How do No-Kill Shelters really work?

[mrblanche]

To my way of thinking, the difference between most no-kill and kill shelters is that the no-kills control their population at the front door, and the kills control it at the back door.

At our local shelter, we don't have a set time policy. We DO euthanize any pit bull that isn't reclaimed by its owner; this is an ordinance by the 3 towns controlling the shelter that they can't afford the liability insurance if they had a different policy. Animals that are terminally sick or fatally injured are put to sleep immediately. However, I HAVE seen them do very serious vet work, such as surgery on a cat with a fractured pelvis. If a cat has serious socialization problems, positive FeLV tests, such things as that, they will be put to sleep after being kept the required 3 business days (which usually means they're a the shelter for a week). Any that can be adopted will be put out front for adoption; once they're out front, they may stay for a long time. Our Ella, for example, had been in cages almost continually since Hurricane Katrina.

 

[addiebee]

Originally Posted by mrblanche

To my way of thinking, the difference between most no-kill and kill shelters is that the no-kills control their population at the front door, and the kills control it at the back door.

At our local shelter, we don't have a set time policy. We DO euthanize any pit bull that isn't reclaimed by its owner; this is an ordinance by the 3 towns controlling the shelter that they can't afford the liability insurance if they had a different policy. Animals that are terminally sick or fatally injured are put to sleep immediately. However, I HAVE seen them do very serious vet work, such as surgery on a cat with a fractured pelvis. If a cat has serious socialization problems, positive FeLV tests, such things as that, they will be put to sleep after being kept the required 3 business days (which usually means they're a the shelter for a week). Any that can be adopted will be put out front for adoption; once they're out front, they may stay for a long time. Our Ella, for example, had been in cages almost continually since Hurricane Katrina.

Hmmm... I am wondering if you're painting the no-kills as kind of self-righteous because "they don't put animals to sleep" but actually euthanizing at the front door. I know you love your shelter work. And I understand your frustration. We HAVE to say no to people if we have no room in our foster-based set up. The problem isn't with the "no-kill" shelters and rescues, the problem is pet overpopulation, and human idiocy and callousness in their view and treatment of animals. And unless THAT changes, or we have unlimited funds or we have unlimited space ... yes, animals will be turned away. And sadly, I don't anticipate any of that occuring.

 

[icklemiss21]

We are a no kill but we have a mandate for stray and abandoned cats who would be euthanised if it wasn't for us. The way we see it is, dont get an animal if you can't care for it. We take in surrenders when we have space on a needs basis (they aren't cute any more doesn't cut it unless we are empty). When it comes to strays however, we take them in unseen, regardless of medical problems and as long as they are not so aggressive or so sick/injured that our vet recommends they are PTS (rare) they come over to the shelter after a week at the vet for health checks, vaccines, speuters etc. They stay at the shelter or in foster until adopted. Once they come over to the shelter it is unheard of for them to be PTS unless they suddenly fall ill (we did have one case this year of a really sick kitten).

We have a team of people who work socialising the ferals that are brought to us and we have a really good success rate (I say with Autumn sitting asleep in my lap).

Almost every vet in the city works with us on pricing so that we can afford to help injured and sick animals, we have had two this year that cost us a fortune when they came in with broken bones.

We also have people who will hand feed kittens and took in several litters of motherless kittens this year especially, the most recent litter is just up for adoption now.

 

[grogs]

Very informative thread. Thanks to everyone who posted here. I was asking myself the same questions as the OP this year when I was looking to donate some money to help some needy animals. In my city, we have the big government-(under)funded shelter that kills about 2/3's of the animals it takes in and we have a somewhat smaller no-kill organization. Most of my animal-loving friends donate to the no-kill shelter because, well, they're no-kill. But it seems to me that if everyone donates to the no-kill shelter then the city shelter will have to put down even more animals. In the end, I gave some money to the city shelter, some to the no kill shelter and rescue groups, and a bit to the local feral cat society (whose trap-neuter-release program sounds like it could actually make some impact on the problem).

At the end of the day though, it seems that the no-kill shelters provide a temporary relief valve, but I doubt they change the overall trend. This isn't to say the no-kill shelter people are bad -- not at all. It just seems that for every cat or dog they save another comes in behind and gets put down. The two big systemic factors seem to be the animal birth rate and the adoption rate. If the first is far greater than the second (which it is in my city) then many animals will be put to sleep each year. Until we can change either the number of births or the adoption rate, the problem will persist no matter how many beds the no-kill shelters have.

Does anyone know if this problem is universal in the developed nations, or have some nations come up with solutions to these problems and the U.S. is lagging behind?

 

[booktigger]

The problem isn't with the difference between kill and no kill shelters (I personally would adopt from kill shelters, but we dont work like that in the UK), it is with Joe Bloggs who dont neuter, allow their cats to have kittens (or dogs) and then give them to people who do the same and will just dump them when they become too much trouble. They dont see the heartache when things go wrong, and volunteers who do these kind of things out of the goodness of their hearts picking up the pieces.

 

[lilyluvscats]

I find the whole pet overpopulation problem so depressing. It's so sad. I work full time but thought maybe I would also volunteer at a local shelter but I don't think I could handle it. I am in awe of you that work in that field or volunteer with animals. I don't think I could personally handle it. I would want to save everyone and bring everyone home.

 

[dragoriana]

Technically no-kill shelters still do kill. But i suppose if the animals are terminally ill, or extremely aggressive they have to do what they have to do.

There was one kitty who was very old, and not eating much. I spent many days in the quarantine room trying to cuddle him and coax him to eat. Then i'm told that he is going to be pts because he had Fiv. I bawled my eyes out when he wasn't there the next day.

I wish there was a way to keep them all alive and give them all homes, but there isn't.