on to a No Kill nation of shelters where all adoptable and treatable animals are saved and rehomed.

A good place to start learning:
 Nathan Windograd, national speaker and author of  the critically acclaimed books "Redemption" and "Irreconcilable Differences".

Maddie's Fund, an organization heavily involved in the No Kill movement offers grant money in the fight to save animals.
Get involved right here at home.
The Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA ("CASPCA") is a well-known and much admired No Kill organization that will be happy to share their vision and successes with you.  And what better way to learn about the No Kill movement than to volunteer your time helping to rehabilitate, socialize, exercise and be a good friend to every adoptable animal in the shelter.

Madison is a gentle, loving girl who also happens to be deaf and blind in one eye, an almost certain death sentence at most shelters even though it doesn't stop her from enjoying a good life.  She is well cared for and available for adoption through the CASPCA as of 4/1/10.

 

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