No Kill Advocacy Center

[Sabine]

***click***A National Tragedy!***click***

If every animal shelter in the United States embraced the No Kill philosophy and the programs and services that make it a reality, we would save over four million dogs and cats who are scheduled to die in shelters this year, and the year after that.

This organisation is all about reforming animal control and I think it's a wonderful concept.

[Sabine]

I just thought I'll push this one to the top once more, because it really makes sense.

[NoahGrey]

Originally Posted by Sabine

This organisation is all about reforming animal control

A good book to read and that I highly recommand is:

Redemption: The Myth of Pet Overpopulation and the No Kill Revoultion in America.

And I have to shout it out, that I work for one of the best Humane Societies in Ontario, as an Animal Protection Officer.

ACO22

[catlady999]

I agree that the shelter seems needs to change. And it can. And it should. And it's time that cities smarten up.

But the title of the book is misleading "The MYTH of pet overpopulation." I would accept any of the following premises/titles:
Pet overpopulation - why it doesn't have to happen
Pet overpopulation does not need to continue
Pet overpopulation is the result of mismanagement

I'd accept any of those premises. But I can tell you that in my city, overpopulation is a reality at present. I have seen BYBs use the title of this book to justify continued breeding (if overpopulation is a myth, then why not breed?) I think the title is offensive to people who ARE trying to make changes but are not getting cooperation from the general population or the city administration.

One of the premises of this book is that shelter managers basically don't care and are happily willing to allow the status quo to continue, to justify the existence of their organizations and their salaries. Although that accusation is true in *some* shelters, there are shelters who are desperately trying to change things.

In my city, the HS is desperate for change. They have proposed solution after solution and have been shot down by city council. That's not the shelter's fault and blaming shelter management for euthanisia rates is not fair IF they are trying to change things.

Humane Societies have no legal power, except to investigate cruelty. They can't make bylaws, fine people for not licensing their pets, and -in Ontario - are NOT legally allowed to operate low-cost s/n clinics; only vets or municipalities can do that.

So, this author is being unfair when he says that shelters are motivated to keep killing. It's a REALLY offensive premise, at least in my city. In some places, maybe it's true. But it's not true here. And still we have huge overpopulation, especially cats.

[catlady999]

Originally Posted by ACO22

A good book to read and that I highly recommand is:

Redemption: The Myth of Pet Overpopulation and the No Kill Revoultion in America.

And I have to shout it out, that I work for one of the best Humane Societies in Ontario, as an Animal Protection Officer.

ACO22

Are you talking about THS? I am not saying they are a terrible organization, but they do have dogs that have been in cages for YEARS, all so that they can claim to be "no kill." Caging an 8 year old pitbull for the rest of its life is inhumane.

There ARE some wonderful shelters where "unadoptable" animals can live out their lives comfortably. Best Friends is one such example. But keeping an animal in a cage for the rest of its life - with an hour out for exercise - is not humane and *some* "no-kill" shelters do exactly that. And that is a BIG problem.

[Chaser]

Thank you for sharing the link Sabine - very interesting reading so far, and the site seems to have a lot of well thought out ideas.