Thoughts on No kill shelters

one thing that i need to point out is that some no-kill shelters get government funding, which means that they have to give animals up to RESEARCH FACILITIES if they are required to do so. when choosing a no-kill shelter (if that is important to you), you may want to ask if they ever, EVER give animals up for research.

also, i do need to point out that kill shelters aren't as bad as some people think they are. often times, the no-kill shelters have to turn away hundreds of animals becuase they simply do not have the space, meaning that those animals are abandoned on the streets, given away to someone who might not be suitable as a family, or worse. also, shelters are not ideal situations for any animal, but if one has been there for years and years (at a no-kill in IL, i met a dog who had been there for 9 years), you have to ask the question of how happy that animal really can be. not that i'm saying that euthanasia is the answer, but until pets are spayed and neutered, puppy mills etc are put out of business, and people learn to honor the relationship between an human and an animal for as long as that relationship lasts (rather than just while it's convenient), then euthanasia will be something that has to be accepted.

finally, some no-kill shelters won't take strays - they'll only take animals that are being relinquished by their owners - so the strays are out of luck (and strays are a big part of the problem).

i just wanted to put my 2 cents in for non-no-kill shelters. they are worth visiting - if you choose the right one, you'll find that they do care about the animals a great deal and that they do not euthanize unless absolutely necessary. for example, at the kill shelter (such a bad way to put it) i volunteer at, they have a 90% dog adoption rate (HUGE!!) and a 60% cat adoption rate...now, i know that sounds poor, but it's one of the highest in the country.

i just wanted to say that there are a lot of mediocre no-kill shelters out there, and a lot of wonderful non-no-kill ones.

To whom it may concern;

I'm not even sure why they made this message RESPONDABLE but oh well.

Every KILL shelter in the state of Washington I've ever visited SUCKS. Sorry to be so blunt but they do. They're unclean, unkempt, disgusting and the people there are RUDE, RUDE, RUDE. They'd rather KILL an animal than find it a decent home and exert LITTLE to no effort in finding the animal a home. The animal is crammed into a tiny cage and other than being fed IS IGNORED COMPLETELY until the day of their DEATH.

The no-kill shelters I go to DO NOT take government funding (KILL SHELTERS DO, they are given funds via their local gov't to take care of the "animal population" issue hense the term ANIMAL CONTROL)--they are strictly funded by US, the people--and they don't even advocate DECLAWING your cat (you must sign a waiver) THEREFORE I doubt they give to research facilities but if that's a question you feel you need to ask you need to make sure to ask ALL SHELTERS. Look at it this way, otherwise what's the point in allowing the cat/dog to come there? LOL---ours keeps them as long as they need a home and they have free reign of the facility, are under a vets direct and regular CARE, have toys/plenty of food...crap it's like a home to them while they're waiting! Our particuliar SANCTUARY also has hundreds of FOSTER HOMES. I've done drop in visits and I can't begin to tell you how happy those cats are. This place EVEN takes in FERALS.

The one thing I will give you though is that each KILL and NO-KILL shelter probably does vary in their practices, abilities, etc. I don't doubt SOME of them do get gov't funding but gov't funding doesn't equate into the loss of ones rights or being forced into giving up animals to RESEARCH. Most animals given up to research come from private parties, not well known/loved organizations. At least that's been my experience/knowledge.

ONE THING TO REMEMBER-There is a difference b/w an org that does ANIMAL CONTROL (hense taking STRAYS IN) and ones that try to do rescue work. The ones that do ANIMAL CONTROL (kill shelters) get funding from the local gov't PLUS they get to charge US to death for all sorts of stuff like licenses for our pets and things. There was a recent fight down south in my state because the Humane Society of that area was upset that folks were opening their own animal shelters on farms. They were making them pay fees to do this and such but the Humane Society was upset because THEY were losing money so they wanted to up these folks' fees by like 500 percent and I'm NOT exaggerating either. They threatened that if the particuliar unincorporated area in question DID NOT force them to pay these new outrageous fees they'd quit doing their animal control...so guess what? They aren't doing animal control for that area ANYMORE.

I'm sure that's why it seems like "they don't take strays" because the ones YOU'VE looked into are not your local "animal control" and also they probably run their business differently than most. ALSO typically the KILL SHELTERS are FOR PROFIT and the NO KILL shelters are NOT FOR PROFIT meaning they aren't in it to make big bucks. There's a DEFINATE and defined attitude difference in their employees to might I add. (Not that SOME kill shelters don't have decent folks working for them because some probably do, I just haven't met them yet) The employees at a no kill shelter are loving, caring and NON judgemental. They don't look for reasons to deny your right to adopt a family member. They have you fill out some forms and they ask some basic questions. They don't make it unpleasant but they are careful and there is a fee to adopt.

Another thing to remember, each one varies in it's funding and abilities and spaces. Our alleged "animal control" which is the Humane Society for our county isn't taking strays anymore either!!!! So hey, things change. I will add that OUR particuliar NO kill cat sanctuary will take ANY CAT, ANY TIME for ANY REASON regardless of age, health, etc. And they'll nurse the animal BACK to health and try to adopt it out, keep it or find him/her a foster home situation.

But I know some shelters (kill AND no kill) sometimes just don't have the room/funding/food to provide.

I'm a strong advocate of the no-kill shelters so this has hit a hot button with me and I won't respond to you beyond THIS response because otherwise I'll get upset but I will say ANY SHELTER YOU GO TO YOU SHOULD ASK QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS. ANY PLACE YOU GO TO IN ORDER TO DO BUSINESS YOU SHOULD ASK QUESTIONS, that's just common sense. But any spot at a no kill shelter you free up WILL give a spot to an animal from a kill shelter. Ours transfer over all the time from the kill shelters.

P.S. I dare you to contact Pasado Safe Haven and accuse them of selling animals to research...lol...you'd get the tongue lashing of your life they're so protective of animal rights. Their organization is well known...they're the ones that push for legal action against animal abusers to begin with, they're voracious. At any rate, they are also a no kill animal sanctuary.

I moved your posts into a new thread. I hope y'all don't mind!